Connie —
As you no doubt know by now, the Senate vote to repeal significant parts of the Affordable Care Act failed early this morning, 49 to 51.
This outcome is a HUGE testament to the power of the resistance — including the tens of thousands of Democracy for America members who signed petitions, made phone calls and attended town halls to help kill this bill.
But this fight has also revealed a deep sickness in the Senate right now. In their rush to steal health care from millions of Americans, Republicans made a mockery of our democratic process over and over again. And if we allow them to continue to hold the majority, the attacks on our health care will only escalate.
Five of the Senators Democracy for America has endorsed for re-election in 2018 — Mazie Hirono, Tammy Baldwin, Sherrod Brown, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders — have demonstrated incredible leadership during the battle to protect our health care. Not only have they been fighting back hard every step of the way, they’ve also been showing Democrats what a winning message for 2018 could look like.
All five of these Senators will be in Trump’s sights when they run for re-election in 2018. Tammy Baldwin and Sherrod Brown represent Wisconsin and Ohio, two states Trump won in 2016 — and Elizabeth Warren is an indispensable national leader who Trump and Bannon will go all out to defeat in 2018.
These five Senate progressive champions were fearless when it comes to taking on Trumpcare:
- Bernie Sanders pulled no punches when it came to Trumpcare — he called it the “cruelest, most destructive and irresponsible piece of legislation ever brought to the United States Senate in the modern history of this country.” He has been a leader in the fight for Medicare for All for decades — and he is pushing Democrats to embrace it in 2018.
- Elizabeth Warren has always been an unbridled fighter for the American people, and that’s never been as apparent as it has been in this health care fight. When the GOP first released their legislation, she called it “blood money”: A tax cut that would be paid for with peoples’ lives.
- Mazie Hirono, who was recently diagnosed with cancer herself, delivered a deeply personal, moving plea on the Senate floor shortly before Thursday’s vote: “Where is your compassion? Where is the care that you showed me when I was diagnosed with my illness? I find it hard to believe that we can sit here and vote on a bill that is going to hurt millions and millions of people in our country. We are better than that.”
- Sherrod Brown of Ohio understands progressive populism in his bones, and he brought that fighting spirit to the Trumpcare battle, calling out the corporate influence over the legislation: “Every version of this was written in [McConnell’s] office by the drug company, insurance company lobbyists, Wall Street lobbyists. It has huge tax breaks for the insurance and drug companies.”
- Tammy Baldwin has been fighting for the people of Wisconsin on a whole range of issues, but for her, this health care fight was personal. After Trumpcare was unveiled in June, she shared her personal experience of growing up with a pre-existing condition with CNN: “My grandparents, who raised me, couldn’t find insurance at any price for a large part of my youth and I know my story is replicated by thousands upon thousands of Wisconsinites, millions upon millions of Americans.”
The spectacle that played out in the Senate this week was a tragedy for our democracy. But these five bold progressives showed us that they have the recipe for turning things around — for defeating Republicans while putting forward a positive vision of what we can accomplish together.
Thank you for supporting these progressive champions.
– Eden
Eden James, Political Director
Democracy for America
