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Segami

(14,923 posts)
Thu Nov 6, 2014, 11:38 AM Nov 2014

McConnell, Boehner Announce FIRST Obamacare REPEAL Target [View all]





An op-ed from House Speaker John Boehner and soon-to-be Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in The Wall Street Journal outlines their plans for crippling government what they call helping the "struggling middle-class Americans who are clearly frustrated by an increasing lack of opportunity, the stagnation of wages, and a government that seems incapable of performing even basic tasks." That includes taking on Obamacare, of course. They begin with the totally false premise that, "Health costs […] continue to rise under a hopelessly flawed law that Americans have never supported." Never mind that the rise in healthcare costs has slowed dramatically in the last several years, in part because of the law. And never mind that the law—even in Tuesdays' Republican electorate—gets more support than the idea of repealing the law. It's been a good 14 years since Republicans abandoned the reality-based world, and it's been working for them. So they're sticking with it. And how they say they'll start on the dismantling of Obamacare is this:


"... a proposal to restore the traditional 40-hour definition of full-time employment, removing an arbitrary and destructive government barrier to more hours and better pay created by the Affordable Care Act of 2010..."

http://online.wsj.com/articles/john-boehner-and-mitch-mcconnell-now-we-can-get-congress-going-1415232759



Right now, full-time employment is 30 hours/week for the purposes of the law. Republicans say that is forcing—forcing—poor beleaguered employers to cut workers' hours to below 30 hours to save them from the exorbitant costs of having to provide health insurance. And raising that threshold is going to restore those employees' hours how exactly? Now employers would be able to make workers put in a 39.5-hour work week without shelling out for health insurance. Which is, of course, the whole point for McConnell and Boehner. Hint, American worker: They're not looking out for your paycheck. Or your health insurance.


Problem one for Boehner and McConnell is getting their respective caucuses to go along with any Obamacare plan. Boehner's been at it for almost four years with no success, and McConnell's got at least three would-be presidents—Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Marco Rubio of Florida—to wrangle. Problem two for the "reformers" is the $83 billion hit to the deficit over the next ten years the CBO says this provision would cost. (Here's another hint: They don't really care about the deficit.)


Here's problem three for them, provided that the proposal actually gets to the respective floors, put succinctly, by Henry Aaron at the Brookings Institute: "If you break it, you own it. […] They're going to have responsibility for anything that goes wrong." That is, if Democrats refuse to play along and don't provide any votes to pass it.




http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/11/06/1342579/-McConnell-Boehner-announce-first-Obamacare-repeal-nbsp-target
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And so it begins... Historic NY Nov 2014 #1
I want a god damn head count of the dead citizens from no medicaid expansion randys1 Nov 2014 #26
Filibuster. Veto. DOA. Ikonoklast Nov 2014 #2
I'm okay with this and I hope it goes nation wide scarystuffyo Nov 2014 #3
That ship sailed long ago and you know it. randome Nov 2014 #6
I don't believe that , it's the biggest flaw in the ACA scarystuffyo Nov 2014 #8
It was not an ACA flaw - it was reality karynnj Nov 2014 #48
our taxes already pay for medicare J_J_ Nov 2014 #9
yup scarystuffyo Nov 2014 #10
Easy in concept but not in execution. randome Nov 2014 #11
If no employers had to provide health insurance then it wouldn't be hard to pass a tax increase scarystuffyo Nov 2014 #15
Absolutely nothing is going to be easy in the next two years. jwirr Nov 2014 #28
Agreed. But it's not going to happen while we have whiners and haters in Congress. randome Nov 2014 #34
You really believe that? atreides1 Nov 2014 #36
I never wrote they would welcome it but when their profits increase by 20 to 25% scarystuffyo Nov 2014 #38
And...Medicare is much cheaper than insurance, paperwork alone would save billions J_J_ Nov 2014 #40
I agree 100% scarystuffyo Nov 2014 #42
Easy? Did you watch the election. We are going to be very busy just keeping what we have. If we can. jwirr Nov 2014 #27
Depending on employers for health insurance is very bad golfguru Nov 2014 #37
Medicare for all would be much preferable. randome Nov 2014 #49
I am on Medicare and it has distinct flaws golfguru Nov 2014 #60
+1000000 J_J_ Nov 2014 #7
What is most amusing is the things Republicans say they hate the most are the things that Bandit Nov 2014 #23
Heath insurance shouldn't be tied to health care or employment. Enthusiast Nov 2014 #44
agree scarystuffyo Nov 2014 #52
It's not under the ACA. Rex Nov 2014 #54
. scarystuffyo Nov 2014 #57
Both parties are the same so it doesn't really matter. JoePhilly Nov 2014 #4
Both parties are the same so it doesn't really matter. AlbertCat Nov 2014 #14
Psst ... JoePhilly Nov 2014 #17
Psst.... AlbertCat Nov 2014 #19
+1 Segami Nov 2014 #24
This is an historic time at DU. Major Hogwash Nov 2014 #46
They have to tell their base they tried. Ykcutnek Nov 2014 #5
Would A Dem Counter Strategy Be..... global1 Nov 2014 #12
This is the best strategy for the Democrats, by far. Fawke Em Nov 2014 #13
Start proposing bills that the middle class loves AlbertCat Nov 2014 #16
McConnell and Boehner won't touch them. JoePhilly Nov 2014 #20
there are other ways to reach people. Voice for Peace Nov 2014 #25
Social Media is how Obama won to begin with. Fawke Em Nov 2014 #61
This is so easy but the Democrats can't see the forest for the trees scarystuffyo Nov 2014 #18
'Come up with Fixes to make it better- The best defense is a good offense' J_J_ Nov 2014 #41
As disappointing as the election was, it's going to be interesting Voice for Peace Nov 2014 #21
i wondered where this "restore the 40 hour work week" bs was coming from. mopinko Nov 2014 #22
hahahahahaha.... fredamae Nov 2014 #29
I know! ellie Nov 2014 #32
They will lose Health INSURANCE which is not the same as Health CARE. JimDandy Nov 2014 #39
People cannot afford ridiculous copay costs which seem like they should cover the whole operation J_J_ Nov 2014 #43
They Can Break it and Blame Obama AndyTiedye Nov 2014 #30
Allgemeinen Limbaugh has given the order: OBSTRUCT EVERYTHING! Dawson Leery Nov 2014 #31
I just posted this news on ellie Nov 2014 #33
One would think, every Chamber of Commerce and HR Professional Association ... 1StrongBlackMan Nov 2014 #35
It is like roe v. wade--widdle away at it.. riversedge Nov 2014 #55
Immediately on winning both houses in Clinton's second term, Dole and Gingrich chortled Hortensis Nov 2014 #45
They have address "Obamacare" because that was what they campaigned on Wella Nov 2014 #47
President Obama is going to need a hand brace... liberalmuse Nov 2014 #50
Hope all those who voted for these whores enjoyed their health care while they had it. liberal N proud Nov 2014 #51
Damn, can't believe they would even think about repealing Obamacare. Oh, nothing to worry about, Thinkingabout Nov 2014 #53
I'd like to see them choke on their words. lpbk2713 Nov 2014 #56
What I expect is for the Democrats to fight back! We need to call them, email them and let them know jillan Nov 2014 #58
Never thought I'd see a toad and an Oompa Loompa in the same picture. roamer65 Nov 2014 #59
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