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In the wee hours of Friday morning, the latest Republican crusade to repeal Obamacare ended in defeat, as John McCain joined GOP Senate colleagues Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins in casting no votes on a "skinny repeal" measure. With characteristic bluster, President Trump tweeted shortly after the vote, "3 Republicans and 48 Democrats let the American people down. As I said from the beginning, let ObamaCare implode, then deal. Watch!" In the end, the GOP promise to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act so far appears to have done nothing beyond generate scaryCBO reports and threatening presidential tweets, while further destabilizing the insurance markets.

In response to Republican attacks, Democrats circled around Obamacare, making it clear that repealing the ACA would result in catastrophe, with millions of Americans losing their insurance.

At the same time, more progressive voices see the Republican debacle as an opportunity for Democrats to push bolder policy ahead of the 2018 midterms. As he recentlyraced aroundthe country to combat the GOP effort, Bernie Sanders still the most popular politician in America stressed that the ultimate goal should be a single-payer system, where the government covers health care costs for all Americans. Fellow Sen. Elizabeth Warren has also advised Democratsto get behind the idea and run on single-payer in 2018.

And there are already candidates heeding that call. Randy Bryce a burly iron-worker with a thick mustache and the popular @IronStache Twitter account plans to unseat Paul Ryan by attacking the House Speaker's repeal-and-replace bill and pushing for Medicare for All. His campaign kicked off to an auspicious start when his first ad, on health care, went viral. He's not surprised it was so popular. "I see it as an intergenerational issue it's something that affects everybody," he tells Rolling Stone. "Everybody can agree that it's hard to do anything unless you are healthy."

Amy Vilela is primarying a progressive Nevada Democrat because he refused to sign on to a Medicare for All bill. A businesswoman by trade, Vilela never thought she'd run for political office. But losing a child changes you in ways you can't imagine, especially when you're sure she'd still be alive if America had a functional health care system. "A $1,000 test would have allowed doctors to diagnose her and save her life," Vilela says. "Your care in this country is solely determined by what kind of insurance you have."

In 2014, Vilela's 22-year-old daughter Shalynne went to the Centennial Hills Hospital Emergency room displaying classic symptoms of deep vein thrombosis, a blood clot in her leg. The family says hospital staff refused Shalynne's pleas for treatment because she told them she didn't have insurance, sending her away despite the 8-out-of-10 pain she reported. A few weeks later, the clot travelled to her lungs, causing a massive pulmonary embolism. The last thing she'd googled on her phone was "symptoms of a heart attack" so her mom thinks she spent her last moments panicked and in pain.

Vilela got to the hospital after her daughter had already lost consciousness; she remembers the lead smell of blood in the room as Shalynne sank into brain death. She made the unbearable decision to take her daughter off life support so her organs could help others. "She always talked about how much she respected organ donors," Vilela says.

At first, Vilela went crazy with grief and could barely get out of bed. Then she decided to fight to share Shalynne's story so people would understand that no one's safe in a profit-driven health care system. "Being a businesswoman in the finance field, I understand profit motive," she says. "My experience has made me understand more fully that there are things in this country that should not have profit in them." She used her daughter's story to lobby hard against the Republican effort to kill Obamacare, but after a heated exchange with freshman Rep. Ruben Kihuen she decided that she and the Democratic Party needed to do more and demand Medicare for All.

"They had to pull me away from her casket because I was screaming and crying, and I knew that was the last moment that I was going to touch my daughter forever," Vilela told Kihuen during the town hall. Kihuen nodded empathetically. But when she asked why he hadn't put his name on HR 676, the Medicare for All bill, Kihuen countered that his priority is defending the Affordable Care Act against Republican attacks. Amy pointed out that the ACA didn't save her daughter.

It was a tough decision, she says, but she decided to primary Kihuen because she believes universal health care is a more realistic goal than many elected officials seem to realize. "We have more power than we assume. We can come together as a people and help create the transformation needed to achieve Medicare for All. We don't have time to waste," she says.

Kihuan supports health care as a human right, but the idea that Medicare for All is an absurd leftist impossibility continues to permeate the discourse around health care reform. Exhibiting a suspicious amount of concern for the Democratic Party's future, the right-wing National Review argued that if Democrats embraced single-payer, they'd be in danger of following the "Bernie Sanders wing of their party off the proverbial cliff." In another strange twist in the final hours of Republicans' repeal-and-replace effort last week, GOP lawmakers goaded Democratswith a sham proposal for single-payer.

But 33 percent of Americans support single-payer, a five percent increase since January, according to a Pew poll published in June. That number might suggest many aren't sure what single-payer means, since the same survey showed 60 percent of Americans think the federal government should provide health care coverage to all Americans. Even the Harvard Business Review, hardly a bastion of leftism, has argued that America might be ready for a single-payer system.

