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House Republicans to demand delaying the individual mandate as part of the debt ceiling debate

September 26, 2013

  On Tuesday I wrote a post about a possible House strategy in regards to Obamacare after the Senate sends the continuing resolution back with healthcare reform money restored. The strategy was to go something like this: The House would approve the continuing resolution with the Obamacare funding but would include a one year delay in implementing the individual mandate.

  However, either the Republicans are rethinking this strategy or they are preparing a Plan B just in case the strategy I outlined fails, because it now appears as if they are moving forward on a debt ceiling strategy without waiting to see how the continuing resolution debate pans out.

    According to this article the Republicans are preparing a proposal to increase the debt ceiling if a number of demands are met and one of those demands is delaying the individual mandate:

House Republicans said they would agree to increase the debt limit to avert a mid-October default only if Democrats accepted a list of Republican priorities, including a one-year delay of the health care law, a tax overhaul and a broad rollback of environmental regulations.

  Let’s face it: There is no way in hell the Democrats will ever go along with this proposal and I think the Republicans know this. However the end game here, in my opinion, is not to actually get all these concessions.  The end game is delaying the individual mandate and I think the Republicans will use all the other issues simply to negotiate down to the mandate delay. And with the Democrats largest special interest group, the unions, now beginning to turn on Obamacare the Democrats may feel some pressure to accept this deal.

  While simply delaying the individual mandate is not ideal it may be the best we can hope for at this time and it will give the Republican leadership a whole year to finally grow a set of balls. Whether they do grow a set within that time frame is another question entirely…..

23 Comments leave one →
  1. Conservatives on Fire's avatar
    September 26, 2013 9:16 pm

    Call me pig headeed but I do not want to see the individual mandate or anything els about ObamaCare delayed. Why wouldn;t we want the electorate to feel the pain of ObamaCare prior to the mid-term elections? IMO, they should force Obama?Democrats to shut the government down. But, if they haven’t the guts for that, then implement everything and bring on the pain!

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    • Steve Dennis's avatar
      September 26, 2013 9:42 pm

      The only problem with letting the mandate pass into law is the difficulty there will be in repealing it afterwards, other than that I say go for it.

      Like

  2. bunkerville's avatar
    September 26, 2013 10:00 pm

    Looks like we will not have many options. Maybe get the pipeline, a delay perhaps but based on Obama’s behavior of late, he just might want to tank the country. He has been flailing as of late and at first I thought he would hold out to 2014 before he put the hammer down to see how the election turned out. But why shut down the coal plants with the new regs? Puts VA Dems on the hot seat. In the end, I believe he will agree to nothing. His perception is that the GOP will take the fall. That will be his fatal error IMO.

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    • Steve Dennis's avatar
      September 27, 2013 6:01 am

      I think you might me right about Obama agreeing to nothing. He has already said there will be no negotiations and we will see how strongly he believes that shortly enough. He is becoming arrogant because the Republicans always cave but perhaps his arrogance will lead to his downfall.

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  3. Chris's avatar
    Chris permalink
    September 26, 2013 11:01 pm

    Until people (ie 30 – 50 million) show up in Washington nothing is going to happen. The majority of Americans are hooked on gov. handouts. Most people do not know how health care is supposed to work and the insurance and medical industries have only helped to keep the issued cloaked in mystery.

    The majority of the US Congress are getting free money from special interest groups and have no interest in their constituents.

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    • Steve Dennis's avatar
      September 27, 2013 6:02 am

      Romney was right with that statement about the 48%, how are we supposed to convince them that they should side with us. And the other 52% are too busy working to march on Washington. Congress is bought and paid for!

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  4. Petermc3's avatar
    Petermc3 permalink
    September 26, 2013 11:24 pm

    With billions of waste, fraud and corruption rampant throughout the Medicare Medicare programs since their inception 48 years ago a fix or revamping has never happened and the waste, fraud and corruption are accepted and yawned at. Once OC is implemented it will never go away even as it sucks dry every tax dollar the government can squeeze from us. The unparalleled corruption, waste and fraud will shock even the sternest, militant socialist sitting in the White House come January 29th, 2016. Come hell or high water this must be stopped like the Muslims at the walls of Vienna 1200 years ago.

