For seven years, the republicans have quixotically tried to repeal the the Affordable Care Act. Why? Not because it’s bad but because it’s the product and legacy of the black man in the white house. Their repeated attempts, some 60 plus of them with a guaranteed veto for any passage were just to discredit Obama and play to the racist right-wing base of the party. In fact, the name Obamacare was given to the ACA by republicans to make it distasteful to the racist base. Many polls showed that they liked their ACA but wanted to repeal Obamacare. In seven years, it never occurred to them that if they were serious, they should have a replacement ready. Now they hide behind their “promise” to their base to repeal it. Seven years later, the ACA is too important to most people and the new house bill has an approval rating in the teens. The house bill that passed was just a reverse Robin Hood stealing from the poor and middle class medicaid to give a tax cut to the rich. When asked why they did it, the answer was “we promised to repeal it for seven years and we have to keep our promise.” Seven years after they started this bullshit, the people don’t want it repealed. A great part of the ACA’s problem is that many republican governors refused to cooperate which drove insurers out of their markets. Then they complained about insurers leaving their market. People want ACA fixed and it can be fixed. But no, if the republicans do that, it will still be Obamacare II and they cannot allow Obama to get any credit for such a legacy. So their bullshit talking point is that the American people sent them to congress to repeal it. Instead, they lie that the people want a bill that has an approval in the teens. Some logic! McConnell, who blatantly espoused his racism right from fhe beginning vowing to make Obama a one-term president, used every partisan procedural trick to get at least one of several unknown bills passed in the senate to get a “win.” And even more ridiculous, they were making amendments to a bill that no one knew anything about. How do you do that? Nothing the republicans proposed was better than the ACA. They were all destructive to health care but “they promised” was the cry. Fortunately all versions failed to pass and poor Mitch was “disappointed.” The president, may he die a painful death, had the unadulterated gall to call democrats obstructionists after what the republicans did to Obama. No sane person believed the senate bills were any good. They just had to appease their racist base who always vote against their self interest.
