Trump Meddling Leaves Ryan's Clout in Doubt After Health Fiasco

[DonViejo]

by Anna Edgerton

April 12, 2017, 5:00 AM EDT

Speaker was face of health-care bill until Trump stepped in

Republicans still making changes to bill and hoping for vote

Paul Ryan was the public face of Republican efforts to repeal Obamacare until two weeks ago. Then he went nearly silent.

The White House began demanding votes, driving a frenzied debate on amendments and negotiating late into the night with conservative holdouts -- all with Ryan mostly on the sidelines. That has GOP lawmakers wondering who’ll lead their next attempt at fulfilling a longstanding Republican campaign promise.

“I asked Speaker Ryan directly -- who’s in charge of the House? Is it President Trump or is it Speaker Ryan?" Representative Justin Amash of Michigan, a Freedom Caucus member, told a local radio station Tuesday.

The abrupt death of the repeal effort, its short-lived rebirth and then a pause for a two-week recess has left Republicans adrift -- unclear where their long-promised repeal effort stands, whether Ryan will reassert himself in the House and what President Donald Trump will demand of them next.

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https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-04-12/trump-meddling-leaves-ryan-s-clout-in-doubt-after-health-fiasco?cmpid%253D=socialflow-twitter-politics

[Eliot Rosewater]

1. ACA will be repealed and not replaced within 6 months.

This is my prediction.

All that matters to the GOP and their voters is making sure the black guy gets no credit.

GOP voters can be counted on to vote for candidates who take away their healthcare, believe it or not.

[Trekologer]

3. I'm not so sure about that

The pure repeal effort likely cannot pass due to moderate Republicans not wanting to be left vulnerable with no replacement plan in place. After yesterday's special election toon results, which was a 20-point swing, there are quite a few MoC's feeling their seats suddenly get warm.

I'm going to the town hall of one of those MoC's tonight... Let's see how much we can make him sweat.

[Eliot Rosewater]

4. Well, but wasnt it gonna pass recently but for the tparty saying it didnt kill enough of us?

so to speak


I hope you are right, but I never doubt their ability to do harm.

[Trekologer]

7. Two things happened since the bill was introduced

First CBO score. 24 million lose insurance and prices don't go down. They tried to discredit the CBO before it came out but no one was buying that and moderate Republicans started falling off. Incidentally, sucks for my rep, Leonard Lance, who voted for it in Energy and Commerce committee and was making the rounds on cable news shows defending the bill and the process. He was left with his pants down and you-know-what flapping in the breeze.

Second the Kansas special election. 20 percentage point swing in one of the reddest districts even after in-person campaigning by Ted Cruz and robocalls from Trump and Pence. If this environment continues, there will be a blood bath for Republicans in the midterms.

[Demsrule86]

6. You are wrong...the GOP are all about self preservation.

[Wellstone ruled]

2. Looks like Trump is

laying the stink bomb to finally do in Ryan. Nail your enemy ten times harder.

[Charles Bukowski]

5. Considering that the American Health Care Act was slightly

less popular than a vicious kick to the balls, wouldn't it be in Ryan's best interest to let Gump take over as the face of the bill?