Health Care

Schumer compares opposition to GOP health bill to Vietnam War protests

by Nikita Vladimirov 03/24/17 10:27 PM ET

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Friday lauded the grassroots opposition to the GOP healthcare legislation, comparing the Democratic resistance to the anti-Vietnam War protests in the late 1960s.

“The energy was tremendous … I’ve never seen so much energy on the streets as in the Vietnam War protests until now,” the lawmaker said during an interview with MSNBC after President Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan decided to cancel a scheduled vote on the Republican plan to repeal and replace ObamaCare.

{mosads}”We toppled the most powerful man in the world. So this energy among the public is huge,” he added.

Schumer underscored that public outcry over the GOP effort played a significant role in reducing support for the legislation, which failed to win over dozens of conservative and moderate Republicans and all Democrats.

“A month ago no one had heard of TrumpCare. Now [a majority] of Americans think its a terrible idea and very small numbers … think its a good idea,” Schumer said.

“Without a grassroots organization and without all these organizations that usually are not mobilized … this would not have happened,” he added.

Schumer also maintained that the opposition to White House policies will continue because “the Trump adminstration is so far to the right that the American people just won’t swallow it.”