Democrats must not cosign Republicans' horrible health care strategy

Deny them everything. It's not just smart politics. It's smart policy.

Democrats should protect themselves by staying out of the dismantling of Obamacare.
(Image credit: Fanatic Studio / Alamy Stock Phot)

For years, Democrats have accused Republicans of being "the party of no," alleged legislators who simply refuse to engage in good faith on issues or do anything apart from throw sand in government's gears and work to prevent Barack Obama from accomplishing anything. For their part, Republicans barely denied it, because it turned out to be a very effective strategy. During the Obama years they got back both houses of Congress and eventually saw Donald Trump get elected president, and while the public thinks pretty poorly of them, that didn't stop them from achieving their goals.

Now it's the Democrats' turn, and Republicans are imploring them to work with the majority on its top legislative goal, dismantling Obama's most important domestic achievement, the Affordable Care Act. So far, the Democrats haven't seemed particularly inclined to do so, and they're absolutely right. There are times when being the party of no is smart not just for political reasons, but for substantive ones as well. This is one of those times.

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Paul Waldman

Paul Waldman is a senior writer with The American Prospect magazine and a blogger for The Washington Post. His writing has appeared in dozens of newspapers, magazines, and web sites, and he is the author or co-author of four books on media and politics.