The resistance showed it has plenty of punch this week after House Republicans barely passed Trumpcare without a single Democratic vote. But what the White House celebrated in the Rose Garden with cheers and beers will not emerge intact from the Senate, if at all. Thus, the GOP has won a Pyrrhic victory. They passed a bill that let voters know exactly how little they care for constituents’ health and well-being without actually putting anything on the books. And the whole affair has the potential for producing a 2018 rout of Republicans at the polls.
The first steps are already being taken. , Swing Left and Act Blue have in two days raised millions to beat the 24 vulnerable Republicans who voted for Trumpcare Thursday. The effort has now surpassed the one-and- a-quarter-million-dollar mark. That would be impressive enough. But there’s also the matter of that money coming from nearly 28,000 small donors. Which works out to about $45 per contributor.
The money will be held in escrow for yet-to-be-chosen Democratic candidates to use next spring and summer in the races in those 24 Republicans’ House districts.
As my colleague Laura Clawson wrote Friday:
This isn’t just about the money that will go to the eventual Democratic nominees facing those 24 Republicans, though that’s an important piece of the puzzle. This is also about sending a message to Republicans, including Senate Republicans, that voting against affordable health care will have consequences.
Obviously, this is just the beginning. Democratic candidates for most of these seats have yet to be chosen. It will take more money, solid field work, financial and logistical support from the national and state parties, and a horde of volunteers to win these districts.
If the House bill actually had a chance of passage in the Senate, it would mean 24 million Americans would lose their health insurance. So each of these 24 Republicans is responsible for seeking to take away the health coverage of a million Americans. That’s not all. It’s estimated that 24,000 Americans could die each year for lack of health insurance caused by the bill. 1,000 people a year for each of these two dozen members of Congress.
They have wounded themselves by voting for what would be a health and financial catastrophe for those Americans. We should instead make it a catastrophe for these incumbents and for their party.
Keep the GOP awake at night by adding to the coffers of the Democratic candidates who will go after these 24 vulnerable, heartless Republicans.