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It would be understandable if Republicans were doing this because its what most Americans want them to do. But its not. Only about 25 percent of Americans approved of a similar version of this bill, the one passed by the House. By a nearly 2 to 1 margin, people would prefer that the Affordable Care Act be kept in place and fixed, rather than junked for this cruel alternative.

The Senate bill is by far, the most harmful piece of legislation I have seen in my lifetime, said Senator Bernie Sanders. At age 75, hes seen a lot.

Remember when Republicans used to pretend to care about crafting the peoples business in sunlight? Its simply wrong for legislation that will affect 100 percent of the American people to be negotiated behind closed doors. That was Mike Pence in 2010.

Why are they doing it? Why would the peoples representatives choose to hurt their own people? The answer is further evidence of our failed democracy. About 75 million Americans depend on Medicaid. This bill will make their lives more miserable and perilous in order to give the top 2 percent of wealthiest Americans a tax cut.

And where are the 75 million now? They are nowhere. The sad fact is, the poor dont vote. Up to 80 percent of low earners do not show up at the polls, and its even worse in midterm congressional elections. The Republicans can screw the poor, whose population is disproportionately large in red states, because those citizens will not fight back.

So, little surprise that Republicans are also working to make it even harder for the poor to vote. They can seek to disenfranchise one class of Americans, and get away with it from the safety of gerrymandered seats.

The symptoms of democratic collapse from the opioid crises of people who long ago checked out of active citizenship to the stagnation of class mobility cry for immediate action.

It takes the median worker twice as many hours a month to pay rent in a big city today than it did in the early years of the baby boomer era, as Edward Luce notes in his new book, The Retreat of Western Liberalism. Add towering increases in health care and college costs to that and youve got an unclimbable wall between low-income limbo and a chance at the middle class. The United States, once known for our American Dream, now has the lowest class mobility of any Western democracy, according to Luce.

What is Congress doing? Nothing on wages. Nothing on college tuition. And the health care bill will most surely force many people to choose between buying groceries and being able to visit a doctor.

Our fake democracy reveals itself daily. Less than a third of Americans support President Trumps decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement. In a truly representative government, you would see the other two-thirds, the common-sense majority, howling from the halls of Congress.

Most Americans are also against building a wall along the Mexican border. They would prefer putting taxpayers billions into roads, bridges, schools and airports. But the wall remains a key part of President Trumps agenda.

Trump is president, of course, despite losing the popular vote by nearly 3 million people. Almost 60 percent of the public is against him now. In a parliamentary system, hed be thrown out in a no-confidence vote. In our system, hes primed to change life for every citizen, against the wishes of a majority of Americans. Try calling that a democracy while keeping a straight face.

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Our Fake Democracy - New York Times