The Republicans are toying with the idea of repealing (without replacing) the ACA (or effectively doing so by denying it subsidies) so that the nation is left with an essentially gutted health insurance system. The plan is as the death toll mounts and the people start screaming bloody murder, the Democrats will be forced to come to the bargaining table (presumably because they’re weak and empathetic) and “cooperate” with this blackmail. They actually seem to think that a collapse of a major portion of the nation’s health care system, and perhaps thousands of deaths, can then be blamed on the Democrats and the Media, and that the Dems will be forced to capitulate and provide the extra Senate votes needed to pass the bill.

We know they’re perfectly capable of doing this, its the same extortion they tried with the government shutdowns. The major difference is that this won’t just be an expensive and embarrassing inconvenience, it will mean death and pain for thousands and financial hardship to health care providers.

I don’t know what’s more astonishing about this; that they’re evil and greedy enough to try it, or that they’re so stupid that they don’t think anyone will realize what they’re doing.