Republican healthcare rallying cry: ‘Repeal’

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Before the sun had risen in Washington on the House-passed healthcare legislation that President Obama had sought for a year and won last night on Capitol Hill, Republicans were cementing their rallying cries: ‘Repeal’’ and ‘A price to pay.’’

It’s difficult to concoct a scenario in which legislation that the president is prepared to sign is very soon repealed. The midterm elections may well cause some upheaval in the House and Senate, but control of either chamber remains elusive for the GOP. Still, a narrow margin of Republican control could not generate the votes sufficient to repeal the president’s plan and overcome a certain veto.

There is a movement afoot, however, among Republican attorneys general in states such as Florida -- where the state attorney general is running for governor -- to challenge the legality of the new law that eventually will require most Americans to purchase healthcare insurance and face fines for not complying. So, on whatever front the challenge is waged, the GOP -- having lost a yearlong fight with the president -- is certain to take a stand on some manner of repeal.

That’s where Sen. John McCain, the Arizona Republican who challenged Obama for the presidency in 2008, stood Monday morning, speaking on ‘Good Morning America.’

‘For the first time in history, we will have a major reform enacted without a bipartisan support,’ McCain said on the ABC morning news show. ‘We’ll challenge it every place we can. ... We’ll fight everywhere.’

McCain, who faces his own tough fight for reelection with a primary challenger back home, warns that the Democrats will face consequences for the bill in November.

‘With all this euphoria that’s going on, this inside-the-Beltway Champagne toasting and all that, outside the Beltway the American people are very angry,’’ McCain said on ‘GMA.’ ‘And they don’t like it, and we’re going to try to repeal this, and we’re going to have a very spirited campaign between now and November, and there will be a very heavy price to pay for it.’’

-- Mark Silva