Bi-Partisan Vote in House to repeal ObiwanCare Law

[Selene]

Health Care Law

By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN 10 minutes ago

While conceding that the measure would not advance in the Senate, House Republicans said that they would still press ahead with their “repeal and replace” strategy.

• Roll Call Vote

Nice map in the above link

House Vote 14 - Passes Repeal of Health Care Law

On Passage

Other Recent Votes

• January 19, 2011
  On Passage: Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act
• January 19, 2011
  On Motion to Recommit with Instructions: Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act
• January 18, 2011
  On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended: Stop the OverPrinting (STOP) Act
• January 7, 2011
  H.RES.27: On Agreeing to the Resolution Relating to the status of certain actions taken by Members-elect
• January 7, 2011
  H.RES.26: On Agreeing to the Resolution Providing for consideration of H.R. 2, to repeal the job-killing health care law and health care-related provisions in the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010; and providing for ...

Result: Passed by a margin of 27 votes Date of Vote: January 19, 2011 Roll Call Number: 14 Related Story: House Votes to Repeal Obama Health Care Law

Geography of the Vote

Complete Roll Call

All States Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming All PartiesDemocratsIndependentsRepublicans

Yes Votes (245)

MemberPartyDist. Sandra AdamsRFL-24 Robert B. AderholtRAL-4 Todd AkinRMO-2 Rodney AlexanderRLA-5 Justin AmashRMI-3 Steve AustriaROH-7 Michele BachmannRMN-6 Spencer BachusRAL-6 Lou BarlettaRPA-11 Roscoe G. BartlettRMD-6 Joe L. BartonRTX-6 Charles F. BassRNH-2 Dan BenishekRMI-1 Rick BergRND-1 Judy BiggertRIL-13 Brian P. BilbrayRCA-50 Gus BilirakisRFL-9 Rob BishopRUT-1 Diane BlackRTN-6 Marsha BlackburnRTN-7 John A. BoehnerROH-8 Jo BonnerRAL-1 Mary Bono MackRCA-45 Dan BorenDOK-2 Charles Boustany Jr.RLA-7 Kevin BradyRTX-8 Mo BrooksRAL-5 Paul BrounRGA-10 Vern BuchananRFL-13 Larry BucshonRIN-8 Ann Marie BuerkleRNY-25 Michael C. BurgessRTX-26 Dan BurtonRIN-5 Ken CalvertRCA-44 Dave CampRMI-4 John CampbellRCA-48 Francisco CansecoRTX-23 Eric CantorRVA-7 Shelley Moore CapitoRWV-2 John CarterRTX-31 Bill CassidyRLA-6 Steven J. ChabotROH-1 Jason ChaffetzRUT-3 Howard CobleRNC-6 Mike CoffmanRCO-6 Tom ColeROK-4 K. Michael ConawayRTX-11 Chip CravaackRMN-8 Rick CrawfordRAR-1 Ander CrenshawRFL-4 John CulbersonRTX-7 Geoff DavisRKY-4 Jeffrey DenhamRCA-19 Charlie DentRPA-15 Scott DesJarlaisRTN-4 Mario Diaz-BalartRFL-21 Robert DoldRIL-10 David DreierRCA-26 Sean DuffyRWI-7 Jeffrey DuncanRSC-3 John J. Duncan Jr.RTN-2 Renee EllmersRNC-2 Jo Ann EmersonRMO-8 Blake FarentholdRTX-27 Stephen FincherRTN-8 Michael G. FitzpatrickRPA-8 Jeff FlakeRAZ-6 Chuck FleischmannRTN-3 John FlemingRLA-4 Bill FloresRTX-17 J. Randy ForbesRVA-4 Jeff FortenberryRNE-1 Virginia FoxxRNC-5 Trent FranksRAZ-2 Rodney FrelinghuysenRNJ-11 Elton GalleglyRCA-24 Cory GardnerRCO-4 Scott GarrettRNJ-5 Jim GerlachRPA-6 Bob GibbsROH-18 Chris GibsonRNY-20 Phil