That Obamacare has been voted down with the Republican majority in Congress and that a number of cases are to be heard by the Supreme Court which threatened to nullify it should be cause for GOP celebration.
But the grand irony is that the collapse of Barack Obama’s signature accomplishment could put Republicans in a very difficult situation that might even come back to bite them in the 2016 election cycle.
Should Obamacare be nullified by the court in the comings months, the fallout in terms of regulatory implications, insurance premiums and general confusion created by its void would place criticism squarely on the Republican Party for not providing ample preparation for a replacement system.
This reality re-enforces the need for Republican leaders to demonstrate leadership and ability to solve issues our country faces. The GOP is already preemptively preparing damage control by arguing that the Obama Administration is refusing to prepare for the eventuality of such a court decision.
But Democrats are firing back with charges of hypocrisy. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) quipped, “I find it ironic for Republican senators to argue that the federal exchange subsidies are illegal and then demand that the administration explain how it plans to repair the damage that will be done if their argument is successful and the Supreme Court rules in their favor. It’s like throwing gasoline on a fire, then indignantly asking the administration for its plan to put out the fire.”
Should the worst come to pass, Wyden’s reasoning could become a salient attack line in the 2016 election cycle that could threaten control of the Senate as fallout from Obamacare is pinned on Republicans.
