A lot of talk going on about Obamacare and Mike Lee’s strategy (along with Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Rand Paul and others) to defund Obamacare before it is implemented October 1. Here is what Lee says:
If the president won’t act to protect families and individuals, Congress should. It holds the power of the purse and can withhold funding to implement the law. The president himself has now admitted that ObamaCare won’t work. It is unaffordable and unfair. If he won’t follow the law, the American people shouldn’t fund it.
By a margin of two to one, Americans say ObamaCare will make their family’s health care situation worse, not better. Just 12% support the individual mandate. Doctors don’t want it. Businesses oppose it. Unions say it’s bad for workers. Studies show it will drive up premiums and force Americans off their health plans.
Only in Washington is ObamaCare controversial. Outside the Beltway it is despised. The American people are asking us to do everything we can to protect them from this law.
Some opponents of defunding ObamaCare point to a report from the Congressional Research Service that claims a government shutdown would not defund ObamaCare. This report answers a question no one is asking. We all know the government will be funded. The question is whether or not we fund ObamaCare.
Congress controls the power to appropriate funds, so defunding ObamaCare is simple.
Now of course, the notion that Barack Obama is going to sign any bill that defunds his signature legislation is silly. Lee knows he won’t sign it.
And that brings about the possibility of a government shutdown.
So, there are plenty of people opposed to this strategy. Good people. I just happen to disagree with them.
Every single day in my Twitter timeline there are people talking about how horrible Obamacare is. People I know personally, hate it. The polls show it is unpopular. More people than ever want it repealed or seriously scaled back.
The President himself has offered waivers, held off on the employee mandate, and is offering Congress and their staff the ability to opt out of it.
Where is the losing battle here?
Opponents of the strategy think a government shutdown would be the end of any the debate. Obama would go on television and talk about the “extreme Republicans” who want to “deny healthcare to tens of millions of Americans” and the hapless suck up media would fall in line and as such, the GOP would put their House majority at risk and any chance of taking over the Senate.
I disagree. So does Amy.
So rather than have this debate in 140 character tweets, I am offering the chance for anybody that is opposed to the defund strategy a chance to come on the Pocket Cast of Liberty tomorrow at 10:00pm and discuss the issue. This is not going to be a shoutfest. We’re not going to go O’Reilly on anybody. We’re just going to have two sides present their view and see who makes the stronger case.
I think it will be fun.
So, who’s in?