After the 2018 elections were over, we calculated that there were about 130 Democrats elected to Congress who either already were co-sponsors of Medicare for All (H.R. 676), or signaled clear support for Medicare for All during their campaigns.
Last week, when Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) introduced 2019’s version of Medicare for All (H.R. 1384), the bill had 106 co-sponsors, 103 of whom had votes that counted. It’s another painful but important lesson about the limits of politely pushing elected officials to the left; just because they co-sponsor or promise to support legislation doesn’t mean they’ll actually stick around or expend any political capital to make it happen.
Continue reading “Why Have 29 Congressional Democrats Stopped Supporting Medicare for All in 2019?”
