With John McCain’s decisive vote, the White House’s distractions and ugliness might have finally killed ACA repeal
There was a point, surely, when John McCain still hadn’t made up his mind. Well into Thursday night, the Arizona senator still would not say which way he was going to vote on the so-called “skinny repeal” of the Affordable Care Act. He had voted Tuesday to begin a debate that would ultimately allow the vote to proceed, sure, but who could say where he would fall on the bill itself? The vice president motorcaded in, preparing to cast a possible tiebreaker. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell huddled: with other Republicans, with Mike Pence, with McCain himself. Reporters turned to analyzing McCain’s body language: He was sitting by himself! He hugged Dianne Feinstein! He made Chuck Schumer smile!