Ben Shapiro perhaps said it best Monday in a piece published in Daily Wire entitled, “Why Republicans Lose No Matter What With Trumpcare.” The whole thing’s worth a read, but Shapiro pulled out his own excerpt to serve as “the short version.”
Here's the short version of why Republican strategy on Trumpcare fails https://t.co/LBh7WrVvil pic.twitter.com/r0JcsRU9v4
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) June 26, 2017
By Monday night, every news outlet in America had zeroed in on that 22 million number from the CBO, declaring that’s how many would “lose” insurance under the Senate plan.
The 22 million number even became the basis of a “Twitter Moment.”
If passed, 22 million would lose health insurance under the GOP's health care bill vs. the ACA. https://t.co/4ArPtiD804
— Twitter Moments (@TwitterMoments) June 26, 2017
This is a lie. What is says is when it stops being against the law not to buy crappy Obamacare policies, people won't buy them. https://t.co/AbT46L1HZN
— Kurt Schlichter (@KurtSchlichter) June 26, 2017
As Shapiro wrote: “Thanks to media coverage and Republican cowardice, the first metric has become the most prevalent — and that’s the one that hurts Republicans the most, since even if people opt out voluntarily, they are now ‘uncovered’ by this metric.”
As the Weekly Standard’s John McCormack pointed out, the CBO estimated that most of those “losing” insurance would be people choosing not to buy it without fear of being penalized under the ACA’s individual mandate.
1. The CBO attributed most of the "loss" of insurance coverage in AHCA to elimination of individual mandate. https://t.co/AGsCfU8kkh pic.twitter.com/Ca0gF39idd
— John McCormack (@McCormackJohn) June 26, 2017
Weird that's not being reported https://t.co/1GdHYq7VNu
— Stephen Miller (@redsteeze) June 27, 2017
This is key. A lot of reporters pretending the bill takes away insurance, when really it simply gives people the choice not to have it. https://t.co/AzExDElnLe
— (((AG))) (@AG_Conservative) June 26, 2017
When you hear 22 million will "lose" coverage under Senate health bill, ask how many will go without by choice, since penalty is repealed.
— Brit Hume (@brithume) June 26, 2017
But Shapiro’s right: regardless of the mechanism behind it, word is out that 22 million people will lose coverage. Check out Slate’s take on a brief video clip of House Speaker Paul Ryan:
Paul Ryan says it's fine if 22 million "choose" not to buy health care. https://t.co/hANIZZLKEj pic.twitter.com/mtM59WT9gc
— Slate (@Slate) June 27, 2017
wait, you're saying that people can choose whether or not they want to have healthcare? How evil… https://t.co/ywUEJwxzqc
— Ben McDonald (@Bmac0507) June 27, 2017
We haven’t been living in it long, but still, it’s an Obamacare world, and in theoretical post-Obamacare world, “choose” is the word set off in scare-quotes. Writer Jordan Weissmann notes that, in the video clip, “It’s the smile that makes it so eerie, right?”
"If you're not going to force people to buy something they don't want, they won't buy it." –@SpeakerRyan on 22M uninsured estimate from CBO pic.twitter.com/gyyUS8x36n
— FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) June 27, 2017
In an extremely narrow, technical sense, Ryan is almost right: The CBO does say that under the Republican plan, Americans would choose not to buy insurance, in part because they’d no longer be required to by law. But that’s a bit like saying a poor single mother of three is choosing to skip meals so her kids can eat. It’s not really a choice. It’s a sacrifice.
Again, in the theoretical post-Obamacare world, we’re all just poor single mothers forced by the Ryan and the GOP to choose between food and health care. As for America before Obamacare? No one seems to have any recollection of how the human race survived.
Where is the choice ? Food or mortgage or health care
— Fern Whitehouse (@6d36f0bd82f04e5) June 27, 2017
Choose between paying rent, food, clothes etc. Or buying insurance? Yeah. Not a choice…
— Jennifer Divita (@jpel86) June 27, 2017
It's not fine because how can we expect people to "choose" expensive health care over food, clothing, and shelter. Only in Republican World.
— Vets Against Trump (@sameritech) June 27, 2017
Like I choose not to buy a private jet…
— Alessio Ricciuti (@alessioricciuti) June 27, 2017
The rich as well as the poor are free to choose to sleep under bridges, beg in the streets, and go without health care.
— McJulie is STILL totally a witch (@mcjulie) June 27, 2017
https://twitter.com/ChrisMcTague3/status/879830368970473472
Does that mean it's okay if we "choose" not to help him when he's dying on the floor?
— Autumn Froste ? ???️??? (@autumnfroste) June 27, 2017
https://twitter.com/robgotees/status/879829880489246720
What an insensitive & disingenuous statement. The 22 million who'll lose Medicaid will die if they can't afford insurance. Not hyperbole.
— Resa Harrison (@Americancrawl) June 27, 2017
"Choose"? Ryan could have "chosen" not to be a total asshole and promoted legislation that would HURT PEOPLE, but he didn't.
— Glenn Shaw (@TogusaS9) June 27, 2017
Ryan is a pig.
— Trish Said (@kikilekat1) June 27, 2017
Heartless
— Robert Hibbard (@wribbie) June 27, 2017
https://twitter.com/NatoAlly/status/879828858094190593
@SpeakerRyan is going to have an interesting conversation at the Pearly Gates.
— Indivisible (@AmerIndivis) June 27, 2017
Hold up; there seems to be some disagreement. Maybe Ryan has a valid point.
He is correct
— Roy Ellis (@roylellis52) June 27, 2017
Couldn't agree more. This is America & we've bled for the choices we have. No NY liberal needs to take it away @SenSchumer.
— VinManHere (@vja3000) June 27, 2017
https://twitter.com/big_cdog/status/879830573556084736
The price of a product will never go lower, unless consumers are free not to buy said product.
— Charles T. -Downtown (@crack_bass) June 27, 2017
Free will vs the compulsion of the state. Nothing scares the autocratic than free will.
— Scott Barr (@thelictor) June 27, 2017
Now, if everyone could just turn their heads very slowly this way so as not to startle NBC News, it seems someone there managed to grasp what Paul was saying without succumbing to the vapors.
Paul Ryan explains why 22 million will be uninsured and he's got a point https://t.co/isauKmBLyk pic.twitter.com/NuLChTjmz5
— NBC News (@NBCNews) June 27, 2017
* * *
Related:
Sick children beware: Vice President Mike Pence mentions ‘personal responsibility’ in speech to GOP https://t.co/vYFuRnt9zW
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) June 25, 2017
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