Very stupid! They thought they could get away with taking hundreds of billions of dollars from health care, leaving tens of millions of people stranded without coverage, and give it to the very wealthy in the form of corporate and individual tax cuts. They believed people wouldn’t see this for what it was if they simply called it “health care reform.” They were genuinely surprised when the public did see through it, and showed up at GOP congressmen’s and senators’ townhalls to complain. Panicked, and lacking the votes to pass it, they pulled the bill without taking a vote.
But pulling the bill didn’t mean pulling the plug. They’re coming back with essentially the same scheme (read the particulars here) — talking behind closed doors, not about how to change it, but how to pass it — and their new brainstorm is to jam it through Congress and get it to Trump’s desk before the Easter recess. The theory is if it’s a done deal before they go home, nobody will come to townhalls to complain about it, and peace will reign on the homefront. How stupid are Republicans? That stupid!