Scott Walker, the Desperado of Healthcare Reform, says that he won't follow the law and start phasing it in before the mid-November deadline.
That shouldn't really surprise anyone though.
First of all, this grandstanding will allow him to continue to seek out the national attention he craves, such as his appearance on "Face the Nation" on Sunday morning, while he inexplicably thinks he could someday be President of the United States. (He must be thinking that Kochs et alia will buy it for him if he is a good boy and destroys Wisconsin.)
Secondly, Walker has shown on more than one occasion that he has no qualms about breaking the law, with Walkergate being the crown jewel of an example. (Yes, yes, the indictments are coming. Please remain patient.)
Thirdly, the Republicans don't want people to see the effects of the Affordable Care Act. If the people were to see that they are actually still get quality health care and save money to boot, well, that wouldn't bode well for Romney or any of the other Republican candidates running on all levels.
Even Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen said that Walker needed to obey the law, although he did backpedal like the coward he is when the radio squawkers barked at him.
My guess - Walker will let the feds do the heavy lifting and do the work he's supposed to do. Then he'll have something to mewl about until it starts working, and then he'll take credit for it. Yes, he's done it before, such as with the Milwaukee County Board who had to force him to take the stimulus funding and then tried to take credit for the work it created and the good things done with it.
PS: For a bonus, here is a piece of unbelievable irony:
“The court was wrong,” said state Sen. Leah Vukmir, R-Wauwatosa. “We are left with virtually no limit on federal power. I believe this is a victory for the authoritarian state.”
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Sen. ALEC Sukmir isn't very bright. Roberts tucked away as part of that ruling that states could turn down certain Medicaid parts of Obamacare and still keep the federal money. A classic "have your cake and eat it too" GOP mentality, if you will.
ReplyDeleteAnd it'll allow Walker to do the 1960s George Wallace-style "stand in the doorway" pose to screw over Wisconsinites in need of care...until he relents on some Friday afternoon news dump (much like how Scotty said he'd never take stimulus money in Milwaukee County and backtracked, as noted above).