March 8, 2011 9:06AM 

# What on Earth Is Ezra Klein Talking about? 

By [Michael F. Cannon](https://www.cato.org/people/michael-f-cannon) 

---

<a class="js-popover-trigger cursor-pointer popover-trigger" data-bs-placement="bottom" data-bs-trigger="click" id="popover-trigger"> 

SHARE 

</a> 

*The Washington Post*’s Ezra Klein [writes](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/07/AR2011030704305.html):

> It’s put-up-or-shut-up time for Republicans. They managed to make it through the health-care debate without offering serious solutions of their own, and — perhaps more impressive — through the election by promising to tell us their solutions after they’d won. But the jig is up. They need a health-care plan — and quickly.
> 
> 
> The GOP knew this day would come.

Say what? Exactly what political factors are forcing the GOP to put up or shut up? Their base is happy; it wants an all-out assault on [ObamaCare](www.cato.org/bad-medicine/), and congressional Republicans are giving it to them. Republicans are even [winning the ObamaCare debate among the broader public](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/30/healthplan_n_725503.html):

![Media Name: HealthCarer.png](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/pubs_2x/public/download-remote-images/pollster.com/138572616196/HealthCarer.png?itok=Py-DS27r) 

So why should Republicans all of a sudden stop attacking ObamaCare and start talking about their own refor–ohhhh…I see. Klein is trying to talk the dog off the meat wagon. Good luck with that.

##### Related Tags 

[Government and Politics](https://www.cato.org/government-politics), [Health Care](https://www.cato.org/health-care) 

[![Creative Commons License](/build/cato_2020/images/creative-commons.svg)](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) 
This work is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).