President Obama politely humiliates Trump over health care failure

The popular former commander in chief took the high road, despite the attempt by his unpopular successor and the Republican Party to cut Medicaid by over $700 billion and cut health insurance from over 22 million people in the middle of the night.

A statement released by Obama spokesman Kevin Lewis pointed out that the Affordable Care Act remains the law of the land “because of everyone who mobilized, organized and made their voices heard.”

Polling has shown that Obamacare is popular — far more so than the failed Republican proposal, one of the least popular pieces of major population ever offered by either party in U.S. history.

In a nod to this, the statement notes that under Obamacare, 20 million people have gained health insurance, while “tens of millions” more have benefitted from free preventive care like mammograms and vaccines. Citing improvements in quality of care in hospitals that have averted more than 100,000 deaths, the release underlines that the law has been “about the dreams protected, and the untold misery and ruin prevented.”

The release concludes, “President Obama still believes that it is possible for Congress to demonstrate the necessary bipartisanship and political courage to keep delivering on the promise of quality, affordable health insurance for every American.”

The document stands in stark contrast to Trump’s petulant tweet after his party fumbled the bill, in which he threatened to “let ObamaCare implode,” without any concern for the human toll not funding the program would cause across America.

Obamacare has been demonized, demagogued, smeared, attacked legislatively, brought before the Supreme Court (twice!), smeared more, attacked legislatively again and again, and has still survived. In the meanwhile, Republicans have offered no alternative that would help America as much as Obamacare has, and would in fact make things worse.

As in their legislative proposals, the differences between Trump and Obama are stark. Where Trump issued threats and demagoguery, Obama once again appealed to hope.