Bill McGurn on Boehner's "Plan B"
"When it comes to repealing ObamaCare," Ricochet's Bill McGurn argues in today's WSJ, "plan B for John Boehner will be more important than plan A."
Plan A? That would be repealing ObamaCare "whole hog," Bill writes. Ideal, yes. But plausible? Not a chance. With their new found majority come November, House Republicans will be able to draft and pass legislation that would repeal ObamaCare. But once that legislation moves to the Senate, even if Republicans have managed to cinch a simple majority, they won't have the votes to withstand a filibuster or to override a presidential veto.
Thus Plan B:
Republicans would do exactly what House Speaker Nancy Pelosi so memorably predicted would happen once the health-care bill passed: find out what's inside it. Mr. Boehner says his priority is full repeal. But he also knows he is in for a fight. In this fight, hearings would help Republicans accomplish several things.
First, they would help define the law's problems for the American people.
Second, by defining the problems, Republicans would be in a better position to define and sell their more market-friendly fixes.
Third, by doing the first two, Republicans might get enough votes here and there to kick out key rungs of ObamaCare.
Even if Republicans could not get the president to sign anything into law, by forcing votes and vetoes Republicans would drive home an important point: If the American people really want repeal, they will need to vote for a Republican president in 2012.
Bill, only you could make a plan B sound like a plan A.
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Comments :
May '10
Re: Bill McGurn on Boehner's "Plan B"
I can't wait for the vetos to begin.
Jun '10
Re: Bill McGurn on Boehner's "Plan B"
I like plan B.
May '10
Re: Bill McGurn on Boehner's "Plan B"
It probably makes sense to take a run at Plan A just to demonstrate real commitment, but the Republicans need to be ready and highly visible with their own ideas for health care. As Bill points out a point by point battle in Plan B would do that nicely.
As satisfying as a blanket repeal would be, it sweeps away lots of bad ideas and bad faith legislating quickly, with minimum pain for the Obama and the Congressional Democrats. When an issue is a winner for you one doesn't want to settle it too quickly.
May '10
Re: Bill McGurn on Boehner's "Plan B"
The idea that a sitting President would repeal a bill he just passed (the centerpoint of his administration, no less) is ludicrous. Presenting repeal legislation while Obama is in office would be pure showboating. I will be furious with Republicans if they go that route.
A middle ground would be to propose specific amendments to Obamacare, but even that's wishful thinking. I say, skip straight to using their independent authority over the nation's budget while exposing fraud and publicizing what they would do differently if they had the power.
Jul '10
Re: Bill McGurn on Boehner's "Plan B"
Well, at the very least, Boehner should kick it off with a "Burn the Healthcare Reform Law" day.
Invite a few "victims", as the Democrats always do. Everyday folks who will testify, "Holy, Moly, I found out I couldn't keep my health insurance plan," or "I thought this was gonna save me money, but my premium is going up 30%!" And there's gotta be a way to shoe-horn a child in a wheel-chair into the thing...
Darn it, when are we gonna learn the art of political theater?
May '10
Re: Bill McGurn on Boehner's "Plan B"
Cross-posted from the "French" thread: Think Boehner, think Orange.
Re: Bill McGurn on Boehner's "Plan B"
EJHill: Cross-posted from the "French" thread: Think Boehner, think Orange. · Oct 12 at 3:33pm
This was a slightly disturbing image. I never hoped to see Boehner's naked rear end, even if it was just a photo-shopped rear end.
May '10
Re: Bill McGurn on Boehner's "Plan B"
Actually, could anything be more fitting? Boehner has flown under the radar for the last two years and the attempts earlier in this election season were basically ineffective because he doesn't have the power to hamper the Progressive agenda in the way that they do in the Senate.
After the election, provided all the Tea Freshmen get aboard, Boehner will be exposed after the election and that rear end is going to be on the line.
Sep '10
Re: Bill McGurn on Boehner's "Plan B"
I hope the Republicans heed Kenneth's advice and make Aaron furious. A lot of people, including me, want there to be some showboating initially followed by some trotting out of Obamacare's victims. A portion of the population that will vote for Republicans this fall won't hear about a bunch of committee hearings on health care from the State run media. To get their attention and reach the most voters, a repeal effort must be taken initially followed by hearings involving those negatively affected by Obamacare. The SRM will have no choice but to cover that news story People will pay attention if they think their side is winning and doing something. They will lose interest if the good guys get bogged down and are overshadowed by Obama's attacks on them. They need to showboat to win.
May '10
Re: Bill McGurn on Boehner's "Plan B"
If they actually achieved some things via the budgetary process, they would be better set for good publicity leading up to the 2012 elections. If instead they focus on words and not actions through the entirety of the next two years, they will have failed to prove they're serious about reform. They can do their showboating in January 2012. But 2011 needs to be about actions.
Jun '10
Re: Bill McGurn on Boehner's "Plan B"
Kenneth's political theater is exactly the kind of behavior the Dems perform constantly. It makes me sick. I hope , first, that the Republicans win a substantial majority in the House in November, and then they use much more serious vehicles to demonstrate the huge negatives of Obamacare without becoming demagogues. The less they behave like Democrats, the better. However, the theater that Kenneth would (sarcastic as it may be) perform follows point by point McGurn's Plan B.
May '10
Re: Bill McGurn on Boehner's "Plan B"
Keeping a promise to attempt repeal is keeping a promise, not showboating. And it is a necessary precursor to the essential task, which is fixing this monstrosity, line-by-line. And actually reading it first.
The two biggest risks are that Republicans 1) will do nothing, or 2) repeal without following up.
The public demands something be done, but not what they did. David Frum was right about one thing- had we addressed the anti-market health care mess with focus and discipline a long time ago instead of paying lip service at election time every couple of years, this could have been avoided.
But now, weekly live hearings for several months after the initial unsuccessful repeal attempt, each focused on a particular bad idea in the ObamaCare bill, can actually provide major dividends. We need this kind of theater.