This Is NO Fight For The Short Winded: Avanti!

Here is a very special message from catholicvote.org: Ugh. Just after midnight this morning, Senator John McCain cast the decisive NO vote. A last ditch “skinny” bill to repeal portions of Obamacare (and defund Planned Parenthood for one year) failed to pass 51-49. Had McCain voted yes, Vice President Mike Pence was available to break a potential tie vote. Two other Republicans (Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins) also voted no. Recall that Murkowski and McCain BOTH voted for partial repeal in 2015. And don’t forget this campaign ad last year that boldly stated: “John McCain is leading the fight to stop Obamacare.” Apparently John McCain no longer approves that message. So what’s next? Republicans are in the hot seat. They promised again and again to repeal Obamacare. The House did their job. They’ve now tried several versions in the Senate. They tried the same repeal that they passed in 2015. They tried a modified repair and replace (BCRA). They also tried this skinny repeal. So far Republicans are batting .000 on health care. CV supported passage of this bill, hoping that the inevitable conference process with the House would produce a viable repeal and replace plan. Negotiations continue and it's still possible that Senate Republicans could propose a new bill that gets majority support. But failing that, Democrats are salivating at the prospect of entering negotiations this fall to bail out their insurance company cronies. What can we do? THE TRUTH: Republicans deserve most of the blame here. They’ve spent months haggling over how to repeal one of the worst laws in American history. People are suffering. Families want help. And Republicans have failed to deliver. But Democrats also deserve blame. Even vulnerable Democrats up for re-election next year in states won by Trump did NOTHING. They sat on their hands and played politics. They provided cover for Planned Parenthood. And they danced with glee last night when a very modest compromise effort was defeated. So come next year -- these puppets of Chuck Schumer need to be defeated. Imagine a Senate with 2, 3, or even 5 more senators dedicated to patient-centered health care reform, protecting religious liberty, and providing real school choice for Catholic families. Imagine if our entire agenda wasn't dependent on barely squeaking by with 1 or 2 votes. That's why 2018 is so important. McCain, Murkowski, and Collins dealt the decisive blow last night. But pro-abortion Catholic Democrats in swing states must also be exposed and sent into retirement. And unlike McCain and Co., they’re up for re-election next year. In fact, 10 Democrat Senators in states won by Trump are running for re-election next year. We need to understand this a long fight. And there’s plenty of time still left on the clock. We voted and we want results. And we won’t rest until we get it done.

Brian Burch, President Catholic Vote catholicvote.org