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The tea party on the left flexes its muscle
Fresh off a big win, Republicans have large majorities in Congress and control the White House. They quickly draw on their political capital to pursue one of the biggest changes to the American health-care system in decades: Getting rid of Obamacare.
But repeal efforts have stalled because, well, Republicans aren't quite sure what to replace it with. Enter a united, fired-up left, which has taken to streets across the nation twice in President Trump's first few weeks in office, and, this week, stormed the town halls of at least two Republican lawmakers.
What's going on here?
This moment looks like a mirror image of the national mood almost a decade ago.
“Democrats have a strong sense of righteousness right now about halting Trump's policy moves — almost in a truly religious sense,” writes The Fix's Aaron Blake.
The common thread between then and now: One party in control of Washington undertaking a massive change to Americans' health care. When Democrats were in Republicans' situation in 2010, they lost control of Congress and haven't regained it since. Republicans must be asking themselves just how close the parallels between 2009 and 2017 are.
| By Amber Phillips |
Come with me on a very brief time travel trip.
It's 2009. Fresh off a big win, Democrats have large majorities in Congress and control the White House. They quickly draw on their political capital to pursue one of the biggest changes to the American health-care system in decades: Obamacare.
That summer, Democrats across the nation go home to their districts and are caught off guard by passionately angry constituents — mostly conservative — at town halls, fearful of how the health care law might change their lives.
“You are a fraud, and you're sentencing this person to death under the Obama plan,” one constituent told then-Rep. John Dingell of Michigan at the time.
Tea party activists in 2013 in front of the U.S. Capitol. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Okay, back to the present moment.
It's — well, you know what year it is. Fresh off a big win, Republicans have large majorities in Congress and control the White House. They quickly draw on their political capital to pursue one of the biggest changes to the American health-care system in decades: Getting rid of Obamacare.
But repeal efforts have stalled because, well, Republicans aren't quite sure what to replace it with. Enter a united, fired-up left, which has taken to streets across the nation twice in President Trump's first few weeks in office, and, this week, stormed the town halls of at least two Republican lawmakers.
People shout to Rep. Jason Chaffetz during his town hall in Utah on Friday. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
There's more. On Friday, protesters literally blocked Education Secretary Betsy DeVos from entering a school. (She did get inside later.) The video is startling:
What's going on here?
This moment looks like a mirror image of the national mood almost a decade ago.
“Democrats have a strong sense of righteousness right now about halting Trump's policy moves — almost in a truly religious sense,” writes The Fix's Aaron Blake.
The common thread between then and now: One party in control of Washington undertaking a massive change to Americans' health care. When Democrats were in Republicans' situation in 2010, they lost control of Congress and haven't regained it since. Republicans must be asking themselves just how close the parallels between 2009 and 2017 are.
If there’s one thing we’re relearning right now, it’s that issues that directly affect people’s lives — health care, public schools — can get people into town halls and voting booths.
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