The Atlantic

Can Liberal Activists Keep Attention on the Republican Health-Care Bill?

Protests and sit-ins at lawmakers’ offices may not be enough to compete with a crowded news cycle.
Source: Bryan Woolston / Reuters

Senate Republicans could be on the verge of passing legislation to dismantle former President Barack Obama’s signature health-care law, the Affordable Care Act. The question for liberal activists who want to stop that from happening is whether the rest of the country will be paying attention.

Activists must contend with crowded news cycles and limited opportunities to lobby lawmakers face-to-face. In the past week alone, President Trump has overtaken headlines by feuding with Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, the co-hosts of MSNBC’s , and criticizing an intercontinental ballistic missile raised alarm throughout the United States.

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