Obama calling Iran, but not GOP. #Leadership
House Republicans are seeking to avoid a government shutdown by pushing for what President Obama has already given to other constituencies – a negotiation and the one year delay of the insurance mandate in Obamacare.
President Obama unilaterally delayed the mandate for businesses, but not individuals, in July. Reported the Huffington Post at the time:
Employers who don’t provide health insurance will be spared penalties of up to $3,000 per worker until 2015, a one-year delay of a major component of President Barack Obama’s health care reform law, the Treasury Department announced Tuesday.
Not only that, but the Obama administration is making other delays for businesses, while still attacking Republicans for demanding that individuals get the same treatment. As BuzzFeed‘s Andrew Kacyzinkski noted last week:
The Obama administration is delaying online Obamacare enrollment for small businesses in federal health exchanges for a month according to multiple reports. Small businesses that wish to enroll in the exchanges to purchase health insurance for employees will be forced to fax, call, or make purchases for their employees in person.
And while the Obama administration’s delay is not the first — the White House previously delayed implementation of the employer mandate until 2015 among other unplanned postponements — this delay comes at a time when the White House is attacking Republicans for wanting to delay parts of the president’s health care law.
Clearly, President Obama isn’t opposed to delaying parts of Obamacare, but he sure is opposed to anything House Republicans want delayed. He won’t even pick up the phone to call them.
Per the Washington Times:
After President Obama announced Friday he spoke with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, marking the first communication between a U.S. president and the leader of the Islamic republic, Republicans pointedly noted that Mr. Obama hasn’t called House Speaker John A. Boehner this week.
It’s the latest sign of how badly Washington is getting along right now, and it follows a White House aide’s remarks earlier this week that compared Republicans to terrorists.
Let’s see: Obama will negotiate with Iran, a state sponsor of terrorism, but refuses to talk to Republicans. He’ll delay Obamacare mandates for business, but not individuals.
And it’s House Republicans that are the inflexible ones?