Written by Scott Dunn   

So the Republicans want to repeal the healtcare reform bill passed last year. They sure seem serious with their “symbolic” vote yesterday in favor of the ‘‘Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act’’. The Act passed in the house by a nearly party-line vote of 245-189. Such civility. Why, they’re model citizens!

News reports abound about how Republicans are going to defund what they have identified as the most offensive parts of the act. As an example, they’re going to seek to remove $10 billion in funding for a new office at the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services. The primary purpose of the new office? To test new methods of delivering services in order to reduce costs.

The main focus however, is on the requirement that everyone buy insurance. This requirement will help to prevent people from waiting to buy insurance until they need really need it. But Republicans insist that this provision of the bill is unconstitutional and they are waging a battle in the courts over it right now. I suppose that Republicans could continue forum shopping for conservative judges in order to get the law struck down if they want to. But any meaningful rulings are at least a year away if they want to be heard in the Supreme Court. That would place it in an election year.

I’ve noticed a few striking omissions in their efforts. First, they are proposing no alternative at the time of the vote to repeal the law. In my mind, repeal would be a lot easier if they had already fashioned an alternative. I mean, come on! They had almost a year to review the bill and make sure every point was covered with a real alternative that we might all appreciate.

Oh, wait. There is an alternative in the works. The House Republicans even say that they will offer a new bill that would keep some of the popular provisions of the law. You know like prohibiting denial of coverage for pre-existing conditions. What? They’re actually admitting that there are at least some popular provisions of the law?

The most striking omission of all, one they pounded in the last mid-term election, is this: the economy. Republicans say that during the debates on health care last year, while Democrats were focused on their health care bill, they should have been focused on the economy. That’s not what I’m seeing from the Republicans. They are totally focused on the new health care law rather than the economy.

There are 14 million people out of work. Every major aspect of of our infrastructure is in decline. I don’t see anyone (Democrats included) talking seriously about putting these people to work. We could be cleaning up our environment and building new roads, bridges, waterways and/or lighting up all that fiber someone put in the ground in the 1990s.

If the Republicans are truly serious about the economy, they would have an alternative to the health care reform law ready to show to the public. With that in hand, they could say they are truly an alternative to the Democrats, rather than just the Party of NO. Looks to me like they want to score political points with their constituents instead of making an effort to offer meaningful changes that would benefit everyone.

I thought I heard someone say, “It’s the economy, Stupid!” Did you?