Mediaboss Marketing

Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff

Cia Gillis cheered with the crowd during a health care rally at City Hall in Cambridge.

CAMBRIDGE Organizers of a rally for affordable health care Saturday urged a crowd of about 100 people to get on their cellphones and personally thank three Republicans credited with blocking the laws repeal.

On Friday, the Affordable Care Act survived a tight vote on its repeal Friday, thanks to three Republicans Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and John McCain of Arizona who joined with Democrats in opposing the move.

Advertisement

Organizers of the rally passed out fliers with the phone numbers of Republican senators Murkowski, McCain, and Collins, along with Massachusetts senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey.

I thanked them with all my heart, said Gail Shluman, 70, of Cambridge. Its really inspiring to have these Republicans stand up and defy their party.

Get Fast Forward in your inbox:

Forget yesterday's news. Get what you need today in this early-morning email.

The Enough is Enough Healthcare Rally was organized by Cambridge Area Stronger Together, a group of local activists.

We believe that we need to fight for civil rights, social justice, and human rights, Victoria McGroary, an organizer with Cambridge Area Stronger Together, told the crowd. And we believe health care is a human right.

The Cambridge rally was part of a series of protests being coordinated across the country by Our Lives on the Line, which said on its website that rallies are being held Saturday in more than 40 states, including Massachusetts and the District of Columbia.

Advertisement

In Massachusetts, rallies were scheduled in Beverly, Northampton, Orleans, Plymouth, Sharon, Topsfield, Vineyard Haven, and Woburn.

The rallies come a day after a Senate vote rejected a bid by Republican leaders to strike down parts of the Affordable Care Act, which became law in 2010.

Among those at Cambridges rally who offered personal stories was Adam Smith, 35, of Sherborn, whose wife, Elisa Sutherland, is battling multiple sclerosis.

The couple, now both 35, began facing medical issues while living in Portland, Ore., in 2011, when Sutherland was misdiagnosed by a doctor after reporting numbness in her leg. Neither had insurance, and Sutherlands weeklong stay in the hospital cost about $40,000, said Smith. The financial hit was so severe that the couple later declared bankruptcy.

Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff

Kate Hermann-Wu and her spouse Ailsa held a sign while listening to a speaker during the rally.

In 2011, when they moved to the Boston area so Smith could attend a doctorate program at Brandeis University, Sutherlands condition was correctly identified. By then, both had insurance.

It was a huge emotional toll, said Smith, who recently completed a doctorate program in politics at Brandeis.

The Cambridge rally had the support of some local leaders, including Cambridge Mayor Denise Simmons, who told the crowd that the rally was about the cause of equity and that services like health care and education should not be reserved for the wealthy.

We the people, not just a few, are going to have a country that takes care of all of its citizens, Simmons told the crowd.

Mickey Jay Thomas, a local disability activist, last month was part of a demonstration by disability advocates who traveled to Washington to speak out against a health care law repeal.

More than 40 protesters were arrested by police outside of the office of Republican Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Senate majority leader, the Washington Post reported.

Disabled advocates have been one of the many reasons why this has been successful. They would rather go to jail than die without Medicaid, Thomas told the crowd.

Dr. Umbereen Nehal, the state director of Doctors for America, told the crowd she was motivated to join the health care fight because of to a 3-year-old she diagnosed with leukemia in the years before the Affordable Care Act. She thought the hardest part would be telling the childs father about the cancer.

It wasnt.

The first question that father asked me was, How will I afford this? said Nehal. And that absolutely broke my heart.

Nehal said the country should work to ensure every American has access to medical care.

We should have a sensible system that plans to prevent crisis and allows people to stay healthy. And thats what we have to fight for, she said.

