GOP Tries To Repeal Obamacare 37th Time…And Counting

House Republicans intend to make their 2,917th futile attempt to repeal Obamacare this week. Why try again when they know it will ultimately fail like all the other attempts?  Speaker John Boehner has a unique excuse: he said the new members of the 113th Congress haven’t had a chance to vote on it yet. 

There’s a lot more they haven’t voted on yet, either.  There’s the declaration of war against Japan after Pearl Harbor, repeal of prohibition and JFK’s decision to send a man to the moon, as Stephen Colbert pointed out.  No doubt this vote – actually the 37th futile repeal attempt – won’t be the last.  But for heaven’s sake, don’t let those guys vote on the 1964 Civil Rights Act or ratification of the First Amendment to the Constitution.  That would be frightening.

Boehner also has a tendency to demand votes and then change his mind when they might go against him.  Case in point is the federal budget.  The House passed their version and excoriated the Senate Democrats for not passing a budget and going to conference to resolve the differences.  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) called Boehner’s bluff and passed a budget bill and called for a conference meeting; Boehner refused and Senate Republicans blocked it on their end.

Why do something that might be relevant when you can repeal Obamacare over and over again without bothering to wait for Groundhog Day or do something serious like taking up legislation that actually has a chance of becoming law?

Those taxpayers who complain about wasteful government spending should ask Boehner & Co. why they’re spending so much time and so many millions of their tax dollars on this charade while blocking needed legislation. 

The “Just Say No” party talked a lot about immigration reform after an overwhelming loss of Hispanic votes last fall, but with legislation now on the table and some bipartisan backing, they’re stalling and looking for excuses to block the bill and avoid blame.  They blocked gun safety legislation in lockstep with the NRA although 90 percent of the American public supported expanded background cheks.  Like their fealty to the gun industry their fierce loyalty to the insurance companies is a driving force in their opposition to the Affordable Care Act.

And they show what they think of the ordinary Americans they claim to speak for by blocking a budget deal that combines spending cuts and tax increases for their fat cat patrons.  But I understand where they’re coming from. The poor don’t vote Republican and, at this rate, never will, so why bother?

And they wonder why they’re held in such low esteem by the American public, not just Congress in general but Republicans in particular. The most recent Washington Post-ABC news poll shows seven out of 10 Americans feel the GOP is out of touch with the concerns “of most people” in the country, reported the Post. 

About the Author
Douglas M. Bloomfield is a syndicated columnist, Washington lobbyist and consultant. He spent nine years as the legislative director and chief lobbyist for AIPAC.
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