Memo to Steve King: On the ACA, you lost

Congressman Steve King is fresh off winning a new term from a redrawn fourth congressional district -- one that now includes such liberal and moderate areas as Mason City, Ames and Fort Dodge. But he's not backing off his fire-breathing brand of conservatism, or his vow to fight the Affordable Care Act -- "Obamacare" -- until he's expended his last breath.

While acknowledging that Barack Obama's reelection as president makes repealing the law unlikely, "I'm not ready to give that up and say we can't do anything except roll over in front of it,"  King said on Iowa Public Television's "Iowa Press" two days after the election. "There's still some litigation out there from the states and we have the opportunity to shut down some of the spending going into the implementation of it." 

Here's a memo to Steve King: On the Affordable Care Act (ACA), you lost.

You lost in Congress in 2009, despite scurrilous scare tactics and tea party tantrums.

You lost this summer, when the Supreme Court upheld the law's key provisions.

You lost last week, when President Obama was reelected, Democrats added to their majority in the U.S. Senate and cut the Republican's majority in the U.S. House. Obamacare, even after a campaign to distort and demonize its provisions, wasn't so unpopular that voters were willing to kick out its founder.

But King refuses to accept the facts, so like a bully and a spoiled child, he's threatening to throw a tantrum and take his ball (appropriations to implement the ACA) and go home. In essence, he wants his fellow GOP representatives to use the power of the purse to do what they couldn't do by legitimate democratic means: kill Obamacare.

Of course, if King is so sure the ACA will be a disaster, he should sit back and let it fail. Let it go through as planned, then be prepared to mop up with an "I told you so" and a victory that would assure Republicans control of government in the wake of the Democrats' failure.

But it won't fail, and Republicans know this. They know that once the law is fully implemented, people will love its provisions ensuring nearly complete health care coverage, covering those who now seek free care (which costs the rest of us) at emergency rooms, blocking insurance companies from kicking people off their plans just when they need them most, and covering people even with preexisting conditions. It will prove popular, and the Republicans who said it would bankrupt the nation and create armies of freeloaders will be revealed as liars and frauds. They desperately want to block Obamacare because Americans will turn to Democrats in gratitude, much as they did when Medicare saved the elderly from poor health and early death and social security gave them a chance to live out their years with some measure of dignity.

King acknowledged as much on "Iowa Press," agreeing with a conservative columnists' prediction that "If Barack Obama is re-elected then Obamacare will become implemented as the institutionalized law of the land in perpetuity."

"The people in America voted for dependency," King said, in words reminiscent of Mitt Romney's infamous "47 percent" statement. Ironic, since most Americans will continue to have employer-provided health care -- something they have to work for. Ironic, because the ACA is largely market-driven, with consumers choosing from an exchange of private insurance plans -- not a government program --  usually with their own money, with subsidies when individuals can't afford it on their own. Ironic, because the ACA asks Americans to take the personal responsibility Romney and Republicans talk about so much by stepping up to get insurance, rather than making someone else pay when they go to the emergency room. Ironic, because the ACA is based on a proposal Republicans devised in the 1990s, long before Romney based his Massachusetts universal health care plan on it.

In fact, if a Republican had proposed it, King and others would have cheered. But because a Democrat proposed it, they cast it as the end of civilization to deny him a political victory that will benefit Americans for decades.

Fortunately for us all, King and the Republicans lost. Now if only they will acknowledge it, and move on.

by

Thomas O'Donnell

Posted on Fri, November 16, 2012 by Thomas O'Donnell

3 comments (Add your own)

1. gene wrote:
Acknowledge it? Move on? Republicans are the worst losers and most ungracious winners anywhere. Expect more wet diapers over this.

