I had the pleasure of speaking yesterday at a San Francisco rally to "Repeal and Replace Obamacare." The host was former governor George Pataki of New York, who is leading a new organization, "Revere America," which has this goal as its sole objective.

Also speaking were Gabriella Holt of Citizens for California Reform, a PAC, and Steve Poizner, California Insurance Commissioner.

Don't believe that the calls for repealing and replacing Obamacare come from an extremist fringe: Mr. Poizner, currently a candidate for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, and Mr. Pataki, a three-term governor, are firmly within the mainstream of respectable, center-right conservatism.

Mr. Pataki and Mr. Poizner have direct experience of health care at the state level. They know that the last thing the people or state governments need is more burdensome regulation and expensive mandates layered on by an arbitrary and unaccountable federal bureaucracy.

If successful political leaders like these gentlemen are willing to wave the banner of repealing and replacing Obamacare, it's a strong signal that this approach is a winner. (A San Francisco Chronicle reporter who interviewed Mr. Pataki during his visit also noted that Mr. Poizner's rival in the primary, Meg Whitman, favors repeal as well.)

Advise your local conservative politician not to be the last on the bandwagon!

04/20 02:29 PM

This blog post originally appeared on National Review's Critical Condition.