Mike Pence, not cancer survivors, bring GOP reps to tears over health care bill

And when he blasted them for withholding their support, they cried.

According to Politico, Pence crashed what was supposed to be a secret meeting of the House’s uber-conservative House Freedom Caucus back in March, when Donald Trump and Speaker Paul Ryan’s first attempt at a repeal bill failed. Pence told the Republicans who were refusing to support the bill to fall in line, and when they refused, he was so brutal, he brought his fellow Republicans to tears:

When they held their ground, the vice president let loose an uncharacteristic flash of anger. “I was the Freedom Caucus before the Freedom Caucus existed,” Pence told them, his voice rising, according to multiple people who were in the room. “Don’t try to tell me this bill isn’t conservative enough.”

It was the most animated they had ever seen him. And it worked: After Pence abruptly exited the meeting, and several grown men had broken into tears because of the tension present in the room, a chorus of Freedom Caucus members informed Chairman Meadows that they would now support the legislation if a vote were held.

We are not used to hearing about Republican tears. These are the same members of Congress who had listened to heart-wrenching tales of desperation and pleas for mercy from their constituents whose health care they are trying to destroy.

We have seen a Republican representative literally turn his back on a grandmother warning him her family would die if the ACA is repealed.

We watched as a constituent showed his Republican representative the $13,000-a-week treatment for a life-threatening immune disorder that he will not be able to afford if he loses health coverage.

We heard one Republican representative outright lie to the mother of a five-year-old son with special needs who relies on Medicaid for occupational therapy.

We have watched a cancer patient still undergoing treatment tell his Republican congressmen to his face that he would not be able to afford his treatment if Obamacare were repealed.

In the past week, a Republican senator literally walked away from a constituent with a chronic illness who is scared of losing her access to health care.

What we have not seen or heard are tears, or even words that convey any kind of sympathy, for those constituents whose lives will be turned upside down if Republicans succeed in their plan to gut health care in this country.

Maybe the struggling of their fellow Americans will not move their hearts, but when those Americans show up to the polls in 2018, punish any lawmakers who voted to take away their health care, that might again bring some Republicans to tears.