One of the most interesting outcomes of the Supreme Court’s decision on the
Affordable Care Act is how unusually off message the GOP has been. Their
talking points have been like marbles rolling in all directions.
While talking about Governor Mitt Romney’s promise to repeal the ACA,
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal referred to the law as “Obamneycare.” Ouch!
And when Florida Senator Marco Rubio was grilled about the difference
between Romneycare and Obamacare, he offered a glib response: Romney’s health
plan was just for the state of Massachusetts. If people there didn’t like it,
they could just move to another state.
Seriously Marco, that’s the main difference? A choice between health care
and moving out of state?
And most Republicans were jumping on the idea of calling the ACA’s
individual mandate a tax instead of a penalty as President Obama refers to it.
But that would mean Romney’s health care mandate amounted to a tax, too.
Romney’s senior advisor Eric Fehrnstrom found himself in a corner this
weekend, saying that Romney agrees with the president, calling it a penalty.
But my favorite response came from the always effervescent Senator Mitch
McConnell. He told a Fox News reporter that Republicans didn’t have a plan for
replacing Obamacare after repealing it.
I’ve never run a political campaign. But “vote for me because I ‘m going to
block 30 million fellow Americans from receiving health care coverage, and
there’s no replacement plan” doesn’t seem like a winning message for Romney.
Maybe that explains why John Boehner started talking on Sunday morning news
shows about how Republicans envision a patient-driven approach to reforming
health care.
Preventing 30 million people from receiving coverage doesn’t sound patient-driven
to me, but who knows?
This article appears in Jun 27 – Jul 3, 2012.
