Paul Ryan may be the biggest loser in the Trump health care fiasco

In what reads almost like a political obituary, today's New York Times says House Majority Leader Paul Ryan has been badly damaged by his failure to pass a bill widely-regarded as fatally flawed. The article recalls two days in January when the Republicans celebrated their clean sweep victory, giving them the reins of government and a clear path to their most cherished objective.

That path would lead directly to the repeal and replacement of Obamacare.

Short-lived victory

There was President Trump exulting in the glow of an anticipated victory. The president anointed Paul Ryan as the man who would write the bill that he would sign. In addition, Paul Ryan would bring along the GOP House to finally accomplish what they had seven times failed to do, present US Senate with a bill its GOP majority would be willing to consider.

Ryan and Trump embraced a losing bill

What is amazing in retrospect is the shared ignorance of how flawed the Trumpcare legislation was. All it took was making the bill public to create a massive wall of opposition from the very places that would be necessary to even consider passing such a massive alteration of Obamacare.

The American Medical Association and the US Chamber of Commerce were quick to pounce, along with AARP and the bulk of reputable health organizations.

Doomed euphoria

You do not consign 24 million to the ranks of those with no medical insurance. You do not present a bill that you will not show to the Congressional Budget Office. The legislation was KOed by a one-two punch in the first round. The only possible explanation for Republicans' blindness may be the power of that January GOP euphoria. By now it has most assuredly worn off.

Worse than W?

Today, also, columnist Maureen Dowd unloaded on Trump and blamed him for the health care failure. But according to the Times piece on Ryan, the current status of the Trump-Ryan relationship is one of mutual support, Ryan called Trump fantastic.

Trump said Ryan worked "very, very hard." That sounds temporary. With Dowd's verdict that Trump is worse than W hanging over him and Breitbart now calling for Ryan's demise, the majority leader may join the ranks of those who have been close to Donald Trump and barely lived to regret it.