With the GOP getting closer and closer to a 2010 campaign pledging to repeal the health care bill, what are some of the political pitfalls — or potential benefits? We asked University of Virginia political science professor Larry Sabato, and he told us that the GOP could face risks because of the popular individual components of the bill.
“There are very popular parts of the health care bill, i.e., the insurance reforms. If the GOP doesn’t exempt those from repeal, they’ll be making a major error. Overwhelming majorities of voters want to stop insurance companies from cutting off insurance just when it is needed the most,” Sabato said.
On the other hand: “There are also unpopular parts of the bill, potentially including new fees and taxes (depending on what is actually adopted). Politically, it could be popular for the Republicans to focus on repealing them or cutting them back. Of course, without the money, there can’t be a restructuring of health care.”
Sabato also made clear that the real problem is one of political credibility. If Obama is still president, then his veto pen should probably be enough to stop any repeal efforts even if the GOP took both houses of Congress.
