Last updated on July 17th, 2023 at 09:58 pm
As popularity for the Affordable Care Act continues to grow, Republicans are now scrambling to justify their renewed effort to repeal the law and leave millions of Americans without health insurance coverage.
This was on full display on Saturday, when Bill Akins of the Pasco County Republican Party in Florida tried to bring the death panel lie back to life at a local town hall event.
The crowd immediately expressed their disgust with Akin’s lie, showering him with boos. As Senior Writer Jack Smith noted in a tweet, Akin’s lie essentially “opened the gates of hell” in the room.
To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.
Video:
A GOP official tries the “death panel” line in 2017 and opens the gates of hell. People are done with the bullshit. pic.twitter.com/0vS2rizka7
— Jack Smith IV (@JackSmithIV) February 11, 2017
“Here’s the problem I have with the Affordable Care Act,” Akins started, before dropping the huge lie on the crowd: “There’s a provision in [the law] that anyone over the age of 74 has to go before what is effectively a death panel.”
Immediately recognizing the lie, the room erupted into a loud chorus of jeers and boos.
Akins, someone who apparently hasn’t taken a class on how to calm down an angry group of people, then started attacking the crowd as they continued to express their disgust with his remark.
“It’s in there, folks. You’re wrong,” he shouted back. “Okay, children. Alright, children.”
Akins then started facing off with individual members of the audience, with one man in the attendance telling him directly to his face, “You are a liar – own up to it!”
Video:
After calamitous "death panel" claims, he takes on the crowd.
"You called me a liar."
"You ARE a liar—own up to it!" pic.twitter.com/7q7BDcFTzP— Jack Smith IV (@JackSmithIV) February 11, 2017
The fact that Republicans are this lost on the Affordable Care Act – after promising to repeal the law for the past seven years – is shameful, and I have to say, somewhat hilarious. But it’s also an indication that the recent outbursts of activism and mobilization we’ve seen are working – and taking a severe toll on the Republican Party.
They’re desperate, nervous, and don’t have a clue what they’re doing.
Across the country, Americans are beginning to recognize what they stand to lose if Donald Trump – and his GOP allies in every level of government – have their way. In big cities and small towns, people are mobilizing in a way we’ve never seen before.
Americans are making their voices heard, and the Republicans are dying to make it stop.
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.
