How Democrats Won the Healthcare War

[DonViejo]

And how they could lose the next one.

By BILL SCHER July 20, 2017

The mover on health care loses,” Democratic operative James Carville said in January. “To do something is to lose.” That cold-hearted political proverb has been repeatedly proven true, if the standard is short-term electoral gain. In terms of policy, it’s another story. Now that Obamacare repeal has fizzled, Democrats have officially won the eight-year health care war.

The victory was not by default. Trump might look silly blaming Democrats for the failure of repeal and replace when Republicans control all branches of government, but united Democratic resistance was critical to keeping the Affordable Care Act as law. Without a single Democrat in Congress breaking ranks, the ideologically divided Republican caucus found it impossible to stitch together a majority for a functional alternative to the status quo.

But the euphoria of victory may quickly dissipate. Despite the fact that Obamacare was signed in this decade, many Democrats don’t appreciate the bill’s history and have not internalized the lessons of its passage and durability. Without a clear-eyed understanding of their own triumph, Democrats may hastily launch another health care war, repeat many of the Republican Party’s clumsy mistakes and prove Carville right all over again.

Many analysts will attribute the repeal bill’s demise to raw politics: be it Trump’s unpopularity, poor salesmanship by Republican leaders, incorrigible Republican backbenchers or Democrats cynically betting on gridlock. But the biggest reason why Democrats were able to unify was the substance of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. However imperfect, however unpopular, the law was built to last.

more
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/07/20/how-democrats-won-the-healthcare-war-215394?lo=ap_b1

[riversedge]

1. We have NOT won yet. Please keep calling Senators NOW!

[Proud Liberal Dem]

2. The war is not over

We won this battle but it won't be over until the Republicans either stop trying to "repeal and replace" ACA or they are removed from power via the 2018/2020 elections. And there's other nasty things they are already doing and/or can do to continue to damage ACA. We need to fight that as well.

[underpants]

3. Good article.