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Democrats are seeking to capitalize on President Donald Trump calling the Republican health care bill "mean" ahead of the Senate's vote to repeal Obamacare, seeing it as a pivotal moment in an issue that could drive the 2018 midterm elections.

The comments from Trump, made privately to senators last week, were largely overshadowed by a mass shooting at a Congressional baseball practice and new developments in the special counsel's investigation into Trump and his associates.

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But a senior Democratic aide said the party plans to revive the "mean" comment part of floor speeches, press conferences and social media, and consultants said they craved the image of Trump celebrating in the Rose Garden with House members over a "mean" bill that hurt poor Americans.

"We will be weaving mean into the broader attack in a prominent way," the aide said.

Democrats see the health care fight as more potent than an investigation into potential collusion with Russia and obstruction of justice -- and a possibly defining gaffe for commercials, according to aides. Hitting Republicans in the House for a bill that "even Trump said was mean" is particularly satisfying for Democrats, considering the president celebrated its passage in the Rose Garden.

In the Atlanta Journal Constitution poll of Georgia's Sixth Congressional District runoff, the health law polled lower than House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Trump, Republican candidate Karen Handel, Vice President Mike Pence and Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff.

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But Democrats have struggled to come up with a united message on health care and have faced criticism because insurance companies have raised premiums and pulled out of health care exchanges in some states.

Whether Trump's "mean" comment becomes a potent line of attack against the president -- like the Democrats hope -- or unifies moderate Senate Republicans to pass a health care bill that squeaks to a 50-vote margin remains unclear.

I think its unifying, added Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.). At the end of the day, its helpful for us in getting the support that we need for the vote."

Should the Senate pass a vastly different bill, which is then adopted by the House, the scathing internal attack could be blunted.

Sen. Bob Corker, a Tennessee Republican, said the party was already planning to make the bill more generous.

Trump's tendency to make impolitic remarks also leaves such a gaffe as harder to exploit. One person who has spoken with Trump says he has also criticized the Senate health care process and some of their wishes.

This person said Trump had been stung by the non-stop negative news coverage of the House bill, particularly reports that more than 20 million people or more could lose insurance.

"In the list of things he's said, I don't think this one is high up there on the list," one administration official said.

A second administration official said the White House knows the health care push to 50 votes is a difficult one, and the White House has heard more complaints from moderates than conservatives in the Senate. Trump, this person said, was trying to show the path he saw to getting a better bill passed.

But it certainly left some Republicans in the House upset, particularly conservatives who were cajoled and cursed at by Trump, then feted by the president in a Rose Garden party, complete with a jazz band, when the bill passed.

The Heritage Foundation, for example, wrote an op-ed decrying the Trump attack as "not mean," defending the bill as good small-government policy.

"You can almost see the ads being written already," one GOP aide said.

In the Senate, where Republicans are still struggling to craft legislation that can pick up 50 GOP votes, Trumps "mean" comments left the sense that the president wants a health care measure that is easier to defend. Several GOP senators said Trumps comments can only help in putting together a bill that is more politically palatable and substantively improved from the measure that passed the House in May.

For instance, Trumps comments insisting the Senate bill not be viewed as an attack on low-income Americans would seem to shore up arguments from centrist Republicans who want Obamacares Medicaid expansion phased out more gradually a major contention point in the conference that has yet to be settled.

But typical for a president not steeped in policy, Trumps private remarks calling for a more generous health care bill or legislation that is not so mean, according to some accounts left it wide open for Republicans to interpret them in myriad ways.

Im not sure what that means, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said of the presidents remarks. Im a very generous person. I help people who dont have insurance. I want everybody to have health care. I think no physician should turn down treatment of people based on that.

Nonetheless, Republicans are at real risk of missing their Fourth of July recess deadline to vote on their Obamacare replacement, with factions of their conference still deeply divided over when to end the Medicaid expansion and how best to lower health insurance premiums.

