After President Obama's victory lap Tuesday over the rollout of his health care law, ABC's Matthew Dowd told Republicans to let Obama celebrate and stop trying to repeal ObamaCare.
"You have to give the President ground to have some celebration," Dowd insisted. "A little bit of dancing in the end zone. I think Republicans would be really smart, let him have the touchdown, don't ask for instant replay." [Video below the break. Audio here.]
Dowd continued that Republicans should abandon their efforts to repeal the law: "Get off of repeal. And basically try to argue over cost. Get off of the whole idea – this is the law of the land. Admit reality. And move on and try to argue over costs surrounding it."
Dowd was an adviser to the 2004 Bush campaign and a Republican consultant. He has given some bizarre takes lately on ABC. For instance, he argued that the 2014 midterm elections won't be about ObamaCare, even insisting that David Jolly's win in the recent Florida-13 special election was not a repudiation of the law.
Below is a transcript of the segment:
ABC
PRESIDENTIAL SPEECH
4/1/14
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: President Obama before a group of staff and supporters in the Rose Garden announcing that the goals of ObamaCare are being met. He said that 7.1 million Americans have signed up for health insurance before last night's midnight deadline, and that the law is doing exactly what it is supposed to do, as he goes into the Oval Office. I'm joined here by Matthew Dowd, our ABC News political analyst. You've worked in the White House. You've worked on political campaigns. I think one of the most interesting things we saw in the President's speech right there, it was for a plea for the politics to end. He says the debate about repeal is over. Wishful thinking?
MATTHEW DOWD: A little bit of wishful thinking on this. If you think about this, the President does get -- you have to give the President ground to have some celebration. It's almost four years to the day when he signed this in 2010. And he's only had – there's only been one other day in this whole thing when the Supreme Court said it was constitutional that he could have celebrated. A little bit of dancing in the end zone. I think Republicans would be really smart, let him have the touchdown, don't ask for instant replay. Get off of repeal. And basically try to argue over cost. Get off of the whole idea – this is the law of the land. Admit reality. And move on and try to argue over costs surrounding it. I think the President, he's still got some political pitfalls ahead. We still know that there's still questions to be asked about this, but this law is the law of the land. And he's done what he said he was going to do, even though the administration, many in the administration, as you know, George, had predicted the opposite, he wouldn't get to seven million.
STEPHANOPOULOS: They didn't think it was going to happen. They were surprised by it. But of course they are pleased today.
