The second issue that dominated political news last week was the proposal by Republican House Leader Paul Ryan for the proposed replacement of Obamacare that was an important part of Donald Trump’s successful campaign for the Oval Office. This plan was examined by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and will give more ammunition for the opponents of the new Bill, including within the Republican party. Yesterday the CBO told the country that 24 million would be affected by the new Bill.
Australia
In order to make sense of the numbers of people that will be affected by the proposed law Americans should think of Australia.
Like the cold statistics provided by the CBO that country’s population is only slightly larger at approximately 26 million. This gives an excellent example of how wide the effects of Ryan’s plan will be.
Australia has large numbers of people who are affected by cancer, heart disease, autism, congenital defects, diabetes, psoriasis and every form of condition that will affect the health of an individual. There are the numbers that will suffer in the United States under the loss of their health insurance.
Tweets and statistics
Yesterday President #Donald Trump made a tweet defending the proposed plan, but like the cold statistics the automatic knee jerk defence of the proposal Republicans must not forget one undeniable fact.
The 24 million mentioned are not cold numbers on a piece of paper, they are 24 million people who will have the quality of their lives affected by the Bill, without forgetting their relatives and friends who will witness directly the consequences of the eventual approval of the Bill.
To this must be added one final detail, these are also potentially 24 million voters who will take their protests to the voting booth in the midterms and also the next presidential election in 2020.
Are the Republicans willing to face these consequences and to pay the electoral price for a philosophical battle that will change the lives of ten of millions for the worse?
Party versus the Oval Office
Considering the now forgotten detail that Hillary Clinton won the popular vote on November 8th by nearly 3 million votes, the Republican Party is making a very good job of turning a minor electoral disadvantage into a large mountain to climb in the future.
Donald Trump’s tweet yesterday was not directed at the public but at the Republican Senators and Congressmen which have publicly aired their misgivings over the proposed legislation. Donald Trump’s message also came with the hint that he may present opponents for the Primaries against recalcitrant Republicans, but this will only worsen the Party’s political future.
Like the lack of reply to the House Intelligence Committee’s request for proof of the President’s accusation of wiretapping of Trump Tower, the battleground is being prepared for a conflict between the Executive Branch and the Legislative Branch dominated by the same Party.
Important reminder
In the middle of this possible decisive battle the citizens have been forgotten; the ones who will pay the eventual toll of the repeal and replacement of Obamacare.
These should be the priority of politicians, not squabbles between factions and individuals within the Republican Party.
As we wait to see the outcome of this political battle we also wonder when the Republican Senators and Democrats will remember that they do not represent their Party. They are the Senators for their States and Congressmen for their constituencies and therefore ostensibly represent their constituents.
Will the reminder come during the next few weeks, or will the citizens remind them in the ballot box at the midterms? We will not have long to wait, the midterms are only next year.