We keep talking about the same stuff over and over and over and over and over again, complained Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) At some point, were going to have to have votes. And right now -- the reason why we keep talking about the same stuff over and over again -- we dont have the votes.

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Democrats use Trump 'mean' comment to tar GOP - Politico

BOWLING GREEN, Mo. After Missouri Democrats were routed in rural areas last year, the partys leaders promised to be more aggressive in fielding candidates for the legislative districts ceded to Republicans.

Accomplishing that goal may require them to promote and fund House and Senate aspirants with socially conservative views on abortion a strategy that makes some uneasy in a party that largely supports abortion rights. The talk also comes as the legislature holds a special session to strengthen abortion restrictions in Missouri.

This complicated dynamic was on display last week during a meeting of the Pike County Democratic Club, where officials from the statewide party took suggestions from the audience about building a platform. When the subject turned to abortion, Eolia resident Andy Young brought up the hostility candidates who are generally opposed to abortion rights face. Young pointed to how Omaha, Nebraska, mayoral candidate Heath Mello, who voted for some abortion restrictions while he was in the Nebraska legislature, lost his race after being excoriated by abortion rights activists.

I would like the national party and the state party not to come into places like this where we have not necessarily liberal views in all cases, Young said. Im very liberal. But these people are not necessarily all that liberal. And they have a right to be heard as Democrats as well. It shouldnt just be people who think like me.

Democrats dominated in northeast and southeast Missouri for decades, even though they tended to vote for abortion restrictions. Thats why some are thinking now that candidates who oppose abortion rights might have a better chance at beating Republicans at the ballot box.

The union that I worked at, we talked politics and I was the officer in the union, Herb Sisco, a retired union member who lives in Pike County. Basically, we were pretty much 100 percent Democrats. All of them were. Thats why its very hard for me to understand, other than a gun issue or an abortion issue, those single issues will prompt a Democrat to vote Republican. I dont know why. I wouldnt. But they do.

Internal debate over abortion rights has been going on for decades, Missouri Democratic Party Chairman Stephen Webber said. There have been a number of prominent Democrats over the years who opposed abortion rights, including former U.S. Sen. Tom Eagleton and former Gov. Joe Teasdale.

Its not a new fight, Webber said. Were the party of health care, of public education, of public schools, working families. We need to do a better job connecting on these issues in rural communities. And the candidates were going to be looking for are folks that are willing to work hard and communicate that with conviction.

Jalen Anderson, a committeeman from Jackson County who is leading the Missouri Democratic Partys effort to create a platform, said candidates should stand by their convictions on issues such as abortion rights.

But, he added: Democrats always love to focus on that one specific issue of abortion, but we never talk about the rest of womens health. The abortion issue is something that we have to focus on, because we are the party that believes in what the Supreme Court decided with Roe v. Wade and we believe that it should be protected. Because we cant go back to the archaic ways of hiding in shame.

A mixed record

In the past decade, Democrats who oppose abortion rights have a mixed record when it comes to winning legislative seats.

In 2006, former Sen. Frank Barnitz of Lake Spring, Rep. Paul Quinn of Monroe City and Rep. Tom Shivley of Shelbyville were able to keep rural districts in the Democratic column in 2006. But all three of those candidates were voted out of office by 2012, and there hasnt been much of an effort to win those seats back.

Meanwhile, a number of socially conservative Democrats, like former state Reps. Terry Swinger of Caruthersville, and Joseph Fallert of Ste. Genevieve failed at winning rural Senate districts over the past few election cycles. The last two Democratic candidates that captured GOP Senate seats, Scott Sifton of Affton and Jill Schupp of Creve Coeur, are fairly vocal proponents of abortion rights.

Socially conservative candidates arent the solution to the partys woes, NARAL Pro-Choice Missouri Executive Director Alison Dreith said, because Republicans are out and proud on their issues and not wavering depending on the constituency that theyre talking to and trying to paint a picture of somebody who they are not.

