Karl Rove tells Republicans to put aside ObamaCare repeal

Top Republican strategist Karl Rove says it’s time for the GOP to finally stop trying to repeal ObamaCare.

The former adviser to George W. Bush wrote in an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal that Republicans need to instead plan for a potential Supreme Court ruling against ObamaCare this summer, which could strip 7.5 million people of their subsidies.

“Some Republicans may insist on simply repealing ObamaCare. But doing this would chew up valuable time and give the president a veto opportunity he relishes,” he wrote.

{mosads}Rove stressed that GOP leaders needed to quickly build consensus around a single plan for the looming King v. Burwell case, which is expected to be decided next month. He called the implications of the case the “GOP’s healthcare reckoning.”

“Republicans better be ready to say what to do next,” Rove said, pointing to the half-dozen plans currently in the works from congressional Republicans. “It will not be easy for the GOP to settle on a bill.”

Rove also took a dig at the GOP’s still-growing field of 2016 hopefuls — none of which have put of their own plans.

He said those running for the White House are “more focused on their quests than on advancing policy solutions” and cannot be relied upon to create a backup plan for the court case.

Rove’s comments illustrate a deepening divide within the party about what to do with the president’s healthcare law in his final two years in office.

Some Republicans, like Rove, argue the party should focus on electing a Republican in 2016 who will sign a repeal bill. But others, like Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, say conservatives need to uphold their promise to repeal the law and force President Obama to veto their bill.

Republicans have agreed that if the party fails to act, they could take the blame for millions of people losing their healthcare coverage.

Without a GOP plan, Obama is likely to demand Congress pass a one-page fix of the healthcare that immediately extends subsidies, or face the wrath of voters.

The impact on the 2016 race would be enormous, Rove warns.

“Hillary Clinton will join in depicting Republicans as heartless brutes who would let people die for lack of health insurance rather than fix Mr. Obama’s law,” he said.