Greg Sargent, the liberal columnist for the liberal Washington Post, thinks NBC’s Chuck Todd was really onto something this morning on MSNBC when he took the GOP to task for its singular efforts to “thwart/stymie/sabotage” the Affordable Care Act and other legislation dear to the White House. Todd’s take is especially worthy, Sargent argues, because he’s not some liberal mouthpiece but a “mild-mannered, well respected Beltway insider.”
But seriously, folks — plenty of “concerned” Democrats lately have been urging the GOP to go along with immigration reform for their own good so as not to scuttle their reelection chances. And as Todd pointed out, Democrats let President Bush have his Medicare prescription-drug legislation in 2003, so why wouldn’t today’s GOP let the president have Obamacare? He was elected, after all. “What’s the line between fighting for your ideology and ensuring that the government that pays your salaries actually works — or even attempts to work?” Todd asks.
Town Hall’s Kevin Glass and National Review’s Ramesh Ponnuru don’t think the Medicare parallel holds up.
https://twitter.com/KevinWGlass/status/354709238402134016
also, "sabotage" has not been a reason for the last week's bad news for this program. @KevinWGlass @chucktodd
— Ramesh Ponnuru (@RameshPonnuru) July 9, 2013
@RameshPonnuru @KevinWGlass @chucktodd No opinion on whthr "sabotage" occurred. But will say:It's a time-honored tactic used by both sides.
— David M. Drucker (@DavidMDrucker) July 9, 2013
Ponnuru certainly has a point. Obamacare is the law — it’s not Republican opposition delaying the implementation of Obamacare’s employer mandate by a year. But what about all of those fruitless repeal votes, wonders Talking Points Memo’s Sahil Kapur.
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@DavidMDrucker have Ds ever responded to a GOP law by spending years holding dozens of repeal votes? @RameshPonnuru @KevinWGlass @chucktodd
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) July 9, 2013
@sahilkapur @RameshPonnuru @KevinWGlass @chucktodd When's last time GOP passed a law Dems hated that much? Doesn't compute.
— David M. Drucker (@DavidMDrucker) July 9, 2013
@DavidMDrucker that doesn't substantiate the assertion that both sides do this regularly. @RameshPonnuru @KevinWGlass @chucktodd
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) July 9, 2013
@sahilkapur @RameshPonnuru @KevinWGlass @chucktodd It's Politics 101. Both sides do this regularly. It's obvious.
— David M. Drucker (@DavidMDrucker) July 9, 2013
@DavidMDrucker otherwise we may be talking about different things.
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) July 9, 2013
@sahilkapur Maybe. But just curious: Why shouldn't Rs or Ds try to dismantle smthng they think is horrible pub policy? What's wrong w/ that?
— David M. Drucker (@DavidMDrucker) July 9, 2013
Even in his analysis Chuck Todd admitted: “We know what opponents will say in response to this: These are bad laws, and we have to do whatever it takes to stop them.” Even Democrat Sen. Max Baucus has said he sees Obamacare as “a huge train wreck coming down.”
@DavidMDrucker not arguing the merits of it; I'm merely saying it seems unprecedented & shouldn't be reported as business as usual.
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) July 9, 2013
@sahilkapur We have different standards for what constitutes unprecedented & biz as usual. Opposition is opposition.Yours narrower than mine
— David M. Drucker (@DavidMDrucker) July 9, 2013
@DavidMDrucker @sahilkapur if it isn't unprecedented, can you name a precedent for it?
— Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) July 9, 2013
Obamacare is a huge, unprecedented train wreck that must be stopped. Is that better?
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