The setting was as fake as the message.
Oh, what a difference January 1 made for Republicans on Obamacare. After three solid years of repeal, repeal, repeal, they now have to face the music and deal with "replace." Tellingly, both the official and the tea party responses to President Obama's state of the union address acknowledge this.
Officially, Rep. Cathy McMorris-Rogers (R-WA) told us that "No, we shouldn’t go back to the way things were, but the president’s health-care law is not working." Glory be! "We shouldn't go back to the way things were." Way to acknowledge reality, even if it is three years too late.
Then there was the tea party response by Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), which was even more explicit: "We can’t just return to the old system. Healthcare policy used to give too much power to insurance companies; Obamacare now gives far too much power to government."
Here's the thing though, the only really credible plan they've got basically returns to the old system, and just makes us all pay more for it. D'oh!
It's going to be an interesting election year for Republicans, running on repealing Obamacare (which they're still promising to do) and coming up entirely empty when the voting public asks, "and then what?"