Like many Americans, Paul Ryan's challenger, Randy Bryce, worries about health insurance, which is why he thinks it's a winning issue against the House speaker, who appears singularly devoted to taking away health coverage from people.

Bryce is in a union, which means he can afford insurance for his young son but he only has enough money for expenses if he works enough hours. In the winter, that can be difficult.

"I'm concerned about my son," Bryce says. "Let's say he goes sledding. What if he runs into a tree and gets hurt? Am I going to have to skip other bills to pay for his medicine?"

A cancer survivor, Bryce didn't have insurance when he battled his disease. He was lucky enough to get help at a local medical college. "I was like a guinea pig!" he jokes.

Bryce's mother, who has multiple sclerosis (and who starred in his viral campaign ad), has insurance because her husband was a cop. What if she'd gotten an incurable disease without insurance, he wonders?

Since the launch of his campaign, Bryce says he's gotten heart-warming letters from older women like his mother thanking him for running against Ryan. "You gotta get rid of this guy, he's trying to take away our health care," he says they write as they send in their donations, which tend to be around $5. It's not a lot of money, but it means a lot to him. "I get so much energy being committed to getting rid of Paul Ryan," he says. "Because, we're not 'losing' health care they're actively trying to take it away from us."

Bryce served in the U.S. Army in Honduras, so he's seen what a banana republic looks like. He says America is heading in that direction, and he wants to stop it by fighting what he calls "banana Republicans" like Ryan. In a move that might signal concern from Ryan's team, they're targeting Bryce as a "liberal agitator." But he's more than happy to take on that label. "It takes agitation to get the dirt out," he says. "I'm part of the agitate, educate, organize model."

As for whether his position on health appears too extreme in the current climate, Bryce says,"If they consider it 'too far left' for people to have the ability to see a doctor, then that's more of a problem with where they're coming from than with my position."

Bryce also wonders why Ryan hasn't shown his face in a traditional town hall in nearly two years."It's not that he doesn't have time. He's traveling all around the country going to these fundraisers. People are upset about that," Bryce says. "Meanwhile, he's trying to take away health care. I don't know whose 'House' he claims to be speaking for, but it's not my house.

"He's gone the opposite direction of what we need," he says. "He doesn't care about us."

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Meet the Democrats Running on Single-Payer Health Care - RollingStone.com

Outnumbered but emboldened, progressive Democrats who watched Republicans fail to unwind the Affordable Care Act are thinking harder about passing major expansions of health-care coverage. For many younger activists and legislators, the push to undo the ACA with just 51 Senate votes is less a cautionary tale than a model of how to bring about universal coverage.

The ambitious idea, discussed on the congressional backbenches and among activists, is not embraced by Democratic leaders. In the hours after the repeal push stalled, Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) suggested that Republicans sit down and trade ideas with Democrats. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) suggested that Republicans fully fund subsidies for current ACA exchange plans money that President Trump frequently threatens to cut off.

But for many younger Democrats and activists, the Republicans near miss on repeal demonstrated boldness from which a future left-wing majority could learn. Democrats passed the ACA through regular order, with a fleeting, fractious Senate supermajority. Republicans proved that major health-care policy changes can be pushed nearly to the finish line in the reconciliation process, with just 50 supportive senators and a vice president ready to break a tie.

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), a freshman who favors universal Medicare coverage, said that Republicans have rewritten the playbook. When we do have a Democratic president, and when we do have a Democratic majority, Id support getting this through with 51 votes in the Senate, said Khanna of a universal coverage, single-payer plan. That will diminish the role of lobbyists and special interests in trying to get a few senators to block something that everyone in this country will want.

Democrats who endured previous efforts to expand health insurance had rarely considered a reconciliation strategy. In 2009, the Obama administration and Democrats in the House and Senate included veterans of the failed 1993-1994 health-care push, who remembered the insurance industrys effectiveness in sinking their bills.

(Bastien Inzaurralde/The Washington Post)

The 2009 approach brought insurers on board; it adopted the mandate for individuals to obtain health insurance, an idea cooked up in conservative policy circles, and went into affect slowly to avoid piling up costs.

How much time and effort did they spend in trying to make the ACA bipartisan? asked Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), a rising Democratic star elected in 2014. Its never going to happen. Our bills shouldnt be about getting the most amount of Republicans on board; they should be about insuring the biggest number of people.

When Democrats lost control of the House in 2010, it taught party activists that there was little to gain from compromise. This year, the ACA policy that proved most intractable was not the mandate a skinny bill to repeal it got 49 Senate votes but instead the expansion of Medicaid, which up to nine Republican senators refused to roll back.

To progressives, this was proof that theyd been right to demand more in 2009 from a public option to a Medicare buy-in for younger people to single-payer health care itself. Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, recalled that Democrats had ridiculed the professional left for supporting a public option in reconciliation. In conversations since the start of the repeal debate, theyve come to agree with him.

