Half-baked Obamacare is recipe for GOP failure

Republicans' Obamacare replacement legislation tries to do two things at once but fails at both. In forlorn hope of placating Democrats and liberal activists, the proposed bill retains a big federal role in healthcare. By doing so, it sacrifices the lower prices and improved choices real market-based reforms could deliver.

These half-measures need to be scrapped and in their place should be a bold reform reflecting the principles conservatives profess.

The legislation from which the wraps were pulled off on Monday achieves almost the worst of both worlds. It has too much government jury rigging to yield the fruits of free-market reforms, but nonetheless triggered furious attacks from left-wingers, who accuse Republicans of sacrificing the lives of the poor to pay for tax cuts for the rich.

"Late last night, House Republicans released their official, TERRIFYING bill to repeal Obamacare," Democrats wrote in an email Tuesday. All day similar attacks came in from liberal groups, newspaper editorial boards and Democratic members of Congress.

Republicans are going to keep taking it on the chin either way, so by far their best bet is to produce a bill that will actually work, by getting government out of healthcare as much as possible and simplifying all safety-net provisions.