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    • Steve Dennis's avatar
      September 27, 2013 6:06 am

      That is a perfect example of why I fear simply delaying the mandate; there is a school of thought out there that we should let Obamacare be implemented because once people see how bad it is they will demand its repeal, but as you pointed out above, once it is implemented it is here to stay.

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      • mamapajamas's avatar
        mamapajamas permalink
        September 28, 2013 4:49 am

        It’s a rock and a hard place. Do we let it go through and crash, or do we do what we can to stop it because once implemented it will never be completely repealed? That’s one for the Fates to figure out, for sure. 😦

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      • Steve Dennis's avatar
        September 28, 2013 7:35 am

        It is a tough decision but I think that if it is implemented it will never be repealed no matter how bad it gets. They will simply try to tweak it to fix it and we all know what happens when the government tries to solve a problem.

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  5. Petermc3's avatar
    Petermc3 permalink
    September 26, 2013 11:31 pm

    Typo- January 20 th, 2017

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  6. Ron Russell's avatar
    September 26, 2013 11:59 pm

    I don’t know how this will play out. I suspect you are correct in that the Republicans will get some small concessions from Obama, but then who really knows what he is thinking. Perhaps he will have his teleprompter come up with the solution. Politically, I’ve never been one to compromise, although I suppose it has it’s place in political discourse. I would have never been in the corner of Henry Clay. John C. Calhoun would have been more to my liking. Guess that’s why I was glued to the TV for a big part of Ted Cruz’s speech. Some have wondered how Cruz can speak for hours without the aid of a teleprompter while BHO has to have one to speak to a group of kindergardeners. Of course the answer is quite simple—-when one is speaking the truth no script is needed but when you’re lying you damn sure better have one.

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    • Steve Dennis's avatar
      September 27, 2013 6:08 am

      Your last line summed it all up perfectly! Obama needs the teleprompter to keep all the lies straight.

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  7. rjjrdq's avatar
    September 27, 2013 2:05 am

    We discuss these “strategies” as if the Republicans are unified in their opposition to Obamacare. Unfortunately that isn’t the case, so I’m a little cynical when it comes to any type of Republican scheme.

    Like

  8. Brittius's avatar
    September 27, 2013 5:30 am

    Reblogged this on Brittius.com and commented:
    My understanding of it is, that if the individual mandate is delayed, the funds will still be collected (because it is a tax collected by IRS) and tossed into a government slush fund, and that would be open to pilferage.

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    • Steve Dennis's avatar
      September 27, 2013 6:13 am

      Thanks for the reblog. I hadn’t thought about that but you are probably right. We have already seen the IRS “lose” $67 million in Obamacare money so we know the risk of abuse is high.

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      • Brittius's avatar
        September 27, 2013 6:16 am

        It had been brought to the attention of Soetoro per interview statements of an individual involved, that delay would garner the slush fund, and I believe the two political parties are complicit. Cruz is the solo renegade and hero championing for the American People. It is whispered that “lost” money, cigarettes, guns, food, vehicles, are being funneled covertly to Malik Obama.

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      • Steve Dennis's avatar
        September 27, 2013 7:11 pm

        I wouldn’t doubt it at all that we are funneling money to the terrorist Malik. After all, while the IRS was targeting conservatives they fast tracked Malik’s organization for tax exempt status even though he is associated with the Muslim Brotherhood. There is no doubt in my mind that something evil is going on behind the scenes.

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  9. Petermc3's avatar
    Petermc3 permalink
    September 27, 2013 7:10 am

    Yeah, ciggies for Malik. Unlike Barry he’s not afraid of his wife. Hopefully condoms are in the care packages since we don’t need any more Obamas running around.

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  10. Petermc3's avatar
    Petermc3 permalink
    September 27, 2013 9:47 am

    FOX Business blurbed that Obama’s giving $440 million to the Democrat criminals in Detroit who bankrupted the city; yes Virginia there is a Santa Claus. What % will be funneled into the pipeline to Malik and friends?

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