The Five Takes On GOP’s ‘Defund Obamacare’ Plan: ‘Not Going to Happen’
Judging by the mood around the table of The Five on Fox News Thursday afternoon, the chances that Republicans in the House will succeed in defunding the Affordable Care Act are looking bleaker than ever. Andrea Tantaros opened the show by suggesting that Democrats are failing to “do what the American people want” by refusing to get rid of Obamacare, but the other hosts didn’t see much potential in the right’s threats to shut down the government.
“Even Senate Republicans have admitted that this is not going to happen,” Dana Perino said, perhaps referring to comments by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX). With House Republicans charging forward while the Senate refuses to vote on legislation that would defund Obamacare, Perino said, “It’s become a bit of a farce.”
Greg Gutfeld even threw some credit President Obama’s way, saying he’s “been amazingly successful at creating a divide among his adversaries.” From Syria to immigration reform to the NSA, Gutfeld said, Obama “allows the Republicans to cannibalize themselves like they’re doing now. You know they’re not going to win this. It’s not going to get defunded. So it’s actually fun, as a Democrat, to watch them eat themselves.”
Despite the fact that thinks it’s a “great PR strategy” to “stand up to a bill that people don’t like,” Tantaros agreed that the threats are incredibly “risky,” because legislatively they have no way to defend Obamacare. “My fear is that Republicans will get blamed for this.”
“This shows you the difference between the reasonable Republicans and the wackos in the tea party in the House,” Bob Beckel said, borrowing a term from Sen. John McCain (R-AZ). “If they do intend to shut down the government,” he said of Republicans, “then they’ll take the blame for it.”
Finally, Eric Bolling got called out by his co-hosts for apparently saying something different about the issue during the commercial break than he was willing to say on air. “Yesterday, after the show or during the break you said, ‘Do you think it’s going to get defunded?'” Bolling explained. “I said no, I wish they would move on, but I think the fight needs to be fought.”
Perino in particular pushed back on Bolling, saying that’s not what he said, but rather said privately that he thought the government shutdown threats were a “bad strategy and that they shouldn’t do it.”
“I said I don’t think they can win,” he clarified. On the air at least, the hosts had to agree to disagree.
Watch video below, via Fox News:
[photo via screengrab]
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