GingreyRGA-11 Louie GohmertRTX-1 Robert W. GoodlatteRVA-6 Paul GosarRAZ-1 Trey GowdyRSC-4 Kay GrangerRTX-12 Sam GravesRMO-6 Tom GravesRGA-9 Tim GriffinRAR-2 Morgan GriffithRVA-9 Mike GrimmRNY-13 Frank GuintaRNH-1 Brett GuthrieRKY-2 Ralph M. HallRTX-4 Richard HannaRNY-24 Gregg HarperRMS-3 Andy HarrisRMD-1 Vicky HartzlerRMO-4 Doc HastingsRWA-4 Nan HayworthRNY-19 Joe HeckRNV-3 Dean HellerRNV-2 Jeb HensarlingRTX-5 Wally HergerRCA-2 Jaime HerreraRWA-3 Tim HuelskampRKS-1 Bill HuizengaRMI-2 Randy HultgrenRIL-14 Duncan D. HunterRCA-52 Robert HurtRVA-5 Darrell IssaRCA-49 Lynn JenkinsRKS-2 Bill JohnsonROH-6 Sam JohnsonRTX-3 Timothy V. JohnsonRIL-15 Walter B. JonesRNC-3 Jim JordanROH-4 Mike KellyRPA-3 Peter T. KingRNY-3 Steve KingRIA-5 Jack KingstonRGA-1 Adam KinzingerRIL-11 John KlineRMN-2 Steven C. LaTouretteROH-14 Raul LabradorRID-1 Doug LambornRCO-5 Leonard LanceRNJ-7 Jeff LandryRLA-3 James LankfordROK-5 Tom LathamRIA-4 Robert E. LattaROH-5 Christopher LeeRNY-26 Jerry LewisRCA-41 Frank A. LoBiondoRNJ-2 Billy LongRMO-7 Frank D. LucasROK-3 Blaine LuetkemeyerRMO-9 Cynthia M. LummisRWY-1 Dan LungrenRCA-3 Connie MackRFL-14 Donald ManzulloRIL-16 Kenny MarchantRTX-24 Tom MarinoRPA-10 Kevin McCarthyRCA-22 Michael McCaulRTX-10 Tom McClintockRCA-4 Thaddeus McCotterRMI-11 Patrick T. McHenryRNC-10 Mike McIntyreDNC-7 Howard P. McKeonRCA-25 David McKinleyRWV-1 Cathy McMorris RodgersRWA-5 Pat MeehanRPA-7 John L. MicaRFL-7 Candice S. MillerRMI-10 Gary G. MillerRCA-42 Jeff MillerRFL-1 Mick MulvaneyRSC-5 Tim MurphyRPA-18 Sue MyrickRNC-9 Randy NeugebauerRTX-19 Kristi NoemRSD-1 Richard NugentRFL-5 Devin NunesRCA-21 Alan NunneleeRMS-1 Pete OlsonRTX-22 Steven PalazzoRMS-4 Ron PaulRTX-14 Erik PaulsenRMN-3 Steven E. PearceRNM-2 Mike PenceRIN-6 Tom PetriRWI-6 Joe PittsRPA-16 Todd R. PlattsRPA-19 Ted PoeRTX-2 Mike PompeoRKS-4 Bill PoseyRFL-15 Tom PriceRGA-6 Ben QuayleRAZ-3 Thomas ReedRNY-29 Denny RehbergRMT-1 Dave ReichertRWA-8 Jim RenacciROH-16 Reid RibbleRWI-8 Scott RigellRVA-2 David RiveraRFL-25 Martha RobyRAL-2 Phil RoeRTN-1 Harold RogersRKY-5 Mike D. RogersRAL-3 Mike RogersRMI-8 Dana RohrabacherRCA-46 Todd RokitaRIN-4 Tom RooneyRFL-16 Ileana Ros-LehtinenRFL-18 Peter RoskamRIL-6 Dennis RossRFL-12 Mike RossDAR-4 Ed RoyceRCA-40 Jon RunyanRNJ-3 Paul D. RyanRWI-1 Steve ScaliseRLA-1 Bobby SchillingRIL-17 Jean SchmidtROH-2 Aaron SchockRIL-18 David SchweikertRAZ-5 Austin ScottRGA-8 Tim ScottRSC-1 F. James SensenbrennerRWI-5 Pete SessionsRTX-32 John ShimkusRIL-19 Bill ShusterRPA-9 Mike SimpsonRID-2 Adrian SmithRNE-3 Christopher H. SmithRNJ-4 Lamar SmithRTX-21 Steve SoutherlandRFL-2 Cliff StearnsRFL-6 Steve StiversROH-15 Marlin StutzmanRIN-3 John SullivanROK-1 Lee TerryRNE-2 Glenn ThompsonRPA-5 William M. ThornberryRTX-13 Pat TiberiROH-12 Scott A. TiptonRCO-3 Michael R. TurnerROH-3 Fred UptonRMI-6 Timothy WalbergRMI-7 Greg WaldenROR-2 Joe WalshRIL-8 Daniel WebsterRFL-8 Allen WestRFL-22 Lynn WestmorelandRGA-3 Edward WhitfieldRKY-1 Joe WilsonRSC-2 Robert J. WittmanRVA-1 Frank R. WolfRVA-10 Steve WomackRAR-3 Rob WoodallRGA-7 Kevin YoderRKS-3 C. W. Bill YoungRFL-10 Don YoungRAK-1 Todd YoungRIN-9

