Liberal senators try to avoid consequences of their vote for Obamacare

**Posted by Phineas

Question for Senators Franken, Schumer, Kohl, et al.: If the medical device tax in ObamaCare is such a job killer that even you clowns tried to water it down (opponents of ObamacareΒ were against itΒ altogether), why in God’s name did you vote for it? Why didn’t you use the clout just one of you had as senators –all 60 of you were needed for passage– to have it removed and spare the workers of your states the risk of layoff and the consumers the certainty of higher prices? And what about all the other “job-killing taxes” hidden within Obamacare?

Guess the “historic moment” was too good to pass up, eh?

Chumps:

Sixteen Democratic senators who voted for the Affordable Care Act are asking that one of its fundraising mechanisms, a 2.3 percent tax on medical devices scheduled to take effect January 1, be delayed.Β  Echoing arguments made by Republicans against Obamacare, the Democratic senators say the levy will cost jobs β€” in a statement Monday, Sen. Al Franken called it a β€œjob-killing tax” β€” and also impair American competitiveness in the medical device field.

(…)

The senators, who made the request in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, are Franken, Richard Durbin, Charles Schumer, Patty Murray, John Kerry, Kirsten Gillibrand, Amy Klobuchar, Joseph Lieberman, Ben Nelson, Robert Casey, Debbie Stabenow, Barbara Mikulski, Kay Hagan, Herb Kohl, Jeanne Shaheen, and Richard Blumenthal.Β  All voted for Obamacare.

Two other Democrats, senators-elect Joe Donnelly and Elizabeth Warren, also signed the letter.Β  Donnelly voted for Obamacare as a member of the House.Β  Warren was not in Congress at the time.

β€œThe medical technology industry directly employs over 400,000 people in the United States and is responsible for a total of two million skilled manufacturing jobs,” the senators wrote in a December 4 letter to Reid.Β  β€œWe must do all we can to ensure that our country maintains its global leadership position in the medical technology industry and keeps good jobs here at home.”

If I weren’t a softie and sympathetic toward the victims of your stupidity, I’d say I hope the tax stays right where it is and that you then have to answer to angry voters for it.

Sigh. Long ago, legend has it, Pandora unleashed a wealth of ills on the world by opening a box out of curiosity. The same could be said for Obamacare — after all, we had to pass itΒ to find out what was in it. But maybe, again like Pandora’s box, a small bit of hope for the PPACA’s repeal was also released: With all the taxes unleashed and all theΒ regulationsΒ engendered by this abomination, maybe people will become so annoyed and angry and frustrated that they’ll demand its repeal.

We can only hope.

(Crossposted at Public Secrets)

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