Face it, conservatives: You’ll never repeal ObamaCare

At every step along the way, regional and corporate special interests would be pulling in different directions, just as they were in 2009 and 2010. Drug makers would fight to keep the boost in Medicare prescription drug coverage. Insurers would defend the individual mandate. And that’s to say nothing of the many health care providers and producers busy adapting to the marketplace they expect the Affordable Care Act to create. They may not love the law but they are learning to live with it. The farther along the implementation process goes, the less enthusiastic they will be about changing direction yet again.

Keep in mind that the advocates of repeal have one extra liability that the law’s architects did not — a lack of majority support even before the wrangling begins. As late as July 2009, well into the ugly legislative process, more than 50 percent of survey respondents were telling Gallup that they supported comprehensive health care reform. Previous polls frequently showed support to be even higher. By contrast, repeal starts with less public backing. In most polls, only around 40 percent of respondents say they want to get rid of the health law. And the number falls dramatically when pollsters tell respondents that repeal would mean giving up popular features like guaranteeing coverage for people with pre-existing conditions.