Republicans in Congress are once again trying to rally votes for their Obamacare replacement plan this week, but one longtime GOP strategist thinks they'd be better off not bothering.
In a tweet storm posted on Tuesday, Rick Wilson explained that the new bill's provision allowing states to opt out of essential health benefits requirements will be a political nightmare for any Republican who votes in favor of it.
"Hop in the wayback machine with me for a moment to a series 2009 focus groups," Wilson began. "We were prepping anti-Obamacare ads. In EVERY group and I mean EVERY group... Democrats, indys, hard Rs, soft Rs, rich, poor, black, white, urban, suburban... there was one argument that nuked everything else: And that was coverage for preexisting conditions."
While noting that Obamacare had lots of other unpopular features -- including the individual mandate to buy health insurance -- Wilson said that he found no way to convince voters that denying health coverage to people with preexisting conditions was a good idea.
All of which brings us back to the GOP's latest health care plan.
"Now... the House GOP is trying to pass a bill that lets states end that coverage," Wilson wrote. "Set aside policy. Set aside the economics. Think about the politics of it. They're awful. They're idiotic."
He concluded his tweet storm by noting the latest incarnation of Trumpcare is "too gutless for the Freedom Caucus and too heartless for the rest of the House," thus making any attempts to pass it "unspinnably dumb."
Read the whole tweet storm below.
2/ I've told you about this before but it bears repeating. We were prepping anti-Obamacare ads. In EVERY group and I mean EVERY group...— Rick Wilson (@Rick Wilson) 1493729385.0
4/ ...and that was coverage for pre-existing conditions. It didn't matter where you were coming from on the battle...it was the killer app.— Rick Wilson (@Rick Wilson) 1493729518.0
6/ Now salve Trump's ego over losing Trumpcare the first time, the House GOP is trying to pass a bill that let's states end that coverage.— Rick Wilson (@Rick Wilson) 1493729711.0
8/ Members vote for a bill that the Senate will NEVER pass. A Senate source tells me they now have MAYBE 25 Rs (and shrinking).— Rick Wilson (@Rick Wilson) 1493729836.0
10/ Finding a way to reduce premiums deductibles instead of doing the ONE thing that voters fucking hate might be smart, but what do I know?— Rick Wilson (@Rick Wilson) 1493730135.0
12/ Then: "We're totes against Obama's crony capitalist giveaways in ACA." Now: "Except for insurance, pharma, and the hospital chains."— Rick Wilson (@Rick Wilson) 1493730371.0
