Senate Republicans got into the spirit of the season by voting 52-47 to take healthcare away from 17 million Americans.
The vote was party line with only moderate Republicans Sens. Susan Collins (Maine) and Mark Kirk (Illinois) voting against the bill. Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) missed the final vote, but Sanders made his feelings clear days earlier on the Senate floor when he called the whole process a waste of time.
Conservatives like FreedomWorks CEO Adam Brandon were ecstatic that Senate Republicans moved to take healthcare away from nearly 20 million Americans, “Under pressure from Mike Lee, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and thousands of conservative activists across the country, Senate Republicans finally got the message and acted to repeal the ObamaCare disaster. This bill would rid Americans of the most harmful aspects of the law and empower consumers to make decisions that are best for them and their families.”
The White House was quick to issue a veto threat and make sure that this legislation is DOA, “The Administration strongly opposes Senate passage of the Senate amendment to H.R. 3762. By repealing numerous, key elements of current law, this legislation would take away critical benefits and health care coverage from hard-working middle‑class families. The bill also would remove policies that are expected to help slow the growth in health care costs and that have improved the quality of care patients receive. The Senate amendment to H.R. 3762 detracts from the work the Congress could be doing to foster job creation and economic growth.”
The Obamacare repeal vote was so important to Senate Republicans because they are laying the groundwork for action if their nominee wins the White House in 2016.
Of course, voting to take healthcare away from 17 million people just made winning the White House more difficult, but logic stopped being a strong suit of the formerly Grand Old Party more than a decade ago.
The fact that Senate Republicans chose to hold this vote during the holiday season spoke volumes about their priorities. Tonight’s vote was an advertisement for how Republicans intend to harm working people if they take back the White House.
The victory that conservatives are celebrating tonight is one of the main reasons that they will lose in 2016.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
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