Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, not necessarily known as a GOP whisperer, summed up nicely Republicans’ predicament on the Trumpcare 3.0 vote being demanded by their witless leader. "He's asking them to vote for a bill that is wildly unpopular in the country," she said, adding, “The minute they cast that vote they are putting doo-doo on their shoe."
Translation: Hello 2018 attack adds!
While the White House has gone to great lengths to give Freedom Caucus members cover for a "yea" vote, Trump has left GOP moderates dangling like a piñata as he demands a Trumpcare 3.0 vote this week in service of his big 100-day fireworks display. And moderates know who's gonna take the fall, writes Politico:
Late Wednesday, House leaders held a listening session for moderates who were still publicly undecided on the bill. Tuesday Group co-chair Rep. Charlie Dent has been particularly frustrated by what he argues is a flawed process that led to the latest proposal. He said it appeared to be more about Freedom Caucus conservatives -- who came under fire for sinking the last version of the health care bill -- attempting to shift blame toward moderates.
Several conservative advocacy groups -- like FreedomWorks and the Club For Growth -- opposed earlier versions of the bill but endorsed the new measure.
The White House has seized on the conservative momentum to call for a vote this week, ahead of President Donald Trump's 100th day in office on Saturday. But as of Thursday morning, no vote had been scheduled as leaders continued to take the temperature of skittish members.
Paul Ryan needs 216 votes for passage and can't lose more than 22 Republicans, yet the bill has no path forward in the Senate. So passage, if it even happens, will amount to a Pyrrhic victory for the GOP caucus come 2018. But Trump doesn't care. He specializes in the short game—extremely short. The only question is whether Ryan is really that crazy.