In the Donald Trump era, it can hard to zero in on just one lie. After all, the president and his Republican allies in Congress – with the aid of right-wing media – constantly flood the airwaves with whoppers.
But on Thursday, Ari Melber pulled back the curtain on what is perhaps the biggest lie of 2018: that Republicans care about your health care.
As the MSNBC host pointed out, GOP candidates all across the country are now campaigning on health coverage for Americans with pre-existing conditions. The only problem, of course, is that every last one of them voted to repeal those protections.
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Ari Melber tells Republican candidates they can’t run from their votes to take health care away from millions of Americans. #ctl #p2 pic.twitter.com/DEaNDaHWZw
— PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) October 18, 2018
Melber said:
Everyone knows Republicans have spent years railing against Obamacare. They’ve tried to repeal it dozens of times in the House. The politics, though, are changing. This is a story you may have missed but, look, with the midterms approaching right now Republican candidates in the Trump era changing their tune. … Here’s your fact check. Every single one of the lawmakers you just heard from voted to repeal Obamacare and gut those kind of protections. It appears they’re trying to pretend that just didn’t happen. Now maybe that’s because Obamacare now has record support among voters.
Sorry, Republicans, you don’t get to own healthcare
From Martha McSally in Arizona to Ted Cruz in Texas to Dana Rohrabacher in California – all Republicans in competitive races this year – the GOP is trying to rewrite history by claiming to be the champions of healthcare.
But the American people know better.
When the Affordable Care Act was working its way through Congress, Republicans were fighting tooth and nail to ensure that it never reached President Obama’s desk. They spewed lie after lie about how it was a government takeover that would lead to literal death panels.
Once Democrats in Congress finally approved the legislation and Obama signed it into law, the GOP worked to undermine it wherever they could. Throughout the Trump presidency, they have repeatedly tried – and failed – to repeal the ACA, including protections for those with pre-existing conditions.
Just this week, Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell said that Republicans might actually revisit Obamacare repeal if they can expand their majority in the Senate.
Every step of the way, Republicans have been fighting to take away health insurance coverage and protections for millions of Americans. Now they want you to forget it ever happened.
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Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
