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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe GOP's Obamacare Suicide
The GOP's Obamacare SuicideWith a main component of the health care law kicking in and proving popular, the Republicans' fundamental narrativethat government is the problemcould take a major hit.
By David Corn
Oct. 2, 2013 - http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/10/obamacare-gop-shutdown
Is the Republican Party committing suicide this week? The final results of the shutdown blame game won't be in until the government is un-shut. Yet at the same time that the party is allowing itself to be branded as an ideologically rigid outfit controlled by political hostage takers, it has been endangering its future by waging a high-profile but Alamo-like stand against Obamacare, just as a main component of the health care program is kicking inand appears to be popular.
If anything has defined the GOP in its must-destroy-Obama phase, it's the party's virulent opposition to the Affordable Care Act. And with Obama reelected, the economy slowly improving, and deficits slowly decreasing, Republicans have bet almost all the chips they have left on the decimation of Obamacare. With Sen. Ted Cruz wagging the party, the GOPers pushing for the government shutdownaided and abetted by Rush Limbaugh, the Heritage Foundation, and other influentials of the far righthave focused exclusively on Obamacare. This confrontation over government spending has nothing to do with, well, government spending. The shutdown was merely a way for Cruz-controlled Republicans to vent about Obamacare. So if the Republican party stands for anything today, it is obstructing Obamacare. But here's the rub: What if Obamacare works?
The initial response to yesterday's opening of the state and federal exchanges that are providing affordable insurance plans to Americans who previously could not obtain coverage has Obamacare proponents dancing. Millions of Americans were not scared away by Koch-financed ads ....
So while the Republicans have succeeded in forcing a shutdown of the governmentaccording to the latest polls, not a popular endeavortheir crusade against Obamacare has harmed their long-term prospects in several ways:
...........
If anything has defined the GOP in its must-destroy-Obama phase, it's the party's virulent opposition to the Affordable Care Act. And with Obama reelected, the economy slowly improving, and deficits slowly decreasing, Republicans have bet almost all the chips they have left on the decimation of Obamacare. With Sen. Ted Cruz wagging the party, the GOPers pushing for the government shutdownaided and abetted by Rush Limbaugh, the Heritage Foundation, and other influentials of the far righthave focused exclusively on Obamacare. This confrontation over government spending has nothing to do with, well, government spending. The shutdown was merely a way for Cruz-controlled Republicans to vent about Obamacare. So if the Republican party stands for anything today, it is obstructing Obamacare. But here's the rub: What if Obamacare works?
The initial response to yesterday's opening of the state and federal exchanges that are providing affordable insurance plans to Americans who previously could not obtain coverage has Obamacare proponents dancing. Millions of Americans were not scared away by Koch-financed ads ....
So while the Republicans have succeeded in forcing a shutdown of the governmentaccording to the latest polls, not a popular endeavortheir crusade against Obamacare has harmed their long-term prospects in several ways:
...........
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The GOP's Obamacare Suicide (Original Post)
Coyotl
Oct 2013
OP
More people might realize that government is not the problem. GOP are the problem.
IronLionZion
Oct 2013
#4
tartan2
(314 posts)1. The GOP is frothing at the mouth and shitting their pants right now
because they know that once the people of this country find out just how good the ACA is they will embrace it and come to like it.
The one disturbing thing about all of this is that the GOP will not recognize that this country's health care system is unsustainable. The ACA is just a small step in the direction of a single payer system. I don't think I will see it in my lifetime but I'm sure my children will!
gopiscrap
(23,761 posts)3. welcome to DU
Blue Owl
(50,414 posts)2. Eat shit and die, GOP
Quickly, now.
IronLionZion
(45,451 posts)4. More people might realize that government is not the problem. GOP are the problem.
as they see how shutdown has taken money out of the economy.
Coyotl
(15,262 posts)5. This has already happened! Long overdue at that.