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Republicans are expressing embarrassment, fear and frustration as party leaders concede that their years-long promise to erase much of Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act is all but dead. Conservative activists blamed establishment Republicans who control Congress. Establishment Republicans blamed a lack of leadership from their president. And the Republican president blamed "a few Republicans" and all Democrats for blocking his agenda. (Beaumont, 7/19)

As the seven-year Republican effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act crashed on the threshold of the Senate, President Trump offered his party a rescue strategy. Step one: Blame Democrats. Step two: Win more seats and try again. (Weigel, 7/18)

“The way I look at it is, in ’18 we’re going to have to get some more people elected,” Mr. Trump said in the Roosevelt Room in the White House. “We have to go out and we have to get more people elected that are Republican.” (Hook and Radnofsky, 7/18)

The anger commenced not long after Tuesday’s collapse of the Senate GOP bill to replace Obamacare. The Senate Conservatives Fund promised to "identify, recruit, and fund conservative challengers” to GOP lawmakers who vote against a clean repeal.It’s no empty threat in a Republican Party that’s seen a handful of incumbents defeated — or nearly-defeated — in primaries in recent years. (Isenstadt and Debenedetti, 7/19)

A top conservative group is threatening primary challenges to senators who vote against a repeal of ObamaCare after Senate Republicans failed to coalesce around a replacement plan. Former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, who now serves as the president of the Senate Conservatives Fund, drew the line in the sand on Tuesday, soon after reports surfaced that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) plans to hold a repeal vote even though it's already clear he doesn't have the votes to pass it. (Kamisar, 7/18)