Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon has come away from his meeting with President Obama having missed the point of Americans’ anger with ObamaCare. According to an AP report of the meeting,
“After the meeting, Merkley issued a statement, saying, “I am very frustrated with the rollout of the exchanges. The dysfunction and delays are unacceptable.” “This will not be resolved until Americans can, day after day, sign on to the health marketplace, review their options, and complete their applications.”
This is Merkley’s ‘whistling past the graveyard’ moment. These Senators are upset the horrible roll-out of ObamaCare may interfere with their re-elections in 2014. The point Merkley refuses to concede, however, is the computer failure isn’t the biggest problem with ObamaCare. So far 4.2 million people have had their current insurance canceled because the President and his health czars don’t like the policies. Merkley feigns outrage that people are upset they can’t get their ‘free’ health care. Bunk.
Where he’s right is the unfairness of a problem of his and the Democrats own making. Americans are being being cut off from their insurance, deprived the ability to sign up for a new policy, and then being fined for their lack of it because of the White House timeline.
“Moreover, citizens who cannot sign up until after January 1st due to the dysfunction of state or national online health markets should have the ability to establish coverage retroactively to January 1st. No one should experience a gap in coverage through no fault of their own.”
It’s worth noting that Merkley was one of ObamaCare’s big cheerleaders. He helped with the late night cram down of this seizure of 1/6 of the American economy. Aside from the computer catastrophe, Merkley knew exactly what would be wrought with the passage of ObamaCare: People would lose choice, forced off their current plans and forced to sign up for a government blessed (and soon-to-be government run) insurance program. And he’s fine with government’s total control over our person. Just fine with it.
Remember THAT at election time.
