Senate GOP Leader Does Not Want to Anger Harry Reid With Obamacare Vote

By Erick Erickson | 7:24 AM on March 01, 2012

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I reported yesterday that Mitch McConnell is expressly blocking a vote on a conservative backed measure to repeal Obamacare, but there is news this morning that the situation is far worse than even I thought.Alexander Bolton reports Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell intends to avoid any votes on repealing Obamacare this entire year lest he anger Senator Harry Reid.Obstensibly, McConnell says a vote on the DeMint authored legislation would give the Democrats cover to vote against Obamacare headed into the election. But this makes no sense because McConnell intends to offer up Senator Blunt’s amendment tomorrow on religious liberty, also letting Senate Democrats get on record defying the President on a controversial issue related to Obamacare.In fact, however, Senate Republicans are willing now to go on record and offer up an even more damning reason — they don’t want to upset Harry Reid.

Believe it or not, Senator McConnell also perversely appears to want to “shield his Senate GOP colleagues from voting to repeal popular portions of the healthcare law.”

One lawmaker who spoke on background said McConnell is concerned that repeated efforts to force votes on amendments to repeal healthcare reform will lead to procedural stalemate with Democrats. The senator said McConnell wants to schedule votes on other GOP-sponsored amendments on energy and jobs. McConnell, the senator said, anticipates that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) would shut down those opportunities if Republicans insist on votes to repeal healthcare reform.

Why would Senator Harry Reid take action against the Republicans if such votes were hurting the Republicans? Answer: he would not. Democrats are well versed in the art of staying out of the way when Republicans hurt themselves. Reid would take the actions Republicans fear because he knows that a majority of Americans still oppose Obamacare, it is one issue that unites independent voters with Republicans, and his anger would stem from Republicans reminding the American people which Democrats must go this pivotal election year in order to repeal Obamacare.But hey,

Some of the healthcare law’s biggest critics in the upper chamber do not think another vote is necessary. “People are on record,” said Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), one of McConnell’s deputies.

Why the hell do we even need a Democratic Party when Senator McConnell does their bidding for them?