If Rep. health care bill doesn’t pass, Wisconsin’s Baldwin looking forward to working together

The Senator, however, warns the fight against current bill isn’t over.

If Mitch McConnell and the rest of the Senate Republicans put to rest their health care bill, Tammy Baldwin said Democrats are ready to listen.

The Wisconsin Senator warns, however, not to take the bargaining power McConnell has for granted.

“There is a small opening in terms of our ability to be able to work together after this bill is defeated but that’s the first piece of order,” Baldwin said.

She’s hoping Republicans listen to their constituents in the many town halls that have been held since the Republicans pulled the bill before a vote and the Senate went on its holiday recess.

Several Republicans encountered people over the July 4 holiday, angry over the proposed bill, which could boot 22 million off of health insurance coverage.

“I can tell you, here in Wisconsin, there’s an urgency to the voices and stories that I’ve been hearing,” Baldwin said.

Republicans continue to tweak their health care bill but, if it doesn’t pass, the notion has come up they may work with Democrats to, instead, rework parts of the Affordable Care Act.

And that is all completely normal to Baldwin.

“I’ve teamed up with John McCain to hold the drug corporations accountable for the price spikes,” she said of the Republican. “I’ve teamed up with Susan Collins for recognizing and supporting our family care givers.

“We can do this.”