Republicans have rightly pledged to pass legislation in the House to repeal Obamacare, but they are also considering trying to repeal Obamacare ‘piece by piece’ after the Democrats inevitably kill that full repeal legislation. It’s understandable that Republicans, in their determination to repeal Obamacare, would seek and would welcome any partial victories in this vein. But it’s important that Republicans resist that temptation, which is highly problematic for two principal reasons:
First, it would divert some of the Republicans’ efforts toward trying to treat the untreatable, while taking their eyes off the goal that they have a moral obligation to pursue with every ounce of effort: full repeal – the fate of which will largely determine the fate of our country for the foreseeable future. Second, it would provide President Obama with a path to the center.
Obama is boxed in. He can’t put Obamacare behind him in the way that President Clinton could put HillaryCare behind him. He can’t tack to the middle because he’s effectively anchored to the highly unpopular legislation that, at least in popular parlance, bears his name. He has nowhere to go.
He simply has to wait and hope that Obamacare’s popularity will noticeably change for the better before November of 2012 (not likely); that Republicans won’t nominate a worthy challenger who can match or surpass him in personal appeal and in the ability to debate ideas (the jury will be out on this for some time); or that the economy will show enough improvement – or that another issue will come to the forefront in such a way – that he can overcome both Obamacare and a worthy challenger (not likely – if he has a worthy challenger).
But Republicans could inadvertently change this dynamic. Imagine if the GOP were to pass partial-repeal legislation to prevent, say, Obamacare’s cuts to Medicare Advantage from going into effect, and that such legislation were to get through the Senate. All of a sudden, President Obama would have the chance to appeal to seniors, improve Obamacare, reduce the public outcry against it, give it the sheen of bipartisanship, and tack to the center, all with just one sweep of his pen. Do Republicans really want give him that opportunity?
Far better to avoid paving a path to the center for him and instead force the 2012 election to be largely a referendum on Obamacare. That’s a battle that Republicans – like they did in 2010 – can win. More importantly, it’s a battle that the nation needs for them to wage and win. In that spirit, Republicans should kill Obamacare, not treat it
