Return of the Prodigal Son by Pompeo Batoni - 1773

Evolution for the Catholic Student

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Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Should Republicans Try to Defund Obamacare?



Should Republicans Try to
Defund Obamacare?

There are a couple of things we can probably all agree on:  1) Obamacare is a bad law; 2) There are probably not many more chances to prevent its implementation.  Republicans are deciding now whether to try and defeat the law by blocking its funding.
Politically, it’s risky.  It may not be successful.  The Democratic narrative, dutifully promoted by the liberal media, will be that the health care bill provides services to poor people who would otherwise be uninsured.  (Indeed, Republicans must not give up on health care reform just because this bill is a mess.)  There will be a brilliant campaign against Republicans for trying to squash Mr. Obama’s signature domestic achievement.
So is it wise to engage in such a fight when Republicans hope to hold on to the House and possibly regain the Senate in the 2014 mid-term elections?
The answer, I think, is a resounding YES!  If there’s one thing our government does well, it is play politics.  And unfortunately Republicans have been cowed into submission on important issues before in the hopes of retaining power or not giving the Democrats and the media too much ammunition.
When this happens, we all lose.  What’s the point of gaining power if you have to compromise your values to keep it?  When a law comes around that is as bad as Obamacare, it is the duty of those who oppose it to do so vigorously, regardless of political consequences.
Senator Marco Rubio recently said in an interview that this may be the last chance to spare the country the negative effects of this bill.  If this isn’t worth fighting for, the senator asked, what is?
He’s right.  If this battle is not one that Republicans think it is prudent to fight, then they have become totally impotent in government.  There may be a time for political strategy, but there also comes a time to stand up and be counted, consequences be damned.