By now, you've likely seen that photo of 25 white dudes discussing women's health under the proposed new Republican healthcare bill. If not, here's what you missed.
Appreciated joining @POTUS for meeting with the Freedom Caucus again today. This is it. #PassTheBill pic.twitter.com/XG6lQIy5a6
— Vice President Pence (@VP) March 23, 2017
Vice President Mike Pence shared the pic of lawmakers at the White House on Twitter yesterday, captioning it: "Appreciated joining @POTUS for meeting with the Freedom Caucus again today. This is it. #PassTheBill."
Trump — who's been hyping the plan 24/7 — was meeting with the conservative Freedom Caucus, an all-male group of 30 Republican House representatives that opposes the bill. They discussed an amendment to the bill that would allow states to take away health insurance from new mothers who fail to find work within 60 days of giving birth.
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How do we feel about a room full of men discussing cuts to maternity care, contraceptive coverage, and breast-cancer screenings? Angry and disappointed, of course. Planned Parenthood was one of the first to point out what's wrong with the photo — and the entire situation: "Here's the picture of the leaders negotiating away birth control, maternity care & abortion. Notice anything? #ProtectOurCare," the organization tweeted soon after Pence's tweet went up.
Well, where there's bullshit, there's masterful trolling. This little gem has been making its rounds around the internet for the last few hours:
Meanwhile, at today's meeting on feline healthcare... pic.twitter.com/wApNyFS7jz
— Justin Shanes (@justinshanes) March 24, 2017
This tweet manages to be accurate and cute while making an important point. Since being posted at 1:43 a.m. (you know, like all brilliant tweets), it has received 13,000 RTs and 21,000 likes — that's a lot more than the original post by Pence.
Twitter loved it:
@justinshanes This photo is a million kinds of awesome even without the political commentary
— Amanda Rykoff (@amandarykoff) March 24, 2017
Ugh, so true.
@justinshanes I meme'd it... pic.twitter.com/7mFHM2uxSW
— Marc Lippincott (@marclippincott) March 24, 2017
"And that is how a tweet becomes a meme" is the new "and that is how a bill becomes a law."
@justinshanes You just won the internet!
— Allyson Lyons (@ally_kattz) March 24, 2017
Yep. Just one question: How did they get all of those dogs to sit still around a table?
The viral tweet has some competition. One woman went above and beyond to "fix" the photo of male lawmakers, and it was absolutely everything we needed. Hillary, Elizabeth Warren, Michelle Obama, Beyoncé, and Lady Gaga? Dream. Team. If only... And those are just a few of the awesome women in the doctored photo.
Here, I fixed it. pic.twitter.com/WuVYxgRGlD
— Olivia Hoppe (@livhoppe_) March 24, 2017
A vote on the Republican healthcare bill was scheduled to take place yesterday, but it faces so much opposition from both sides of the aisle that it has been delayed. It's expected that a vote will be held today, although deep opposition to the bill remains. Plus, according to one poll, only 17% of the American public supports it.
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