The Bull Elephant
  • Home
  • About The Bull Elephant
  • Fun Stuff
  • Contact The Bull Elephant
Latest Posts
Sunday Memes–Shame on Gavin Newsome and Pam Bondi
The Foundation of Democracy
Memes of the Day
The Case for Insurrection
So what is the end state in Ukraine?
Gov. Youngkin’s wife and family members rescued from...
E Pluribus Unum– a reflection of who Republicans...

The Bull Elephant

  • Home
  • About The Bull Elephant
  • Fun Stuff
  • Contact The Bull Elephant
(Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The Way Forward For Conservatives On ACA Repeal, And More

written by Robert Kenyon July 10, 2017

This past spring, after copious amounts of arm-twisting and bribing by Paul Ryan and his team, The House of Representatives passed the American Health Care Act. The original bill was an absolute train wreck, and didn’t get much better with the MacArthur amendments… and then the bill was made worse again to get the votes of moderate to liberal Republican members like Fred Upton of Michigan and Billy Long of Missouri. It bears repeating that many of the shrinking Republican violets hyperventilating about the risk to this or that section of beneficiaries of the ACA actually voted previously for repeal, including the bill that passed the House and Senate in 2015, which was predictably vetoed by President Obama.

The House Freedom Caucus quite rightly opposed the original, with a few exceptions who need to be held to account. Ryan and his ‘leadership’ team then put the squeeze on various Freedom Caucus members, backed up by Trump and his crew in the White House, both directly and on social media. The HFC took heavy incoming fire, mostly held together to oppose, then stood as a bloc to compromise. Good, but it needs to do that in the other direction going forward to be a force. Leadership must be forced to start with a conservative approach on legislation, and work to get moderates on board. Tax reform should be a test case.

The Tuesday group, along with ‘leadership’ like Patrick McHenry, have proven themselves complete frauds, naming this or that portion of the ACA that must be sacrosanct, even after nearly all of them voted to repeal it in 2015. Newsflash in particular for Rep. McHenry: If you support “essential health benefits” or other mandates, YOU SUPPORT THE ACA. You are no conservative. Conservatives do not support or propagate the welfare state, particularly at the federal level.

Senate ‘leadership’, not to be outdone by their House counterparts, concocted a bill that’s even worse than the AHCA, to please weak sisters like Collins, Heller, and Murkowski. Passing nothing at all would be better than passing this, even if Cruz and Lee get certain conservative changes added.

Also, a word about Republican governors like John Kasich, who took the Medicaid candy from the federal government, and now want the rest of us to continue subsidizing them, and are pressuring weaker Republican Senators like Rob Portman. If they didn’t want to be on the hook, MAYBE THEY SHOULDN’T HAVE EXPANDED MEDICAID. They deserve the strongest possible condemnation, especially since they knew going in that the gravy train was set to end in 2020.

Thankfully, Sen. Rand Paul seems to have gotten through to the President, who tweeted his support for what should have occurred in the first place, a straight repeal of much of the ACA as possible in a reconciliation vehicle. Then an argument could be had on what to ‘replace’ it with, if anything. Repeal would enable the effort on tax reform to go forward without the specter of this law hanging over it, with a lower baseline for taxes from the get-go. It seems Sens. Ben Sasse and Ted Cruz have jumped on this train, and it needs to continue to gain momentum. Meanwhile, feckless ‘Republican’ Sen. Bill Cassidy actually said on Fox News Sunday that his nonsense ‘Jimmy Kimmel’ plan (put forward along with Collins) is “the only way we can go forward.” He also said about a straight repeal bill “A nonstarter, I think it’s wrong.” THIS is the guy it was so important to support last year, and this is what we get? Pressure should be brought to bear on Republican Senators up for reelection in 2018 to support repeal. If they do not, conservatives should abandon efforts to reelect them, and seek out nomination challengers for them, and starve those party apparatuses which would support these weak sister incumbents. The inescapable fact is that Republicans as a whole in Congress, particularly in the Senate, are just bad. Weak. They lie to get elected, then make excuses for why they can’t do what they promised, especially when poll numbers on an issue change.

This is where Democrats most hold advantage over us. They understand the mood of the voting public is fickle, and their elected officials seize every opportunity to push the progressive agenda forward, even if it means they’ll take a massive electoral hit, as they did after passing the ACA, as they know the worm will inevitably turn and they’ll be back. Their Republican counterparts are unwilling to do this, either because they don’t believe their own party’s rhetoric, or because they are too concerned with their own precious electoral hides. Somehow, it is always the conservatives who have to ‘take one for the team’ and support terrible legislation, like Bush’s Medicare drug boondoggle in 2004, or TARP. The moderates must do that going forward. Otherwise, for conservatives, or even anyone who expects politicians to keep their word, there is no reason to elect these people.

This brings us to the U.S. Senate election here in Virginia in 2018. In view of what has happened thus far, we must nominate a thoroughgoing limited government conservative who will stand with Rand Paul, Ted, Cruz, Mike Lee and others to fulfill the promises Republicans have made repeatedly since 2010 to repeal the ACA in its entirety. Sending a retread or moderate against Tim Kaine will not only defeat the purpose, but Kaine would likely bludgeon that person in the general. We have to draw the sharpest distinction possible with progressives. We owe it to ourselves, our principles, the commonwealth, and the republic to do so.

The Way Forward For Conservatives On ACA Repeal, And More was last modified: July 10th, 2017 by Robert Kenyon

Like this:

Like Loading...
#FullRepeal2018ACA repealRand Paul
0 comment
Robert Kenyon

Rob is a native of Stafford County, now a resident of the People's Republic of Reston. He has been involved in every election cycle on some level since 1997, is a former chair of the Republican Liberty Caucus of Virginia, precinct captain, legislative district chair, and has blogged on Virginia and national politics since 2007. he hopes to return to the Republican party when the orange virus has been eradicated.

Your life will be better if you click one of these

Sunday Memes–Shame on Gavin Newsome and Pam...

July 13, 2025

The Foundation of Democracy

July 11, 2025

Memes of the Day

July 11, 2025

The Case for Insurrection

July 11, 2025

So what is the end state in...

July 9, 2025

Gov. Youngkin’s wife and family members rescued...

July 9, 2025

E Pluribus Unum– a reflection of who...

July 7, 2025

Socialism’s Great Myths – Back Again

July 6, 2025

Biden Makes an Appearance

July 6, 2025

I am a Born Again Christian and...

July 6, 2025

Leave a Comment

Fun Stuff

  • Sunday Memes–Shame on Gavin Newsome and Pam Bondi

  • Sunday Memes–Celebrating our Independence

  • Meme(s) of the Day

  • Sunday Memes–Bombs Away

  • Meme of the Day

Advertisement

Advertisement

Sign Up for Email Alerts


Select list(s):

Check your inbox or spam folder now to confirm your subscription.

Advertisement

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

@2017 Bull Elephant Media LLC.


Back To Top
%d