Why The GOP Is So Hell-Bent On Passing An Unpopular Health Care Bill

Lee Drutman was quoted in a FiveThirtyEight article about why the Republicans are so eager to pass their health care legislation: 

But even if GOP voters aren’t that jazzed about the push to repeal Obamacare, the party-as-organization groups, like the Club for Growth and Americans for Prosperity, are deeply invested in the effort. These groups provide volunteers and supporters for Republican causes and also spend tens of millions of dollars to either back GOP candidates or oppose Democratic ones in key races.

It may actually make political sense to push a health care bill that is broadly unpopular with the public but keeps party volunteers knocking on doors and donors giving money.

“Republicans need their most loyal supporters to turn out, and if they can’t deliver on their promise to repeal Obamacare, it’s going to be very hard to rally the troops,” said Lee Drutman, a political scientist at New America, a D.C.-based think tank. “Core Republican voters are going to feel like, ‘What’s the point of even voting?”

Drutman added, “Republicans understand that Democrats are going to be charged up regardless of whether or not they repeal Obamacare, because ‘impeach Trump.’”