There are three issues heavily weighing President Obama down as he heads into reelection in 2012: 1) the economy; 2) the debt; and 3) Obamacare. The deal Obama is crafting with Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, would appear to completely neutralize issues two and three.
According to The New York Times, Boehner is in negotiations with Obama on a long-term debt deal that would include a trigger for an automatic tax hike in exchange for a repeal of Obamacare’s individual mandate.
This would be a tremendous deal for the White House on both issues. Obamacare is already law. It does not matter if its estimated costs go up now. By losing the mandate now, Obama jettisons the most unpopular part of Obamacare and kills off a potential Supreme Court ruling against the law. Plus Obama would be able to campaign on a bipartisan deal to reduce the debt, thus neutralizing that issue. Meanwhile, nothing would be done to tackle our nation’s real deficit problems: fundamental Medicare reform. Oh, and taxes would be hiked by trillions of dollars, too.
It’s obvious why the White House would love every aspect of such a deal. How it helps Boehner, or the nation’s bottom line, is a complete mystery.
Read more at the Washington Examiner
