The Republican Party faced a test of its cohesion in the vote on Trump’s American Health Care Act, and it failed. After years of promising to repeal the Affordable Care Act, known colloquially as Obamacare, the deep divide between Trump and the conservative establishment halted what should have been an easy bill to pass. Now, Fox News’s Jeanine Pirro is calling for Speaker of the House Paul Ryan to step down. Despite my disagreements with Ryan, I do not think he should lose his position over this collective debacle.
Pirro’s logic is that the Speaker failed to get the necessary votes for the bill to pass. Although he does share some responsibility in the failure, the Fox News commentator failed to mention the other members of the House leadership, namely the Majority Whip, who also share responsibility in collecting votes. While we are in the business of blame, the Freedom Caucus was planning on voting against the bill and ensured its failure.
Am I glad the bill failed? Yes. Will I be disappointed when the Republicans concoct another health care bill that leaves the poor out in the cold? Most definitely. Regardless, I think Ryan should be given a fair chance to demonstrate his leadership ability, and should put this unpleasant bill behind him.