'Unspinnably dumb': GOP strategist explains why Trumpcare 3.0 is an unprecedented political disaster

[DonViejo]

BRAD REED
02 MAY 2017 AT 10:26 ET

Republicans in Congress are once again trying to rally votes for their Obamacare replacement plan this week, but one longtime GOP strategist thinks they’d be better off not bothering.

In a tweet storm posted on Tuesday, Rick Wilson explained that the new bill’s provision allowing states to opt out of essential health benefits requirements will be a political nightmare for any Republican who votes in favor of it.

“Hop in the wayback machine with me for a moment to a series 2009 focus groups,” Wilson began. “We were prepping anti-Obamacare ads. In EVERY group and I mean EVERY group… Democrats, indys, hard Rs, soft Rs, rich, poor, black, white, urban, suburban… there was one argument that nuked everything else: And that was coverage for preexisting conditions.”

While noting that Obamacare had lots of other unpopular features — including the individual mandate to buy health insurance — Wilson said that he found no way to convince voters that denying health coverage to people with preexisting conditions was a good idea. All of which brings us back to the GOP’s latest health care plan.

“Now… the House GOP is trying to pass a bill that lets states end that coverage,” Wilson wrote. “Set aside policy. Set aside the economics. Think about the politics of it. They’re awful. They’re idiotic.”

more
http://www.rawstory.com/2017/05/unspinnably-dumb-gop-strategist-explains-why-trumpcare-3-0-is-an-unprecedented-political-disaster/

[underpants]

1. They had to get the Teabaggers on board

and they dumped the rest of their party to do it.

[brooklynite]

3. That doesn't make sense

For every Freedom Caucus member they picked up, they lost one or more Moderate Republicans.

[underpants]

5. That's what I meant.

[gratuitous]

2. But that's the trade-off, Rick Wilson

The individual mandate is what makes the requirement to cover pre-existing conditions work. Of course, if we just cut the insurance companies out of the basic health coverage business (anyone would be free to buy insurance that would guarantee jump-the-line access and cover high-end specialty clinics), and had a single payer system like practically every other civilized country, we wouldn't be debating the continued existence of our citizens in fragile health.

[Jim__]

4. Unspinnably dumb equals Donald Trump - n/t