Conservative groups call the shots on Obamacare repeal

Here's one of the reasons congressional Republicans are in such a mess over what to do about replacing Obamacare if the Supreme Court decides to strike the law down: The extremist groups pulling the strings are out for blood, and damn public opinion. Elected Republicans are starting to talk about the possibility of keeping some of the popular parts of Obamacare; coverage guarantee regardless of pre-existing conditions, young people remaining on their parents' plans up to age 26, the closed Medicare prescription drug "doughnut hole." None of that, say the groups who got a good chunk of them elected.

'The Club for Growth supports complete repeal of Obamacare. And complete doesn't mean partial. It means complete,' said Barney Keller, a spokesman for the group. 'We urge the so-called 'tea party' Republicans to keep their promises to voters and continue to fight for complete repeal as well.' [...]

Dean Clancy, who leads health care advocacy for FreedomWorks, said the group 'would be very concerned about bills to resurrect parts of Obamacare." [...]

'It would be the height of folly for Republicans to say, OK, this is our problem now,' he said. 'It's not the Republicans' fault if 25-year-old slackers suddenly are dropped from mom and dad's health insurance policy. It's not the Republicans' fault if various other provisions of Obamacare are no longer on the books. ' The American people need to have a chance to reflect on the fact that the Democrats basically rammed an unconstitutional bill down their throat.'

Let 'em die!!! That's really the only answer the Republican base has to soaring health care costs and rising numbers of uninsured. It's not their problem. (Except for the ever-increasing premiums they're paying their insurance companies, but cause and effect isn't the strong suit of these ideologues.)

It is, however, the problem of elected Republicans who don't represent just their base, and will have a hard time being reelected by just the extremists in their base. Even tea party poster boy Rep. Allen West kind of gets that total repeal might not in the long run be the way to go. He kind of likes the popular bits, and it was his saying so out loud that brought on this tirade from CfG and FreedomWorks.

FreedomWorks' Clancy (health care advocate that he is) is convinced that elected Republicans are going to toe his line: "My sense in talking with some of them is that they're not going there." Absent orders to the contrary from the supreme puppetmaster, Grover Norquist, that's probably exactly what they're going to do.