Congressional Loser Jason Lewis Blames John McCain for House Defeat and is Set on Fire on Twitter
Most first-term midterm elections see a shift in the balance of power for the party of the chief executive, and 2018 was no exception to the rule as the House changed hands from a Republican majority to a Democratic one. But that proof of history wasn’t enough for Minnesota seat-loser Jason Lewis, who in a Wall Street Journal op-ed blamed a man who is not alive for the defeat.
Lewis, a die-hard Trumpist, spared no recrimination for President Donald Trump or even his own poorly-run race and aggressively bad track record for the loss. Instead, the failed candidate, formerly a third-tier right wing talk radio host, blamed the fact that John McCain voted against last year’s Obamacare repeal; That’s the “skinny” repeal, which McCain famously torpedoed on the grounds that it would gut coverage protections for pre-existing conditions.
Lewis’ rationale, such as it was, was that McCain’s reason was a lie (it wasn’t), that it meant the Republican failure to fix the ACA in a way that satisfied voters was McCain’s fault (it wasn’t), and that it therefore decided House races against Republicans, especially his own loss, for which he was otherwise personally blameless (he wasn’t).
On Twitter, Lewis’ decision to blame his failings on a dead war hero didn’t go over great. The Weekly Standard‘s Haley Byrd eviscerated Lewis and the Wall Street Journal for the article.
This is disgusting. Jason Lewis, a GOP congressman defeated last week, blames John McCain for Republican losses in the midterms bc of his no vote on ACA repeal.
It’s appalling that Lewis and his team thought this piece—which is filled with lies—was OK.https://t.co/KNr6rDHMKv
— Haley Byrd (@byrdinator) November 12, 2018
My jaw actually dropped open when I saw this in a print WSJ. The piece’s main premise, that McCain’s vote lent credibility to the notion that ACA repeal would have gutted preexisting conditions, is baffling.
The bill would have gutted preexisting conditions. That’s just a fact.
— Haley Byrd (@byrdinator) November 12, 2018
If you know me, you know I try not to get upset about politics too easily or very often. But this should infuriate every Republican who has even an ounce of respect for McCain.
— Haley Byrd (@byrdinator) November 12, 2018
Naturally, John McCain’s daughter, co-host of The View Meghan McCain was rightly appalled.
This is abhorrent. https://t.co/dPpjYcwk81
— Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) November 12, 2018
The late Senator’s former communications director weighed in as well.
Absolutely disgraceful @WSJ ran an oped by defeated @RepJasonLewis blaming John McCain for R’s losing the House
Things that contributed to Lewis losing his seat by 6 points: calling women “sluts” & shaming sexual assault survivors
Things that DIDN’T contribute: John McCain https://t.co/ffhL5m03zV
— Julie Tarallo (@julietarallo) November 12, 2018
They were not alone.
Jason Lewis blaming the GOP’s loss of the House on the late John McCain is abject bananas pudding. https://t.co/WLVUVT7WfW
— Jane Coaston (@cjane87) November 12, 2018
Recently-defeated Congressman Jason Lewis, who complained that men can no long call women “sluts” and get away with it, blames John McCain for the GOP losing the House. https://t.co/ZDTeEjAU61
— Joe Perticone (@JoePerticone) November 12, 2018
Defeated Republican Rep. Jason Lewis authored a piece blaming Republicans’ loss of the House on the deceased John McCain, and The Wall Street Journal editorial pages decided to run it. I am at a loss for words. https://t.co/EkWnSyCENR via @WSJOpinion
— Kathryn Watson (@kathrynw5) November 12, 2018
And in case you forgot what day it is…
wait, on veterans day, the WSJ publishes an op-ed from a guy who lost a house race: “Who Lost The House? John McCain”
(also factually incorrect claims in the piece which didn’t get edited!)https://t.co/iius1J4MWh pic.twitter.com/yGMEATbdNC
— Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) November 12, 2018
Most tone deaf oped possibly ever. @RepJasonLewis blames John McCain on Veterans Day for the GOP losing the House.https://t.co/yHBV8ahV8C
— Bakari Sellers (@Bakari_Sellers) November 12, 2018
As with Byrd’s tweet, there was a fair amount of criticism of the Wall Street Journal for publishing the op-ed. The paper’s decision to run Mark Penn‘s piece predicting an unstoppable 2020 run for president by Hillary Clinton is likewise facing Twitter backlash. Not a great day for the venerable publication’s opinion pages.
[Featured image via screengrab]
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