JANESVILLE, Wis. _ Vice President Mike Pence spoke in Janesville Friday alongside other top Republicans to unite his party around a replacement of the Affordable Care Act _ a challenge that could define the presidency of Donald Trump.
With both conservative and moderate Republicans shaky on the plan, Pence sought to shore up support by heading to the hometown of House Speaker Paul Ryan to visit the headquarters of a chain of farm-supply stores. It was a clear signal that the White House wants other Republicans to fall in line behind the House leadership's plans to replace the health care law.
Pence heard local business owners and farmers, and then told hundreds in an invitation-only audience that the replacement process would begin in "just a matter of days."
"Let me make you a promise: The Obamacare nightmare is about to end ... Obamacare has failed and Obamacare must go," Pence said.
Ryan said Friday that together the White House and Congress will "tackle our problems before they tackle us."
But not all Republicans agree on how to do that. Moderate GOP lawmakers are concerned that an Affordable Care Act replacement bill might not cover enough Americans and conservatives say that it would create a new entitlement program by offering tax credits to help the needy afford coverage.
On Thursday and again Friday, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., criticized House Republican leadership for not letting him see the bill that Paul calls "Obamacare lite."
To draw attention to that, Paul wheeled a photocopier through the halls of the Capitol and said he was looking for the text of the bill _ tactics typically used by politicians against the opposing party, not their own.
The further Republicans go in showing open dissent and adopting opposing positions to the House bill, the more difficult compromise could become for the party.
Wisconsin Democrats, meanwhile, are seeing a burst of activity since their sweeping defeat last fall.
Mark Fuller, chairman of the Rock County Democratic Party, said local liberals are enthusiastic about working against GOP priorities, including the health care law repeal. Fuller said attendance at the county party's monthly meetings in Janesville has increased from about 30 to 50 since Trump's November victory.
"It's really galvanized people and there's a lot of energy," Fuller said. "They want to do things."
Democrats saw similar enthusiasm in the 2011 labor protests against GOP Gov. Scott Walker only to fail to beat him in both the 2012 recall and in 2014. Fuller has no indication that 2018 will be different but he does have a feeling that his party has learned from the string of defeats.
"I think people are more realistic about the work it's going to take," he said. "People have learned that it takes a lot more than just a protest."
Some Republicans are showing more support for the emerging position of Ryan and the White House.
Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., appeared with Pence Thursday, as did U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price.
"Wisconsin can't afford this mess and neither can the rest of the country. We've got to fix it right now," Price said.