Read more here:
Crowd at health care rally urged to thank Republicans who voted against repeal - The Boston Globe

CBS News

Party in peril? Republicans reel after Obamacare failure The News Tribune Republicans have controlled this town for seven months. They have virtually nothing to show for it. Returning home this week to face voters for the first time since the party failed to get an Obamacare repeal through a Senate where it had a majority ... Republicans brace for political fallout after "epic fail" on health careCBS News Trump marks new Kelly era with sharp attack on RepublicansPolitico Republicans' failure to 'repeal and replace' Obamacare may cost them at the ballot boxWashington Post New York Times -Slate Magazine all 9,351 news articles »

The rest is here:
Party in peril? Republicans reel after Obamacare failure - The News Tribune

Donald Trump's schedule was fully cleared for the weekend, with no scheduled public appearances or high-profile talks with international leaders on the calendar for Saturday or Sunday, giving the president all the time in the world to do his favorite thing: tweet.

Trump kicked off Saturday Twitter by quoting a tweet from Fox News and suggesting Russia was working to diminish his 2016 presidential campaign, instead of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton'sas the U.S. intelligence community has found during an ongoing probe into the Kremlins interference in last years election.

"Russia was against Trump in the 2016 Election,"he wrote. "Why not, I want strong military & low oil prices. Witch Hunt!"

Daily Emails and Alerts - Get the best of Newsweek delivered to your inbox

President Donald Trump holding a joint news conference with Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri in the Rose Garden at the White House July 25, 2017 in Washington, DC. Chip Somodevilla, Getty

Then things suddenly got personal between the president and his party.

First, Trump had a demand for the party: change current Senate practices requiring 60 votes to pass legislation. "Republicans in the Senate will NEVER win if they don't go to a 51 vote majority NOW,"Trump wrote. "They look like fools and are just wasting time"

He then dug in at conservatives on Capitol Hill for decrying former President Barack Obamas landmark healthcare legislation, the Affordable Care Act, and failing to remove it from law when given the opportunity.

"Many great Republican bills will never pass, like Kate's Law and complete Healthcare. Get smart!" Trump wrote. "After seven years of talking' Repeal & Replace, the people of our great country are still being forced to live with imploding ObamaCare!"

Trumps attacks on his own party, vented through his favorite social media platform instead of directly to his colleagues in the Republican-held houses, were nothing short of scathing. His tweets followed Fridays news Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, a Republican insider and favorite among conservatives in Washington, was forced out by Trumps Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, a conservative outsider with zero political experience.

The inroads Trump made to the Republican Party may quickly be eroding as the president attempts to direct politics via Twitter rather than actual governance. The GOP has been unable to pass any major legislation after six months of controlling the entire federal government.

Related: Here's How Donald Trump Could Actually Be Impeached

Meanwhile, Republican senators defecting from party line agenda itemsas three did this week when an Obamacare repeal was killed in the late hours of Wednesday nightwill only continue if the president cant keep a hold of his base.

Recent polls show Trump is slowly losing ground amongthe white, Republican-registered voters who largely voted him into office in last years election, after failing to maintain many of the campaign promises that floated his presidency.

With just 35.1 percent of those polled in a Reuters survey published Thursday approving of Trumps job performance, Republicans expressed disapproval more than ever before.

Trumps support from Republicans plunged six points in nine days amid the failed health care battle, declining to 73.9 percent July 24 from 79.9 percent on July 15.

The new low among Trumps own party, paired with his sharp words and further distancing from Republicans on Twitter, may only spell more trouble for his presidency down the road.

See original here:
Trump Attacks Republicans As 'Fools' While Support Among Base Drops - Newsweek

Senate Republicans came out 20 hours of debate with a stunning failure in their efforts to overhaul the US healthcare system, leaving President Donald Trump's agenda in tatters and the party with few clear options moving forward on healthcare.

From Tuesday to early Friday morning, the Senate voted on four new plans to repeal and/or replace the Affordable Care Act (three serious, one not-so-serious). All four were unsuccessful, including Friday morning's dramatic 2:00 a.m. vote that failed when Sen. John McCain cast his ballot against the measure.

