As Republican senators make their way out of town following Thursday’s release of disastrous Obamacare repeal legislation, they were met with crowds of protesters voicing their anger.
This tweet from Topher Spiro of the Center for American Progress captures one crowd of people at Reagan National Airport in D.C. speaking out against the Republican repeal effort:
PROTEST HAPPENING NOW. DCA AIRPORT. COME NOW. pic.twitter.com/0DkjVu3Evm
— Topher Spiro (@TopherSpiro) June 22, 2017
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In a later tweet, Spiro notes that “crowd is still growing” as word gets out about the demonstration and urges more people to show up.
Igor Volsky of the Center for American Progress also captured the impressive crowd gathering at the D.C. airport:
“Call your senators today, help us save the ACA”https://t.co/CIUmCwb7Vi pic.twitter.com/gYYMZQ8qZE
— igorvolsky (@igorvolsky) June 22, 2017
At one point, the two men confronted Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley who appeared to be waiting for a plane back home to Iowa. The Senator initially acted like he cared to hear Spiro’s concerns until the words “health care” came up.
As the video shows, that’s when the Iowa senator quickly gathered his things and walked away:
I’m at the airport. We confronted @ChuckGrassley about Trumpcare and he walked away pissed. pic.twitter.com/7WJmTy5v0e
— Topher Spiro (@TopherSpiro) June 22, 2017
The spontaneous demonstrations by pro-ACA activists – and the GOP dodging – shows how politically toxic this issue has become for Republicans as they prepare to dismantle Obamacare.
Thursday’s jolt of enthusiasm came just hours after GOP leaders in the Senate unveiled a 142-page measure that would kick millions off of their health insurance, cut taxes for the wealthy, and drastically slash Medicaid – similar to the disastrous legislation the came out of the House of Representatives last month.
The energy behind these impromptu protests shows not only that the Republicans got zero momentum from their slim and empty special election victories, but also that Americans will not sit quietly by as the GOP tries to destroy a law that has helped millions.
Picture: Twitter
Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
