Moderate Senate Democrats look at the possibility of repealing healthcare mandates

  Obamacare is under attack by conservatives, the courts, and a majority of the states and it now appears as if the opposition might be gaining an improbable, and valuable, ally in the fight–moderate Democrats. There is now talk among a handful of moderate Democrats about the possibility of repealing the healthcare mandates included in the healthcare reform law.

  According to this article Joe Manchin, Ben Nelson, Claire McCaskill, and Jon Tester–all of whom are up for re-election in 2012–are now exploring the idea of repealing the mandates, claiming that even though the voted for the bill they do not feel as if the mandates were the right avenue to pursue in the first place. While claiming that they are not looking at this through a political prism and are simply doing what they feel is right, I have to believe that this is politically motivated for they had the chance to stop the mandates BEFORE Obamacare became law, yet the voted for it knowing that the mandates were in the bill nonetheless. Now that the bill is seen as widely unpopular they are conveniently changing their position on this bill just before the 2012 election cycle kicks off.

  Regardless of their motivation for this conversion this is a welcome change indeed and it will be interesting to watch to see how many other vulnerable Democrats suddenly realize that the healthcare mandates were a bad idea (and unconstitutional) as the election draws closer. If the Senate continues to draw supporters to the healthcare mandates repeal movement it will prove to be a huge blow to Barack Obama even if the law survives this insurgency among the party.

     If this idea picks up steam in the Senate and enough Democrats do turn on the president and vote to repeal the healthcare mandates the healthcare reform bill will be dead because–as the judge in Florida declared–the healthcare mandates are inseparable from the overall bill. If the healthcare mandates fall by the wayside, so does the healthcare reform law.

  Moderate, vulnerable Democrats are talking a good game right now but will they have the courage to follow up on their words? If they do Barack Obama could be facing a challenge within his own party that he did not see coming. While the talking points in the mainstream media continue to be about the notion that the Tea Party is splitting the Republican party and may actually harm their re-election prospects in 2012, there is an insurrection growing within the Democrat party that the mainstream media is trying to ignore at all costs and if this story is any indication, the Democrat party may be splintering and the implosion could come in November of 2012.

  The American people must not be fooled by this change of heart in these Democrats and they must vote out any and all Democrats who voted for this bill–even those that may vote to repeal the healthcare mandates because the fact remains that these Democrats did not listen to the will of the people in the first place and voted with the leadership and the president when they felt as if it was politically expedient to do so, and they simply cannot be trusted. While we should welcome them belatedly into the fold we must not forget that we wouldn’t be in this precarious position if they had not voted for a bill in the first place which they now claim is flawed.