RELATED: Lawmakers, politicians react to Republicans pulling health care bill

16 PHOTOS

Lawmakers, politicians react to Republicans pulling health care bill

See Gallery

Today was a victory for all Americans. https://t.co/LX6lzQXtBR

I want to thank @POTUS, @VP, @SecPriceMD, & @HouseGOP members. There remains so much we can do to help improve peop https://t.co/KIF3gh2VpQ

Today is a great victory but we have a lot more work to do. We are going to go forward and guarantee health care to https://t.co/3gnwfY94Lq

My statement on the #AHCA https://t.co/XhWEOh1cP4

Ultimately the #Trumpcare bill failed because of two traits that have plagued the Trump presidency: incompetence & broken promises.

#TrumpCare was about spite. It was brought up because they loved the optics of a vote on ACA's 7th annv -- not because it was a good idea.

I applaud House conservatives for keeping their word to the American people. I look forward to passing full repeal https://t.co/ftyj6sCw0v

.@HouseGOP I hope this means you're finally ready to get serious and work with us to improve the Affordable Care Ac https://t.co/r78FqnGiVr

I remain wholeheartedly committed to keeping the promise I made to my NC-11 constituents--to fully repealing and re https://t.co/o02kApIzQq

This is why we fight. When we get out there & fight, we can make a real difference.

Can't throw @POTUS under the bus. He is the BUS. My fellow republicans are figuring that out.

Hey Republicans, don't worry, that burn is covered under the Affordable Care Act

Art of the Squeal: I blame Democrats for a bill Republicans couldn't pass. I blame Obama. I blame Australian Prime https://t.co/fgtocQM5Bx

.@realDonaldTrump, @SpeakerRyan: we're not tired of winning yet. Ready when you are to talk real solutions to fix A https://t.co/QLU1WJA7S8

Here's my statement on the cancellation of the House vote on the American Health Care Act: https://t.co/nbDhvshFKU

HIDE CAPTION

SHOW CAPTION

The failure left Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell with no clear path forward. The Senate has been grappling for weeks with healthcare overhaul, running through different versions of legislation before settling on the more modest attempt with the aim of moving to a conference with the House of Representatives.

Even so, it's not the end of the road for the healthcare debate.

"This isn't the end for Repeal and Replace," Cowen analyst Rick Weissenstein said on Friday. "After seven years of railing against the ACA, GOP lawmakers can't just abandon the quest."

Of the three, the Trump administration's actions could inflict the most immediate damage on the ACA, Cynthia Cox, associate director at the Kaiser Family Foundation, told Business Insider. That could be through a decision to stop funding cost-sharing-reduction payments, which help offset costs for insurers, not enforcing the individual mandate, or not doing outreach to inform Americans about their health insurance options.

Going forward, the plan to repeal and replace the ACA might be less about sweeping changes and more about incremental tweaks.

"While it is hard to see a path forward for a comprehensive bill, the GOP is likely to try to attach discrete provisions aimed at defunding parts of the bill or unwinding some of the ACA's insurance or benefit mandates are likely," Weissenstein said.

And there's a chance that Medicaid is safe from huge cuts. Both the House and the Senate bill would have made drastic cuts to Medicaid, the government program that covers 74 million low-income Americans. Even the "skinny" bill that was the Senate's final vote on Friday morning didn't make any major changes to Medicaid. The changes to Medicaid were the sticking point for many Republican senators who had concerns about the bill going into the vote.

But, Cox said, the fact that Medicaid cuts were in both plans suggests that there will continue to be a desire to change the program. One Medicaid program in particular, the Children's Health Insurance Program, is coming up for a reauthorization vote in September, which could leave some room for Republicans to make some changes.

NOW WATCH: 'Do you even understand what you're asking?': Putin and Megyn Kelly have a heated exchange over Trump-Russia ties

See Also:

SEE ALSO: The Senate voted down a single-payer healthcare system and there's a specific reason Bernie Sanders opposed it

More from AOL.com: US Republicans try to pick up the pieces after health care defeat Trump urges Senate Republicans to move ahead with health care reform Trump's son-in-law faces Capitol Hill grilling over Russia contacts

More:
Republicans' healthcare plan collapsed this week but they're not done yet - AOL

But after six months of repeated failures to pass any meaningful legislation during what is traditionally the most productive time for a party with unified control of both the White House and Congress, it is Republicans who are clearly flailing.

