re: #9 makeitstop

Like someone said in my Facebook feed this morning, if SCOTUS struck down subsidies, the GOP would be looking ‘like the dog who caught the car.’

Heh.

That is definitely a strange turn of phrase. Probably a “be careful what you wish for” analogy.

If the Court had gutted Obamacare, Republicans would celebrate, but then have a big political problem on their hands. They would have to come up with some alternative, because “let’s go back to the status quo before Obamacare” isn’t too popular with big chunks of the electorate. And it would appear somewhat callous towards millions who would lose coverage. But the gop isn’t likely to be able to pass any health care legislation that does even a fraction of what Obamacare achieved. Most Republicans oppose health care reform on ideological grounds. They always have. So any legislation they could get passed would be really watered down by comparison, and not help cover anywhere near as many people.

But given the Court’s actual decision, the gop can just continue with the hollow “repeal and replace” mantra, suggesting that their not-yet-existent replacement would be much better than the ACA. That way they don’t have to actually articulate any specifics. They can just talk about the vague idea of some great plan, when there really is no plan.