House Vote to Repeal ObamaCare Is More than Mere Symbolism

The symbolism of today’s House vote is striking. Within a year of ObamaCare’s enactment, the House of Representatives has voted overwhelmingly to repeal it.


That didn’t happen with Social Security. It didn’t happen with Medicare. Social Security and Medicare did not face sustained public opposition from the moment they were introduced in Congress. They did not pass by one vote, in the dead of night. They were not challenged as unconstitutional by half the states in the union. They were not struck down as unconstitutional by a federal court within a year of enactment.


The House vote to repeal ObamaCare is just the latest sign that ObamaCare goes too far, that it creates a more intrusive government than the American people are willing to accept.


But the House vote is not mere symbolism, as the Obama administration would have us believe. This vote has moved the ball forward on repeal. This and further similar votes in both the House and Senate will reveal where members stand on repealing ObamaCare. Voters may use that information to replace pro‐​ObamaCare members with people who will vote to repeal ObamaCare in the next Congress. That’s how the political system works.


At the same time, this repeal vote makes it more likely that the Supreme Court will strike down ObamaCare. Like it or not, the Supreme Court follows the election returns. This vote shows the Court that it will not pay a price in the public’s esteem if it overturns ObamaCare.


Today’s vote makes it more likely that someone with the power to scrap ObamaCare will do so — and the Obama administration knows it. Why else would they come out with both guns blazing against a purely “symbolic” act?


When that happens, it will be a good day for America. Real health care reform is impossible while ObamaCare remains on the books.