No Votes (189)

MemberPartyDist. Gary L. AckermanDNY-5 Jason AltmireDPA-4 Robert E. AndrewsDNJ-1 Joe BacaDCA-43 Tammy BaldwinDWI-2 John BarrowDGA-12 Karen BassDCA-33 Xavier BecerraDCA-31 Shelley BerkleyDNV-1 Howard L. BermanDCA-28 Timothy H. BishopDNY-1 Sanford D. Bishop Jr.DGA-2 Earl BlumenauerDOR-3 Leonard L. BoswellDIA-3 Robert A. BradyDPA-1 Bruce BraleyDIA-1 Corrine BrownDFL-3 G. K. ButterfieldDNC-1 Lois CappsDCA-23 Michael E. CapuanoDMA-8 Dennis CardozaDCA-18 Russ CarnahanDMO-3 John CarneyDDE-1 André CarsonDIN-7 Kathy CastorDFL-11 Ben ChandlerDKY-6 Judy ChuDCA-32 David CicillineDRI-1 Hansen ClarkeDMI-13 Yvette D. ClarkeDNY-11 William Lacy ClayDMO-1 Emanuel Cleaver IIDMO-5 James E. ClyburnDSC-6 Steve CohenDTN-9 Gerald E. ConnollyDVA-11 John Conyers Jr.DMI-14 Jim CooperDTN-5 Jim CostaDCA-20 Jerry F. CostelloDIL-12 Joe CourtneyDCT-2 Mark CritzDPA-12 Joseph CrowleyDNY-7 Henry CuellarDTX-28 Elijah E. CummingsDMD-7 Danny K. DavisDIL-7 Susan A. DavisDCA-53 Peter A. DeFazioDOR-4 Diana DeGetteDCO-1 Rosa DeLauroDCT-3 Ted DeutchDFL-19 Norman D. DicksDWA-6 John D. DingellDMI-15 Lloyd DoggettDTX-25 Joe DonnellyDIN-2 Mike DoyleDPA-14 Donna EdwardsDMD-4 Keith EllisonDMN-5 Eliot L. EngelDNY-17 Anna G. EshooDCA-14 Sam FarrDCA-17 Chaka FattahDPA-2 Bob FilnerDCA-51 Barney FrankDMA-4 Marcia L. FudgeDOH-11 John GaramendiDCA-10 Charlie GonzalezDTX-20 Al GreenDTX-9 Gene GreenDTX-29 Raúl M. GrijalvaDAZ-7 Luis V. GutierrezDIL-4 Colleen HanabusaDHI-1 Jane HarmanDCA-36 Alcee L. HastingsDFL-23 Martin HeinrichDNM-1 Brian HigginsDNY-27 Jim HimesDCT-4 Maurice D. HincheyDNY-22 Rubén HinojosaDTX-15 Mazie K. HironoDHI-2 Tim HoldenDPA-17 Rush HoltDNJ-12 Michael M. HondaDCA-15 Steny H. HoyerDMD-5 Jay InsleeDWA-1 Steve IsraelDNY-2 Jesse L. Jackson Jr.DIL-2 Sheila Jackson-LeeDTX-18 Eddie Bernice JohnsonDTX-30 Hank JohnsonDGA-4 Marcy KapturDOH-9 Bill KeatingDMA-10 Dale E. KildeeDMI-5 Ron KindDWI-3 Larry KissellDNC-8 Dennis J. KucinichDOH-10 Jim LangevinDRI-2 Rick LarsenDWA-2 John B. LarsonDCT-1 Barbara LeeDCA-9 Sander M. LevinDMI-12 John LewisDGA-5 Daniel LipinskiDIL-3 Dave LoebsackDIA-2 Zoe LofgrenDCA-16 Nita M. LoweyDNY-18 Ben Ray LujanDNM-3 Stephen F. LynchDMA-9 Carolyn B. MaloneyDNY-14 Edward J. MarkeyDMA-7 Jim MathesonDUT-2 Doris MatsuiDCA-5 Carolyn McCarthyDNY-4 Betty McCollumDMN-4 Jim McDermottDWA-7 Jim McGovernDMA-3 Jerry McNerneyDCA-11 Gregory W. MeeksDNY-6 Michael H. MichaudDME-2 Brad MillerDNC-13 George MillerDCA-7 Gwen MooreDWI-4 James P. MoranDVA-8 Christopher S. MurphyDCT-5 Jerrold NadlerDNY-8 Grace F. NapolitanoDCA-38 Richard E. NealDMA-2 John W. OlverDMA-1 Bill OwensDNY-23 Frank PalloneDNJ-6 Bill Pascrell Jr.DNJ-8 Ed PastorDAZ-4 Donald M. PayneDNJ-10 Nancy PelosiDCA-7 Ed PerlmutterDCO-7 Gary PetersDMI-9 Collin C. PetersonDMN-7 Chellie PingreeDME-1 Jared PolisDCO-2 David E. PriceDNC-4 Mike QuigleyDIL-5 Nick J. Rahall IIDWV-3 Charles B. RangelDNY-15 Silvestre ReyesDTX-16 Laura RichardsonDCA-37 Cedric RichmondDLA-2 Steven R. RothmanDNJ-9 Lucille Roybal-AllardDCA-34 C.A. Dutch RuppersbergerDMD-2 Bobby L. RushDIL-1 Tim RyanDOH-17 Linda T. SanchezDCA-39 Loretta SanchezDCA-47 John SarbanesDMD-3 Jan SchakowskyDIL-9 Adam B. SchiffDCA-29 Kurt SchraderDOR-5 Allyson Y. SchwartzDPA-13 David ScottDGA-13 Robert C. ScottDVA-3 José E. SerranoDNY-16 Terri SewellDAL-7 Brad ShermanDCA-27 Heath ShulerDNC-11 Albio SiresDNJ-13 Louise M. SlaughterDNY-28 Adam SmithDWA-9 Jackie SpeierDCA-12 Pete StarkDCA-13 Betty SuttonDOH-13 Bennie ThompsonDMS-2 Mike ThompsonDCA-1 John F. TierneyDMA-6 Paul TonkoDNY-21 Edolphus TownsDNY-10 Niki TsongasDMA-5 Chris Van HollenDMD-8 Nydia M. VelázquezDNY-12 Peter J. ViscloskyDIN-1 Tim WalzDMN-1 Debbie Wasserman SchultzDFL-20 Maxine WatersDCA-35 Melvin WattDNC-12 Henry A. WaxmanDCA-30 Anthony WeinerDNY-9 Peter WelchDVT-1 Frederica WilsonDFL-17 Lynn WoolseyDCA-6 David WuDOR-1 John YarmuthDKY-3

