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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican Senate leaders aim to hold a procedural vote as early as Tuesday to take up legislation to repeal or replace Obamacare, but it remained unclear which version of the bill senators would vote on.

President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans campaigned on a pledge to roll back former President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law, the 2010 Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.

Senator John Thune, a member of the Republican leadership, told "Fox News Sunday" the initial vote was simply a way to open debate on the bill so that senators from both parties could offer amendments.

"The first vote, which will occur sometime this week, will be to proceed to the consideration of that legislation and to at least have a debate where we can have an open amendment process," Thune said.

The Republican-controlled House in May passed its version of a healthcare bill. Senate Republicans have considered two versions of related legislation but have been unable to reach consensus after estimates showed as many as 22 million fewer Americans would be insured if the proposals became law. A plan to repeal Obamacare without replacing it also ran aground.

Republicans control a narrow majority in the Senate, holding 52 of 100 seats. With the Democrats united in opposition to the Republican effort, Senator Majority Leader Mitch McConnell can only afford to lose the votes of two Republican senators.

The fate of any legislation to rewrite Obamacare is uncertain as many Republicans have not yet made clear their positions.

"It appears we'll have a vote on Tuesday but we don't know whether we'll be voting on the House bill, the first version of the Senate bill, the second version of the Senate bill," Republican Senator Susan Collins told CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday.

Collins is a moderate Republican who has objected to prior versions of the Senate bill and also to repealing Obamacare without replacing it.

Trump suggested last week that he was fine with letting Obamacare fail, but he then switched course and invited Republican senators to the White House to try to hash out a healthcare deal.

The Republican effort has also been complicated by the absence of Republican Senator John McCain, who has been diagnosed with brain cancer and has been in his home state of Arizona weighing treatment options.

Reporting By Amanda Becker; Editing by Daniel Wallis

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Republican strategy on healthcare bill in flux ahead of vote - Reuters

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President Donald Trump speaks during the commissioning of the USS Gerald R. Ford CVN 78, on July 22, 2017 in Norfolk, Virginia.

President Donald Trump lashed out at his fellow Republicans on Sunday in a tweet, saying that they do very little to protect their president, calling that very sad.

Its very sad that Republicans, even some that were carried over the line on my back, do very little to protect their President, Trump said Sunday afternoon in his latest tweet.

Trump spent Sunday morning at the Trump National Golf Club in Virginia, returning to the White House about 3 p.m. He sent the tweet about an hour and a half later.

He also tweeted Sunday about the phony Russian Witch Hunt.

As the phony Russian Witch Hunt continues, two groups are laughing at this excuse for a lost election taking hold, Democrats and Russians! the president tweeted.

Trump also tweeted about fellow Republicans on Saturday, saying it is time for the GOP Senators to step up on health care.

The Republican Senators must step up to the plate and, after 7 years, vote to Repeal and Replace. Next, Tax Reform and Infrastructure. WIN! he wrote.

It is not clear which Republicans Trump was referring to in his Sunday tweet. It is also not known exactly what kind of protection he is looking for.

His comments came on the a day after former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, one of Trumps rivals during the GOP primary race last year, called out Republicans and Trump for their handling of the Russian election interference investigation. His comments were made during OZY Fest in New York City on Saturday, and were widely reported Sunday.

If your opponent does things that you, your head explodes on, if Barack Obama did something as its related to Russia, you say this is outrageous, all this stuff, then when your guy does the same thing, have the same passion to be critical, Bush said, according to The Hill.

About Trump, Bush said his presidency has been chaotic, focusing on recent reports that Trump is looking into his pardon powers and attacking independent counsel Robert Mueller.

You get disciplined when your team says, No, Mr. President, lets stay focused on these policy objectives,' Bush said, according to Business Insider. Dont disparage people,dont go after Mueller, dont say youre going to pardon yourself or whatever. Dont do all that. Govern.

He also criticized the way image the president displays to the world.

The president is the prime minister and the king. He or she, eventually, will be the symbol of the country, and also the prime minister responsible for making government work, Bush said, according to Business Insider. And right now, our president doesnt view that job as important. Look at history. History is important. When presidents inspire us, we do better. And thats what we need to get back to.

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Trump Tweet: Republicans Aren't Doing Enough to 'Protect Their President' - Heavy.com

Andrew Redlawsk, Opinion Contributor Published 8:15 a.m. ET July 23, 2017 | Updated 10:40 a.m. ET July 23, 2017

Protest on June 4, 2017.(Photo: Ariane Kunze, AFP/Getty Images)

The other night, I had an amazing conversation with a friend who admitted he was a Donald Trump voter. Having known him for most of my life, I was shocked. But as a result, as a proud member of The Resistance, I'm even more certain that we progressives are largely responsible for the rise of Trump's America.

My typical response to conservatives who see me as a smug, elitist hypocrite for not being tolerant of their beliefs is that I'm "intolerant of intolerance, but Ive realized that that mistake is the issue. No, we don't have to accept and respect others' bigotry or ignorance, but it's incredibly important that we understand where it comes from and why it exists. There are millions of people in this country who, when they think of America, think of it like a Norman Rockwell painting. White Picket Fences, Suburbia, Baseball, Apple Pie and the American Flag. In capital letters.

They dont just think it, they feel it. Deeply.

If I'm honest, those are the same images that were burned into my brain as a kid growing up in Iowa. The folks who voted for Trump are by and large people who see progressivism, and specifically concepts like political correctness and intersectionalism, as an attack on all of those deeply held feelings of what America "is." To them, our movement is an assault on their Field of Dreams. They're afraid of losing their (yes, white and Christian) America in the tidal wave of cultural shifts that have occurred over recent decades.

