Over SIXTY House Republicans Are In Districts With Above Average Medicaid Enrollment

Now is not the time to get discouraged. Now is the time to ramp up for a fight. In fact later this month No Kings is organizing another round of protests using the late, great John Lewis as the theme. His inspirational quote about “Good Trouble” will be a key point and boy do we ever have a reason to engage in Good Trouble after today’s House vote.

As you know House GOPers caved into Trumpty the Terrible and passed one of the more horrendous pieces of legislation in our history. There were dozens who didn’t want to vote for it. Their reasons varied. Some insisted the cuts (to pay for the freaking tax cuts) weren’t enough, and/or were pure deficit/debt Hawks. Others were worried about those Medicaid cuts. They know how unpopular they are and deep inside know the anger that’s poured forth at the few who’ve held town halls back home is nothing compared with what’s to come. A LOT of them are going to have a LOT of explaining to do and I feel safe in predicting we’ll see a rash of retirements by early next year.

As this article from Newsweek tells us it’s not just a couple dozen or so House GOPers who have reason to worry. Over 60 of them live in districts with Medicaid enrollment above the national average. Granted, some of them live in districts so far gone down the MAGA Trump butthole that they’d vote for the Republican if Trump started eating burnt babies instead of burnt steak for dinner.  But keep in mind that since the last election there have been several dozen state and federal special elections and Democrats have over performed in every one. Even won sometimes in red places.

Those Medicaid cuts aren’t just going to affect people on Medicaid. Large swaths of rural/small town America are Trump Country and when hospitals have to start closing it’s going to affect everyone. Even Trump loving MAGAs. There’s reason to believe many already know this which is why the relative handful who’ve tried town halls have caught so much hell in recent times.  When it actually starts to happen, news will spread to places where local talk will be about whether the hospital that serves THEM is next. And though Trump and their Congress Critter will surely try to blame Biden that dog ain’t gonna hunt.

The linked article highlights five districts in particular because the GOP incumbent won by five percent or less of the vote. That alone is enough to swing the House back to the Democrats. However even those who won by a little more are now vulnerable. And others with seemingly safe margins are going to find themselves running for their political lives because districts that ordinarily wouldn’t be in play WILL be in Nov. 2026. That means less money and other resources for the most vulnerable.

This could impact the Senate too. Already we have Thom Tillis here in my state of North Carolina saying he’s done, that he’s not running for re-election. There’s not a Republican in the state that could beat Roy Cooper if he runs. And even if he doesn’t I don’t see any GOP potential “stars” willing to step up.  You have to wonder if those sparsely populated red states that give the GOP their geographic advantage in the Senate might flip.

My point is don’t be discouraged at what’s happened. Be PISSED OFF!  If you want go to a cookout tomorrow. But engage others with the need to remember why we are marking our nation’s birthday. As in why we HAVE a nation and how far the GOP has strayed from what those who founded it envisioned!  Then see what you can do to take part in one of the protests later this month. If like me you have physical limitations that prevent you from being there in person, or if there isn’t one close enough to you then contact the organizers and offer to help mobilize folks to turn out.

Lincoln spoke of government of the people, by the people, for the people. He wasn’t referring to the richest Americans but to the masses, people just going about trying to live their lives and tend to their own and their loved one’s basic needs. The GOP he was part of as it formed is long gone. As Jamie Raskin reminded us in his blistering remarks yesterday the modern GOP is ‘f**k the people and instead have government by and for the rich!’ So yes, what the hell happened is an appropriate question but there’s something more important to focus on right now. What happened can be addressed later because between now and Nov. 2026 we have a lot of work do do.

As then candidate Harris told us take her mom’s advice to not complain but to DO something.  GOPers are gloating. So we need to be laying down markers right now to throw back in their smug, ugly faces when the magnitude of the disaster they’ve created begins to reveal itself.  Make GOOD Trouble.

 **********************************

We thank all of you who have donated. You’re keeping this blog on the internet, believe me. One of the battles we fight is the inconstancy of ad revenue because politics in this country is so polarized and a lot of advertisers just seek to avoid the political. They’d rather advertise on food blogs and be safe, doughnuts before democracy. All we’re trying to do is stay in business because we believe the work is important. Thank you if you can assist. If we didn’t need it, we wouldn’t be asking. Ursula

Support the site with a subscription today and see no more ads!

Go Ad-free Now!