Politically, Gillespie is better off to not come up with too many alternative plans beyond the blanket statement of repeal, said Stephen J. Farnsworth, a politics professor at the University of Mary Washington.
“Because of the pattern that poor Americans do not participate in elections — particularly in midterm elections — Republicans were able to generate a lot of support from the people most likely to vote on the basis of opposition to the Obama health care bill without having to provide any alternative solution for the tens of millions of uninsured Americans,” Farnsworth said.
“What Gillespie is doing adds up to smart politics. The Republicans have been able to win a number of elections around the country on the basis of public anxiety over Obamacare.”
