ObamaCare's Instability

This news tidbit is instructive and interesting in a number of ways:

Byron York reports that 16 Democratic Senators–all of whom voted for Obamacare!–have written a letter to Harry Reid, asking that one of Obamacare’s funding mechanisms, a 2.3% tax on medical devices, be delayed or repealed:

Echoing arguments made by Republicans against Obamacare, the Democratic senators say the levy will cost jobs — in a statement Monday, Sen. Al Franken called it a “job-killing tax” — and also impair American competitiveness in the medical device field.

First interesting point is, of course, the connection made here by Democrats that taxes cost jobs.  They only, but always, actually admit to this truism, which they otherwise vehemently deny, when their own ox is about to get gored.  Also interesting is this little gang of Upper Sausage Factory Workers are not a bunch of red state Democrat "moderates" CYAing for the God-fearing, gun-owning yokels back home.  Here's the list:

Franken, Richard Durbin, Charles Schumer, Patty Murray, John Kerry, Kirsten Gillibrand, Amy Klobuchar, Joseph Lieberman, Ben Nelson, Robert Casey, Debbie Stabenow, Barbara Mikulski, Kay Hagan, Herb Kohl, Jeanne Shaheen, and Richard Blumenthal. Two other Democrats, senators-elect Joe Donnelly and Elizabeth Warren, also signed the letter.

This is an All-Star list of Liberal Lions and/or fairly safe blue state senators.  The S really has to be H-ing the F in the medical device world for this crew to start sounding like Jack Kemp.  Here is my advice to Republicans:  tell Schumer & Co. that you'll be more than happy to repeal the tax permanently, otherwise they can pound sand.

Finally, this development is probably most interesting in that it is yet another pillar of ObamaCare that is crumbling before our eyes.  Despite the sanction by Chief Justice Roberts and the failure to roll back ObamaCare at the ballot box, the unwieldy, poorly-constructed law still might crater in on itself of its own weight.  We have already seen two elements of the law - the 1099 provision and the CLASS program - go completely up in flames.  Currently at risk are the state-run insurance exchanges, which 16 states, at current count, have declined to setup, which throws ObamaCare's funding legitimacy into question.  Also at risk are several of the law's provisions that appear to violate the right of religious freedom and are pending in several courts across the country.  Now, we have this medical device tax, which is at risk.  How many of these pieces have to fail or be retracted before the law itself fails - not fails to perform as advertised, it'll never do that, but fails to simply function?  It looks like we're going to see.