Two weeks ago, US Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) went back home to Springdale, Arkansas for a townhall. It was a big venue, and the place was packed, And ol’ Tom got raked over the coals pretty good, mostly about health care and the promised upcoming repeal of the Affordable Care Act. News reports give you a sense of the scene:
Politico:
"I've got a husband dying and we can't afford — let me tell you something, If you can get us better coverage than this, go for it," said one attendee, adding that her husband would not survive if they were unable to receive health care benefits after a repeal.
The Hill:
At one point, one attendee asked everyone in the audience who had been positively affected by ObamaCare to stand up, prompting what appeared to be hundreds of people to rise from their seats.
Huffpo adds:
She then explained she suffers from Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a condition that affects the body’s connective tissues and blood vessels.
“Without coverage for preexisting conditions, I will die,” she said. “Will you commit today to replacement protections for those Arkansans like me who will die or lose their quality of life or otherwise be unable to be participating citizens, trying to get their part of the American dream? Will you commit to replacement in the same way that you’ve committed to repeal?”
The auditorium erupted in cheers as the crowd gave her a standing ovation. Cotton then attempted to dodge the question and asked for others in the audience to offer comments before he gave an answer.
That didn’t go over well with the bulk of the crowd, which began booing and chanting, “Do your job.” Cotton eventually returned to her question but largely evaded her request for specifics on how he intends to preserve coverage for preexisting conditions.
I imagine it must be pretty hard to stand up to that; being a party loyalist is one thing, but having the deaths of your constituents hung around your neck is a completely different level of responsibility.
And today, lo and behold, in a series of tweets, Sen. Cotton more-or-less announced that he cannot support the House version of Trumpcare without significant changes, and certainly not before CBO scoring:
Take this lesson to heart, Kossacks:
Resistance works!
