The threat to Obamacare, not Trump’s Tweets and tantrums, could be what costs him WH2020
RealClearPolitics
As we saw at the Midterms eroding what’s become an entitlement is politically dangerous
I think that it is very easy for those of us who are engrossed with politics, that’s just about all those who follow PB, to pay too much attention to the personalities and not to the substance of what’s involved.
Last November the Democrats did remarkably well in the midterm elections and now have a rock-solid majority in the House. Unfortunately the Senate seats they were up that year, and only 1/3 are elected every two years, weren’t good territory for them and they failed to take the Upper House.
But the big picture is that Trumps opponents control Congress and increasingly they are making life difficult for the incumbent president.
One of the big reasons for the party’s success last November was the perceived threat to what public healthcare there exists in the US from the president who appears to be ideologically opposed to the state have anything to do with the provision of such a service. It is not helped by the fact that the system that exists is commonly named after his predecessor, Obamacare.
As chronicled by Paul Krugman in the New York Times today there is another legal Stuart taking place and this could have the impact of impeding or actually eroding what’s provided already. He writes:
” If you’re an American who suffers from a pre-existing condition, or doesn’t have a job that comes with health benefits, you should know that if Trump is re-elected, he will, one way or another, take away your health insurance.”
The big problem is that once the state begins to provide something then it is incredibly difficult to take it away. No UK government has dared to touch pensioners’bus passes and other benefits for the oldies and look at the row that’s now taking the place over the possibility that those over the age of 75 might have to pay for their TV licences.
As the RCP polling trend chart above the Trump era has seen a big turnaround in public opinion on health provision. The current legal moves documented in the Krugman article above could, if successful, end Trump’s second term hopes.