Want To Escape Obamacare? Let It Die

House Democrats, I’d like to talk to you about the problems you’re facing with Obamacare.

Here’s your situation.  You’re the last vote on healthcare that will happen in this election cycle.  Reconciliation is NOT going to occur.  Reid is having troubles getting re-elected, and he’s not going to want to touch this hot potato again with a reconciliation fight.  Oh, he may promise you and every other Democrat in the House the world and reconciliation besides to get the bill done, but once yours is signed, that’s the end of it.  Then, you’re on the hook for the beatings.

Oh, and they can’t reconcile a bill that isn’t law yet, so that whole “hold-plus-reconciliation” thing won’t work.

What to do then to get this gone?  Kill the bill.  Why take my advice, admitted conservative that I am?  I recommend listening to the merits instead of the source…

1. Obama isn’t one to speak of being gutless.  President Votes Present hasn’t done a tenth part of the work on this that you have, and certainly hasn’t taken as much of the risk.  Now, at the 11th hour, he’s decided to get involved and call you cowards when his job is safe?  Insulting, and not remotely fitting.
2. Obama’s worried about the damage to his Presidency?  Too bad, because it could serve you.  If he’s weak, you’re the only thing standing between him and lame duck status.  Kill his signature bill, and suddenly he’s very weak.  Instead of giving orders, he spends the rest of his term begging you to help him not look as stupid.  It’s a far better place to be than the one you’re in right now.
3. There are plenty of outs at this point in time.  If Obamacare becomes law, that’s it.  You think you’re going to campaign on “fixes” after everyone hating the passage of the first bill?  Not a real winner for you there.  But saying that you’ll now vote against it for the large myriad of outs it has provided you might save you.  And no, it’s not going to be a foundation for anything any time soon, because if you do vote for it, you’ll take an electoral shellacking that will prevent Obama from doing any more with it during his term.
4. None of your leaders are here for the long haul.  Reid is probably going to lose his job in November.  You can get rid of Pelosi, who has a real chance of not being Speaker for much longer, and Obama’s likely a one-term President.  Your career, on the other hand, could be for life, if you don’t take nose-dives off of political cliffs for the brass.

Do I have an angle in this?  Sure, but why think of me?  Some of you could still save yourselves if you think this through.  And if you help kill this disaster-to-be, I won’t even mind when you do.

Filed under: Commentary and Opinion on March 5th, 2010 No Comments