On Friday, Investors.com reported that the vote to defund Obamacare that was part of the 2011 budget deal took place in the Senate.
According to the article:
"...all 53 Democrats, including 23 up for re-election in 2012, voted to preserve funding for their version of socialized medicine. All 47 Republicans voted no. Game on."
Obviously the results of the vote are not surprising, but there are some interesting things going on concerning the vote. There are some Democrats up for reelection in 2012 that this vote will be a problem for. Freshman Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia was elected in a special election in 2010. During the campaign he stated that he was open to repealing ObamaCare. He voted against repeal.
The article points out:
"In his campaign speech last Wednesday, when he offered a new budget plan just one month after he offered a budget plan, President Obama spoke of an ObamaCare offspring called the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB), which will "look at the evidence and recommend the best ways to reduce unnecessary spending while protecting access to the services seniors need."
"This is called rationing.
"Rep. Phil Roe, a Tennessee Republican, recently told the Daily Caller that the IPAB is the "real death panel" in the health care law, as compared with the "end-of-life counseling" provisions in ObamaCare that former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin once deemed "death panels.""
As I reported on this site (rightwinggranny) on April 12:
"...the latest Rasmussen poll of likely voters shows that Americans have now supported the repeal of Obamacare for 56 consecutive weeks (every single week since it was passed). In 55 of those weeks, including this one, Americans have supported repeal by double-digits (perhaps the political equivalent of a multi-hit game?). This week, repeal is favored by 10 points (51 to 41 percent), by 13 points among those who feel "strongly" (41 to 28 percent), by 16 points among independents (53 to 37 percent), and by 29 points among independents who feel "strongly" (44 to 15 percent)."
The continuing unpopularity of Obamacare will play a role in the elections of 2012. The other thing that will influence public opinion on Obamacare is the number of unions and corporations that supported its passage and then received exemptions from complying with it. That sort of thing leaves a nasty taste in the public's mouth.
Forcing the vote of Obamacare that Harry Reid did not want to take was good strategy on the part of the Republicans. Hopefully it is an indication of good decisions to come.
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