While Silver explains the many specific reasons having to do with the bill itself and the various coalitions supporting it and opposing it, he likewise points to a larger lesson to be gained: despite electing Trump, America has no interest in the agenda of Paul Ryan, my own congressman, Pat Tiberi, and the rest of the congressional Republicans. The agenda which is characterized by (a) cutting taxes for the wealthy; (b) slashing government programs and services which benefit the poor and middle class; and (c) claiming, contrary to nearly 40 years of objective evidence, that doing so will make life better for everyone. 

Silver explains it in terms of the mandate one can assume a president has based on how many seats his own party gained in Congress when he was elected. On that score Trump has no mandate. In addition to his popular vote loss, Republicans actually lost seats in both the House and Senate. But it should be obvious separate and apart from those sorts of metrics. 

Trump ran against a bunch of Paul Ryan-Pat Tiberi types in the Republican primary. Guys like Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio who share their Congressional agenda. Guys like Bobby Jindal, who actually implemented such an agenda as governor of Louisiana, which led to fiscal and civic ruin. He whupped ’em all. He didn’t whup them because he’s charming — Trump is repugnant — he whupped them because his message was about rebuilding and investing in America and in aiding the middle and lower classes, not the rich. Now, I don’t think Trump believes that message himself and I don’t believe he wants to or is able to deliver on it, but that’s what he ran and and that’s what voters responded to and it’s understandable that they did. 

Outside of conservative think tanks, Wall Street investment banks and a narrow class of ultra-wealthy people, there is no constituency in this country for slashing the taxes of millionaires and taking services away from the poor and middle class. None. People don’t want it. When they saw it in the from of the AHCA, they recoiled. When they see it in the coming congressional Republican tax and budget proposals, they’ll recoil even more.

Americans do not want to giveaways to the wealthy, they want investments in the country and in its people. They know that government is often inefficient and wasteful, but they do not consider it their mortal enemy and do not want representatives who have no ideas apart from starving it and the people it serves. 

Donald Trump gave lip service to helping ordinary Americans, but has no idea how to make that happen. Paul Ryan, Pat Tiberi and the rest of the Republicans in Congress don’t seem to give a lick about helping ordinary Americans and, obviously, nothing about their agenda suggests that they’ll try.

Which means it’s time for Americans to pick some different representatives.