Will the Republican whining and grousing over the Affordable Care Act ever end? Likely no, it will keep rising like Zombie Benghazi and the rest of the pearl clutching non-scandal scandals. After all, it enables a lot of fundraising and plenty of face time on the tee vee machine for those who to like to pretend to love "freeeeedum" and "Merika", but whose real goal is to destroy anything that actually helps people.
Our dumb Senator, Ron Johnson (R-You're on Your Own) has filed his own lawsuit today.
U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson filed a lawsuit Monday in an attempt to block the federal government from helping to pay for health care coverage for members of Congress and their staffs, opening a new front in the legal battle over the Affordable Care Act and dividing Republicans over how to attack the law.
The lawsuit stems from a provision in the Affordable Care Act that requires members of Congress and their staffs to buy health insurance on the marketplaces set up through the law, which is also known as Obamacare.
A rule issued in October by the personnel office stated that the federal government could continue to contribute to pay the cost of health benefits for members of Congress and their staffs — just as it does for other federal employees — even though they would be buying health insurance on a marketplace.
In an opinion piece posted on the Wall Street Journal's website on Sunday, Johnson wrote he was bringing the lawsuit because he believes President Barack Obama's administration "has exceeded its legal authority."
"Allowing the federal government to make an employer contribution to help pay for insurance coverage was explicitly considered, debated and rejected" in passing the Affordable Care Act, Johnson wrote.
"In doing so, Congress established that the only subsidy available to them would be the same income-based subsidy available to every other eligible American accessing insurance through an exchange. This was the confidence-building covenant supporters of the law made to reassure skeptics that Obamacare would live up to its billing."
In short, Johnson and one of his aides are suing to reduce the health benefits they receive from taxpayers. If they prevail, other members of Congress and their staffs would receive similar cuts.
He seems to forget that members of Congress and their staffs used to be covered by health insurance provided by their employer, the Federal Government, just as other employees get their health insurance as a benefit from their job. Republicans changed that,
forcing members of Congress and their staffs to use the health exchanges - a
poison pill intended to ensure that members of Congress voted against the ACA.
They didn't vote against it and that poison pill became part of the ACA.
Instead, Republican Congresscritters have used the requirement they insisted upon to individually whine about enrolling in the exchanges. Puh-leeze. I won't even offer them a tissue for their phony crocodile tears or a bandaid for their self-inflicted wound.
Johnsons lawsuit is drawing fire from fellow very Republican Congressman (my own Congresscritter), F. James Sensenbrenner, lover of all things conservative and "freeeeedummy".
But even before he filed his lawsuit, Johnson drew opposition from a fellow Wisconsin Republican, U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner. In a news release Sunday, Sensenbrenner called Johnson's litigation "an unfortunate political stunt" that "focuses on trivial issues."
Sensenbrenner, of Menomonee Falls, noted having employers help pay for health insurance is a common benefit. Ending the practice would result in Congress losing some of its best staff, his statement said.
(bolding is mine)
This is a political stunt and grab for media attention from a man who promoted himself as a self-made businessman (he married the daughter of a business owner who bought Johnson his "business" and then became his very best customer) and job creator who used megabucks and outside attack groups to essentially buy himself a shiny new Senate seat. He's a guy who doesn't think he needs to work too hard, attend briefings, or greet constituents with anything other than his usual "Don't ask me for anything". He isn't even liked even by his fellow Republican Senators and his polling I Wisconsin is, frankly, dismal.
Neither he or fellow 2010 "winner" Scott Walker have done a single thing to keep their one and only loudly proclaimed campaign promise: create lots and lots and lots of jobs. While Walker is propping himself up using every propaganda source in sight, Johnson lazily thinks he can just stumble and bumble his way through his first term, make a fool of himself, and just his buy re-election.
Stunts are all he has particularly after his ignorance were pointed out during Senate Hearings by both Hillary Clinton and John Kerry (no, Johnson never attended the briefing).
So, get your popcorn ready. He'll have to run again in 2 years with both an empty head and resume and will hopefully face a rested Russ Feingold wanting his old Senate seat back.
.
Addendum: Interesting to note is that the article did not even bother to mention that forcing members of Congress and their staffs to use the ACA exchanges was a Republican addition to the ACA. Just our Republican-loving media doing their job whitewashing Republican asses.
.
Update: Here's RoJos presser (if you can stomach it)
.