We’ve got it at last: The House Republicans’ proposal to replace Obamacare. Let’s dig in.

My spouse got started last night with a quick (and excellent) write-up in which he noted: “In general, it’s not clear what problems this particular bill would actually solve.”

While I loathe couples who quarrel in public, I must point out that it’s actually quite clear what problem this bill solves: the problem of Republican legislators who want to tell their base that they repealed Obamacare, just like they promised. Tada!

My husband is, of course, completely right that it’s not clear what other problems this solves. It will not, for example, make the looming possibility of a “death spiral” in the individual market any less possible, and indeed may make it more likely. Passing this bill would certainly ensure that Republicans will 100 percent own any ensuing death spiral, and will have little luck whining that it was gonna death spiral anyway, because Obamacare. In other words, even if we leave aside any policy effects, this bill will be a disaster for the long-term political fortunes of the Republican Party.