Republicans’ calls for the repeal of health reform legislation signed into law last month are unrealistic and counterproductive, said Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., in an editorial board meeting at the Times Free Press on Friday.
“I’m sorry, it’s just not going to happen,” he said. “It seems to me we’re better off to talk about where we go from here.”
Repeal would require a huge swing in opinion among U.S. senators, 59 of whom voted in favor of reform, Sen. Corker said.
So long as President Barack Obama is in office – at least until January 2013 – repeal would need 67 votes to overcome a presidential veto, which is not likely, he said. Even after 2013, repeal could be counterproductive, he said.