Fri, November 16, 2012 @ 6:19 PM

2. Sophia wrote:
The republicans have to rezalie how thin the ice is if they allow themselves to be painted as obstructionists in the next two years, demonstrating their obsession with defeating Obama, they will galvanize the middle of the road conservative liberals (Reagan Democrats) who despise Palin and virtually guarentee a second term for Obama and loss of the house again as they will be seen as the anti-middleclass bunch yearning for the good old days which are never coming back but serve as a benchmark for the foolhardy.1-Get a national health care plan that works.2-Seal the fucking borders. Get our house in order.3-Drop automatic entitlements for non citizens, bill their fucking country of origin.4-Get a realistic focus on education, particularily in the science and math arenas, it is now global the competition for jobs.5-Drop the facade of civility, we are in a trade war with Chaina and they can manipulate courrency a lot better than we can. I agree with Trump tariff 25%-50% all non American made products never allow anyones QAQC standards to be below our national standards, so if it cannot fulfill American ASTM standards, it cannot be imported (or manufactured here). All American firms that import parts for assembly here are subject to same tariffs as foriegn firms. They must disclose all foriegn labor in all facets of their operation to qualify as an American firm, thus saving their tax status. Quit exporting jobs.6-Develop American industries, tax credit and TIF for all firms building and developing local manufacturing capacitiy. Coupled with a national health care package, this will offset roadblocks to expansion get the fucking money out of the banking industry and into business development folks, the government can only develop taxpayer burdened govt jobs let private industry do the job, just make sure the over sight is in place trust but verify.7-Unfortunately the time is now for a national identidy card the new world situation requires it we are the land of the free, but need to veerify you are on the right team.8-Do not allow privatization of SS system, Wall Street has proven they cannot be trusted with this safety net sadly the government boobs can do better. We can and should take care of our own just not Mexico or any one else..they must take care of their own.9-Make college more affordable, if we mean to invest in our future, then put our money where our mouth is trade off education for service teach in a rural area for 5-6 years 10-Use common sense on government building programs, we have an entire infrastructure in this country to rebuild including roadways, bridges, dams, and alternative energy grids the worst thing about winning WW2 was not getting our industry and infrastructure bomed, we lag big time the last major public works was in the 30 s..we are due. So far all the two parties can think of is giving money to people who do not create meaningful employment or to prop up financial institutions with no negligible return save a new fleet of Chevrolets for the government. If we want to have oversight, we need the government to hire the same type guys who would be competing against those who are awarded contracts it takes a pro to catch a pro, or judge ones performance against standards that need to be established Way too much rhetoric and bullshit and precious few gains for the bulk of the nation, they blind us with BS and throw up partisan tinged smoke screens trying to save their cronys rather than to try save their country. No body gets out alive. It is time we DEMAND it, not HOPE for it, other wise there will be no CHANGE.They do not respect us on either side. Progress is so easy to measure yet we refuse to demand it just keep feeding us idealogy so we can argue amonst ourselves much to their delight and ultimate comfort.

Wed, January 16, 2013 @ 9:14 PM

3. Safran wrote:
It is not all that difficult Charles, but let me make it eicilpxt.From MY experience, I appreciate being able to not only fire the individual health care professional I deal with, but also to fire the insurance company who provides my insurance. In the first case, I have that option with every visit I make to my doctor. If I am dissatisfied with the service I receive, I can select another physician that is covered under my current insurance plan. In the second case, I am permitted to change my insurance provider to any one of a list of providers offered my my employer. In both cases, competition provides an incentive to provide the best service possible, not only on the part of insurance companies, but also individual doctors and clinics. See how that works? If you don't have that option, I sympathise. Sucks to be you, in more ways than one.Romney, on the other hand, as I understand it, was talking about government provided health care, and why it is a bad idea as currently envisioned under ObamaCare, in that if there is a single payer health plan, there is no competition, and there is no incentive to provide good service. An example of this can be seen in countries such as the UK, where health care is free, and yet patients are left to die from . Government health care at its finest!The problem you overlook with Medicare is not that you can't change your doctor under Medicare, but can you find a doctor who will ? Where is the advantage of switching doctors if the only doctor that will accept you under Medicare is equally bad, because government health care, in this case Medicare, does not provide sufficient reimbursments to permit proper care? You think that will improve under ObamaCare? I'm not willing to chance it, hence my support for the repeal of ObamaCare. Romney may not be the best bet for that eventuality, but hopefully a Republican majority can be achieved in both houses of Congress, and it can be accomplished with or without his direct support.

Wed, January 16, 2013 @ 9:14 PM

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