We've Got Better Things To Do Than Try To Incrementally Repeal ObamaCare Says...Allen West

I'd call him a RINO but I don't have the guts.

Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.), who has emerged as an outspoken conservative voice among GOP freshmen, cast a surprising vote last week against a bill to scrap part of the 2010 healthcare overhaul. The legislation would repeal $100 million in funding for the construction of school-based health centers. West was one of just four Republicans to vote against the measure, which passed 235-191.

West spokeswoman Angela Sachitano said in an email that the congressman “believes there are bigger funding issues to be focusing on right now including the numerous developments in the Middle East, concerning Pakistan and whether there is a link to [Osama bin Laden] and the recent unity agreement with the [Palestinian Authority] and Fatah and Hamas."

That's pretty weak tea. It's not like the House of Representatives is directly responsible for managing that litany of foreign affairs crisis his spokeswoman lists. Funding or defudning programs is however exactly what the House does.

This does get to a larger truth...winning the House last year was never going to be as powerful as people seemed to think it would be. With Democrats in the Senate and most importantly the White House, the real power in taking the House is to stop the bleeding. Having the House means no more new ObamaCares, no DREAM Act or wider amnesty, no Card Check or any other expansions of the Obama agenda. Repeal however was always going to be a multi-cycle effort.

Oh and if you think the answer to this is "shut the government down!", I'm going to guess you don't remember 1995. I'm not saying we shouldn't threaten to shut it down to get what we want (and be ready to follow through) but it's not without risk or sure to work.

Still, why not make the odd symbolic vote here or there? It's important to keep this stuff top of mind. Sure it's dead on arrival in the Senate but so is immigration "reform"and yet Obama trots that out every now and then.

I really don't get the idea of voting no on this. What exactly did West gain? If he doesn't like the strategy, then make that known in private. Voting no doesn't seem to serve any purpose.

Via Barbarian in the comments.

posted by DrewM. at 11:39 AM

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