The end of the last working week of July was the date by which the Republican Party thought they would finally achieve one of the major promises of President Donald Trump: repealing the Affordable Healthcare Act or “Obamacare.” Early on Friday morning, the Senate was ready to get on with repealing and replacing the much-maligned health insurance legislation of former President Barack Obama.
However what should have been a successful conclusion to the years-long crusade by the GOP to eliminate Obamacare was clouded by divisions between the majority Republican Senators.
Ultimately three of their number would join hands with the Democrats in the upper house to thwart a “skinny repeal” measure by the GOP against the Affordable Healthcare Act.
‘Very disappointing.'
In what is becoming the latest in a steady stream of political frustration for President Donald Trump, the vote in the wee hours of July 28 to dismantle Obamacare came to a crashing failure for the Republicans. Three GOP Senators - Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski and the celebrated John McCain – went over to the Democrats to pull a swing 51-49 vote against their own party’s bill that would have excised certain parts of the whole Obamacare act in a “skinny” repeal motion.
Mitch McConnell, the Senate Republican leader, was the voice of his party and his president’s collective frustration over yet another narrow defeat that has kept their target legislation in place.
Describing the surprise vote outcome as a disappointment, McConnell added, "The American people are going to regret that we couldn't find a better way forward."
President Trump himself has weighed in on the decision, in his usual verbal manner and upon the usual platform on Twitter. He harangued the Democratic Senators and the GOP turncoats for “letting America down.” Trump further elaborated that it would have been a better course of action just to let Obamacare “implode” before proposing a replacement for it.
McCain’s case
One of the “stars” of the hour in defeating the skinny Republican repeal of Obamacare, John McCain, was in the spotlight when he showed up for the vote after recovering from surgery for a brain tumor. Following his surprise vote in opposition to the GOP motion, McCain was beset with his Republican colleagues as well as Vice-President Mike Pence to reconsider his decision.
At one point in the session that went past midnight, President Donald Trump himself called the 80-year-old political maverick. Ultimately McCain would not be swayed.
McCain cited that the “skinny repeal” being used by the Republican Party to against Obamacare was too partisan in conception like the legislation it was intended to replace. He thus wants the bill to be returned to the committee until a recommendation with bipartisan support can be agreed upon.
