Something remarkable happened at the Democratic National
Convention earlier this month. After three years of reeling from
the political damage wrought by Obamacare, which stroked even
Massachusetts with a red brush, Democrats stood up and defended
their law. Patients with pre-existing conditions took to the
podium. Health secretary Kathleen Sebelius had a prime speaking
slot. The delegates wore “Obamacare as [a] badge of honor,”
as Greg Sargent gushed.
But then something even more remarkable happened. Despite the
Democrats’ collective bear hug, the polls didn’t budge. And they
still haven’t. According to a
Rasmussen survey taken last week, likely voters favor repealing
Obamacare by 11 points. The numbers have been fairly static for two
years.
Ronald Reagan was called the Teflon president because liberal
attacks didn’t stick and his popularity remained high. Obamacare
has achieved the opposite immunity: defenses of it bounce away and
the public goes on loathing. The American people have made up their
minds. The Tea Party won the argument.
And that’s what makes the Republican strategy towards Obamacare
perplexing. The message is muddled and occasionally nonexistent.
The Romney for President website lists several sensible
health reforms and Romney himself says he supports the full
repeal of Obamacare. Then he suddenly defends a couple of its
provisions, then clarifies his position again, while discordant
aides chime in from all directions. Full-throated, expository
attacks on the law are rarely made.
Every Republican claims to be against “Obamacare.” But
“Obamacare” isn’t a single issue. It’s a gift basket to a
Republican campaign stuffed with everything Americans hate about
big government. Look, here’s a punitive mandate. And here’s a
consolidation of power in the bureaucracy. And this greasy-palms
crony capitalism should be helpful. Not to mention a trampling
of religious liberty, a technocratic advisory board with authority
over Medicare cuts, a heinous new tax on medical devices that
starts next year, and more than 1,200 waivers issued to lucky (and
mostly unionized) businesses.
The gigantic, shambling abomination that is Obamacare contains
so much ammunition for conservatives that the NRA should be scoring
it.
Let’s take a look at some of the recent developments:
- More than six million Americans will get slapped with
the individual mandate tax. That’s according to the
Congressional Budget Office and it’s a 50% increase over their 2010
projection. With Obamacare lumping everyone, including those with
pre-existing conditions, into a giant pool, removing six million
people could further drive up premiums.
- Risk pools for those with pre-existing conditions are
languishing. These were a temporary measure so patients
could obtain insurance before the full Obamacare law went into
effect. But as
Scott Gottlieb points out, “The Congressional Budget Office
estimated that the $5 billion allocated to these pools could enroll
200,000 consumers. They envisioned enrollment growing to more than
400,000. But only 77,877 have signed up as of July, yet the program
is way over its budget.” It’s classic government economics:
underestimate the cost, overestimate the demand.
- The AARP colluded with the White House to pass
Obamacare. The House Energy and Commerce Committee found
e-mails showing that
the AARP collaborated extensively with the administration back in
2009, despite the fact that their membership opposed the bill.
Why? It was a classic scheme between lobbyists and politicians.
Obamacare cuts Medicare Advantage, which will move more seniors
onto “medigap” insurance plans…which just happen to be sold by the
AARP.
- The bill’s funding is falling apart. The left
claimed Obamacare would be deficit-neutral and forced the CBO to
choke out the same conclusion. Now, piece by piece, the math is
coming unraveled. The 1099 reporting requirement on small
businesses, which would have raised $17 billion, is gone. The CLASS
Act, a publicly-financed insurance option expected to save $86
billion, was abandoned. And $500 billion of funding is dependent on
cuts to Medicare that are unlikely to happen.
New taxes, shady accounting, crony capitalism…this is why people
mumble bitterly about Washington. There are certain provisions in
Obamacare — coverage for those with pre-existing conditions, for
example — that are popular. But they’re mightily outweighed by
just about everything else. Attention focused on the waivers or the
medical devices tax, with digestible explanations by Republican
candidates, would damage Obamacare’s popularity even further.
This sort of meddling and rearranging is what Democrats do when
they’re in power. It’s what they tried to do to the energy market
with cap and trade, and it’s what they’ve already done to the
student loan market. Americans overwhelmingly
think government is doing too much. Loud opposition to these
bureaucratic Tetris games must be the centerpiece of any Republican
strategy.
For the last month of the campaign, Romney should pivot hard in
this direction. It will put him in a sticky position thanks to his
own health care scheme in Massachusetts. But Romney’s been
wrangling with flip-flopping allegations for years. His campaign
needs an energy boost and time is running out.
He should grab the Obamacare gift basket and run with it. The
political benefits will outweigh the MSNBC snipes. It’s how 2010
was won and it’s what the public wants to hear now.
