They never had a replacement plan as they all believed Hillary would win and they didn't need one...
That is lie number two. Not only did they never have any real intention to repeal anything Obama did, but they told us adamantly that they would have a 'Republican Plan' ready to go on the day after inauguration.
While the primaries were ramping up, nobody had any idea if Trump would actually run and certainly nobody ever thought Trump would become President. So, it wasn't about Trump. It could have been Bush, or Rubio, or Kasich, nobody knew. But Congress was putting out this lie that whomever wins, they will be ready with a replacement bill for Obamacare because Obamacare was so thoroughly unpopular.
But yes, I guess they all assumed at the time that it would be another Bush/Clinton election. Of course, Bush would lose (or he would be drafted as Hillary's VP) and the 'Republican Plan' would never be needed.
It has all been exposed as a lie. The Republicans never had any 'real' intention of doing anything that would disrupt the status quo, and it goes well beyond just Obamacare. During Obama's eight year term, virtually everything he wanted to pass, did indeed pass, with some token faux opposition from the Republicans. If something Obama wanted did not pass, which was rare, Obama would simply do his 'supreme leader' shtick, and just make it "law" with his phone and his pen.
Obama did so many things which were completely utterly blatantly illegal, from Guantanamo, to transfers of billions of dollars to Iran, to initiating coups of foreign governments, to initiating an illegal war with Libya, and the Republicans did their "harumph harumph" little thing, but never did anything to actually challenge him.
Commentators throw around the term 'kabuki theater' when referring to Congress. This is a term meant to demean Congress as being a 'not serious' organization. They make speeches, they have committee after committee after committee, but nothing ever gets done. And nothing ever, ever, changes. No matter how many speeches they make. No matter how many committees and faux resolutions and fake 'votes' they have, nothing ever really changes. It is all just a show to appease the unwashed masses. Republicans never had any intention to do anything, ever. And now we know.
It really was all just dogs and ponies, and smoke and mirrors, and real kabuki theater. The Republican leadership are in fact duplicitous liars. Their allegiance by what they do, is not to the American people, it is to maintain the status quo at any cost, regardless of all their bluster and flowery speeches. The GOPe is full of shit, and they are treating the American people like we are children or fools as if we can't tell the difference.
