“A TRAIN WRECK”
by Sharon Rondeau
(Sep. 18, 2013) — Speaker of the House John Boehner announced on Wednesday that the House of Representatives would vote on Friday to defund Obamacare as part of the ongoing spending bill deliberations.
The move is reportedly a result of Rep. Steve Stockman’s HR 333 entitled “Keep Government Open Act” which Stockman said “funds the federal government while defunding ObamaCare.”
Rep. Tom Graves introduced a similar measure officially last week.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), colloquially called “Obamacare,” has been affecting a wide array of businesses which have reduced employees’ hours, laid off workers, and taken steps to change the health care plans they currently provide as a result of Obama’s “signature” law passed in March 2010.
At that time, Rep. Nancy Pelosi had said, “We have to pass it to find out what is in it.” The U.S. Supreme Court found the law constitutional if regarded as a tax, although arguments made before the court did not contend that it was a tax.
Boehner repeated the claim made earlier this year by Sen. Max Baucus, one of Obamacare’s architects, by saying that the bill is “a train wreck.”
Baucus announced earlier this year that he is not seeking re-election in 2014.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid called the House’s maneuver “strange, weird” and “absurd.” He labeled the group of House Republicans which he blames for the attempt to defund the bill “anarchists.”
The Obama regime has termed anyone standing up for constitutional rights and speaking out on an array of issues including government corruption and illegal immigration “right-wing extremists” and “potential domestic terrorists.”
Over the summer, the regime worked with Hollywood “celebrities” to publicize the state health care exchanges which are expected to begin enrollments on October 1 if the law is not repealed. According to Fox News, “Insurers need healthy young customers to help offset the costs of older, sicker consumers.”
Many Americans have discovered that their current plans will not be available as of October 1.
Boehner and Majority Leader Rep. Eric Cantor had planned on using a Continuing Resolution plan last week to present two proposals to the Senate: one to defund Obamacare and the other to approve spending through December 15. The Senate could have detached the Obamacare proposal, thereby maintaining the legislation in place. The proposed move was widely publicized as a “trick rule,” after which angry constituents contacted their representatives. The vote was then tabled until this week.
The Continuing Resolution is now tied to a government spending bill, with Democrats accusing Republicans of “playing political chicken with the nation’s finances.”
Obama called the House Republicans’ plan “extortion.”
Since the Supreme Court ruled the law constitutional in June of last year, speculation has abounded that Chief Justice John Roberts was “blackmailed” or pressured to vote with the majority as he did. CBS News reported that sources informed them that Roberts had planned on voting against the constitutionality of the law but suddenly and inexplicably changed his mind about 30 days before the public announcement was scheduled to be made. The existence of NSA domestic spying programs revealed this past June by Edward Snowden further fueled speculation that the Obama regime could be collecting personal information on members of Congress and throughout government which could be used to blackmail them.
Rep. Steve King told Glenn Beck in June that Republicans had become aware that their movements on the internet during the 2012 presidential campaign had been tracked. King did not say how or when they learned of the tracking.
In his address on Wednesday, Boehner accused Obama of implementing “failed policies.” He called Obamacare “unworkable” and a mistake from which he wants to “protect the American people.”
In response, Obama claimed that a spending bill which does not increase the debt limit now would “fundamentally change how government functions.” In 2008, he promised Americans that his advent to the White House would “fundamentally transform the United States of America.”
The U.S. Supreme Court has never held that citizens can be compelled to buy anything until the Obamacare ruling.
In 2006, Obama said that having to raise the debt limit signified “leadership failure.”
Also on Wednesday, The Daily Caller reported that a “Study Committee” consisting of 190 House Republicans has unveiled an alternative to Obamacare which offers portability of health plans from employer to employer and allow for more choices in the health care marketplace than Obamacare.
Obama claimed in a interview with Telemundo that the majority of Americans who oppose the implementation of his law “are wrong.”
In a late development, the House has announced that it will not take a scheduled week-long recess next week.
In a press release, Rep. Stockman stated, ““Republicans should listen to the people who gave them control of the House to stop ObamaCare. If we don’t stop ObamaCare, voters will find someone who will.”
This post was updated.