Come with me on a very brief time travel trip. It's 2009. Fresh off a big win, Democrats have large majorities in Congress and control the White House. They quickly draw on their political capital to pursue one of the biggest changes to the American health-care system in decades: Obamacare. That summer, Democrats across the …
 
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Come with me on a very brief time travel trip.

It's 2009. Fresh off a big win, Democrats have large majorities in Congress and control the White House. They quickly draw on their political capital to pursue one of the biggest changes to the American health-care system in decades: Obamacare.

That summer, Democrats across the nation go home to their districts and are caught off guard by passionately angry constituents — mostly conservative — at town halls, fearful of how the health care law might change their lives.

“You are a fraud, and you're sentencing this person to death under the Obama plan,” one constituent told then-Rep. John Dingell of Michigan at the time.

Tea party activists in 2013 in front of the U.S. Capitol. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Okay, back to the present moment.

It's — well, you know what year it is. Fresh off a big win, Republicans have large majorities in Congress and control the White House. They quickly draw on their political capital to pursue one of the biggest changes to the American health-care system in decades: Getting rid of Obamacare.

But repeal efforts have stalled because, well, Republicans aren't quite sure what to replace it with. Enter a united, fired-up left, which has taken to streets across the nation twice in President Trump's first few weeks in office, and, this week, stormed the town halls of at least two Republican lawmakers.

People shout to Rep. Jason Chaffetz during his town hall in Utah on Friday. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

There's more. On Friday, protesters literally blocked Education Secretary Betsy DeVos from entering a school. (She did get inside later.) The video is startling:

DeVos

Click to watch

What's going on here?

This moment looks like a mirror image of the national mood almost a decade ago.

“Democrats have a strong sense of righteousness right now about halting Trump's policy moves — almost in a truly religious sense,” writes The Fix's Aaron Blake.

The common thread between then and now: One party in control of Washington undertaking a massive change to Americans' health care. When Democrats were in Republicans' situation in 2010, they lost control of Congress and haven't regained it since. Republicans must be asking themselves just how close the parallels between 2009 and 2017 are.

If there’s one thing we’re relearning right now, it’s that issues that directly affect people’s lives — health care, public schools — can get people into town halls and voting booths.

5 things to know about a federal appeals court ruling on President Trump's travel ban

Karen Shore holds up a sign outside of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

  1. It's not over yet. But it is possible that Thursday's decision decides the ban's fate. If the Trump administration appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court in the coming weeks, and the eight justices deadlock 4-4 along their traditional ideological lines, it means Thursday's decision to temporarily lift the ban for travelers from seven predominantly Muslim countries will be upheld.

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  1. The 9th Circuit Court in San Francisco did not rule on the merits of the travel ban itself. Rather, they approved a Washington federal judge's ruling to pause the ban nationwide as other courts across the country consider its constitutionality.
  1. The court took Trump at his word. The judges said Trump's campaign comments about wanting to implement a Muslim ban are fair game in deciding whether it's a religious test.
  1. The clock is ticking for Team Trump. The ban only lasts 90-120 days, and these court challenges could take months.
  1. This could be a learning moment for Trump. As Fix Boss Chris Cillizza astutely points out: “He is, quite literally, not the boss of the federal court system.” 

Want more ban news?

Read the 9th Circuit Court's entire decision

And check out our Justice reporter's 7 key take-aways 

The Trump administration's latest Russia predicament, explained

National Security Adviser Michael Flynn speaks during the daily news briefing at the White House, in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017. Flynn said the administration is putting Iran "on notice" after it tested a ballistic missile. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

National security adviser Michael Flynn (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

There's been a rumor swirling around Washington: That Trump's top national security adviser, Michael Flynn, had talks with the Russian ambassador in December about sanctions the Obama administration levied on Russia on its way out the door, sanctions that were in retaliation for Russia's meddling in the U.S. election.

Flynn's alleged conversations with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak could have been inappropriate and potentially illegal, not to mention politically sticky.

On Thursday and Friday, the rumor became much more than just a rumor. Nine intelligence sources confirmed for The Washington Post that Flynn explicitly spoke with Kislyak about the sanctions. “Kislyak was left with the impression that the sanctions would be revisited at a later time,” said a former official. Now, the FBI is investigating. At least one top Democrat in Congress called for Flynn to step down. (Flynn's position does not require confirmation from the Senate.)

Stay tuned for what this means for Flynn and the Trump administration. Right now, it doesn't look good.

Programming note!

I will be out of the country (yes, on a glamorous beach vacation far away from Washington) for the next two weeks. In place of my regular newsletter, each day we'll be sharing a post from a Fix writer on the day's top political news.

You'll be in good hands! And now, I'll leave you with this meditation on Trump and the art of the super-awkward handshake.

lookatme

GorsuchHandshake

Kanye_Trump_handshake

 
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