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Kimmel Calls McCain a Hero for Voting Against Obamacare Repeal

September 22, 2017

Late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel tweeted thanks to Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.) and called him a hero Friday after news broke that he would oppose the Graham-Cassidy Obamacare repeal bill.

"I cannot in good conscience vote for the Graham-Cassidy proposal," McCain said in a statement. "I believe we could do better working together, Republicans and Democrats, and have not yet really tried."

Kimmel, whose monologues this week on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" were devoted to blasting the bill, tweeted, "Thank you @SenJohnMcCain for being a hero again and again and now AGAIN."

With Sen. Rand Paul (R., Ky.) already expressing opposition to the bill and Sen. Susan Collins (R., Maine) leaning toward no, McCain's down vote appears to have doomed the legislation. McCain and Collins, along with Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R., Alaska), also voted against the "skinny Obamacare repeal" bill in July.

Kimmel, not known previously for his politics, has been at the forefront of the health care debate this year after he emotionally told the story of his infant son needing open heart surgery shortly after birth.

This week, Kimmel claimed bill co-author Sen. Bill Cassidy (R., La.) "lied right to my face" when he appeared on his show earlier this year about his "Jimmy Kimmel Test" for health care legislation, saying his bill didn't meet his requirements for not discriminating against those with pre-existing conditions.

Kimmel implored viewers to register their opposition to the bill. He also ripped Fox News host Brian Kilmeade as a "phony little creep" for criticizing his health care stance and blasted Sen. John Kennedy (R., La.) for questioning his knowledge of the law by calling him "inbred."