Did Lindsey Graham Provide Republicans With An ObamaCare Answer?
President Trump promised to repeal Obamacare on “Day 1.”
The problem, of course, was the Republican Congress wasn’t ready to do that – despite the passage of 8 years of rhetorical repeals and votes.
Few recall that it took 60 Democrat votes in the Senate to enact Obamacare. So, perhaps expecting it to be repealed with less than 60 votes was always a difficult prospect.
Nevertheless, Obamacare continues to implode leaving millions of Americans with rising premiums and a lack of access to healthcare. Given that it is occurring on the watch of Republicans who control the House, the Senate and the Presidency, the failure to significantly improve the situation likely will not work to the benefit of Republicans. Voters vote on how they are doing economically NOW not on who was in power 8 years ago or the effect of Senate filibuster rules.
As a political matter, Republicans need an answer.
Could Lyndsey Graham, long a pariah to conservatives, save Republicans from themselves?
According to Investor’s Business Daily, about Graham’s bill, “The GOP’s Last-Ditch Effort To Repeal ObamaCare Is Surprisingly Good”
It certainly is better than bailing out Obamacare – the likely action to be taken next year in an election year. Keep in mind, the problems of Obamacare will increase significantly after the first of the year as millions lose coverage and more markets crash. Election years have a habit of producing spending bills not reforms.
So, will Republicans take action? Given that the reconciliation process ends in 9 days, we will soon find out.
