In an election season when every floor vote is scrutinized for its political impact, the decision by the leadership to forge ahead – with the encouragement of its most vulnerable members – underscores how confident the GOP is that the law remains unpopular with the public.

“My guess is that my constituents would appreciate another vote,” Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (R-Mo.) said…

Other Republicans said a second repeal vote was justified by the high court’s holding that the individual mandate at the center of the healthcare law was a tax – contradicting the longstanding political position of the Obama administration and congressional Democrats.

“This is a huge tax increase. It was not sold that way, so they misled the American public when they said it wasn’t a tax increase,” said Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.), who is challenging Sen. Jon Tester (D) in a critical Senate race.