Discussion: WH Budget Chief Says He Has 'No Idea' Why GOP Couldn't Get Votes For Repeal

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#21

He looked frantic throughout and didn’t seem to know what he was doing. This is a tremendous defeat for the RePugs. They should have rAyn’s head on a stick.

Couldn’t agree more. He was terrible in so many ways and the visual told it all. I could never figure out why 'pubs considered him bona fide. He is what he is, a rep from WI with lots of national exposure. Nothing special - even when you go through his resume and time in Congress. Being young, personable (from their view) and ambitious still does not mean you get a free ticket out of fly over country. And you’re right, they should crucify him and move on. But I like what they’re doing so I’ll sit in the stands and take cheap shots.

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#22

This guy’s been getting quite a few interviews over the past few weeks. All indications are that he’s a relatively mindless tool. He seems to have developed this wide-eyed, innocent look that he can maintain while defending the utter reasonableness of remarkably destructive policies.

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#23

If he were a child-molester but not a child-killer, I would be surprised, given his appearance. He has a bit of John List about him.

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#24

It’s tricky being a republican. You get people to vote you into office by promising with all your might that you will take away their health insurance. You prove yourself by voting three score times to do just that–swinging your broadaxe like viking at an Irish monastery–only to be thwarted by the swarthy president.

But then, when faced with the chance to swing the axe cleanly at Obamacare, you HAVE to know not to hit it in the neck! In fact: lock the axe in the shed where it is safe.

That’s not easy.

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#25

Hey, Mulvaney? It’s simple: Trump promised to get better health care for everyone. This garbage bill you peddled and he fell for betrays that promise by making health care worse for everybody. The voters caught on and the Congresscritters caught on that the voters caught on. That’s why it went down.

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#26

  1. Because it was a crappy bill, crafted to appeal to nobody, and thus, repulsed by everyone

  2. Because you can’t do a massive overhaul of healthcare in this country every decade. Its far too big, too complicated too many special interests and the American people simply don’t have the stomach to continue discussing healthcare forever.

  3. Because, despite having both Houses and the White House ,the GOP is an incredibly splintered and broken party. That was true before the 2016 campaign started (17 candidates is a really good indication of that problem) and the rise of Trump only splintered it more. Now they don’t have a black man in the White House to rally around, they turn on each other. The bill became a perfect vehicle to do that.

  4. Ryan is a horrible Speaker. He lacks the personal skills or experience required for that particular job, which is the ability to persuade/bend arms to get votes. Compounded those personal lackings, he gave away what few tools a Speaker has to accomplish these tasks at the very beginning. He has nothing with which to coerce Representatives to vote his way.

Nor does he really have any core constituency of his own in the House. He wasn’t a favorite for Speaker, he was all they had left. He played with Tea Partiers, but isn’t really one of them. He played with establishment people, but he really isn’t one of them, either. That makes both ends of the spectrum distrust him.

  1. Trump is NOT a deal maker. Its one of his biggest lies (much like Ryan is a policy wonk). Perhaps even more importantly, cutting deals in government is considerably different than cutting a deal on a piece of real estate or on branding your name. You can’t pick up your football and go to someone else…there is only ONE Congress. And lets face it, the only arrows in Trump’s deal making quiver are bluster and bullying, neither of which carry any weight with a bunch of people who are arrogant in their own right.

  2. Trump has no interest or knowledge of policy. Healthcare in particular, because it so massive, complicated and nuanced is something he is ill equipped to go after. He doesn’t understand that tinkering with one part, causes cascades affects in other parts. And there are a tremendous amount of special interests groups…with plenty of their own power and very different demands…sitting at this table. The House tried to lock them out, and failed. Because it was an incredibly stupid thing to try, and as Pelosi said…a rookie mistake. On a very big scale.

  3. Trump’s main (and perhaps only) interest, is in Trump. Being adored, being perceived as successful…that’s all that matters. And not for his team…for HIM. To this point, the Trump MO is, when something unpopular sits out there too long, create another controversy to change the story. Trump was looking to use this as a means to change the story from Russian contacts. That’s important to understand for 2 reasons…1) because of #5, Trump only interest was to use this very complex, very big bill as merely a distraction. He was not and is not invested in healthcare reform. 2) The Russian story IS a big deal, and getting steadily worse. Which means Trump, and his administration, is having to burn a lot of cycles figuring out how to deal with it. That’s cycles that are not available to figure out how to get a bill passed.

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#27

If he is too stupid not to understand why Trump and Ryan couldn’t get the votes then he is too stupid for his job.

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#28

This was the most ridiculous ‘interview’ on the Sunday Shows EVER. He sat there and insisted it was the ‘bad’ people in the Freedom Caucus and those pesky moderates for having the NERVE to vote against Trump. NOT because they voted against a crappy bill. It was incredible. He truly did not ‘care’ about the people being thrown off insurance. Too bad for them. He is an ideologue with not ethics or values or humanity. He should have ‘won’ and the people to blame are those that wouldn’t vote ‘yes’. Incredible.

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#29

Because this particular bill and Republicans in general … well, let me sing it for you

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#30

Ryan is closer to resigning as a failed speaker than to running for president.

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#31

“The President wants to do a lot of things.”

Terrifying.

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#33

The failed TrumpCare plan is beginning to look like a Machiavellian scheme by Preshitident Trump, Dr. Price, Putin and Russian intelligence to trap, take down and cut to size Pretty Lyin’ Paul Ryan’s 2020 presidential aspirations.

President Putin has already begun criminalizing, imprisoning and assassinating any potential opponents who might run against him in the next election. Preshitident Trump is borrowing from Putin’s playbook.

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#34

“We haven’t been able to change Washington in the first 65 days,” Mulvaney said. “I know the Freedom Caucus. I helped found it. I never thought it would come to this.”

Huh, the rest of us could. Talk about lack of self-awareness, insight and ability to draw conclusions…

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#35

Mulvaney has no idea why a bill with 17% approval died? Is he functionally illiterate like Don the Con?

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#36

That about sums it up, @daveyjones64. To your #3, I would add that Ryan’s ineptitude shows us all again what a kickass Speaker Nancy Pelosi was. I enjoyed a brief interview last week in which, prior to the non-vote, she schooled Trump/Ryan on how you pass a bill in the House. Although, I had a moment of panic when I thought they might actually listen … nah, what was I thinking?!

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#37

Could be because the GOP is a death cult and some of the members didn’t want to drink the kool aid? He’s within the cult and he doesn’t know it.

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#38

Maybe he suffered Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. That would explain a lot.

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#39

Watch what you wish for. Texas said the same about W. Then about Perry. We still have Cruz to ship out.

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#40

“There’s a lot to be done. The President wants to do a lot of things… Meals on Wheels won’t defund itself, ya know.”

FIFY

I had a moment of panic when I though they might actually listen.

Not to worry. If Pelosi had admonished the GOP caucus to not eat their boogers, the Republicans would have rushed through a bill touting the virtues of consuming snot.

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#41

No kidding. Mr. Tena said about W when he was declared winner: At least we get him out of Texas.

Yeah, and then he was everybody’s problem, not just Texas’. Not a good trade.

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