The Senate has rejected a scaled-down Republican plan to repeal parts of the Affordable Care Act. The 49-to-51 vote was a humiliating setback for the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

Once architects of conservative policy, the party appears short of fresh ideas, left to try to find often incoherent compromises between the hard right flank that helped bring it to power and the populist notions that fueled President Trumps victory last year. Republicans talked incessantly about patient-centered health care, but it was a slogan that never had much meaning. Their only coherent argument for excising the health care law was because they said they would for seven years.

This is what you get when you have a president with no fixed principles, indifferent to policy and ignorant of the legislative process, said Charlie Sykes, a veteran Republican operative and former radio host. He added, Theres a difference between whiteboards and legislating in the real world. Its hard to take away benefits once conferred.

Many of the party leaders appear to remain out of step with their own voters, who took seriously Mr. Trumps warm embrace of some government entitlement programs, even as he abandoned those notions in recent months. While some conservative pundits attacked their failure to repeal the health care law this spring, scant protests rose up from the right to counter the thousands of Affordable Care Act supporters who appealed to lawmakers for months to maintain much of the law.

Congressional Republicans, especially in the House, are hamstrung by their lack of legislative experience. Many of them have never served under a president of their own party or passed major policy reforms that require at least token bipartisan support, and remain in chin-out oppositional mode.

Most of the health care bills they have passed were largely symbolic gestures that they knew would be vetoed by President Obama. But those bills, including a root-to-branch repeal vote in 2015, came back to haunt them, creating expectations with the partys base that they were unwilling to revisit once in power.

The Republicans were never really forced in their years of opposition to come up with a coherent alternative, said Peter Wehner, a director of the White House Office of Strategic Initiatives under President George W. Bush. There was no human cost in those artificial votes, and that did not force them to come up with a real governing alternative. He added, As the years went by the Affordable Care Acts roots grew and it became entwined in the health care system. It was an extremely complicated legislative task to undo it.

Republicans built no coalition around their bill, choosing instead to alienate the sorts of groups they said were simply paid off by Democrats when they passed the Affordable Care Act, in particular insurance companies. Absent that coalition, Republicans needed one another to counter the voices of doctors, hospitals, disease groups, the AARP and others who attacked their efforts. But even as the bill was about to be voted on, after Democrats came to the floor to give passionate speeches urging its failure, few Republicans came to its defense.

In the end, Senator Mike Enzi, Republican of Wyoming and chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, was reduced to running out the clock as he read some notions about health care from a podium, refusing to take questions from heckling Democrats.

The most consistent voice on the bill was that of Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, but her voice was raised in perpetual opposition to both the process involved in drafting the bill and its substance. Ms. Collins, no fan of the current law, still gave persistent voice to a repeals most likely losers, who also happen to greatly populate her home state the old, the poor and those living in rural areas.

But most Republicans believe that their path to repealing the law would have likely succeeded had it not been for Mr. Trump, whose comments about other topics and inconsistent support for their work he celebrated a House-passed bill in a Rose Garden ceremony only to denounce it as mean weeks later undermined their efforts.

I think this is in good measure Trumps fault, Mr. Wehner said, echoing what many Republicans said privately and increasingly in public. He has no knowledge of public policy and is indifferent to it. To try and get massive reform through Congress, even if you have control of Congress, you need the president to be an asset. He isnt only not an asset, he is an active adversary. He is dead weight for Republicans.

Members of both parties said that the only path forward for health care and indeed any legislation would now have to be a product of bipartisan efforts.

I believe we have an opportunity now to have discussions on durable, sustainable reforms, said Representative Charlie Dent, a moderate Republican from Pennsylvania who opposed the House efforts this year to repeal the law. I think moderate voices will be important in health care just as they already have been on budgets, appropriations bills and anything else that needs to be enacted into law.

Get politics and Washington news updates via Facebook, Twitter and the Morning Briefing newsletter.

A version of this news analysis appears in print on July 29, 2017, on Page A16 of the New York edition with the headline: After Health Failure, G.O.P. Is Floundering.

Read the rest here:
On Health, Republicans Find They Cannot Beat Something With Nothing - New York Times