ObamaCare Gets Scant Mention in First Republican Debate

In the first Republican Debate last night in Cleveland, the first of 11 official debates, ObamaCare received only scant attention.

It was mentioned six times in passing. Scott Walker said “Repeal ObamaCare;” Donald Trump commented, “We have to end ObamaCare,” and Jeb Bush said it had to go because of adverse effects on employment. But there were was no in depth discussion, and it was not on the moderators high list of penetrating questions.

Why the relative silence? It may be the questionnaires had bigger and more controversial fish to fry – The Iran deal, lack of economic growth, the war on women, and Trump’s record on women and his businesses bankruptcies.

It may also be Supreme Court ruling that ObamaCare was legal took the wind out of the GOP’s sails. Or it may be the fact that 10 million Americans are now insured because of the healthcare.gov signup push and that the uninsured rate has dropped from 18% to 12% made ObamaCare difficult to attack. Or it may simply be, as President Obama has claimed, that ObamaCare is “here to stay.”

As Peter Berkowitz a senior fellow the Hoover Institute as Stanford University, has learned to distinguish “among what they can offer, what they must accept and what they should embrace.”