She praised the Democrats for the goal of running someone for every seat in the 2018 elections, but noted that the Democrats now have some rebuilding to do when it comes to trust. I wouldnt necessarily trust a party that was coming and knocking on my door or asking for money for the first time in a really long time.

Its worth noting that the last three Democratic governors, Mel Carnahan, Bob Holden and Jay Nixon, all hail from rural areas of the state. All supported abortion rights, with Carnahan and Nixon seeing exceptional support for two terms in rural counties.

On the Trail, a weekly column, weaves together some of the intriguing threads from the world of Missouri politics.

Follow Jason on Twitter: @jrosenbaum

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On the Trail: Democrats mull whether anti-abortion rights candidates would regain political ground - KCUR

A right-wing radio host dismissed the prayers Democrats offered after last weeks shooting during a Republican baseball practicein Alexandria, Virginia.

Why would you want to pray with the children of Satan? Jesse Lee Peterson said in comments posted online by Right Wing Watch. They serve a different God than you. Thats reality.

Last weeks attack left six people injured, including two lawmakers. One of those wounded, Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.), remains hospitalized after multiple surgeries and was upgraded from critical to serious condition over the weekend.

The violence led to numerous displays of unity among lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, including shared prayers.But Peterson said Republicans shouldnt join them.

What are the Democrats praying for? The Democrats are not of God, Peterson said. All of a sudden when Scalise gets shot, when they hear about the shooting, all the children of Satan are going to come together and pray? Please!

In the past, Peterson,who is black, has said he would like to take all black people back to the South and put them on the plantation so they would understand the ethic of working. He also said that giving women the right to vote was one of the greatest mistakes America made. His self-titled radio show has featured interviews with other divisive right-wing figures, including Milwaukee Sheriff David Clarke and Rafael Cruz, the father of Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas).

Over the years, Peterson has also been a guest on Sean Hannitys show on Fox News as well as Hannitys radio program, where he once claimed that there was no such thing as racism. Hannity, it should be noted, disputed that.

Listen to Petersons latest comments, as posted online by Right Wing Watch, here:

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Democrats Are 'Children Of Satan,' Right-Wing Radio Host Says - HuffPost

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is launching digital takeover ads against three Senate Republicans and a governor to increase the pressure on the Senates health-care bill at a time when activists worry that the closed-door drafting process has granted it momentum.

The buy features The Price, a spot the DSCC began running when the American Health Care Act first moved through the House. In it, parents hock their valuables to pay for a childs hospital stay. The anonymous setting of the spot has made it easy to repurpose; in this case, its being aimed at Sens. Jeff Flake (Ariz.), Dean Heller (Nev.) and Ted Cruz (Tex.), and Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R).

Heller is the one Republican senator up for reelection in 2018 from a state that backed Hillary Clinton for president last year. Flake, who narrowly won a first term in an increasingly blue state, remains a target. Scott, who has hinted at a 2018 run, is perhaps the most threatening self-funder who might seek a seat held by a Democrat. And Cruz is being challenged by Rep. Beto ORourke (D), whos seen as a long shot but has won fans in the national Democratic orbit.

If Senators Heller, Flake and Cruz, along with Governor Scott, get their way, hard-working Americans will pay the price while insurance companies and the rich get a tax break, DSCC spokesman David Bergstein said.

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Democrats target three Senate Republicans with health-care ads - Washington Post

Miami Herald

Big night for Florida Democrats ends in acrimony over chairman's racial remarks Miami Herald The Florida Democratic Party's big annual fundraiser ended in acrimony Saturday night after Stephen Bittel, the party chairman, dismissed anger from lawmakers who didn't get introduced on stage as a childish complaint from African-American legislators. and more »

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Big night for Florida Democrats ends in acrimony over chairman's racial remarks - Miami Herald