Friday, July 28, 2017

GOP should shelf Repeal Effort and campaign on it (again) in 2018...

The reality appears simple.  The Republicans either need a different make up of 52 Senators or a larger majority in the Senate to pass a health care repeal. They simply do not have 50 Senators who appear willing to stand by their previous votes to repeal the doomed health care law.

While there may be a growing idea that some Republicans Senators would be willing to work with Democrats to "improve" Obamacare...doing so with represent a 180 degree back stab on the rank and file GOP voters who supported them.  I doubt anything like that would make it through the Republican House.  It probably never even gets to a vote there.

Better to allow things to simmer for another year or so. Let's wait and see how many people end up with no Obamacare choices in the exchanges come 2018.  Let's have everyone go through another year of double digit increases in premiums. Let's see how many other insurance companies decide to drop out.

Contrary to popular belief, the 2018 election could be good to the GOP (at least in the Senate where they are struggling to put together the votes for repeal).

In the past few weeks, there have been polling showing Sherrod Brown down eight points to his presumed challenger in Ohio, and even a recent poll showing Debbie Stabenow trailing Kid rock in Michigan. Given Democrats are defending in deep red states like South Dakota, Montana, Missouri, and Indiana, it is not inconceivable that the Republican actually gain a tangible amount of seats in the Senate. I would argue that chances are good (even now) that the Republicans will gain in the Senate (even as they likely lose some seats in the House). Depending on how many seats that they pick up, it could put repeal and replace over the top.

3 comments:

opie said...

need a different make up of 52 Senators or a larger majority

Or work together, a concept foreign to hypocrites like you CH

Loretta said...

Before they do anything else, President Trump needs to issue an Executive order. Every member of the House, the Senate and the President has to pay 100% of their premiums. NO reimbursements.

Another Executive order taking away ANY exemptions, waivers, etc. (There aren't very many, one is too many.)

wphamilton said...

I agree, it works much better as a campaign slogan than as an actual plan of action. As Trump and his Republican buddies have recently discovered.