Democrats have been known to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in the past, but they now have a golden opportunity to ride a Trump error to a positive electoral result in 2018. It has perils and nothing in politics is certain. But consider that as many as 150 GOP members of today's House of Representatives may have to explain their willingness to consider and even vote for Trumpcare.
Hiding behind inaction
The outlook is not precise because by pulling the vote Paul Ryan spared his colleagues the stigma of having their position made definite.
If the rest of the Trump agenda has as hard a time as Trumpcare did, the possibilities for the Democrats on the 2018 elections will improve even more.
What would a Democratic House majority do?
If the Democrats should gain the upper hand the power of the Freedom Caucus would not reach far enough to prevent bills from passing. The friction within the GOP would likely continue. And with a Senate majority, which might also be likely, there would be at least the chance that Trump would have to compromise to accomplish anything. It is a sign of the situation we are in that we can never from day to day know whether Trump will be around.
Limits of speculation
Returning to now, the prospect is, as the New York Times suggests, to block Trump as he seeks to recover from the massive humiliation of having floated a health bill that was a joke.
Up and coming, apparently, is another Trump move that is almost as hard to pull off as the repeal and replacement of Obamacare. That would be tax reform, which one observer told the Times compares to mountain climbing of the sort Mr. Trump would not likely embrace. The Democrats will welcome a chance to fight against further wealth for the one percent.
Democrats, Buoyed by G.O.P. Health Defeat, See No Need to Offer Hand https://t.co/1aNaeG8Oe7
— Stephen C. Rose (@stephencrose) March 27, 2017
GOP united in support for the wealthy
On the other side, the GOP is not likely to be as divided on taxes as they were on health. It may be harder for the Democrats to prevent further erosion of the safety net and other threats to well-being. The general view is that Trump should have started with infrastructure, something for which there is bipartisan support. But that would be reasonable, and reason is in short supply.
