Before you say that Trumpcare is dead on arrival, remember that Republicans tend to march in lockstep once they’ve been given orders.
Therefore, this decomposing horse dragged from the falling down barn that is the GOP by Taskmasters Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell may just get up and walk again.
Common sense dictates the Trumpcare plan is dead. Others agree, although with a warning. Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo makes the point.
I would not underestimate the ability of GOP leaders to get their members to vote for basically anything in the crunch. Also remember that House Republicans have a 20+ vote cushion. But it’s worth reviewing what I believe are three key reasons why the current legislation looks to be on life support just a day after it was released.
Josh cites three factors that weigh against the bill’s passage: reality, something he calls “nonsense debt“, and President Trump.
At the end of the day, the consequences for Republicans if they can’t do anything are astonishingly large. I would not count them out. But it’s a tall order. And it’s not just passage. It’s surviving the consequences next year.
So don’t be surprised if that horse carcass gets up and shambles down from the Capitol to the White House to be signed and inflicted on the American people.