Republicans failed miserably in their first big test to repeal and replace Obamacare.

While there’s plenty of blame to go around, there is no excuse for failing to deliver in this case. Republicans have been using the “repeal and replace Obamacare” talking point since 2010 in every election, and when the time came to actually accomplish that goal, they failed.

A new report from the Washington Post shows that House Speaker Paul Ryan used desperate measures to round up Republican votes as the life of the bill withered away. In at least one instance, Ryan literally “begged on one knee.”

Ryan got down on a knee to plead with Rep. Don Young, an 83-year-old from Alaska who is the longest-serving Republican in Congress and remains undecided.

The begging, however, did absolutely nothing to sway Young. Young has since touted that Ryan’s cancellation of the vote is a “victory for Alaska.“

The GOP effort to pass the American Health Care Act (AHCA) collapsed last week after they failed to secure enough votes on two separate occasions.

Both Paul Ryan and President Trump used many tricks and tactics to sway Republicans, but they ultimately did not work.

If the reports are true, it appears that Trump and Ryan tried to “good cop, bad cop” the Freedom Caucus. While Trump threatened GOP lawmakers who defied him, Ryan took a much softer approach – including literally begging on one knee for votes.

Congress and the White House have signaled that they will move on from healthcare and tackle tax reform.