This is interesting from Sarah Kliff:
Jeb Bush laid out his top policies Monday in a speech announcing his run for the 2016 Republican nomination. But he left out one big Republican priority: repealing Obamacare….[This] reflects the changing politics of Obamacare. As Obamacare becomes more and more entrenched, it builds a constituency. As more people sign up for Obamacare, it becomes increasingly difficult to take away both practically and politically. So Republicans, who once ran and won calling for its end, are beginning to abandon the line.
Jeb has been fuzzy on Obamacare for a while, to the point where it’s been hard to know where he actually stands. It’s clear enough that he doesn’t like Obamacare—it’s a “monstrosity” and the “greatest job suppressor of the recovery”—but he never goes much beyond this kind of pro forma denunciation. So it’s not surprising that he didn’t give it a lot of attention in his announcement speech.
Still, it’s something to watch. Will he be gung ho for repeal once he’s on a debate stage with all the other candidates? Or will he stay soft and get pilloried? And if he does, how will this affect him with Republican voters?
Have any of the other ten GOP candidates who have announced so far gone soft on Obamacare repeal? This should be a research project for someone other than me. Inquiring minds want to know.
