Can The GOP Survive Even After The Deal?

Tonight, with the United States teetering on the edge of a potential default, a deal appears to be likely later tonight if the House of Representatives passes the Senate’s bill. However, come February of 2014, it’s quite likely that dejavu will be taking place all over again. If we have learned anything since President Obama has taken office, it is that the majority of Republicans refuse to compromise or provide solutions of their own and instead lay blame at his feet.

No other president has been obstructed and character assassinated the way our president has been. They have called him a Muslim, a Socialist, a Marxist, a Communist, Kenyan-born, and the Anti-Christ. It’s quite clear to any like minded individual that these nutcase theories hold no weight. Rather, this is all the result of the color of his skin. Why else would they question his birthplace or his Christian faith?

Also, on the first day President Obama was inaugurated, in 2009, Republicans met behind closed doors to plan how they would intentionally destroy him. They made their plan very clear: do not agree to any of his ideas or plans (even if Republicans supported them in the past or even if they were Republican ideas) and do not work across the aisle to compromise with the Democrats.

Congratulations, Republicans. Your political party has been very successful at this. Republicans have consistently character assassinated our president, they have said no to anything he wants to do, and they have made it their mission to do whatever it takes to sabotage his presidency. In addition, since the “Affordable Healthcare Act” has been signed into law, Republicans have been aching for its repeal.

Last year, when the United States Supreme Court upheld the law, they made it a point to run on its repeal ahead of the elections. Well, they lost. The couldn’t repeal the law through the United States Supreme Court or through the democratic process, so the Tea Party decided to take our country hostage, but they weren’t alone.

In a recent New York Times article, it was revealed that the Koch brothers (who wrote checks to Romney and Republicans to a tune of $400 million last year), conspired to plan the government shutdown months ago. Republicans knew that if they succeeded in repealing President Obama’s signature piece of legislation, it would deliver a serious blow to his legacy.

However, let’s be clear. All these political charades have had nothing to do with the actual healthcare law. Let’s call it what it is. What all this is about, is systematic obstructionism and sabotage at the hands of the Tea Party and their big-money allies in order to ensure a Republican president is elected in 2016. The repeal of the healthcare law would merely give them bragging rights to win over voters.

Speaker Boehner might as well hand over the reigns to Teddy Cruz or one of his ilk, for he has shown a serious lack of leadership in the House he governs. In July of 2011, we saw just how damaging the Tea Party proved to be. They obstructed until the very last minute when they held our country hostage over the debt ceiling vote, causing our country’s credit rating to be downgraded.

And now, here we are at it again. Even though there have been many moderate Republicans who have voiced their support to vote on a clean continuing resolution (CR) bill, Speaker Boehner has refused to call a vote in the House even though the votes have been there for weeks. The GOP, and the GOP only, own this shutdown. The president had nothing to do with this shutdown.

If the Republican Party truly cared about the many Americans who go without health insurance every day, they surely had eight years during George Bush’s reign to do something about it. They have also been in control of the House of Representatives since January of 2011, yet they have not introduced a comparable healthcare plan of their own. As a result, millions of uninsured Americans will continue to be at risk of declaring bankruptcy due to a catastrophic emergency room visit.

It’s also strange now that a Democrat is in office that the Republicans don’t support the current healthcare law. After all, this exact law was signed into law in 2006 (by a Republican) Governor Mitt Romney, and this exact law was the Republicans’ alternative plan (individual mandate) in the 1990s to the Democrat’s plan (of an employer mandate). For these reasons, we should give credit where credit is due: republicans should stop derisively calling it “Obamacare,” and instead call it “Romneycare.”

The current healthcare law is not perfect, and no law is ever perfect. The president has already said he is open reasonable tweaks of the law, but Republicans don’t want tweaks. They want the law completely gone. They certainly have the “repeal” part down but not the “replace” part. Since elected Republicans have no plan for the millions without healthcare, we would just go back to the same lifetime caps, pre-existing condition denials, and the same insured people paying for those without healthcare. Why in the world should we repeal the law entirely and start from square one again?

During its first week, www.healthcare.gov, was saturated with so many users that it slowed the website to a crawl, caused glitches, and other problems. Republicans used these problems to say that the law was not ready for implementation. However, on the flip side, if the website had not received the immense traffic it had in its first week, I’m sure Republicans would have considered the healthcare exchange a disaster too.

More than anything, it was unfortunate to witness last Sunday’s “Tea Party” rally. One individual held up the Marine Corp flag along with the “Confederate” flag. A speaker said our president “worships Allah,” and some individuals denigrated police officers as “brown shirts.” Yet, no Republican politician repudiated these individuals. Perhaps it’s because they rely on these people for their political support, even if these individuals blatantly stoke the flames of ignorance.

Have you noticed that whenever you see the Tea Party on television, they have no African Americans, no gay people, no young people, no Hispanic people, and no Asian people? They represent a very small sliver but vocal group of older people in this country who seemingly cannot accept the fact that an African-American man is the free leader of the world. If there is one bright side to all of this Republican obstructionism, it’s that they are causing their own demise.

If Republicans continue their ill-fated attempt at all-out obstructionism, in 2016, Republicans will give the Democrat Party a wonderful “huge majority” gift in the House and in the Senate and for many years thereafter. The Republican Party is turning away (and has been for some time) independents, moderates, and the young generation. Americans are fed up with their racism, homophobia, lies, misinformation and their regressive obstructionist politicians who want to move us backwards.

It may very well be too late to save their regressive political party. At a certain point, there won’t be any turning back from that point on.

Watch an amazingly bigoted rally at which Ted Cruz and Sarah Palin attended, if you have any doubts about the GOP’s real problem and agenda that led up to this shutdown.

I had a successful career actively working with at-risk youth, people struggling with poverty and unemployment, and disadvantaged and oppressed populations. In 2011, I made the decision to pursue my dreams and become a full-time writer. Connect with me on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.