Candidate Donald Trump’s rhetoric included criticizing Obamacare. He repeated the core republican ACA talking point often. For example told the a rally in Dallas, “Obamacare. 
We’re going to repeal it, we’re going to replace it, get something great. Repeal it, replace it, get something great!”and the crowd loved it.
Let’s look at the bare-bones history of the Affordable Care Act and the GOP’s opposition to it.
- 1989–The conservative Heritage Foundation discussed proposing individual mandates coupled with subsidies for private insurance as a means for universal healthcare.
- 2006–Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney signed the “Health Connector” law, which included an individual mandate and a health insurances exchange. It was praised by Republicans. Why wouldn’t an industry love to have a law saying that everybody would have to buy their produce (health insurance) and people would have continue to pay for it year after year. (It is not like buying a car, which has defined price that once it is reached the owner stops paying).
- January 20, 2009. President Obama’s first inauguration. More importantly the day that Republican Congressional leaders, including representatives Paul Ryan, Eric Cantor, Pete Sessions and Senators Jim DeMint, Tom Coburn and Bob Corker and others met and “literally plotted to sabotage and undermine U.S. Economy” by opposing “everything Obama”.
- December 24, 2009–The Senate passed the Affordable Care Act, 60 to 39.
- March 23, 2010, the House voted 219 to 212 to approve of the ACA.
- March 30, 2010, President Obama signed it into law.
- November, 2010, Using the Obamacare as a campaign battle cry, the House of Representatives enjoyed a 63 seat swing with the GOP ending up with a 49 seat advantage.
- Since January, 2010, the Republican lead House, instead of working with Democrats to “fix” the Affordable Care Act, voted 63 times to weaken it. They kept their promise to oppose President Obama’s proposals.
President-elect Trump, who campaigned vigorously against the Affordable Care Act, is now having second thoughts about repealing it. Rep. Tom Reed, strong Trump supporter, says that his top priority is to repeal Obamacare. He is probably not alone.
Has congress and the 62-some million Americans who voted for Trump been bamboozled? Will the Paul Ryan-controlled House of Representatives continue to vote to weaken the ACA only to be over-ridden by the Senate and the President? Will Trump change his mind again? Will Trump actually have a Honeymoon Period with Congress?
Here is a list of the first 54 times the House voted to weaken the ACA.
