Rick Scott’s healthy take on Obamacare protests

When asked in a Tuesday interview with the Washington Examiner to comment on whether an incrementalist approach to repealing and replacing Obamacare would invite longterm protests and potentially impact future election cycles, Scott responded, “We had an election and the person that said that they’re going to repeal and replace Obamacare actually won the election.”

“One thing I always try to do is, when I ran, I was very clear what I was going to do,” Scott said, continuing, “I think Trump’s in the same position.”

From Scott’s perspective, major changes inevitably invite dissent.

“In the beginning when you see it’s a seismic shift in how government is run, like we’re seeing now between the Obama administration and the Trump administration, people are going to show up,” he remarked. “That’s just part of the political process.”

Taking those comments one step further, Scott even said he was “glad people show up [to protest],” because it means “they care.”

Detailing his frequent conversations with constituents, Scott told the Examiner, “People give me ideas all day long. They tell me what they like, they tell me what they don’t like.”

“I want to make sure their government works and it’s consistent with what I said I was going to do … I think that’s what Trump’s trying to do,” said Scott, a longtime friend of the president who has met with him more than once in recent days.

Republicans would do well to follow Scott’s lead. Rather than seeing town hall protests as a harbinger of a mass uprising, they should recognize the inevitability of friction created by change, acknowledge voters for staying involved in issues that impact their well-being, and listen calmly to the voices of dissent.

Most importantly, bear in mind Scott’s first point — Trump and congressional Republicans campaigned on their intentions to repeal Obamacare. And they won.

Emily Jashinsky is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.