Beyond the Bubble: White House leans on state Republicans to sell GOP healthcare plan

March 14--WASHINGTON/MIAMI/KANSAS CITY On this week's episode of Beyond the Bubble, Republicans balk at their leadership's plan to unwind the Affordable Care Act, Donald Trump preps a budget that Congress will toss in the trash and congressional races heat up nationwide as candidates place bets on the president's future popularity.

Joining host Kristin Roberts for a dive into how voters are reacting to Trump's Washington are Pati Mazzei of the Miami Herald, Bryan Lowry of The Kansas City Star, White House correspondent Anita Kumar and senior political correspondent Katie Glueck.

In this episode:

-- White House sources say the president's team is pushing congressional Republicans to quickly advance a healthcare bill -- even a compromise version -- so that Trump can deliver on one of his main promises to voters.

-- Sources tell The Kansas City Star that the White House and Republican National Committee are relying on Republicans outside of Washington to sell the GOP healthcare plan to voters, sending talking points for surrogates and rapid-response teams.

-- While conservatives in the Senate disparage the healthcare bill, they are warning behind closed doors that their base will stay home in the crucial 2018 mid-term elections if the GOP cannot come to consensus on repealing and replacing Obamacare.

-- In Florida, Democrats are already driving a narrative that older, poorer Floridians will suffer under the GOP plan, and they've targeted a moderate Miami Republican in a left-leaning district for supporting the current legislation.

-- And while Washington remains consumed by the Obamacare repeal, voters outside of the DC bubble are looking ahead to Trump's budget proposal -- and will be disappointed if they see him cutting funding for the job-creating security and transportation sectors.

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