Did Not Vote (1)

MemberPartyDist. Gabrielle GiffordsDAZ-8

Present (0)

MemberPartyDist. Sources: U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senate, Library of Congress Credits: Derek Willis, Stephan Weitberg, David Nolen, Shan Carter

[jriggenbach]

"There is no limit to stupidity. Space itself is said to be bounded by its own curvature, but stupidity continues beyond infinity."

- Gene Wolfe, 1983

[Starbuckle]

"To be, or not to be, that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The Slings and Arrows of outrageous fortune; Or to take Arms against a Sea of troubles, And by opposing end them: To die, to sleep No more; and by a sleep to say we end The heartache, and the thousand natural shocks That flesh is heir to? 'tis a consummation Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep To sleep, perchance to dream; Aye, there's the rub, For in that sleep of death, what dreams may come, When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, Must give us pause. There's the respect That makes calamity of so long life: For who would bear the Whips and Scorns of time, The Oppressor's wrong, the proud man's Contumely, The pangs of disprized love, the Law's delay, The insolence of Office, and the Spurns That patient merit of th' unworthy takes, When he himself might his quietus make With a bare bodkin? Who would there fardels bear, To grunt and sweat under a weary life, But that the dread of something after death, The undiscovered Countrey from whose Bourne No traveller returns..."

--Shakespeare

Edited January 20, 2011 by Starbuckle

[kiaer.ts]

Its all bee ess. All they need to do is refuse to raise the debt limit until the law is repealed.

[Starbuckle]

In my view, it was mandatory to vote to repeal Obamacare. I also believe that the debt limit should not be raised.

Keer's complaint might be R.'s, but then again it might not. R. seems so cynical, so world-weary, so bored with and contemptuous of all others who fail to carbon-copy his own worldview, that he often cannot be bothered to condescend to state exactly what his critical comment vis-a-vis anything might be.

