# Why is Rick Santorum trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act? Isn't he a nobody now? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [May 6, 2018, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-rick-santorum-trying-to-repeal-the-affordable-care-act-isnt-he-a-nobody-now/813707 "2018-05-06T17:52:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chetumal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@Chetumal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chetumal)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2018, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-rick-santorum-trying-to-repeal-the-affordable-care-act-isnt-he-a-nobody-now/813707/1 "2018-05-06T17:52:57Z")
So apparently, Rick Santorum wants to repeal the ACA this year. [Link](https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/4/30/17304184/obamacare-repeal-probably-dead) What? He isn’t a member of congress anymore. Isn’t he just a private citizen now? He has no authority to bring a bill to the floor of the Senate, so what’s going on here? Haven’t GOP leaders given up on the repeal idea, deciding it’s too toxic to attempt right before the midterms? ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2018, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-rick-santorum-trying-to-repeal-the-affordable-care-act-isnt-he-a-nobody-now/813707/2 "2018-05-06T19:30:58Z")
Aye; he’s been a private jerkwad for over 11 years now. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2018, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-rick-santorum-trying-to-repeal-the-affordable-care-act-isnt-he-a-nobody-now/813707/3 "2018-05-06T19:37:21Z")
A has-been who never actually was. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2018, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-rick-santorum-trying-to-repeal-the-affordable-care-act-isnt-he-a-nobody-now/813707/4 "2018-05-06T19:50:00Z")
Just another Trump head that talks. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2018, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-rick-santorum-trying-to-repeal-the-affordable-care-act-isnt-he-a-nobody-now/813707/5 "2018-05-06T20:26:25Z")
> [@Chetumal](#): > > Why is Rick Santorum trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act? Isn’t he a nobody now? Didn’t you answer your own question there? ---
**Author:** ![Chetumal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@Chetumal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chetumal)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2018, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-rick-santorum-trying-to-repeal-the-affordable-care-act-isnt-he-a-nobody-now/813707/6 "2018-05-06T22:34:17Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Didn’t you answer your own question there? I don’t think I did. I’m truly baffled here. Is anyone actually taking him seriously on this? Or are the GOP congresscritters just rolling their eyes and thinking “Nope. Not a chance”? Is this in any way normal that a Senator who was voted out of office thinks they can write a bill and have congress approve it? ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2018, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-rick-santorum-trying-to-repeal-the-affordable-care-act-isnt-he-a-nobody-now/813707/7 "2018-05-06T22:44:44Z")
He wants people to pay attention to him again. You just did. ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2018, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-rick-santorum-trying-to-repeal-the-affordable-care-act-isnt-he-a-nobody-now/813707/8 "2018-05-06T22:56:16Z")
> [@Chetumal](#): > > Is this in any way normal that a Senator who was voted out of office thinks they can write a bill and have congress approve it? Plenty of people who have never even run for Congress, let alone served in it, create proposed legislation. They then lobby Congress in an attempt to find someone who will formally submit a bill with their plan. That piece is entirely normal. ---
**Author:** ![Kimera757](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kimera757/32/3765_2.png) [@Kimera757](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimera757)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-rick-santorum-trying-to-repeal-the-affordable-care-act-isnt-he-a-nobody-now/813707/9 "2018-05-07T11:32:50Z")
> [@Chetumal](#): > > I don’t think I did. I think you did. Elected politics attracts attention-seekers, and Santorum doesn’t like being ignored. Maybe Santorum wanted to be remembered for something other than homophobia. But I hardly see why he would be more successful than the current crop of Republicans, the Heritage Org, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-rick-santorum-trying-to-repeal-the-affordable-care-act-isnt-he-a-nobody-now/813707/10 "2018-05-07T13:39:13Z")
This really makes me hate Rick Santorum even more, which I didn’t think would be possible. Because HE should know better. He has a seriously disabled child. He has talked about how it is a financial strain and he has an income of around a million a year. Despite his insurance, the family incurs about 50K a year in out of pocket costs. And yet he wants to pull the rug out from under other families in the same situation - because if they were responsible they’d make a million a year in speaking engagements. But it’s their fault they’re poor and screw their kids. This link is the source for my info on Santorum’s income and medical costs. It’s buried in the smarminess of the article but it’s in there. > **[After birth of youngest, clashing views pulled at Rick Santorum, his wife](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/santorums-new-book-reveals-how-faith-and-love-are-tested-by-a-daughters-disability/2015/02/07/27a1728e-ac85-11e4-ad71-7b9eba0f87d6_story.html?utm_term=.8a5e7fec4919)** > > In “Bella’s Gift,” the couple shares their early divide after having a daughter with a deadly disorder. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-rick-santorum-trying-to-repeal-the-affordable-care-act-isnt-he-a-nobody-now/813707/11 "2018-05-07T17:16:39Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > He wants people to pay attention to him again. You just did. Eh, maybe he thinks he can ride this issue into the White House. Note: He’s been wrong about stuff before.