A field day for the opposition -- but they will lose.

Let me start with a challenge to Republicans:  It's easy to be against something and beat the demagogue drums to rile up the voters.  It's difficult to introduce a comprehensive, complex program that actually benefits needy citizens.   Why don't you propose a program that you think would be better?

Why, if they think it's such a failure, don't the Republicans just get out of the way and let it fail on its own?    They're running a huge risk.    If the website problems get fixed and the program becomes popular, they are -- quite rightly -- going to be seen as obstructionists who just made things worse.    Their track record for reading the polls is abysmal (see Romney 2012).   They're too much in the bubble created by general discontent, fueled by Fox News and right wing talk radio -- and opportunistic politicians like Ted Cruz.

Now they're trying to blame Obamacare for the millions of people who are getting cancellation notices from their private insurance companies.   Well, let's put a little perspective on that.

First, Obamacare does require certain minimum levels of coverage in private insurance;   many policies do not meet those standards.   Some private companies, instead of trying to rewrite old policies to comply, have simply cancelled those policies and invited clients to choose a new policy.   That's not quite the same as "losing your health insurance."   And it's not Obamacare that's doing it;  it's private insurance companies.

But here is the clincher, thanks to Chris Hayes last night on MSNBC:   What Obamacare does is exactly what Paul Ryan's ill-fated proposal for Medicare did.   The same Republican House members who voted for that plan are now calling Obamacare a step toward socialism.

Here's the similarity.   I wish I could reproduce the graphic that Chris showed.   It had three boxes:    I'll call them A, B, and C.

A = private individual health insurance
B = government sponsored health exchanges for private insurance (Obamacare)
C = one payer, government sponsored health care (Medicare).

Chris points out that:
What the Ryan plan did was move Medicare from C to B.
What Obamacare does it move individual insurance from A to B.

They both wind up at B.   But Republicans liked Ryan's plan (which actually goes backward from my perspective) but winds up in the same place as Obamacare going forward.  I suppose they would say that Ryan moved away from socialism and Obamacare moves toward it.

Go figure.

Ralph