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When the American Health Care Act passed the House of Representatives on May 4, Democrats waved and sang, "nah nah nah nah, hey hey hey, goodbye," to their GOP colleagues. (U.S. House of Representatives)

Here at the Plum Line, we write a lot about the mechanics of politics the processes of governing, the interplay of political forces, the back-and-forth between citizens and lawmakers, and so on. We do that because its interesting and because it winds up affecting all our lives. But there are moments when you have to set aside the mechanics and focus intently on the substance of what government does or in this case, what government is trying to do.

I wont mince words. The health-care bill that the House of Representatives passed this afternoon, in an incredibly narrow 217-to-213 vote, is not just wrong, or misguided, or problematic or foolish. It is an abomination. If there has been a piece of legislation in our lifetimes that boiled over with as much malice and indifference to human suffering, I cant recall what it might have been. And every member of the House who voted for it must be held accountable.

[Betrayal, carelessness, hypocrisy: The GOP health-care bill has it all]

Theres certainly a process critique one can make about this bill. We might focus on the fact that Republicans are rushing to pass it without having held a single hearing on it, without a score from the Congressional Budget Office that would tell us exactly what the effects would be, and before nearly anyone has had a chance to even look at the bills actual text all this despite the fact that they are remaking one-sixth of the American economy and affecting all of our lives (and despite their long and ridiculous claims that the Affordable Care Act was rammed through Congress, when in fact it was debated for an entire year and was the subject of dozens of hearings and endless public discussion). We might talk about how every major stakeholder group the American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association, the AARP, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the American Heart Association, and on and on all oppose the bill.

Here are three big ways the new Republican bill might change health care in the United States. (Daron Taylor/The Washington Post)

All that matters. But the real problem is whats in the bill itself. Here are some of the things it does:

It is no exaggeration to say that if it were to become law, this bill would kill significant numbers of Americans. People who lose their Medicaid, dont go to the doctor, and wind up finding out too late that theyre sick. People whose serious conditions put them up against lifetime limits or render them unable to afford whats on offer in the high-risk pools, and are suddenly unable to get treatment.

[Did Republicans just score a win on health care or lose?]

Those deaths are not abstractions, and those who vote to bring them about must be held to account. This can and should be a career-defining vote for every member of the House. No one who votes for something this vicious should be allowed to forget it ever. They should be challenged about it at every town hall meeting, at every campaign debate, in every election and every day as the letters and phone calls from angry and betrayed constituents make clear the intensity of their revulsion at what their representatives have done.

Perhaps this bill will never become law, and its harm may be averted. But that would not mitigate the moral responsibility of those who supported it. Members of Congress vote on a lot of inconsequential bills and bills that have a small impact on limited areas of American life. But this is one of the most critical moments in recent American political history. The Republican health-care bill is an act of monstrous cruelty. It should stain those who supported it to the end of their days.

Go here to see the original:
Every Republican who voted for this abomination must be held accountable - Washington Post (blog)