I suppose we should have seen this one coming.

The silly season for politics only lasts 364 days each year, and it’s back in full swing already with two related items of note percolating inside the beltway. Firsts up is a New York Democrat who has cooked up a plan which will attempt to paint Republicans who ran on a platform of repealing Obamacare as hypocrites.

Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-N.Y.) is daring Republicans to make good on one of their top legislative priorities: repealing the healthcare law.

Using a somewhat unusual tactic, Ackerman, a strong advocate for the healthcare reform law, vowed Tuesday to introduce a series of bills next week that would roll back some of the most popular provisions of the law.

The congressman said the legislation — all titled the HIPA-CRIT (Health Insurance Protects America—Can’t Repeal IT) — will give Republicans a chance to “put up, or sit down” on their campaign promise to repeal the eight-month-old law.

Of course Ackerman’s plan doesn’t repeal all of Obamacare. It cherry picks the items out of the legislation which have polled most favorably with the public. Examples include protection for those with preexisting conditions, keeping students on their parent’s plans longer and eliminating coverage limits.

Some of the usual suspects are already cheering for this “worthwhile” plan and are acting all smug about what a clever idea it is. And I suppose you might think it was clever… if your name happens to be Wile E. Coyote.

The second “clever” plan on the table is being shopped around by some liberal groups who want all of the Republicans to forgo their congressional health care plans or forever be labeled as hypocrites.

Both of these stunts are childish in their execution and easily shot full of more holes than a Swiss cheese, but they may each provide a terrific opportunity for conservatives to move the ball significantly down field.

First, as to the repeal bills, this would be a perfect opportunity for one of the Republican Young Guns to stand up to Ackerman and say, “Fine. We’ll bring your bills to the floor for a vote. But since you’re in a voting mood, we’re going to roll out a few more for your caucus to vote on.” And they should then lay out their own set of bills targeting the following:

– First and foremost, a bill which will rescind each and every one of the exemptions granted thus far allowing groups to opt out of Obamacare. Further, it would make it illegal for any future exemptions to be granted. (Hey, if your bill is so wonderful it should be fine for all Americans, eh? And oh, by the way… isn’t Congress exempt right now?)

– Second, a bill which will remove the unconstitutional mandate included in the health care overhaul.

– Third, a bill which removes the entire package of taxes and fees buried in the original legislation – including the Snookie Tax on tanning beds – replacing the hikes with cuts in other areas of government to pay for the whole mess.

– Fourth, a fresh, original bill which imposes serious reform on the medical malpractice industry. The projected savings from those costs can be factored in as part of the way to pay for the taxes and fees we’ll be cutting out. (This one should really stick in their craws, and it would be great to see the Democrats have to line up for a reading of the yeas and nays on that one, with every “nay” showing the voters exactly who is in the pocket of the trial lawyers.)

As soon as Ackerman panics and runs away like a pig from the gun upon reading that list, the entire charade will be exposed for the pointless political theater that it is. And if he somehow gets the Democrats to agree, then the worst parts of Obamacare could be surgically extracted from the system in record time.

The second stunt – where Republicans are challenged to turn down their congressional health care plans – may be even more promising. An early poll on this is showing that the public is expressing surprising support for the idea, and not from the areas you might expect. 53% of the public feels that Congress should turn down their health care plans. And rather than it being mostly Democrats trying to make the GOP look foolish, the lion’s share of came from Republicans and independents by a 58/28 margin.

The reality, of course, is that congressmen are employees who are offered an option of a health care plan just as most full time workers get from their employers. This was in place long before Obamacare was even thought of and it’s not unreasonable for them to expect some sort of benefits. But members of congress earn a pretty good salary with generous expense accounts. Would it be such a disaster for some of them to turn their noses up at the package and go seek out a Blue Cross / Blue Shield plan just like millions of regular, working class Americans?

The GOP caucus should agree unanimously to do this and leave the Democrats feeding off the government teat in a time when most Americans are disgusted with Congress in general. Pick up the gauntlet that’s been thrown down in front of you and leave the Democrats with their jaws dropping. I think you’ll see national support for the Republicans climbing a fair number of points overnight.

Now you can scream at Jazz for being a stupid, wrong-headed RINO even faster than just leaving comments by following him on Twitter! @JazzShaw