Republicans are smarting over their huge victory in the U.S. House of Representatives, their near win in the U.S. Senate, and several GOP Governor pick-ups in a variety of states. Incoming Speaker of the House John Boehner and his counterpart Sen. Mitch McConnell are already licking their chops at the possibility of rolling back everything from health care to “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” But while President Obama and the Democrats are acknowledging their political “shellacking,” they’re also warning Republicans: NOT SO FAST!
Can Republicans roll back Mr. Obama’s signature health care bill? Technically, yes. Or at least in the House they can bring it to a vote utilizing their new majority. Will it happen? Most likely, NO! Democrats still run the Senate and the White House, and there’s no way in hell they’re going to let it slip away after all the hard work they put into getting it passed in the first place. But therein lies the problem and the potential for collective gridlock.
Republicans believe their huge mid-term election wins have given them the new found power and ability to right a lot of Mr. Obama’s presumed wrongs. But President Obama stands firmly in the belief that he was elected with an historic mandate to usher in change, including health care for all and the elimination of gay discrimination in the military, among other initiatives.
Who’s right? Who will eventually win? Or in the end, will we all lose?
