Republicans Do Crazy Things Because They Have Crazy Beliefs
AP
Rep. Paul Broun (R-Ga.)
National Review's Robert Costa reports that many House Republicans already hate John Boehner's debt limit plan, which they haven't seen yet.
And he has a choice quote from Rep. Paul Broun (R-Ga.) about why he's not prepared to raise the debt limit just yet:
“America is going to be destroyed by Obamacare, so whatever deal is put together must at least reschedule the implementation of Obamacare,” he says. “This law is going to destroy America and everything in America, and we need to stop it.”
It's one thing to oppose Obamacare. It's quite another to believe it will "destroy America and everything in America." As Manhattan Institute Senior Fellow Avik Roy, a strong opponent of Obamacare, wrote last month:
The idea that we had a free-market health-care system before Obamacare, and a socialized one after, is completely and utterly incorrect. In 2010, before the passage of Obamacare, U.S.-government entities spent more per capita on health care than all but three other countries in the world. Obamacare adds to that spending by around 10 to 15 percent. Not good, to be sure, but not the whole kit and caboodle either.
The changes from Obamacare, good and bad, are marginal. It will not fundamentally change America.
For about 30 million people, Obamacare will mean the difference between having health insurance and not having it. Other people will get higher quality insurance. And there will also be negative effects: rich people will pay higher taxes; fees on insurance premiums will modestly raise the cost of health insurance for some; businesses that don't provide health insurance will pay penalties; fewer full-time jobs for low-skill workers may be created; some people will end up having to change doctors.
Nobody would say "I'm concerned that the employer mandate will have a moderate negative effect on low-skill employment, so we should bring the U.S. government to the brink of default to stop it." Or "Obamacare fees will add 2.8% to group insurance premiums, and stopping that rise is more important than paying our debts." Those statements are crazy.
But if you already believe something crazy — that Obamacare will destroy America — then it's not additionally crazy to favor drastic, dangerous action to stop it.
More From Business Insider
