Yesterday Barack Obama told Republican Governors that, if that don’t like Obamacare, they are welcome to replace it in their own states. I’ve heard several pundits say that Obama was weakening and moving toward the Republican point of view. My many criticisms of Obama notwithstanding, I consider this brilliant tactic that puts the onus on Republicans to do better. With all its faults the ACA is an improvement that does not go far enough. What are Republicans going to do? The best example of RepubliCare we have seen so far is what Jan Brewer gave Arizona: health care with a built in death benefit for the poor. If you’re poor, your benefit is death.

President Obama had a splendid idea this week. He challenged governors who oppose his health care reforms, most of whom are Republicans, to come up with a better alternative. He has agreed to move up the date at which states can offer their own solutions and thus opt out of requirements that they oppose, like the mandate that everyone buy health insurance and that most employers provide it. Let as many states as possible test innovative approaches to determine which works best. The president told the nation’s governors on Monday that he supported a bipartisan bill — sponsored by Senators Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon, Scott Brown, Republican of Massachusetts, and Mary Landrieu, Democrat of Louisiana — that would allow states to fashion solutions right from the start of full-scale reform in 2014, rather than waiting until 2017, as the law requires. The catch is that a state’s plan must cover as many people as the federal law does, provide insurance that is as comprehensive and affordable, and not increase the deficit. That won’t be easy for the governors to accomplish, and House Republicans seem unlikely to pass the bill to let them try . They would much rather repeal the reform law — or have it declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court — than join Mr. Obama in improving it… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <NY Times>

Republicans are already coming out against the measure, so defeat in the House is almost certain. But from now on, when Republicans complain about Obamacare, we can say, “You had the opportunity to do better, but you lacked the courage and integrity to try!”

Rachel Maddow and Ezra Klein fill in the blanks.

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