Democrats erupted in glee Friday afternoon after dozens of Republicans spurned their party leadership and the White House to keep Obamacare alive, at least for now.
The repeal of Obamcare was all but assumed after Republicans won the White House and kept control of both houses of Congress in November. But a surprising level of dissent within the GOP ranks has allowed President Barack Obama’s signature health care program to live on in the immediate term.
In a rare public comment, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton declared that the “victory happened because people in every corner of our country committed their time and energy to calling their representatives, showing up at town hall meetings, and making their voices heard.”
The 2016 Democratic presidential nominee also tweeted a series of messages highlighting people she encountered on the campaign trail who spoke to her about their health care issues or crediting Obamacare for helping them.
Other Democrats seemed content to rub in the victory.
“Hey Republicans, don’t worry, that burn is covered under the Affordable Care Act,” tweeted Bob Menendez, a Democratic senator from New Jersey.
Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez issued a short statement immediately after the dramatic developments: “This was a rejection of the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. In the words of my friend Joe Biden: This is a BFD.”
And Obama’s spokesman, Kevin Lewis, tweeted several photos of his boss in celebratory poses.
Meanwhile, Rep. Sean Maloney, a New York Democrat, shared a picture of ebullient House Democrats.
“@realDonaldTrump, @SpeakerRyan: we’re not tired of winning yet. Ready when you are to talk real solutions to fix ACA for American people,” he wrote.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said during a news conference Friday afternoon, “Today’s a great day for our country,” adding later, “It’s pretty exciting for us.”
Chuck Schumer, her counterpart in the Senate, told reporters that President Donald Trump’s efforts to blame Democrats for the failure was “another one of his big tall tales. “
“He couldn’t get enough Republican votes,” Schumer said. “He never tried to reach out to Democrats in any way. So the blame falls with President Trump and the Republicans.”
