The Republican drive to pass the Graham-Cassidy Obamacare repeal bill is about a few things, and none of them are a desire to see more Americans with affordable health coverage. It’s about their seven years of promising to repeal Obamacare and the resulting need to make their hardcore base feel like they’re doing something. It’s about their blind hatred—especially Donald Trump’s blind hatred—of former President Obama’s accomplishments. And it’s about that all-important September 30 deadline, past which they need 60 votes to carry out those campaign promises and dismantle another piece of Obama’s legacy.
They’re doing a lousy job even pretending this is about real healthcare-related concerns:
Next week's expiration of the rule allowing Republicans to pass a bill without any Democratic support has “concentrated Republican minds,” said Dean Clancy, a conservative health policy analyst who supports the plan. “This is their last chance to show they can govern on health care, and if they can’t govern on health care, what can they govern on?”
“They all hate health care,” said a GOP lobbyist on background. “They don’t know where to go on it. They just want to take a vote and be done with it.”
All that goes for the guy in the Oval Office, too:
Several White House officials described the president as determined to sign something — anything, really. And they noted that the bill has drawn concerns from conservative groups for enshrining some parts of Obamacare and taking attention away from tax reform. [...]
One official said the concerns from governors have alarmed some in the White House — and that "we really aren't sure what the impact will be” of passing the bill. They also fear that the bill could bring political blowback from the left and right.
We don’t know what it’ll do, but hey, it’s something we can call repeal and it’s the only bill that can be ready for a vote by September 30, so Graham-Cassidy it is!
We haven’t won the battle to save health care yet. Republicans are STILL pushing to repeal Obamacare. Call your senators at (202) 224-3121 and urge them to vote “NO” on any repeal bill. (After you call, please tell us how it went.)