In 2009, what we consistently got from Democratic senators was: Hey, reconciliation was a procedural can of worms. We dont want to go there, Green said. Republicans have made very clear that you can go there and push your ideas into law. But our ideas will be more popular. Its pretty clear that the center of gravity has shifted.

This week, as the Senate debated then waylaid the repeal bills, the PCCC held all-day training sessions for 2018 Democratic candidates in a hotel near the Capitol. Many swing-district hopefuls said they either embraced single-payer health care or described it as an obvious goal to work toward.

The image I have in my head is that everyone who wants to see a doctor can see one, without going to the ER or going bankrupt, said Rick Neal, an international aid worker who was exploring a run against Rep. Steve Stivers (R-Ohio). Health care doesnt fit in this free-market fantasy that people have, because people will do anything to see a doctor. The high premiums were seeing right now are an indication of market failure.

Andy Kim, a former National Security Council staffer running against Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-N.J.), described the ideal process for passing a bill in now-common progressive terms starting with what voters want, not what might win over Republicans.

The way you start something thats bipartisan is by starting with the American people, he said. Bipartisanship starts with them.

Democrats have not yet formed a consensus on how to approach health care again. On Thursday, as the repeal effort headed for the cliff, Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) needled Democratic senators 10 of whom face reelection next year in states Trump won by introducing the text of a single-payer bill sponsored by Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.). For the first time, most House Democrats have co-sponsored Conyerss bill; 43 members of the Senate minority, including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), voted present, while five voted no on the Daines amendment.

Sanders did so because he intends barring yet another jolt of life in the repeal campaign to release a Medicare for All bill before the Senates August recess. The bill will be designed to reframe single-payer, which enjoys tentative support in public polls, as cost-effective and sensible.

If Sanderss bill gets a favorable Congressional Budget Office score, it would become a starting point for Democrats in future health-care debates. Even some progressive Democrats worry about the story getting ahead of the storytellers.

The reconciliation rules may allow you to squeeze through something, but it doesnt allow you to do lawmaking the way its supposed to be done, said Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), who was endorsed by the PCCC. When it comes to repeal, reconciliation is the tool that theyve used; theres every reason to think wed use reconciliation to undo it. But its not a path we should go down with enthusiasm.

Rep. John Yarmuth (D-Ky.), who would chair the House Budget Committee if Democrats won control of Congress, was similarly cautious about reconciliation. In an interview with The Washington Post and the New York Times, taped for C-SPANs Newsmakers, Yarmuth said that he supports universal Medicare and could see it becoming law in five to 10 years, as employers realized that they would gain flexibility if they were taxed slightly higher but could save on insurance costs. But he would not copy the process Republicans had tried to use for repeal.

Its not good for the country, whether youre Democrat or Republican, when you pass a bill with only partisan votes, Yarmuth said.

Conyers, meanwhile, was trying to make universal health insurance the partys default position. On Friday, as most House members left town for their recess, Conyers joined Khanna at an event to launch a pledge for 2018 Democrats. Raising his right hand, the Capitol peering over his shoulder, Conyers said he would stand up for Medicare for All.

Were seeing a crumbling of the Republican legislative program, Conyers said. We may not be in the minority much longer.

Read more at PowerPost

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In GOP's repeal failure, Democrats find a potential game plan - Washington Post

Troy Price is combining realism with optimism as he assumes leadership of the Iowa Democratic Party.

Price was elected July 22 as chairman of the Iowa Democratic Party. He arrives on the job later than usual he is replacing Derek Eadon, who was elected in January but was forced to step aside due to health reasons.

The Iowa Democratic Partys leader, whomever it was going to be, was to face a daunting task regardless of starting date. Iowa Democrats are trying to rebound after consecutive disastrous elections in 2014 and 2016.

Price gets the additional hurdle of starting on the job a half-year later than usual.

I visited with Price last week, and during a 25-minute interview he was realistic about the challenges he faces but also optimistic about the opportunity Democrats have in the 2018 election.

Theres a lot to get done. I would say that our party infrastructure is not where it needs to be right now, Price said, adding later, The timing piece of it is a challenge. Theres no question about that. Were jumping in in the middle of this thing.

But Ill say this: Im confident we can get this work done because Ive seen how hard our activists are working out there. Ive seen how hard our party is working, Price said. Ive seen all this great energy and activism out there. Weve got a lot of people who want to get to work.

Price does not come into the job blind. He is a former executive director of the state party.

He said his first two tasks in the state party job were to strengthen the party infrastructure and to develop a message the party can offer to voters in 2018.

The latter will be important as Democrats try to learn from their 2016 losses. One common criticism, from within the party and out, is Democrats did not have a message that resonated with voters.

