Posted on 03/28/2013 6:10:14 PM PDT by SoFloFreeper
A few minutes after the Supreme Court issued its landmark decision upholding President Obama’s health care law last summer, a senior adviser to Mitch McConnell walked into the Senate Republican leader’s office to gauge his reaction.
McConnell was clearly disappointed, and for good reason. For many conservatives, the decision was the death knell in a three-year fight to defeat reforms that epitomized everything they thought was wrong with Obama’s governing philosophy. But where some saw finality, McConnell saw opportunity — and still does.
Sitting at his desk a stone’s throw from the Senate chamber, McConnell turned to the aide and, with characteristic directness, said: “This decision is too cute. But I think we got something with this tax issue.”
He was referring to the court’s ruling that the heart of the 2010 Affordable Care Act, the so-called individual mandate that requires everyone in the country to buy health insurance or pay a penalty, was a tax. And while McConnell thought calling the mandate a tax was “a rather creative way” to uphold the law, it also opened a new front in his battle to repeal it.
McConnell, a master of byzantine Senate procedure, immediately realized that, as a tax, the individual mandate would be subject to the budget reconciliation process, which exempted it from the filibuster. In other words, McConnell had just struck upon how to repeal Obamacare with a simple majority vote.
(Excerpt) Read more at nationaljournal.com ...
Bullshit!! there is no Republican plan to repeal obamacare, secret or not. That is what the Republican candidates said in 2009 and 2010, “Elect me and I will repeal obamacare” and I do believe that , for the most part, those saying that had the intention to do so. However, when they got to Congress, they were neutralized by the Republican leadership who had absolutely no intention or desire to repeal obamacare. In 2010 I bit on that line, but since I have learned. Learned what? The main difference between the Republican Party and Democrat Party is is the spelling.
Don’t fund it....,quite simple really.
Force the thugs, both republicans and democrats, that want this garbage to defend it in public. Then attack...attack....attack...attack...and then attack some more....!
All spending and taxation bills begin in the House. Just don’t fund obamacare..!
Not sure what you are smoking, but the GOP has NO INTEREST
in stopping ObamaCARE (because they are not under its
death panels, nor their families, nor their staff).
THE GOP has sold out to Romney and Romney Agendae.
“Bullshit!! there is no Republican plan to repeal obamacare, secret or not.”
Amen brother...! We have obamacare because the politicians want it..We have a huge deficit because the politicians want it,...We have a huge debt because the politicians want it...We have illegals pouring over the boarder by the millions for one reason and one reason only..., the politicians want it....!
Follow the money.....!!!!
How do they not fund it...if there is no budget?
Obamacare expenditures are built into the Current Services Baseline which, if there is no agreed upon Congressional budget, automatically funds expenditures. > So long as the Senate and the House do not agree upon a budget -- and the appropriation bills are not signed by the President -- Obamacare is on autopilot and there is little the House can do about it.
Other than shut down the government -- which the 'Pubbies are not prepared to do -- because they can't trust the President to manage the money and not default on our debt (or cease writing Social Security checks or cease paying the military their wages, etc.)
The fact that the Democrat Senate has not brought forth a budget for four years is not by accident. They knew they would lose the House in 2010, so they set up a circumstance that essentially chained the Republican House to the status quo ante.
Everybody in Congress is covered by the FEHB ~ same agency that arranges medical insurance for all federal employees. I sometimes run into folks from the HIll at Kaiser ~ so what's going on?
Why dont you read it.
Moslems, Amish, and Congress and their staff are exempt.
WTF happened to “EQUAL UNDER THE LAW”.
Answer: It went the way of truth, justice, and transparency.
How did Senator Cruz vote on Cloture?
So how will members of Congress’ dependents get their medical insurance through FEHB?
“How do they not fund it...if there is no budget?”
The gov. continues to run on the continuing resolution, all the House had to do was not include obamacare in the CR. The cowards in the House leadership screwed the American people that put them in power and sided with obama.
“Obamacare expenditures are built into the Current Services Baseline which, if there is no agreed upon Congressional budget, automatically funds expenditures. > So long as the Senate and the House do not agree upon a budget — and the appropriation bills are not signed by the President — Obamacare is on autopilot and there is little the House can do about it.”
What fools what sign on to a deal such as that...?
“Other than shut down the government — which the ‘Pubbies are not prepared to do — because they can’t trust the President to manage the money and not default on our debt (or cease writing Social Security checks or cease paying the military their wages, etc.)”
Duh...! Who can trust the Republicans, they are just as corrupt as the dems...! Fine, let him default, then impeach the sorry piece of trash. All the things you mention aren’t negatives, I say let the communist hang himself. I’d dare him to cut those checks.
“The fact that the Democrat Senate has not brought forth a budget for four years is not by accident. They knew they would lose the House in 2010, so they set up a circumstance that essentially chained the Republican House to the status quo ante.”
Sometimes you have to play the hand you are dealt. Grow some and challenge this communist in the WH and those communist in the congress. Surrender is not the answer. Force obama’s hand, force Reid’s hand.
Actually, I don't smoke anything but even in my hallucinogenic free state I have a hard time understanding how anyone who profess staunch opposition to Obomacare could think that tearing down the very people who unanimously opposed the offending program will accomplish anything. In some twisted logic, the republicans became the villains. It is only in fairy tails that you get to wave a magic wand and make everything right. In the real world you have to deal with reality.
Please cool it with the graphic language.
Thanks.
Your ideas have merit but require a unified, clear communications plan for success in the mid-term. The GOP has done a poor job of pinning the responsibility for our lack of budget all these last 4 years squarely where it belongs, with Obama, Reid and Pelosi (1st 2 years). The Obamacare debacle rests all with the Democrats as does the downgraded credit rating, persistent unemployment rates and most recently, Sequester.
Secondly, after explaining the problem, they need to communicate the solution. Sequester is blowing up in Obama’s face. He’s looking for ways to make it hurt to save his pathetic ass. Spending cuts, tax and regulation reductions, support of state’s rights, all are critical. Gingrich communicated with great success in ‘94. We need that voice in ‘14. Who will it be?
You actually think impeachment would go anywhere?
I would like to see a bit of deception attached to an otherwise relatively benign piece of legislation that requires reconciliation - as the final compromise is drafted, a decent American in Congress, even an aide, could insert one sentence that repeals ObamaCare. No one reads these bills in detail, especially not when they come back from committee. Obama would sign it too, and then we are closer to restoring freedom than we have been since the socialist took power.
We can’t fight the massive sleaze and corruption of the far left effectively and still follow Marquess of Queensberry rules. The best part is that this would not require McCain, Boehner, Romney, or any other “leader” to do something difficult like stand up for the Constitution. All it would require is a single staffer willing to take advantage of the laziness of our corrupt ruling class.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.