Kristol: Kill It, and Start Over

Bill Kristol told his republican allies to "kill it, and start over", meaning President Obama's Healthcare proposal.

With Obamacare on the ropes, there will be a temptation for opponents to let up on their criticism, and to try to appear constructive, or at least responsible. There will be a tendency to want to let the Democrats' plans sink of their own weight, to emphasize that the critics have been pushing sound reform ideas all along and suggest it's not too late for a bipartisan compromise over the next couple of weeks or months.

My advice, for what it's worth: Resist the temptation. This is no time to pull punches. Go for the kill.

The Obama White House and the Democratic congressional leadership shouldn't be underestimated. They're tough. They'll cut deals and twist arms to try to keep their priority legislation alive. They'll certainly attack their opponents, whether their opponents' tone is conciliatory or confrontational.

So this is not the time to let them off the ropes. This is the week to highlight every problem, every terrible provision, in the Democratic bills: from taxes and spending to government control and rationing to federal funding for abortion and government-required death-with-dignity counseling sessions for the elderly. Throw the kitchen sink at the legislation now on the table, drive a stake through its heart (I apologize for the mixed metaphors), and kill it.

Then opponents can say, of course we do want to pass sensible health reform. But to do so, we need to start over.

So the constructive part of the message would be: Start Over. We're not giving up on health reform. Far from it. But the only way to pass health reform is first to get rid of the misbegotten efforts now before Congress. The only way to pass health reform is to start over in the fall. The Obama plan wouldn't go into effect until 2013 anyway (except the tax increases, which would kick in in 2011). We have plenty of time to work next year on sensible and targeted health reform in a bipartisan way. But first we need to get rid of Obamacare. Now is the time to do so.

Posted by William Kristol, editor and Founder of The Weekly Standard, on July 20, 2009 09:15 AM – The Weekly Standard/Weblog

*Now take us back to 1993 when Mr. Kristol wrote a memorandum to the Republican leaders saying basically the same thing about former President Clinton's Healthcare proposal.

Could this be deja vu all over again?

Related Resources:

• Kennedy: Let’s Ration Healthcare
• Dems Ensure Illegal Aliens Included In Obamacare and Other Atrocities
• Useless Eaters
• What Obama Fails To Understand About America
• Medical Care Confusion
• Ghoulish Science Plus Obamacare Equals Health Hazard
• A Right To Health Care?
• Obamacare for Illegal Aliens – While Granny Gets Duty to Die Lecture
• The Truth About Obamacare Is Starting to Surface
• O's Broken Healthcare Promises
• Republicans Unveil Chart Depicting Bureacratic Nightmare of Democratic Government Run Healthcare
• Unease in Britain Following Assisted Suicides
• Meet Your Science Czar – A Must Read
• Stop New Bill (HR2749) Gives FDA Unheard-of Power over Small Farmers, Food and Supplement Producers
• The Drug Story
• American Progressivism

Additional Links:

ObamaCare will cover illegals:
HYPERLINK “http://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/obama_illegals_healthcare/2009/07/23/239369.html”http://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/obama_illegals_healthcare/2009/07/23/239369.html

House Health Crimes Bill (all 1018 pages):
HYPERLINK “http://energycommerce.house.gov/Press_111/20090714/aahca.pdf”http://energycommerce.house.gov/Press_111/20090714/aahca.pdf

Shock: Inside the Healthcare Bill (Robert Wenzel):
HYPERLINK “http://www.economicpolicyjournal.com/2009/07/whats-in-healthacre-bill.html”http://www.economicpolicyjournal.com/2009/07/whats-in-healthacre-bill.html

CBO on ObamaCare:
HYPERLINK “http://www.newsmax.com/headlines/cbo_health_care_obama/2009/07/16/236667.html”http://www.newsmax.com/headlines/cbo_health_care_obama/2009/07/16/236667.html

ObamaCare 50%+ tax rates:
HYPERLINK “http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/documents/BA_ObaCare090720.pdf”http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/documents/BA_ObaCare090720.pdf