Republicans still confused on Obamacare repeal/reform message

Sen. Roy Blunt, a very confused man. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

Sen. Roy Blunt, a very confused man. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

How confused are the Republicans in their plan, or lack thereof, to do something about health care reform? Very. Check this out: Romney buddy Sen. Roy "Employers Can Take Away Employees' Birth Control" Blunt says that there is stuff in the Affordable Care Act that he really likes.

Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., gave a strong defense [Wednesday] of a portion of the Affordable Care Act that allows children up to 26 years old to remain on their parents’ health insurance plans, breaking a bit from the GOP’s hard-line opposition to Obamacare. [...]

“It’s one of the things that I think should continue to be the case,” Blunt said of the “dependent coverage” provision, explaining that “it’s a way to get a significant number of the uninsured into an insurance group without much cost,” because young people are generally healthy.

Blunt noted that he even introduced a bill when he was in the House that would do exactly what the provision of the Affordable Care Act does now, saying, “I was for it then, and I’d be for it now.” “You’re breaking some news,” host McGraw Milhaven quipped.

Even Blunt understands that this is really smart, effective policy, and that people really, really like it. People other than Republican debate audiences, that is. And there is the kernel in the nut of the Republicans' problem. Blunt has been there with all the other Republicans calling for a full repeal of Obamacare because the extreme Republican base demands it. Smart, popular policy? Doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is appeasing the base.