Blog Stage 4

The political blog,  Huffington Post, published an article titled, "Senate Republicans Don’t Know What Health Care Bill They’re About To Vote For. That’s Nuts” by Jeffrey Young. This article talks about the Obamacare repeal, which was seven years in the making and how despite the long process, there still isn’t a good enough bill that a lot of republicans in the Senate are wanting to vote for.

The mocking tone of the article clearly indicated that the author’s intended audience was liberal citizens, or more specifically, citizens who do favor Obamacare. Throughout the article, the author would often use sarcasm such as, “Senate Republicans are moving forward with legislation that would gut Medicaid, vastly increase the number of Americans without health coverage, jumble the health insurance market in ways that could cause it to collapse, make it harder for people with pre-existing conditions to get and keep health coverage, and expose poor people to unlimited medical costs” to highlight the consequences of repealing Obamacare and to mock republicans/portray them negatively for wanting to replace a bill that provides so many benefits. This sarcastic tone also helps highlight the argument of this article. The author argues this because of how many people’s lives are in the hands of the healthcare system and how having indecisive senators who want to get rid of the plan simply because they don’t like it, not because they have a better replacement, could affect millions of Americans. The author argues this not only to defend the millions of people whose lives depend on Obamacare, but to also show citizens how the republican senators have not yet come up with a better plan to replace, but still want to get rid of it.

Throughout the article, the author supports his argument with evidence, by discussing the possible bills that will be introduced to replace Obamacare such as: McConnell’s version of Better Care Reconciliation Act, McConnell’s Obamacare Repeal Reconciliation Act, or the American Health Care Act. The author explains each bill negatively and highlighting the consequences with each such as, “This bill would slash federal Medicaid funding by more than one-quarter, weaken the Affordable Care Act’s protections for people with pre-existing conditions;”. By explaining it in this pattern or mockery and negativity of replacement plans, the author makes it clear that their audience and himself hold the objectives and benefits of Obamacare at value, all of which are not being met by plans many republicans want to replace it with. Although, the author doesn’t specifically state what citizens can do to help fight the repeal and replace project, he does close the article with some sort of hope by stating that the legislation doesn’t know what to do, therefore not supporting a replacement nor a permanency for Obamacare.

Although I agree with this article and it did educate me about the repeal and replace process occurring at the moment, it didn’t reassure me nor did it make more adamant on keeping Obamacare. By informing citizens about the lasts development on the process is very beneficial but I don’t think argument was strong enough to significantly change someone’s views or have people act on their view.