A game of republicans

As an eight-year-old I would never let my little brother touch my Pokémon Gameboy game. Never. As harsh as it may sound, I realise now that it was the cornerstone of my authority over my young sibling. If he got his grubby mitts on it would have unleashed an irreparable torrent of deleted games and playtime compromises.

But it’s hard to blame a four-year-old for anything. I like to think that both he and I have matured enough to settle our differences without ridiculous demands. However, the U.S. Obamacare dispute suggests that such a reality may never be the case.

Since its conception, Obama’s healthcare law has been hounded by angry Republicans who demand it be consigned to oblivion. Worse, like a petulant child, they have instead elected to let the country fall to pieces around them in some sort of vindictive bid to show the Democrats that they mean business.

Obamacare has long been the Obama administration’s most auspicious policy. It is tied so inextricably to the broadcasted values of the current administration that its abandonment would do irreversible harm to the integrity of the party. This is clear, so how can the Republicans rationally expect their adversaries to withdraw?

At the time of writing, the Republicans aren’t giving Obama any satisfactory options. Political suicide or watching your country haemorrhage upwards of $300 million dollars a day isn’t reasonable. The opposition’s objection to the law was duly noted a long time ago, yet they sit there, content in their perceived moral high ground, while public spaces close down pending a resolution to their petty power plays.

Obamacare has long been the Obama administration’s most auspicious policy.

The stunt reeks of desperation. Not the fear that the bill might ruin their country, but the fear that Obamacare might work. That it might genuinely improve quality of life for millions of Americans and ultimately hand the Democrats yet another term. Theyseem to be working from the position that, irrespective of any good the bill might achieve, they won’t let it through.

What is possibly most frustrating is that they don’t see how much harm they do themselves by pursuing this course of action. Denying OAP’s their holidays and shutting down the NASA cataclysmic asteroid alert Twitter isn’t going to do their 2016 campaign any good.

Unfortunately we can only sit and wait, all the time hoping that the Republicans just settle for a turn on Crash Bandicoot before their country lies in tatters or we’re wiped out by a dirty great space rock.

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Header image courtesy of: Flickr/ lozikiki^_^