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| Family Research Council happy about possible Obamacare repeal. |
Even though this blog focuses specifically on lgbt issues, there are times I have to comment on other issues. And regarding the issue of the GOP attempting to repeal Obamacare, I must say that I am amazed and disturbed about the
spin the Family Research Council is attempting to put over on its supporters:
President Obama has been unwilling -- and soon, unable -- to undo his
policy blunders like Obamacare, but Congress is giving his successor a
chance to try. In the wee hours of this morning, the Senate took the
first step of a journey that Republicans have been on for the last seven
years: the repeal of Obamacare and the defunding of Planned Parenthood.
For all of the question marks heading into last night's marathon
session, Senate Majority Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) delivered on his biggest promise -- to pass a budget resolution that would clear the decks for rolling back Obama's worst atrocities.
By the slimmest of margins, 51-48, he held together his coalition --
which was no small feat after the threats of at least five moderate
Republicans earlier in the week. By 1:36 a.m., when members finally
walked bleary-eyed to their cars, 180 amendments had been filed (and 20
voted on) in the unique budget free-for-all -- which, for all the
frenzy, isn't even legally binding. As it has for years, the Senate uses
this crazy process to map out a budget blueprint. The benefit is that,
unlike other legislative business, leaders can offer an unlimited number
of amendments without worrying about filibusters. That usually means
senators will take the opportunity to make a political point -- or try
to get their colleagues on the record on an issue that they can use to
their advantage in campaign ads later on. "Unlike normal legislation,
which can be debated for weeks on end, this law limits the total debate
time for a budget resolution to 50 hours... This is quite different from
the process on a normal bill," former Senate staffer Keith Hennessey once explained, "where you can offer an amendment but not be assured of a quick vote."
By the end, the Senate will typically have crammed in a third of
their votes for the year into this one chaotic night. While our
government affairs team worked late tracking amendments, there were a
few surprises. As usual, the president's party tried to throw a few
wrenches into the process, including Senator Kirsten Gillibrand's
(D-N.Y.) "women's health" amendment, which would have stopped the GOP
from making any changes to Obamacare that affect the contraception
mandate or taxpayer-funded abortion. Fortunately, the Senate deadlocked,
killing it by a tie vote (49-49).
Although no one is settled on an official replacement plan for
Obamacare, the hows and whens took a backseat to getting this crucial
vote out of the way. Knowing that America is also on the path to
hollowing out federal tax funding of Planned Parenthood should taste
sweet to the millions of voters who streamed into polling places to
protect the unborn. The bottom line is the bottom line: Planned
Parenthood doesn't need taxpayer dollars. All the government's
contributions do is enable Cecile Richards's group to spend more money
on politics and candidates who support their radical agenda. This forced
partnership must end. And thanks to Senator Mitch McConnell's
leadership, it's well on its way.
Granted, I despise the Family Research Council because the group was founded to undermine lgbt equality via lies and junk science under the guise of religion. But I am also incredibly disturbed how unbelievably tone deaf the group is about the dangers of an Obamacare repeal.
