The House voted to repeal all of President Obama’s health care overhaul on Wednesday in a display of political theater by Republicans who have vowed to keep it central in their efforts to win control of the White House and Senate this fall, as Democrats fiercely defended the law’s most popular provisions, arguing that it’s already protecting average Americans.

Five Democrats joined Republicans to pass the repeal 244-185, marking the thirty-third time the House has voted for a fully or partial repeal of the law since Congress passed it in 2010. Democrats have rebuffed all but three of their attempts, but that hasn’t stopped the GOP from using it as a punching bag as the party seeks to win enough seats in November to deliver on their promise to wipe the whole thing off the books.

“[Americans] certainly didn’t ask for this government takeover of their health care system,” said House Speaker John Boehner. “We’re giving our colleagues in the Senate another chance to heed the will of the American people.”

After the Supreme Court ruled the health care law constitutional last month, both parties dug in for a long fight leading up to the election, centering their messages around the top issue voters say they care about: jobs and the economy.

As Republicans hammered their message that the law will stifle economic growth by raising hundreds of billions in new taxes, Democrats argued that it will have the opposite effect on the economy by creating four million new jobs.

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