Opposition party gloats over GOP failure while Americans remain deeply concerned over inaction
By Edmund Kozak; LifeZette:
Fixing America’s failing health care system is one of the most pressing issues facing Congress, and millions of Americans remain deeply worried over the issue — but that didn’t stop Democrats from openly celebrating a partisan victory Monday.
Several leading Democrats reacted to news of the GOP’s third failure at repealing and replacing Obamacare with almost unrestrained glee.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said he was “delighted” that Republican efforts to fix Obamacare’s failures went down yet again.
“I am delighted to see that the disastrous Republican health care plan will not succeed,” he said in a statement. “This is a great victory for the millions of Americans who stood up and fought back against this dangerous legislation.”
“Today is a great day,” beamed Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe Tuesday morning on CNN.
“Let’s get together in a bipartisan way. This is a major policy initiative. Keep the politics out of it and let’s provide health care for all of our citizens so we can have a healthy work force,” McAuliffe said.
McAuliffe made little note of what Democrats have done to inject politics into the debate over the issue. Democrats have spent much of the past six months denouncing Republican efforts to save the nation’s health care system as indifferent to the sick and poor at best and — at worst — as outright murderous.
The Democratic victory lap will do little to alleviate the deep concern among many Americans for the future of their health care coverage.
A Gallup poll released last week showed 16 percent of Americans named health care as their top concern, second only to the 19 percent who said dissatisfaction with government was their top concern.
Health care has been a top concern for Americans since President Donald Trump took office.
A May Gallup poll revealed that 18 percent of Americans said health care was the nation’s most critical problem. A May Huffington Post-YouGov poll found 47 percent named health care as their top concern.
A University of Monmouth poll taken in February revealed that a full quarter — 25 percent — of Americans said that the spiraling health care costs wrought by Obamacare were their primary concern.
“I imagine many Democrats were celebrating last night,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on the Senate floor on Tuesday morning. “I hope they think about what they’re celebrating. Many Americans are hurting.”
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