What if the GOP had started with Tax Cuts rather then Repealing Obamacare?

[Don Vito Corleone]

How would the Trump Presidency be different if the Republicans first major push had been Tax Reform/Cuts rather then repealing Obamacare?

[💥💥 brandon bro (he/him/his)]

There has been so much talk about the backlash GOP congresspeople would face if they didn't start by trying to repeal Obamacare. I wonder why that is? Tax reform and Obamacare repeal are both complicated issues that can be campaigned upon with very simple slogans/mantras ("I will lower your taxes" and "I will repeal and replace this law") so I wonder what particular animus it drew out in people to make the base so opposed.

(please spare me "it's because Obama" or "because Obama is black" for this question and try to come up with a less lazy response)

Republicans of this board: what would your personal opinion be if your representative or your party's leadership didn't make Obamacare repeal a top priority? Would it have changed your voting/donation/volunteer behavior? Would you support a primary challenger who advocated for Obamacare repeal over an incumbent who supported tax reform?

[OSR stands with Israel]

There has been so much talk about the backlash GOP congresspeople would face if they didn't start by trying to repeal Obamacare. I wonder why that is? Tax reform and Obamacare repeal are both complicated issues that can be campaigned upon with very simple slogans/mantras ("I will lower your taxes" and "I will repeal and replace this law") so I wonder what particular animus it drew out in people to make the base so opposed.

(please spare me "it's because Obama" or "because Obama is black" for this question and try to come up with a less lazy response)

Republicans of this board: what would your personal opinion be if your representative or your party's leadership didn't make Obamacare repeal a top priority? Would it have changed your voting/donation/volunteer behavior? Would you support a primary challenger who advocated for Obamacare repeal over an incumbent who supported tax reform?

Way better , Tax Reform>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Obamacare repeal

[TheSaint250]

What Old School Republican said. Tax reform is better than health care reform, as of now.  Tax cuts can be done right away, for that's been planned for awhile.  The GOP would just be finalizing the plans now. With Obamacare, they clearly sat around for all these years and definitely need more time to figure it out.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Well, they're kind of related considering that 3.8% Medicare tax on the rich in ObamaCare.

[Dr. Arch]

They wasted all of their political capital on nothing, but trying to push some bills that would have hurt almost every American. I'm pleased that they didn't get it through, and that everyone, even their voters, can now see through their ruse.

[Nyvin]

They had to do Obamacare repeal first because the Tax Cuts would've been seen as a big give-away to rich people to the tune of trillions of dollars, and if they did Obamacare repeal right after that it would be a second, smaller give-away to rich people, which would look horrible.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

The idea was that the tax reform would be pushed closer to the midterms to please the moneypeople and the small businessmen/middle class portion of the electorate; and temper any anger brought about from healthcare reform.

[uti2]

Well, they're kind of related considering that 3.8% Medicare tax on the rich in ObamaCare.

This is the correct answer. High Net Worth individuals/donors mainly earn their income from capital gains/dividends, removing that 3.8% tax was seen as a priority for tax reform.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Also, it was hoped to use the money saved from no longer bothering about whether people are healthy enuf to engage in the pursuit of happiness to offset the tax cuts rather than merely cause the deficit to explode which is what will happen if the GOP manages to do it now.