One Bay State Tea Party leader said the best chance to repeal Obamacare is after the November elections.
“I don’t think it’s in our best interests for it to come up right now,” said Christine Morabito, president of the Greater Boston Tea Party. “First, I don’t think Harry Reid would allow that, but I don’t think it’s in our best interest because it wouldn’t pass. It’s best to wait for the election and hope things turn out in our favor.”
Morabito was responding to U.S. Sen. Scott Brown’s comment that the Senate likely would not vote anytime soon on repealing the Affordable Health Care Act.
At an event yesterday in South Boston, Brown said the U.S. Senate was focused on items other than health care.
“I haven’t heard anything about it,” he said. “I think we’re moving on to some other things.”
The Republican-led House voted 244 to 185 this week to repeal Obamacare in a largely symbolic move. While senators have been under pressure from the Tea Party to do the same, the move faces certain death in the Senate, where Democrats hold the majority.
Morabito said she doesn’t take Brown’s comments to mean his enthusiasm to repeal the Affordable Health Care Act has flagged.
“He’s said all along that he’s for repealing it. I think he’s just being realistic,” she said. “It has no chance of passing in the Senate.”
Brown vaulted to Washington on the promise of being “Sen. 41” — the deciding vote that could stop Democrats from forcing the president’s health care plan through the Senate. He has said he supports the repeal of Obamacare.
Brown made his comments during a visit to Medal of Honor Park in South Boston. With a backdrop of veterans he urged lawmakers to pass a revised version of the Stolen Valor Act — the current version was struck down by the Supreme Court last month — that would make it illegal for anyone to profit by lying about military service.