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Not much over the past couple of days has made the passage of the American Health Care Act seem more likely. One of the House bills chief Republican critics, Arkansas senator Tom Cotton, told ABC's George Stephanopoulos Sunday that the proposal "as it's written todaycannot pass the Senate."

Cotton was harsh not only on the bill's prescription for Obamacare but on the political fallout for Republicans who support it. "I believe it would have adverse consequences for millions of Americans and it wouldn't deliver on our promises to reduce the cost of health insurance for Americans," he said. "So, I would say to my friends in the House of Representatives with whom I serve, do not walk the plank and vote for a bill that cannot pass the Senate and then have to face the consequences of that vote."

Then Cotton went a step further: "I'm afraid that if they vote for this bill, they're going to put the House majority at risk next year." What does Trump think of Cotton's prediction, and how much does the president think about how to protect his Republican majority in the House? The White House is mum. "Contact the RNC," wrote press secretary Sean Spicer in a curt email.

Republicans Are Damned If They Do or Don't

Is Cotton's warning alarmist or shrewd? It's obviously too soon to tellthe House committees have voted the bill through but GOP leadership won't bring to a floor vote until after the Congressional Budget Office scores itbut Cotton's sentiments reflect a growing sense among some congressional Republicans that the party is not just squandering a great chance to implement a conservative health-care program. With this bill, the GOP may be sowing the seeds of their demise. Bad policy and bad optics, say Cotton and the various Republicans (from Freedom Caucus members in the House to Maine moderate Susan Collins) urging the House to start over, will make for bad politics.

House speaker Paul Ryan pushed back on this on CBS's Face the Nation, agreeing with President Trump's statement that without passing this particular Obamacare repeal, 2018 will be a "bloodbath." "Look, the most important thing for a person like myself, who runs for office and tells the people we are asking to hire us, this is what I will do if I get elected. And then, if you don't do that, you are breaking your word," Ryan said.

Both men have a point. So what's a conflicted Republican congressman to do?

Trump to Listen to Someone on Health Care

On the president's Monday schedule is a late-morning "listening session on healthcare" in the White House's Roosevelt Room. No word from Trump's staff who will be there for the president to listen tomembers of Congress? industry representatives? doctors? patients?but it's a sign Trump may be looking for ways to alter the bill he's already gotten behind.

The director of the National Economic Council, Gary Cohn, said on Fox News Sunday that Trump was "willing to accept improvements to the bill."

"We've met with many groups over the last week, week and a half. We've talked with many different groups as we possibly could. And anyone that comes off with an improvement, we are more than happy to accept," Cohn said.

You're FiredAll 46 of You!

On Friday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions formally asked for the resignation of all 46 United States attorneys who were appointed by Barack Obama. This practice is pretty standard when a new party holds the White House. As former U.S. attorney Andrew McCarthy notes, Bill Clinton's attorney general Janet Reno fired 93 such attorneys in 1993.

But the routine request couldn't escape the constant drumbeat of drama in Trump's Washington. One of those attorneys, Manhattan's Preet Bharara, refused to resign on Friday (unlike his other colleagues, who issued public statements declaring. On Saturday, Bharara said he had been fired.

Why did Bharara not resign? Back in November, the hard-charging attorney had met with the president-elect at Trump Tower, where he said he had been asked by Trump and Sessions to stay in his post. But on Thursday, President Trump reportedly made a phone call to Bharara, who refused to accept the call, citing Justice Department protocols. It's unknown what Trump wanted to discuss, but the next day, Justice asked the U.S. attorneys to resign.

Not every U.S. attorney's resignation was accepted. Those of the acting deputy attorney general, Dana Boente, and the nominated deputy attorney general, Rod Rosenstein, were declined, according to a Justice Department spokesman.

Song of the Day

"Mama Told Me Not to Come," Three Dog Night.

See more here:
Could Trumpcare Sink Republicans in 2018? - The Weekly Standard