And again:
Trump voters are not GOP stalwarts. As is so in the article for the other side, you can’t categorize Trump voters as anything the right wing would want them to be.
Trump ran on repeal and replace, build a wall, drain the swamp, BRING THE JOBS BACK.
That’s what the Obama voters in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania voted for with Trump. They don’t give a damn about abortion or hardcore right wing perspectives on the budget.
They care about those four items. The GOP doesn’t have to have a right wing healthcare replacement. It just has to have one that cuts premiums. That and pass both houses. Healthcare doesn’t have to do anything else. It doesn’t have to defund planned parenthood, it doesn’t have to allow buying policies across states, it probably does have to defund illegals because those voters wanted a wall, but they con’t care about the other right wing things. JUST CUT PREMIUMS.
They want a wall. You just have to have one get started. It doesn’t have to be done, but it has to be clearly underway. Those voters will give a nod to that.
Drain the swamp is vague and they’ll give him a pass on that as long as there’s no corruption scandals.
Bring the jobs back is the biggy, and that has to happen in those big three states. Show some progress in that, he gets those votes again.
And so will the Congress seats.
Cutting Premiums means higher taxes to PAY the COST ... unless Healthcare bills do SOMETHING ELSE ... cut COST.
No PAY bill that is politically acceptable is mathematically possible. Ryancare and McConnellcare both make the same mistake that Obamacare made. They focus on PAY to insurance companies and PAY to medical providers. The poor do not get any money. All these attempts are Corporatism...favoratism to big insurance and big hospital chains at the expense of taxpayers, and small medical providers and small insurance companies, and especially competition to insurance companies from Medishare and Direct Pay approaches to medical care.
As for the main theme of the article: If employment is high and the economy is strong and there is no unpopular war, the Republicans can gain seats.
To gain seats there is one more criteria. The Republicans have to run competent candidates and build smart get-out-the-vote efforts. Please no Murdochs or Walsh who say stupid things.