Biden rallies Democrats against GOP health bill: ‘This is not gonna pass’

WASHINGTON – Joe Biden was running a little late. The former vice president, a private citizen for the first time since the 1960s, was the special guest at a Democratic rally celebrating the seventh anniversary of the Affordable Care Act’s passage. A little after 10 a.m. Wednesday, dozens of congressional Democrats walked down the steps of the House, waving miniature flags, and began the event as media and spectators (kept several yards back by police) craned their necks for a glimpse of Biden.

“We are honored to be joined by an unsurpassed champion for working families in our country,” said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. “He will be here soon.”

Pelosi and Democratic politicians traded off time with constituents who credited the ACA for their care, a familiar setup as the party’s battled the GOP’s American Health Care Act.

“The Trumpcare bill is not a health-care bill – it’s a reduce-taxes-on-the-wealthy bill,” Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said. “Republicans should, once and for all, work with us to improve the Affordable Care Act and renounce repeal.”

Moments later, Biden arrived, standing coatless (in 40 degree weather) next to Democratic backbenchers. He theatrically grabbed at his chest whenever speakers invoked his comment, caught on a live mic, that the ACA was a “big f—ing deal.” They invoked this three times.

“I want to be real clear,” Biden said when he took over the lectern. “Number one, thank God my mother wasn’t around to see that. Number two: I leaned back! I wasn’t talking into the microphone. The press read my lips! So, this press is really talented – oh, my goodness.”

Over five minutes – “I got a lot more to say, but you’ve been here in the cold for a while” – Biden made a progressive case against the AHCA. Like Schumer, he described the bill as a wealth transfer, a tax cut “for people making over $250,000,” taking a trillion dollars away from the poor or the struggling.

“It’s classic Republican politics,” said Biden. “Nothing’s changed, except they’ve got a president who’s a little more … colorful.”

Echoing the Democrats who had to stay and fight the AHCA, Biden urged Republicans to quit the repeal campaign and work across party lines. “The improvements are all doable!” he said. “They’re all within our wheelhouse!” Pelosi took back the lectern, and thanked Biden for dropping in.

“I ain’t goin’ anywhere,” he said. “This is not gonna pass.”

In the near distance, spectators cheered. Closer to Biden, reporters began swarming him and lobbing questions. The former vice president bantered with congressmen who wanted calls or photos (“You already got an autograph. What the hell, man?”), occasionally turning to answer reporters. Asked why he was confident that Republicans would kill their own bill, Biden contradicted himself.

“I’m not that confident – I’m hopeful,” he said. “They may pass it tomorrow, but this is not the end.”

As the hosts of Showtime’s “The Circus” cornered Biden for an interview, other TV reporters sought a fresh answer on President Donald Trump’s insistence that he was wiretapped.

“Did your administration wiretap Trump Tower?” shouted a reporter from NBC News.

Biden stopped cold and answered with sarcasm.

“Five or six times,” he said. “Are you serious? Are you serious?”