The message of the party is fractured and has been over the last few cycles, Price said. We have focused way too much on specific tactics or specific issue messages, not necessarily focusing on the overall message: Why it is that people should vote for the Democratic Party? Why it is that we deserve to be in government?

People dont believe that we have their back. We have to do a better job of that, and we have to go out there and develop this message that says were going to fight for you, we have always fought for you, and we will be there to fight for you in government. So give us a chance to do that.

Iowa Democratic candidates in 2018 will use the 2017 legislative session as a rallying cry against Republicans. The GOP-led Legislature and governor approved conservative legislation on public employee collective bargaining, workers compensation laws, voter ID requirements and funding for prenatal health care provider Planned Parenthood, among other things.

But Price said Democrats must avoid focusing too much on railing against their opponents without offering their own vision.

That remains a frequent criticism of Hillary Clintons unsuccessful 2016 presidential campaign: The Clinton campaign focused too much on trying to tell voters why they felt Republican candidate Donald Trump was a bad choice.

We have to give them a reason to vote, Price said. Its easy for us just to fall into the trap of, Were not as bad as those guys, so give us a chance. Well, that is not a winning message. We need to give people a reason to believe in what the Democratic Party stands for and that were going to have their back.

The 2018 election is critical for Iowa Democrats. It is their next opportunity to reverse the tide that has swept them in the past two elections. And with a victory in the race for governor or, less likely, enough victories in the Iowa House or Senate races they can limit Republicans full control of the state lawmaking agenda to just two years.

It is a big challenge for the party, and a big challenge for Price. I asked him why he ran for state party chairman, why he wanted to face that challenge. I reminded him hes been around long enough he knew well what he was getting into, and asked why he did.

He chuckled and paused briefly.

I got into this because I believe in this party and I believe in the future of our party, he said. I have been very frustrated with where our party has ended up in recent years. Ive seen it from both sides, both as executive director of the party and also working for candidates and also ... from the nonprofit, progressive side.

So Ive seen the challenges that this party faces. And Ive watched as the party has faced even greater challenges as the years have gone by in recent years. I want to do my part to help reverse that tide and to help grow the party in the way it needs to go.

Erin Murphy covers Iowa politics and government for Lee Enterprises. Email him atis erin.murphy@lee.net

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Democrats' new leader braces for challenges - Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier

USA TODAY

Democrats see chance to win back working class whites Sacramento Bee New internal Democratic data shows the party's House candidates can win back the white working-class voters who strongly supported President Donald Trump last year. But they have a lot of work ahead of them. House Majority PAC, a super PAC allied with ... Analysis: Can a president at war with both Republicans and Democrats govern?USA TODAY Letters: Democrats are the party of nothingOCRegister Letters: What do the Democrats stand for?Press-Enterprise Newsweek -OZY -KWQC-TV6 all 113 news articles »

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Democrats see chance to win back working class whites - Sacramento Bee

At the age of 70 years old, Donald Trump became the oldest person to enter the presidency following his election. But some are focusing on House Democrats being too old to lead.

During her appearance on Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace, Wallace asked House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi if shes frankly, too old, to lead, mentioning Democratic House members who have said Democrats need new leaders with new ideas.

I am a master legislator, Pelosi bragged. I feel very confident about the support I have in my caucus.

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U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks about his proposed U.S. government effort against the street gang Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, to a gathering of federal, state and local law enforcement officials in Brentwood, New York, U.S. July 28, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

The show featured a graphic showing the ages of Democratic House leaders. Pelosi is 77, while House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer is 78 and Assistant Democratic Leader Jim Clyburn is 77.

Wallace mentioned Democratic losses in four special elections in solidly-Republican districts.

Some of your own Democratic colleagues in the House have said part of the problem is you and you leadership team are frankly, too old. And the question I have is, do Democrats need new leaders with new ideas? he asked.

Some younger Democrats have been calling for changes on the leadership team, especially following the Democrats loss in a highly-publicized Georgia special election.

This is certainly something that we have to discuss because it's clear that, I think, across the board in the Democratic Party we need new leadership, Massachusetts Congressman Seth Moulton said. It's time for a new generation of leadership in the party.

Trump famously said his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, who was 69 on election day, doesnt have the stamina to be president. Clinton and Trumps 2016 campaign featured the oldest combination of the two major-party nominees. Neither candidate provided much information about their health as Trump allies pushed unfounded theories that Clinton was ill.

The president is known for his affinity for Diet Coke and junk food, but did run a fast-paced campaign with a grueling travel schedule. A letter from his personal physician, Harold Bornstein, was widely criticized after Bornstein declared unequivocally that Trump would be the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency.

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Fox News Says Democrats Are Too Old, But Trump Is Oldest President To Enter White House - Newsweek