President Obama and Democrats Own ObamaCare

Is it not lawful for me to do what I want with what I own?

Matthew 20:15

Nothing begins and nothing ends 
that is not paid with moan;

For we are born in other’s pain,

And perish in our own.

Francis Thompson (1859-1907), English poet and ascetic

Whatever one says or however one looks at it,  President Obama and the Democrats own ObamaCare.    

It is an exclusive ownership.  It bears the President's name.  They are keepers of the franchise, which is the way the wanted it.   

They wanted to be known as the party that guaranteed universal coverage.   

They, and they alone,  created this legacy (which may proved to be a liability).

Towards the end of cementing their legacy:

·         They designed, planned, and wrote ObamaCare.

·          They passed it without a single Republican vote, indeed, without consulting the GOP.

·         They oversaw, constructed, and implemented  healthcare.gov.

·         They launched healthcare.gov on a date they choose.

·         They altered or delayed ObamaCare with executive orders from their leader on 20 or more occasions.

·         They introduced and helped built health exchanges and the website in 36 states.

·         They funded a $1 million + campaign to sell and promote health exchange sign-ups.

·         They recruited thousands of navigators as outreach agents to bring in the young,  Hispanics, the poor, the near poor, the uninsured, and the unsubsidized so that they might have health care coverage.

·         They are primarily responsible for the success and failure of ObamaCare (though they will blame Republicans if it fails)

·         They own ObamaCare.    It is their baby.   They are its parents.

But make no mistake.  ObamaCare affects everyone. ObamaCare is the  baby of all Americans. Fortunately,  America’s are not babies.  They are adults capable of making their own decisions.   

They,  not the President or his party,  are the parents of ObamaCare.  They will decide if ObamaCare should be nurtured or accepted as their child.  They will decide how to discipline ObamaCare, and if it should grow to maturity.

There are signs adult Americans are restless.  Even the uninsured are restless – one poll  indicates the uninsured disapprove of ObamaCare by 47% t0 23%.  A Fox News poll this week shows that 64% of Americans  wish that ObamaCare had never passed.  An  average of national polls indicates the following disapproval/approval  ratings – Obama 42.3%/53.0% (-10.7), the economy, 40.6%/55.7% (-15.1%), health care law 38.4%/51.1% (-12.7%), and overall direction of country 29.6%/63.6% (-34%).  These are not expressions of confidence.

President Obama and Democrats can plausibly and justifiably  claim exclusive ownership of ObamaCare.   It is a claim that may come back to haunt them. ObamaCare is unpopular  with the American people,  and its ultimate destiny rests in their hands at the voting booth.

Tweet:  President Obama and the Democratic party own ObamaCare.   They designed it, passed it, and created healthcare.gov.  But they do not control its destiny – the people do.