California Republican Rep. Steve Knight held his first town hall meeting since voting for Trumpcare, and he might be regretting it. While Knight and some other Republicans in districts that voted for Hillary Clinton are trying to pretend they’ll serve as a check to Donald Trump—Knight emphasized his opposition to some of the most outrageous cuts in Trump’s budget, for instance—reality is that as long as Republicans control Congress, Trump controls Congress.
One of the many constituents to blast Knight’s Trumpcare vote offered a reminder of what Republican control of Congress means:
“I am angry and disappointed that you voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act, then replace it with garbage,” said one constituent in the front-row of a high school auditorium — the first of at least 10 health policy questions of the evening.
The crowd whooped.
And then green signs that read “agree” flew up in the air as the constituent hammered on: “I feel that your vote to repeal Obamacare was a vote for political capital with [Speaker Paul] Ryan (R-Wis.) — not to help provide a good health care system for the citizens of this district. You represent the people of the 25th district of California; you do not represent the first district of Wisconsin!”
Rank-and-file House Republicans are led by Paul Ryan and Paul Ryan, as much as he tries to pretend otherwise, is led by Donald Trump. So a vote for Steve Knight is a vote for Trump’s agenda even if he didn’t go ahead and vote for Trumpcare. Which he did. Criticizing Trump’s budget in theory doesn’t make up for that vote in practice. Just like when Rep. Carlos Curbelo, whose Florida district went heavily for Clinton, goes on television to criticize Trump over pulling out of the Paris accord, it doesn’t make up for his vote for Trumpcare or for his vote for Paul Ryan as House speaker.
Republicans, even the ones who pretend to be moderate or independent when it’s politically expedient for them to do so, keep Republicans in power. Keeping Republicans in power empowers Donald Trump. It’s really that simple.
Can you give $1 to the Democratic nominee funds targeting vulnerable House Republicans who voted for Trumpcare?