Republicans are having a real bad time defending their health care bill.
… and now these people don’t have the insurance they need ’cause they’re poor.
It’s expected to cause about 20 million Americans to lose health insurance over the
next few years, and people are pissed.
The fight and the fury mounting over the House health care bill.
Blowback for Republican Congress members who voted to repeal and replace Obamacare.
It’s gotten so bad that Republicans have just stopped talking to their constituents
altogether.
Will we see you tomorrow night at the town hall in Austin?
I don’t think so.
Like Darrell Issa, who decided to just hide out on the roof of his office instead of facing
his voters.
Hello darkness, my old friend.
Thankfully, we have cable news to hold politicians accountable.
To ask the tough questions and explain what’s really at stake in the debate over health
care.
Take me inside the Oval Office, what was President Trump’s sales pitch to you?
Has President Trump convinced you to get on board?
Are you going to the White House tonight or maybe bowling next week?
Has the president contacted you?
Trump is in a full court sales pitch.
Do you see any scenario where you will be a buyer?
God da—
Cable news tries to make big congressional votes more exciting by treating them like
an episode of House of Cards.
By focusing on the drama of getting a bill through Congress.
The negotiating, the running through Congress, the suspense of a final vote.
I want an immediate call of the roll, don’t let half a second pass.
Yes, sir.
Cable news loves this stuff
And you could see it in the coverage of the House health care bill.
Interviews with politicians running through Congress,
How you feeling this morning?
Do you guys think you’re going to get the votes?
graphics tracking the updated vote count,
and tons of focus on how Trump was persuading Republicans to vote for the bill.
President Trump on Capitol Hill trying to close the health care deal.
The question now becomes, “Can they close the deal quick enough?”
It was CNN’s best attempt to make reality look like a political soap opera.
Cable news’ fixation on the spectacle of a big vote makes for good TV,
The pressure, the arm-twisting, the ultimatum.
but it’s terrible for viewers at home.
It tells viewers nothing about whether the Republican health care bill is actually a
good idea.
Do you have a sense of whether or not the White House has enough votes?
What do you think, do you have the votes?
You can watch hours of these segments and still not understand what the bill does.
So you’re a “no” vote.
That sounds like you’re going to be a “yes”?
Are you a “no” or a “yes”?
I am still a “no.”
Thank you, I’m glad we got that out of the way.
This kind of tunnel vision turns news coverage into a circus of spin and misinformation.
Like in this interview with Wolf Blitzer and Republican Tom Garrett.
Congressional Budget Office report, as you know, 24 million would be uninsured by 2026.
The interview starts strong.
If the bill fails, do you think President Trump will be blamed for the failure?
Kind of a dumb question, but okay.
It’s absolutely undeniable that Obamacare is in a death spiral, and if we just let the
status quo go, we’re going to see what real pain and suffering looks like.
Okay, this would be a great time for some good journalism.
Obamacare is not in a death spiral.
Experts actually worry that the Republican health care bill would be a recipe for death
spirals because it reduces healthy people’s incentives to stay insured.
Come on Wolf, easy follow-up, you’ve got this!
You were supposed to go to the White House for a pizza and bowling event with the president
tonight.
I take it that’s been canceled?
Are you serious?
When is that pizza and bowling event going to be rescheduled for.
What kind of a wolf doesn’t have a taste for blood?
Carlos.
Sorry.
A better use of this airtime would be to talk to actual health care experts, like any of
the major medical organizations that have come out against the GOP bill.
The bill is garbage, Donald.
But the House of Cards approach to news means that most interviews go to politicians or
pundits, who haven’t read the bill and aren’t going to give straight answers to begin with.
I could probably tell you that I read every word and I wouldn’t be telling you the truth
nor would any other member.
So even when journalists do ask good questions, you get train wrecks like this.
Their premiums will not go through the roof?
The goal is to make certain that they do not.
Will their premiums rise, Congresswoman?
My hope would be that their premiums would not rise.
People who have preexisting conditions, can you assure them that their premiums will not
rise?
The goal…
But the real danger of this type of news coverage has nothing to do with dumb interviews.
It’s that when you treat big congressional votes like soap operas, you train audiences
to think in terms of politics instead of policy.
Train people to ask “What’s stopping this from passing?”
instead of “Should we pass this at all?”
What do you want to see in this bill, how would you change it?
Why won’t you vote for it in the form that it’s in now?
So the problem isn’t that the GOP bill cuts coverage, it’s that it doesn’t appease
the House Freedom Caucus.
What changes would you need to see in order to get to “yes?”
What could the president say to get you on board?
The problem isn’t that it slashes Medicaid, it’s that Democrats aren’t doing enough
to compromise.
Are you making efforts to come together?
What have Democrats done so far to help improve this bill and work with Republicans?
Just like on House of Cards, success becomes less about making good policy, and more about
just passing something.
We need a bill we can pass.
Resolving the drama.
If it doesn’t pass, then what?
Which means if the bill we end up with is a disaster for the country, but secures enough
votes, it looks like a win.
A big win for Republicans on this day after a major setback only six weeks ago.
House members said it was the kind of deal-making that won rave reviews.
This is a huge moment of competence and that is no small thing.
We show unity!
We offer progress!
That approach is a nightmare when dealing with any policy issue, but it’s especially
reckless when it comes to health care.
When people’s lives are actually on the line.
And the frustrating thing is, you don’t need the drama to get people to watch.
People want clear, fact-based information about what’s happening to their health care.
And you actually saw a glimpse of this during a CNN town hall with Tom Price.
Question after question from real people about stuff that actually matters to them.
Why do you want to take away my Medicaid expansion?
The bill allows insurance companies to charge much higher premiums for people in my age
group.
How can you justify that change?
It was this surreal moment of clarity and thoughtfulness on cable news.
And then, at the very last second:
How are you going to get this plan through Congress when you can’t get these members
of your own party to support it?