Politics

Mark Steyn: No reason to believe GOP will ever repeal Obamacare

Jeff Poor Media Reporter
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National Review columnist Mark Steyn blasted claims by Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and others that the best strategy is to allow Obamacare to crumble under its own weight and only then seek to repeal it.

Filling in as host on Rush Limbaugh’s radio show Monday, Steyn, author of “After America: Get Ready for Armageddon,” explained to a caller named “Joe” that there is no reason to believe congressional Republicans have the will to repeal anything, especially considering that Carter-era institutions like the Department of Education and the Department of Energy have managed to flourish even in times of Republican-control.

“[I] mean, Mitch McConnell’s line is now, ‘Oh, just let — Obamacare is going to be so self-evidently destructive that when we win our spectacular victory in the Senate election and the next presidential election, we will be able to repeal it and roll it back.’ When do the Republicans ever do that? Those Carter-era innovations like the entirely useless federal Department of Education, the federal Energy Department, even the National Endowment of the Arts — when for decades it has been mocked for giving public monies to crucifixes floating in urine, homoerotic photography involving bullwhips attractively positioned — none of those nickel and dime things have the Republican Party succeeded in rolling back. What are the odds that when this thing implodes, the Republicans are going to be making a tremendous case for genuine free choice in health care that Obamacare will be repealed?”

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Steyn explained that there was another possible drawback — that the government may double down on Obamacare, which would result in more government control, not less.

“I don’t see that. I think the danger here, Joe, once it’s a disaster, is people will — the government for one always doubles down on, for start, always doubles down on disasters. If it’s a disaster, they’ll say we need more government interference,” he continued. “We need a tighter government system. We need more government control. We need government-owned hospitals. We need government-employed doctors.  We need government-employed nurses.”

“Is it more likely that they say that, or that the Mitch McConnell line, ‘Well Obamacare has imploded, so we can set up a proper private health care system in the rubble,’ is going to work?” Steyn said. “I think that is way too complacent. Republicans have been complacent about the Department of Education, the National Endowment of the Arts and everything else for decades and that’s why they haven’t reversed any of them. I mean, Joe, where do you go on this? How do you tell the Republican Party they need a real strategy for this?”

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