Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Those silly Republicans!
Republicans would like to present themselves as a Party of reasonable people who do not waste valuable time doing silly, pointless things. This week in the House they are doing just that: something silly and pointless. They are debating and voting on a measure to repeal the recent health care law that has just been enacted. They in the House know that there isn't a chance that the repeal will go anywhere. The Senate won't even consider it. Even if the Senate were to take it up and pass it, President Obama would veto it. There's not a 2/3 majority in either house to support the repeal. So, why waste the time to debate it and vote on it?
Speaker Boehner says that the repeal is being considered because it was a campaign pledge. However, there is no majority among the public, according to recent opinion polls, in support of the repeal. The debate and the vote in the House are not going to win Republicans any additional votes in the next election. Republicans and those few Democrats who may vote for the repeal know that it isn't going anywhere. Perhaps that knowledge gives them cover. They can say they are voting to satisfy some of their constituents, while at the same time they know that, since neither the Senate nor the President will agree to the repeal, they are not doing any harm to national policy. I wonder how the House Republicans would vote if there was a Republican majority in the Senate and they knew the President would not veto the repeal?
The Republicans are off to a great start!
Speaker Boehner says that the repeal is being considered because it was a campaign pledge. However, there is no majority among the public, according to recent opinion polls, in support of the repeal. The debate and the vote in the House are not going to win Republicans any additional votes in the next election. Republicans and those few Democrats who may vote for the repeal know that it isn't going anywhere. Perhaps that knowledge gives them cover. They can say they are voting to satisfy some of their constituents, while at the same time they know that, since neither the Senate nor the President will agree to the repeal, they are not doing any harm to national policy. I wonder how the House Republicans would vote if there was a Republican majority in the Senate and they knew the President would not veto the repeal?
The Republicans are off to a great start!
Labels: Health care law repeal, John Boehner
