PRIEBUS SPEAKS – AT 12:41 P.M. ET:  Sometimes a defeat is the best thing that can happen to an individual, or a political party.  Out of the ashes of defeat often comes victory.   From Fox: 

White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus on Sunday acknowledged that Democrats are not the culprits in Republicans’ failed ObamaCare overhaul bill, saying it’s time for the GOP to “start governing.”

“You’re right,” Priebus said to questions on “Fox News Sunday” about President Trump calling out Democrats after the bill died Friday in the GOP-controlled House amid insufficient GOP support.

“At the end of the day, it’s time for the party to start governing,” Priebus continued. “I also think though, that Democrats can come to the table as well.”

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., canceled the vote on the bill upon realizing he was about 20 votes shy of the minimum 216, amid strong opposition from the roughly 35-member, conservative House Freedom Caucus.

Trump said afterward, “We have no Democratic support. We have no votes from them. They weren’t going to give us a single vote.”

On Saturday, Trump hinted that overhauling ObamaCare is still alive, perhaps through bringing Democrats into the process, with widespread bipartisan concern about the 2010 health care law’s increasing costs and fewer insurance policy options for Americans.

“ObamaCare will explode and we will all get together and piece together a great health care plan for THE PEOPLE,” Trump tweeted. “Do not worry!”

Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, later Saturday seemed open to such discussions, acknowledging that ObamaCare indeed has problems, including too few tax credits for poor Americans to help them pay for the insurance.

“ObamaCare is not perfect. We need to fix things” he said on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends.” “This is all fixable if we sit down as reasonable people.”

COMMENT:  Tim Ryan is one of the better Democrats in Congress, but I'll bet his reasonableness will be shut down pretty quickly by his party's hard left.

Priebus, who is largely responsible for building the GOP's congressional victories in recent years, is right.  Start governing.  Produce results.  Don't try for perfection.  Try for something very good.  Reagan used to say that if he got 80% in a negotiation, he considered it a success.  That's common political sense.

March 26, 2017