(Image source: Wikimedia Commons)

BY CHRISTINA HARTMAN
 

The gavel hasn’t been passed yet, but House Speaker-in-waiting John Boehner is already rallying the troops around what’s likely to become the Hill’s next battle royale.


JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH): “The American people are concerned about the government takeover of health care. I think it's important for us to lay the ground work before we begin to repeal this monstrosity and replace it with common sense reforms.” (MSNBC)

“Repeal and replace.” It’s been the mantra of many Republican lawmakers since President Obama signed health care reform into law in March. And while the idea delights conservatives -- whether Boehner can actually pull it off is an entirely different question.


On CSPAN - the American Enterprise Institute’s Norman Ornstein says House Republicans are dreaming.


NORMAN ORNSTEIN, AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE: “You can't begin to unravel something without having all kinds of other consequences. And that will be difficult.”


That might be an understatement. Tommy Thompson, former Republican governor of Wisconsin, reminds Fox Business -- Democrats still control the Senate. And any way you look at it -- the numbers won’t add up.


TOMMY THOMPSON, FRMR. WISCONSIN GOV.: “It more than likely will pass in the house but it takes 60 votes to pass in the U.S. Senate and I don’t think there's no way Republicans can get 60 votes. And even if we were able to get 60 votes in the Senate, the president would not sign it. He would veto it, and there are not enough votes to override his veto.”


But as NPR reports - that’s not to say the GOP can’t make life harder on health care reform supporters.

“One major way they can do that is by holding oversight hearings. Using subpoena power if necessary, they could end up forcing Obama administration health officials to spend nearly as much time on Capitol Hill as they do in their offices.”


So -- compromise, anyone? TIME’s Michael Grunwald tells CNN -- not likely.  Remember -- Congressman Boehner was the guy who famously threw President Obama’s stimulus bill to the House floor, shouting “Hell no!”

MICHAEL GRUNWALD, TIME: “He did work across party lines on things like No Child Left Behind where he worked with his friend Ted Kennedy to try to do some education reform. But as one Democrat said, that was a long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. And right now, even if he wanted to reach out and compromise, when he has to ride the Tea Party tiger I think it’s going to be pretty difficult.”


So what do you think? Can he? Should he?

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