[TheRealThing]

It looks as if we are near to repealing the biggest legislative failure in history. I say biggest because the bill consumes one fifth of the US economy. Dems love the thing despite the fact that twenty five million people, depending on who you ask, lost their health insurance due to the mandate. And while the Obama Administration fudges the numbers in their favor in saying there are 30 million who did not have insurance, but thanks to ObamaCare now do, the real number affected is somewhere between 6 and 7 million. And even then, of the 7 million reported many of those were actually just dental plans. The rest are part of a Medicaid expansion.

The whole thing is fake and always has been. The doubled insurance premiums for the rest of America however are very real, as are the on average 20,000 dollars out of pocket costs per family annually for those who actually pay for their own insurance.

I love analogies and this is how I would analogize self righteous Republicans (Rand Paul for example) right now. And that isn't to say that the good Senator's health care plan is not viable, it looks good to me.

Since the days of Newt Gingrich's Contract with America, the Republicans have been largely neutralized by a number of factors. Among them are the efforts to define Republicans by the media and Dems, in the most public fashion BTW, that have gone completely unchallenged. Added to that is the Republican predilection of always avoiding public spats with their counterparts which, rather than making them look to be above it all as they suppose, actually makes them look weak in the eyes of the voter. For decades now Democrats have called out Republicans for being stupid, irrelevant and passé. And all the continued passivity has gotten them is even more intense public criticism. But I see the disoriented Republican Conference as being on a river raft ride where they have been at the mercy of the current since Newt's day.

They've twisted and turned down that river now for decades and to my mind, were about to make their way out into the political oblivion of the Gulf of Mexico. Then came DJT and offered them a life line. Now, anyway one would care to analogize things, whether up the creek or down it, they've been without a paddle and they are a long way from home. The distance lost/traveled is tremendous and though impatient pundits and outspoken Freedom Caucus members are anxious to make up all the lost ground, they can't reasonably expect to do it all at once.

The Republican Party had better wake up and recognize the opportunity which has been laid at their feet. This new health care bill does not make up all the ground we'd like. But if one has a thousand miles to travel and is offered a ride for 950 miles of it, he dare not say no. If they get this done the voter will continue their support. 2018 will see more seats gained and 2020 will see the voter again returning a Republican led government to power. The point is they need to take the steps necessary to start the process of change and the people will give them the time they need to get the job completed. The power to govern comes from John Q. Public thus, a little patience here is required.