Now that it's looking more and more likely the Obamacare individual mandate will be delayed for a year, it's important to remind Americans that we've been in this place before. On September 29, just one day before the government shutdown, House Republicans offered to fund the federal government in its entirety in exchange for a one year delay of the individual mandate. The vote was 231-192 in the House.
"We will do our job and send this bill over, and then it's up to the Senate to pass it and stop a government shutdown," House GOP leaders said in a joint statement.
After some berating from Democrats in the House, like Minority Whip Steny Hoyer who called Republicans "rampantly irresponsible" and "unwilling to accept" election results, the bill was passed over the Senate and killed upon arrival by Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid. Twenty-four hours later, the government shut down.
Flash-forward to today (after nearly a month of a closed federal government and weeks of Obamacare website hell) and we see a number of Democrats in the Senate calling for a one-year delay in the individual mandate.
Bottom line? This whole thing, both the website drama and the government shutdown, could have been avoided. Now, Democrats are willing to vote for the very thing they were willing to reject four weeks ago because they're nervous about getting re-elected.
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