House Republicans have passed a bill to repeal the Democrats' health care reform law, 245 to 189, with three Democrats joining the unanimous GOP caucus. But despite Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's pledge to "assure" a Senate vote on the measure, the odds of it passing in the upper chamber are slim, and there is no chance the GOP can override President Obama's veto. So, what did the GOP accomplish with their "symbolic" vote? (Watch Rep. Anthony Weiner's "halftime report")
The House vote was pure theater: House Republicans managed to fulfill a campaign promise, says Eric Alterman in The Daily Beast, but this "vote will not, in anyone's imagination, lead to the repeal" of the health care law. It's not even clear if the GOP will ever unveil its "so far secret 'free-market solutions'" to replace the law. All Republicans have done, then, is define "the notion of 'Kabuki Democracy,'" and refuel the Fox News "outrage" machine.
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