Republicans risk midterm meltdown

[DonViejo]

Officials in D.C. and the states admit they’re growing increasingly concerned about falling into familiar political traps.

By GABRIEL DEBENEDETTI 03/15/17 05:16 AM EDT

The party in power has twice attempted to overhaul health care in the past quarter-century. And both times it ended up with politically catastrophic results. Now, the GOP attempt to replace Obamacare is shaping up to be the defining issue of the 2018 midterm elections — one big enough to rattle the foundations of Donald Trump-era Washington and beyond.

The GOP-controlled House and Senate aren’t all that’s at stake if the president and congressional leaders can’t deliver, nor sell the American public on the new plan. If the 1994 and 2010 midterm elections are any guide, the blast radius of failure could also reach deep into the statehouses.

Bill Clinton’s lead strategist James Carville — who saw the 1993-94 health care battle up close — framed the impending peril for the GOP as inevitable at a private Florida Democratic donor conference in January. “The mover on health care loses,” he said. “To do something is to lose.”

That conclusion was drawn from bitter experience. The ultimately unsuccessful fight Clinton undertook early in his first term contributed to a 1994 scorching that cost Democrats both chambers of Congress, handing the House to Republicans for the first time in nearly a half-century. And the shockwaves rippled well beyond the Beltway: in 1994, Democrats went from control of 29 governors mansions to 19 and lost more than 15 state legislative chambers.

Sixteen years later, passage of Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act led to similarly disastrous results for Democrats — losses from which the party has yet to recover. In addition to losing the House in 2010, Democrats were forced to watch their 26-24 edge in governorships turn into a 29-20 Republican majority. And Republicans gained nearly 700 seats in state legislatures across the nation.

more
http://www.politico.com/story/2017/03/obamacare-repeal-midterm-elections-236067

[Me.]

1. Baron Hill Is Quite Correct

The health care issue wasn't the only reason he lost his election

[elleng]

2. 'shaping up to be the defining issue of the 2018 midterm elections

— one big enough to rattle the foundations of Donald Trump-era Washington and beyond' if we're lucky, and Democrats take advantage of it.

[Chevy]

3. Vote check may have something to say about that

Close to a million voters removed from the rolls in 3 states alone and the sycophantic followers of the Orange one may be a steep hill to remove those jack booters.

[aquamarina]

4. As much as I would love this to be the case

my faith in clean elections is at an all time low. Add to that all the gerrymandered districts, fake news, Russian hacking and the lack of any inspiring new Democratic candidates, I don't see it. Even with all the negative crap thrown at HC, it still befuddles me that 63mm people actually thought the Orange Menace, with his track record of cons and lies was in ANY WAY competent to run our ship of state. I still can't quite get over it.