Krauthammer to GOP on Obamacare Repeal: 'Pick a Damn Plan' and Unite, or You'll Fail

[rangerrebew]

Krauthammer to GOP on Obamacare Repeal: 'Pick a Damn Plan' and Unite, or You'll Fail
Guy Benson
Guy Benson
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Posted: Mar 03, 2017 10:30 AM
Krauthammer to GOP on Obamacare Repeal: 'Pick a Damn Plan' and Unite, or You'll Fail

On Wednesday, I quoted Philip Klein's column warning Republicans that it is now or never on Obamacare repeal, and calling this test of resolve in the face of political challenges a "gut check." Klein has since followed up with yet another gut check, this one directed at fellow conservative critics of Republican leadership's emerging proposal to repeal and replace much of the failing law.  Klein's opposition to Obamacare is beyond reproach, and he's been a persistent detractor of suggested "repeal and replace" approaches that he regards (fairly or unfairly) as "Obamacare-lite." But he's also a pragmatist who understands political realities, so he's admonishing the right flank of the party on this issue -- with whom he agrees, in principle -- against derailing an imperfect plan that would nonetheless be far preferable to the crumbling status quo:

    I certainly think conservatives should hold the line, and fight for as free market a plan as possible. But there is also a stark political reality. In the Senate, even using the reconciliation procedure and assuming Vice President Mike Pence breaks any tie, Republicans can only spare two votes. Looking at the range of plans that have been released, there is a Grand Canyon-sized gulf between Sens. Bill Cassidy and Susan Collins (who would keep Obamacare largely intact) and Sen. Rand Paul's deduction and health savings account-based plan. So, if anything is going to pass, there are going to have to be compromises. And at some point toward the end of the legislative process, conservatives will face a choice as to where they draw the line. An Obamacare Lite plan may still eliminate mandates, give states a lot more flexibility, while coming with less spending, lower taxes and fewer regulations. Though such a plan should not be confused as a pure free market alternative, would conservatives prefer that nothing happens and the full Obamacare stays intact, leaving Democrats with something substantial to build on when they retake power?

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2017/03/03/obamacare-will-conservatives-derail-realistic-plan-in-quixotic-pursuit-of-perfection-n2293219

[Jazzhead]

An Obamacare Lite plan may still eliminate mandates, give states a lot more flexibility, while coming with less spending, lower taxes and fewer regulations. Though such a plan should not be confused as a pure free market alternative, would conservatives prefer that nothing happens and the full Obamacare stays intact, leaving Democrats with something substantial to build on when they retake power? 

That's it in a nutshell.  Will pragmatic conservatives prevail or will the extremists prevent any reform, handing the Congress back to the Dems? 

The Freedom Caucus is betting that the Dems won't help pass a reform bill, thereby permitting the ACA to die of its own weight.   Of course,  when anything dies of its own weight,  the demise is painful and the recriminations will be felt by the politicians who are perceived as having allowed the pain to occur.    So the GOP is now faced with three basic scenarios going forward:

   -  Pass a unified reform bill that includes the support of the FC.    That seems, well,  extraordinarily difficult given the reality that FC members, safe in their gerrymandered districts populated by social conservatives, are unlikely to sign on to anything resembling an actual fix.   
 
   - Pass a bipartisan reform bill,  jettisoning the FC but moving left to pick up the support of some Democrats.  This would ordinarily be the most likely scenario - it's certainly the way things used to get done.   But the Dems want the GOP to own this tar-baby,  and their leadership will likely lean hard on more moderate Dems to screw the GOP over, much as the GOP refused to assist in the crafting of ObamaCare (even as that bill adopted the individual mandate that was originally proposed by conservatives in the seventies.)   The Dems know that they'll be rewarded for successful obstruction,  just as the GOP was during the Obama years.   

   - Fail to pass legislation,  with the ACA remaining on life support.   Here,  the Trump administration will play a role, since the legislation punted on a number of matters to the bureaucracy to craft regulations.  Those regulations can bring some relief, but the job-killing mandates won't go away unless the law is changed.  This is the scenario which is most fraught with electoral peril.   If the GOP can't fix the ACA,  the spectre of a Dem takeover as early as 2018 looms.   Don't forget that the American people know full well that Republicans control both the Presidency and the Congress.  Results are expected, and results are what counts,  and a lack of results will be duly punished.