Morning Must-Read: Ezra Klein: The Republican replacement for Obamacare is Fauxbamacare

Ezra Klein: The Republican replacement for Obamacare is Fauxbamacare: “Scott Brown… called Obamacare a ‘disaster’…

…Then he was asked what he’s for  — and he went on to describe Obamacare.

I’ve always felt that people should either get some type of health care options, or pay for it with a nice competitive fee. That’s all great. I believe it in my heart. In terms of preexisting conditions, catastrophic coverages, covering kids, whatever we want to do… [it could] include the Medicaid expansion [for] folks who need that care and coverage…

Oh, he also promises his plan won’t raise taxes, cut spending on Medicare, or make people drive very far to go to the hospital. So his plan will have more generous insurance options and no way to pay for them. In other words, his plan will be like Obamacare, but even better! Call it Fauxbamacare…. The polls around Obamacare… [suggest] a huge opening for an unprincipled opponent — someone who opposes ‘Obamacare’, but supports virtually all of the policies in Obamacare. Someone who supports Fauxbamacare….

Republicans could have seen Obamacare as a victory. Instead, the party underwent a we-have-always-been-at-war-with-Eastasia process and turned against ideas they’d once seen as uncontroversial (Sen. Chuck Grassley, June 2009: “I believe that there is a bipartisan consensus to have individual mandates.”). The problem with turning against all those ideas is that it’s actually really difficult to come up with workable health-reform plans that aren’t also terrible politics…. The American people don’t want Obamacare. However, they like what’s in Obamacare. And they don’t like it when Republicans try to get rid of Obamacare. Brown’s position shows Republicans a way out…. Fauxbamacare.