Defunding Obamacare

I am mystified by all this talk of 'Defunding Obamacare' in the forthcoming continuing resolution (CR) that will keep the government operating after September 30th.  How does that work?  Do they allocate funding in one paragraph and then rescind it in the next?  Shouldn't the budget be more along the lines of not allocating any money?  The Congress determines how much money goes where; just put $0 for Obamacare.  Simple, no?  Back in the mid-70s, the Democrats zeroed out the budget to support the South Vietnamese.  Bingo, South Vietnam fell.  They didn't pass a law repealing our agreement to fund South Vietnam which President Ford could veto.  The House should pass a budget that funds everything except Obamacare.  Heck, do it piecemeal.  Here's a CR to fund the military, here's one to fund Social Security. and here's one to fund Medicare, and so forth.  That should be easy as pie.  Moreover, this is a continuing resolution, not a budget.  The whole point of a CR is to continue current funding.  Why the heck are you adding a new budget item in a CR?  Government budgeting is arcane for a reason: to keep the voters in the dark as much as possible.  If the Senate refuses to pass anything that doesn't fund Obamacare, who would be shutting down the government?  The Democratic Senate.  Don't give the President something to veto.  If the President gets a bill that funds everything except Obamacare and he vetoes it, who is shutting down the government?

 

Now obviously, the press will blame the Republicans no matter who is actually at fault.  You see, if the Republicans don't follow Obama's priorities, they are responsible.  No negotiating, no give and take, no compromise.  If the Republicans had a spine, that wouldn't matter.  Obamacare is less popular now than when it passed and only an eighth of Americans think it will benefit them.  This is a winning issue if only the Republicans could stand firm.  That is one admirable thing about Democrats; they are steadfast in holding their ground.  It is how Obamacare passed in the first place.

In the end, I expect the Republicans to fold, as usual.  They will fund it and declare that they will tackle it again if they win the Senate in 2014 or some such.  Maybe repeal if a Republican president is elected in 2016.  Same old story.  I've seen how that story ends each time.