NOW WHAT? – AT 11:55 A.M. ET:  The Republican Party must regroup after yesterday's defeat in the House.  From Fox: 

The Republican divided that doomed the party’s ObamaCare replacement bill appears as equally wide in the aftermath, with leaders in disagreement about the next step.

“At some point, on behalf of the American people, we have to resolve the issues that are driving up costs, limiting choices and causing the individual (health insurance) market to spiral downward,” Tennessee GOP Sen. Bob Corker said Friday night. “I stand ready to work with the administration and my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in order to fix our broken health care system.”

Corker made the announcement hours after House Speaker Paul Ryan on Friday cancelled the final vote for the ObamaCare replacement bill, upon concluding he didn’t have enough votes despite the chamber’s GOP majority.

“We’re going to be living with ObamaCare for the foreseeable future,” the Wisconsin Republican said afterward, making clear that neither he nor President Trump intend to introduce new legislation.

Trump’s new strategy appears to be to allow ObamaCare to continue --with the expectation that the 2010 health care law will implode amid increasing costs and few options for Americans.

"ObamaCare will explode and we will all get together and piece together a great healthcare plan for THE PEOPLE," Trump tweeted Saturday. "Do not worry!"

COMMENT:  I'm not sure this is exactly the right strategy.  Obamacare is a reckless, irresponsibly constructed program that will indeed implode.  But when it does, millions of people will be hurt.  The Democrats will actually be responsible, but what Republicans must understand is that the media will blame Trump and Republicans in Congress.  That's the way the game is played, and the Republican Party has not yet learned to play it.

The GOP must master what Reagan mastered – how to speak directly to the American people, above the heads of the press lords.

March 25, 2017