Defeated GOP congressman blames McCain's Obamacare vote for Democrats' House takeover

[DonViejo]

By CAITLIN OPRYSKO 11/12/2018 09:32 AM EST

An outgoing Republican lawmaker on Sunday blamed former Sen. John McCain for the GOP's loss of the House majority in last week's elections, writing in The Wall Street Journal that it was McCain's decisive vote against legislation to repeal and replace Obamacare that led to a wave of Democratic midterm victories.

Rep. Jason Lewis, a Minnesota congressman who was unseated last Tuesday by Democrat Angie Craig, claimed in his Journal op-ed that McCain’s thumbs-down vote against a so-called skinny repeal of the Affordable Care Act “prompted a ‘green wave’ of liberal special-interest money” that he said allowed Democrats to hammer Republicans on the issue of pre-existing conditions.

Repeal and replace efforts began in 2017 in the House, which passed the American Health Care Act as replacement legislation for Obamacare. But amid tense negotiations, Republicans in the Senate instead put to a vote what they referred to as a "skinny" Obamacare repeal, which would have gutted controversial provisions of Obamacare like the individual mandate while maintaining other aspects of the law. McCain, along with Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), voted against the measure, sinking it.

Lewis wrote in his op-ed that the failed Senate vote allowed Democrats to campaign against Republicans with the claim that the GOP wanted to remove protections for those with pre-existing conditions, a keystone of many Democratic campaigns leading up to the midterms.

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https://www.politico.com/story/2018/11/12/mccain-republican-house-loss-983685

[manor321]

1. He's full of it

The Trump administration at this moment is trying to destroy protections for people with pre-existing conditions, with the explicit or tacit support of every Republican.

[Zambero]

2. If this happens to be correct...

then thank you John McCain. Actually I think pissed off loser Lewis is blowing this out his ass. The record speaks for itself. But what the heck, if he wants to believe it, let him.

[Vogon_Glory]

3. Too Pig-Blind To Recognize His Party's Good Fortune

The defeated congressman is too blind to see that McCain’s vote helped save the seats of many oh his re-elected Republican pals. Repeal of the ACA would have forced a lot of Republican voters to wise up and realize what their party was getting ready to do to them. Movement Conservatism survives because a lot of the Trump base is too self-blinded to read the fine print on what the Radical Right’s donors and pet politicians want to do to them.

[Eric J in MN]

4. Maybe Democrats defeating ACA repeal

...with McCain’s help kept up our morale and helped us to win back the House.

But the Republicans didn’t need to try to repeal the ACA, and Rep. Jason Lewis (R-MN) didn’t need to vote for that. Lewis probably would have kept his seat if he had voted No.

[USALiberal]

5. Makes no sense, it would make them want more right wing nuts. Nt

[sandensea]

6. Stay classy, Congressctitter Lewis

In any case if McCain could hear him, he'd no doubt have a big smile on his face right now.