We are informed that there is stupidity in the universe. Okay. So what particular stupidity is he complaining about in this instance? Obamacare? The "symbolic" vote to repeal it that may turn out to have been the first step, sooner or later, in its repeal? The characterization of the repeal as bipartisan? All? None? Other? Some combination of forty conceivable possibilities?

If this were a lone instance or R.'s hyper-cryptic hit-and-run contempt I might say, "Okay, maybe R. was just looking for a place to stick this quote about stupidity that he likes." But there are too many other cases in which R. pretends to be so lordly and above-it-all that he cannot be troubled even to state what the target of some hyper-elliptical "devastating" remark might be. This is defeatism, not wit or insight. It does not go very far to establish his cosmically infinite superiority over all mortals who might take issue with him on any question.

[william.scherk]

We are informed that there is stupidity in the universe. Okay. So what particular stupidity is he complaining about in this instance? Obamacare? The "symbolic" vote to repeal it that may turn out to have been the first step, sooner or later, in its repeal? The characterization of the repeal as bipartisan? All? None? Other? Some combination of forty conceivable possibilities?

From the context, Gene Wolfe's character Severian is speaking of the Autarch and the Third Bursar and the Algedonic Quarter, plus Jonas, Dorcas and Vodalus -- not to mention the guilds, the Increate and 'body cells of exultant women.'

That much is clear.

As for the repeal, how is it supposed to clear the US Senate? Perhaps Riggenbach/Wolfe have another apodictic remonstrance at the ready to guide the stupid through the fog.

And indeed, here it is, Rothbard through the mouth of Riggenbach:

Indeed, “the Revisionist historian performs crucial libertarian tasks regardless of his own personal ideology. Since the State cannot function, cannot command majority support vital to its existence without imposing a network of deception, Revisionist history becomes a crucial part of the tasks of the libertarian movement. Crucial especially because Revisionism goes beyond pure theory to expose and reveal the specific lies and crimes of the State as it exists in concrete reality.”

I couldn’t have put it better myself.

QED

Edited January 20, 2011 by william.scherk

[PDS]

"To be, or not to be, that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The Slings and Arrows of outrageous fortune; Or to take Arms against a Sea of troubles, And by opposing end them: To die, to sleep No more; and by a sleep to say we end The heartache, and the thousand natural shocks That flesh is heir to? 'tis a consummation Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep To sleep, perchance to dream; Aye, there's the rub, For in that sleep of death, what dreams may come, When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, Must give us pause. There's the respect That makes calamity of so long life: For who would bear the Whips and Scorns of time, The Oppressor's wrong, the proud man's Contumely, The pangs of disprized love, the Law's delay, The insolence of Office, and the Spurns That patient merit of th' unworthy takes, When he himself might his quietus make With a bare bodkin? Who would there fardels bear, To grunt and sweat under a weary life, But that the dread of something after death, The undiscovered Countrey from whose Bourne No traveller returns..."

--Shakespeare

Very well said!

Edited January 21, 2011 by PDS

[PDS]

In my view, it was mandatory to vote to repeal Obamacare. I also believe that the debt limit should not be raised.

Keer's complaint might be R.'s, but then again it might not. R. seems so cynical, so world-weary, so bored with and contemptuous of all others who fail to carbon-copy his own worldview, that he often cannot be bothered to condescend to state exactly what his critical comment vis-a-vis anything might be.

We are informed that there is stupidity in the universe. Okay. So what particular stupidity is he complaining about in this instance? Obamacare? The "symbolic" vote to repeal it that may turn out to have been the first step, sooner or later, in its repeal? The characterization of the repeal as bipartisan? All? None? Other? Some combination of forty conceivable possibilities?

If this were a lone instance or R.'s hyper-cryptic hit-and-run contempt I might say, "Okay, maybe R. was just looking for a place to stick this quote about stupidity that he likes." But there are too many other cases in which R. pretends to be so lordly and above-it-all that he cannot be troubled even to state what the target of some hyper-elliptical "devastating" remark might be. This is defeatism, not wit or insight. It does not go very far to establish his cosmically infinite superiority over all mortals who might take issue with him on any question.

Either that, or JR simply thinks Selene is rather stupid.

[Selene]

PDS:

I am reasonably sure that JR thinks that I am stupid.

Adam

[PDS]

PDS:

I am reasonably sure that JR thinks that I am stupid.