Is calling them racist going to change that? Is calling them bigots going to do it? Hateful? Monsters? Ignorant? Uneducated? Privileged? We dont have to agree with it, but we have to attempt to understand it.

I voted for Donald Trump to save lives: Response to Redlawsk

Trump voters and foes can seek common ground on life: Response to Buono

The only way The Resistance succeeds is if we fundamentally change our tactics. We must realize that the way into these hearts is to respectfully suggest that the causes we fight for actually align with their deeply held patriotism and love for America. That yes, our marginalized communities may look different and speak a different language, but they want all the same things you do, and they want to have them in this incredible country we've built together. They also want to have their Field of Dreams. Thats why they came here in the first place! And isn't it the American Way to do everything we can to give them that opportunity?

But what this also means is that we as progressives need to stop getting so offended by everything and learn to put ourselves in others' shoes. All of our experiences conservatives and progressives alike give us unique perspectives, and it is absolutely unhelpful to say things like "it's not our job to teach you" when someone comes to us with questions.

Actually, it is our job.

If we're waiting for people who hold a different view to change their minds without being guided through that process, we'll be waiting an awfully long time. I think progressives would all agree that time is not something we have to waste. It may not be fair, but progressives must be willing to put aside their anger and hate and take responsibility for creating the change they wish to see in the world. To vilify, shame and condemn only causes those who don't understand to dig in their heels. If we are the ones who want change, the responsibility is ours to do what it takes to encourage it.

To summarize: Progressives, stop insulting, stopshaming, and stop condescending. Start listening. Start teaching.

When we have that gut-check moment like I had the other night, upon finding out my friend voted for Donald Trump, we have to find the strength to overcome it, not let it get the best of our emotions. We must endeavor to listen.

Andrew Redlawsk is a Democratic organizer and activist and is currently pursuing his Masters in Political Management at George Washington University in Washington, DC. Read a response from Trump voter Sophia Buonohere.

You can readdiverse opinions from ourBoard of Contributorsand other writers ontheOpinion front page,on Twitter@USATOpinionand in our dailyOpinion newsletter.To submit a letter, comment or column, check oursubmission guidelines.

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Progressives must preach understanding, not shame, to be effective - USA TODAY

The San Luis Obispo Tribune (blog)

SLO Progressives? More like SLO Regressives The San Luis Obispo Tribune (blog) The definition of progressive, according to Dictionary.com, is favoring or advocating progress, change, improvement or reform making progress toward better conditions. By that definition, the SLO Progressives, who have taken over the local ...

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SLO Progressives? More like SLO Regressives - The San Luis Obispo Tribune (blog)

This is for all of those who are not in the MSNBC orbit. Of course, many of you probably already know this, but for a movement that stresses diversity and talks about bringing all people together to fight racist, misogynist, and xenophobic Donald Trump, its pretty much a band of white, wealthy, and overly educated progressives who are still stung that Hillary Clinton is not president, or at least thats the case in the D.C. area, which accounts for one-third of those who have taken part in the protests against President Trump. The Washington Post noted the disparities in education, income, and race over these protests earlier this month. They also noted that for Black residents, theyre use to government falling short, and they theyre facing bigger obstacles in life than having their candidate lose an election:

One out of every three Washingtonians has marched in protest against President Trump or his policies at least once since January, making the District the capital of national dissent, a new Washington Post poll finds.

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According to the Post poll, 53 percent of white residents participated in a march or demonstration in opposition to Trumps policies since the start of the year, compared with 16 percent of African Americans and 36 percent of Hispanics and those of other racial and ethnic groups.

The overwhelmingly African American residents of Wards 7 and 8 are the citys least likely to protest Trump, with only 12 percent saying they had. By contrast, 54 percent of residents in overwhelmingly white Wards 1 and 3 in Northwest Washington say they have protested the president.

High-income residents are among the most likely Trump protesters this year.

[]

Mark Woodard, a black hospital technician who lives in Kingman Park in Northeast, said he has not felt compelled to protest because his life has not changed much under the new administration.

Im kind of waiting to see he hasnt made an impact yet, Woodard said. Im able to go to my job; my benefits are fine. Hes not doing anything to affect me, so Im not going to support any protests.

Justina Jackson, 28, a black assistant pastry chef in Brookland who voted for Hillary Clinton, said that she is accustomed to being disappointed in government, no matter which party is in the White House, and that Trump is no different.

Im used to stuff not going my way, she said. Theres always some kind of obstacle I have to overcome just because Im a young African American female. I dont have a lot of sympathy for people who are upset about Trump."

Also, those in lower income brackets dont have time to protest. The Post also found that among Black voters, even if those who disagreed with President Trump, were not motivated to protest against him. One of them, Raynard Styles, voted for Trump on the basis of change. He questions his vote now, but concerning demonstrating, its a no-go.

Hes still my president, and Im an American first, he told the paper.

Five of the ten wealthiest counties are in the DC area, so I guess rabid liberals protesting Trumps win is a given consequence. In the D.C. area, the so-called resistance is whiter, financially well off, and highly educated; its the archetypal urban professional. Im not saying theres anything wrong with that, but dont go off marketing yourselves as some diverse coalition. The next time someone spouts how the GOP is so white; just remind them the heart of the D.C. resistance is just thatwhite people who can step away from work, whereas everyone else has more important stuff to worry about other than who won the 2016 election. In the meantime, this rabid cohort ofliberal condescending busybodies will continue to bash Trump, protest him, and take comfort in telling his supporters that theyre racist, deplorable, misogynist, sexist, xenophobic, and homophobic (Trump is the most pro-LGBT Republican ever elected, by the way). If they want to keep losing elections, yeahkeep doing that.

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ICYMI: The Heart Of Anti-Trump Resistance Is Mostly A Bunch Of White Progressives Who Can Take Off Work - Townhall