The GOP Wants To Repeal Obamacare Again-- How Will That Play In November?

Every poll I've seen and every focus group I've watched has shown that healthcare and the economy-- as in a more equitable one-- are the top two issues Americans will have in mind when they step into the voting booths in November. (I sensed that many don't want to admit to themselves that the only thing on their minds will be Trump.) When voters say the most important issue is the economy, for many, they mean this:

The Republicans have moved to guarantee that healthcare is front and center on election day by vowing a revote after the Midterms if they retain control of Congress. The most recent Real Clear Politics approval/disapproval average shows approval at 49.6 compared to disapproval at 40.2%. The latest Kaiser Health Tracking Poll shows approval at 50% and disapproval at 41%. But even more important is the growing, growing, growing appeal not for Obamacare's flawed baby-steps but for Medicare-For-All. Although most Democrats in Congress back it, plenty of Democrats don't-- the Republican wing of the Democratic Party (including most DCCC recruits for 2018)-- and not a single congressional Republican backs it. But look at these numbers. These are actual American voters, not very status quo-oriented members of the ruling class establishment.

That's right, 70.1% of American voters now favor Medicare-For-All, including a narrow majority of Republican voters. Among Democrats, it's overwhelming-- almost 85%. The Republicans still fighting to repeal Obamacare are not offering to replace it with Medicare-For-All. In fact, Republicans-- and a small number of the worst and most corrupt Republican-lite No Labels Democrats-- would like to see Medicare replaced by a voucher system that would eventually mean that only wealthy people get medical treatment and that poor people... die quickly.

As Alexander Bolton reported yesterday at The Hill "Senate Republicans say they would like Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) to appoint a successor to late Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) who, unlike McCain, would support GOP legislation to repeal ObamaCare. GOP lawmakers say they won’t have time to hold another vote to repeal the law in 2018 but vow to try again next year if they manage to keep their Senate and House majorities... A senior Senate GOP aide said the chamber would 'absolutely' vote again to repeal ObamaCare but cautioned it would depend on 'if we keep the House.'"

If the good fairy visits the DCCC and DSCC and waves her magic wand to create competence, voters will fill out their ballots in November with healthcare front and center in their minds-- things like pre-existing conditions, affordability, drug prices, etc. Although both the DCCC and DSCC have mucked this narrative up by recruiting die-hard conservatives who oppose Medicare-For-All as much as Republicans do, there are still progressive Democratic candidates who managed to win primaries despite the DCCC. I asked several who are campaigning on Medicare-For-All if voters in their districts respond to it when they're out on the hustings, especially since they're running against incumbents who have already voted to repeal Obamacare and to replace Medicare with a voucher system.

That description fits Kara Eastman to a "t." She took on a DCCC-backed Blue Dog in the primary and beat him and now she's battling an even more conservative Republican in the Omaha swing district that is essential to win if the Democrats are going to have any hope of taking back Congress. Yesterday, she told me that when she's out canvassing "the number one issue people talk about at their doors is healthcare. People tell me that like my own mother, they are facing outrageous prescription drug costs. One woman told me her family spends $18k a month on medicine! They also tell me their premiums have gone up. Many small business owners in the district have been forced to stop offering healthcare to their employees because of these premiums and the tax bill passed by the GOP that is hurting our small business community. Healthcare is a human right. Repealing a system that needs improvement is not the answer; fixing it is. Medicare for All would provide healthcare to every citizen in the country AND save the federal government trillions. Republicans like Don Bacon are so extreme in their ideology and refuse to see that Americans deserve healthcare-- this is completely immoral. It’s time we put people before party and create a system where everyone can afford to be healthy and safe."

How about in the heart of Trump Country? Well, the heart of Trump Country, West Virginia, went strongly for Bernie in the primaries and in many counties Bernie got more votes than Trump! I asked Kendra Fershee, an old friend, who is running in the 1st congressional district seat (the northern third of the state) and she told me that everywhere she goes" on the campaign trail here, nearly EVERY PERSON I talk to says he or she supports universal healthcare. West Virginians have worked backbreaking labor for centuries with little to no access to healthcare. It's simply not fair to live in a wealthy country, work your body into a pulp, and not be able to get medical help. Taking care of working people, older people, young people, people in ill health, literally everyone, will not only help individuals, it will help every community in West Virginia. West Virginians are dying at twice the rate of all other Americans of drug addiction. We need help now. If the Medicaid expansion is rolled back, as it would be after the midterms if the Republican Congress retains control and gets its way, West Virginia will experience devastation. I don't know what it looks like for an entire state to collapse, but I fear we in West Virginia may find out if we don't get universal healthcare soon."

Mike Siegel, the Austin City Attorney, running for a congressional seat occupied by reactionary Trump enabler Michael McCaul in central Texas, won his primary and was immediately ignored by the DCCC, which looks at him as "too progressive." That's funny because even a majority of physicians-- a notoriously conservative cohort-- now sees single-payer healthcare as the way to go. Soon it will be just congressional Republicans and the DCCC who don't!

"I'm running on a platform including Medicare for All," Mike told us yesterday. "This week I've appeared with Beto O'Rourke at two town halls, each with overflowing crowds with 1,000 or more people, and when I say that I am fighting for Medicare for All, the response is overwhelming. It's what the people want. Once in a while, at smaller gatherings, folks ask me how do we pay for it. The answer is easy: the government can afford it, we are the wealthiest nation on earth. Just look at the $1.5 trillion tax cut for the wealthy. If we can afford that, we can afford health care for all.

"This election, what's the number one issue? 'It's health care, stupid.' A recent poll in our District tested 524 voters, and 81% said health care was the top issue. Democrats, Republicans, seniors, students, rural, urban. Everyone says health care is number one. In the rural areas, they also need infrastructure-- hospitals are closing, and they need quality local facilities. But everyone needs health care. We are running a hard campaign here in the Texas 10th. If this statewide movement, supported by Beto, continues to grow, we won't have to worry about Republicans getting a second chance to attack the ACA. Instead, we'll be talking about how soon we can get a vote on Medicare for All."