GOP Tartuffery

Politicians who say one thing and do another are not difficult to find, but even so the recent senate vote on repealing Obamacare was a bonanza for connoisseurs of political tergiversation.

Seven GOP senators who had on previous occasions - when it was certain that any repeal bill would be vetoed by Mr. Obama and no danger of the law actually being undone could be espied - stoutly insisted that for the sake of the country, for the well-being of the people, the ACA had to be demolished, root and branch. But when repeal loomed as a real possibility last month these august senators' memories of their previous asseverations were evidently beclouded, and they voted against a bill that would have eliminated the law for which they had previously expressed such strenuous opposition.

Here's what each of the seven Republican senators who voted late last month against repealing Obamacare has said about it in the past:

LISA MURKOWSKI (R-AK): “This law is not affordable for anyone in Alaska. That is why I will support the bill that repeals the ACA and wipes out its harmful impacts."

SUSAN COLLINS (R-ME): "I believe that we made - that Congress made - a real error in passing Obamacare, we should repeal the law so that we can start over."

JOHN McCAIN (R-AZ): “It is clear that any serious attempt to improve our health care system must begin with a full repeal and replacement of Obamacare.”

DEAN HELLER (R-NV): "The repeal of this law will not only reduce federal spending, but it will also allow Congress to address problems within the current health-care system.”

SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO (R-WV): "I have consistently voted to repeal and replace this disastrous health-care law, and I am glad that a repeal bill will finally reach the president’s desk."

LAMAR ALEXANDER (R-TN): "Obamacare was an historic mistake, and should be repealed and replaced with step-by-step reforms that transform the health-care delivery system."

ROB PORTMAN (R-OH): “[Obamacare] is fundamentally flawed. I do think we ought to delay ... and then we’ve got to repeal this thing and start over."

Actually Murkowski, Collins and McCain achieved summa cum laude honors among Washington hypocrites by actually voting against both full repeal and the so-called "skinny repeal" which would have repealed the law but kept it in place until a satisfactory substitute was found.

If there's a Hall of Fame for political tartuffery surely these three deserve immediate induction.