Adam

For what it's worth, I disagree with him on that. But I do like his style.

[Selene]

PDS:

I am reasonably sure that JR thinks that I am stupid.

Adam

For what it's worth, I disagree with him on that. But I do like his style.

PDS:

Absolutely, I love his style. When I get someone under oath or in a political debate in the real world I am exactly like him. My uncle wrote the police interrogation manual for the NYPD in the early '50's, so when you came to our dinner table, you had damn well be ready to debate and take no prisoners.

He is quite intelligent, well read and his writing style is laudable and enjoyable.

Adam

[Selene]

Krauthammer makes one clean line of argument about ObiwanCare in today's column:

Everything starts with repeal

By Charles Krauthammer

Friday, January 21, 2011;

"Suppose someone - say, the president of United States - proposed the following: We are drowning in debt. More than $14 trillion right now. I've got a great idea for deficit reduction. It will yield a savings of $230 billion over the next 10 years: We increase spending by $540 billion while we increase taxes by $770 billion.

He'd be laughed out of town. And yet, this is precisely what the Democrats are claiming as a virtue of Obamacare. During the debate over Republican attempts to repeal it, one of the Democrats' major talking points has been that Obamacare reduces the deficit - and therefore repeal raises it - by $230 billion. Why, the Congressional Budget Office says exactly that.

Very true. And very convincing. Until you realize where that number comes from. Explains CBO Director Douglas Elmendorf in his "preliminary analysis of H.R. 2" (the Republican health-care repeal): "CBO anticipates that enacting H.R. 2 would probably yield, for the 2012-2021 period, a reduction in revenues in the neighborhood of $770 billion and a reduction in outlays in the vicinity of $540 billion."

As National Affairs editor Yuval Levin pointed out when mining this remarkable nugget, this is a hell of a way to do deficit reduction: a radical increase in spending, topped by an even more radical increase in taxes.

Of course, the very numbers that yield this $230 billion "deficit reduction" are phony to begin with. The CBO is required to accept every assumption, promise (of future spending cuts, for example) and chronological gimmick that Congress gives it. All the CBO then does is perform the calculation and spit out the result.

In fact, the whole Obamacare bill was gamed to produce a favorable CBO number. Most glaringly, the entitlement it creates - government-subsidized health insurance for 32 million Americans - doesn't kick in until 2014. That was deliberately designed so any projection for this decade would cover only six years of expenditures - while that same 10-year projection would capture 10 years of revenue. With 10 years of money inflow vs. six years of outflow, the result is a positive - i.e., deficit-reducing - number. Surprise.

If you think that's audacious, consider this: Obamacare does not create just one new entitlement (health insurance for everyone); it actually creates a second - long-term care insurance. With an aging population, and with long-term care becoming extraordinarily expensive, this promises to be the biggest budget buster in the history of the welfare state.

And yet, in the CBO calculation, this new entitlement to long-term care reduces the deficit over the next 10 years. By $70 billion, no less. How is this possible? By collecting premiums now, and paying out no benefits for the first 10 years. Presto: a (temporary) surplus. As former CBO director Douglas Holtz-Eakin and scholars Joseph Antos and James Capretta note, "Only in Washington could the creation of a reckless entitlement program be used as 'offset' to grease the way for another entitlement." I would note additionally that only in Washington could such a neat little swindle be titled the "CLASS Act" (for the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports Act).

That a health-care reform law of such enormous size and consequence, revolutionizing one-sixth of the U.S. economy, could be sold on such flimflammery is astonishing, even by Washington standards. What should Republicans do?

Make the case. Explain the phony numbers, boring as the exercise may be. Better still, hold hearings and let the CBO director, whose integrity is beyond reproach, explain the numbers himself.

To be sure, the effect on the deficit is not the only criterion by which to judge Obamacare. But the tossing around of such clearly misleading bumper-sticker numbers calls into question the trustworthiness of other happy claims about Obamacare. Such as the repeated promise that everyone who likes his current health insurance will be able to keep it. Sure, but only if your employer continues to offer it. In fact, millions of workers will find themselves adrift because their employers will have every incentive to dump them onto the public rolls.

This does not absolve the Republicans from producing a health-care replacement. They will and should be judged by how well their alternative addresses the needs of the uninsured and the anxieties of the currently insured. But amending an insanely complicated, contradictory, incoherent and arbitrary 2,000-page bill that will generate tens of thousands of pages of regulations is a complete non-starter. Everything begins with repeal."

Edited January 22, 2011 by Selene