We’ll probably know today.
If McConnell uses the $200 billion on some sort of rural healthcare blah blah blah and tells Rand Paul to go smoke a bong, he’s serious and will likely succeed in passing a bill. That bad CBO score will be woefully out of date after the vast improvements they make to the bill (but let’s not wait for a new score, OK?).
If he leaves the bill as is, it was never meant to pass. Fail fast and blame the “moderates.”
(Is it just me, but every time I see BCRA, my mind switches it to BRCA, the cancer gene?)
The “moderates” don’t actually care about the Medicaid cuts. They just don’t know how to sell them in the current environment, with the hospitals breathing down their necks. McConnell doesn’t have enough money left to buy them all off, so I don’t see how this thing passes.
I’m sure they crunched the numbers for 2018 and are banking on the GOP base being fired up and likely to vote. The Democrats, as usual, will show up in scant numbers. Until THAT changes, nothing does.
I think TB is referring to the bs argument we can expect republicans to make in order to convince people that the CBO score doesn’t matter after they make some superficial changes to placate Collins, et al. “See, we fixed it, but we don’t have time to wait for a new score.”
It’s called sarcasm. Subtle, but it’s there.
Of course there are no moderates. I have to call them something.
(Who was the last Republican moderate, anyway? Chris Shays? John Chafee? Beats me.)
Why do they need to overcome anything they know their voters are dumb as a box of rocks
Nah as long as they got the Russians stealing elections for them they don’t have to worry about 2018
The rural population will have no access to health insurance. Of all the occupations farmers are more likely to suffer injuries and deaths.
https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/aginjury/default.html
I know that’s not what he wrote. He’s being sarcastic. I can safely say that based on a long history of TB comments. I see you joined 2 hours ago. If you’re going to judge longtimers here, I suggest you thumb through peoples’ previous comments to get a feel for how they write and what their views are.
The truth is more obvious than ever. Forget all their bullshit about freedom and markets, what Republicans really hate is Medicaid. They think it’s their money and they resent the taxes spent on doctors to help poor people. No subsidy is more fiercely resented than the one that cuts out at 1% below what somebody is making.
Why do they need to overcome anything? They know their voters are dumb as a box of rocks.
I just bet those farmers can’t stand all of the winning they been having. First, they can’t find anyone to work in their fields now they are about to lose their healthcare. The year just keeps getting gooder and gooder for them. Lol
But they done got themselves Jesus! And according to Joni Ernst, the churches will gladly take care of the needy…
…sure they will… 
Sorry, this article falsely believes that Republicans can be persuaded by facts, logic and reason.
They are calling it the Better Care Reconciliation Act.
It’s TrumpCare. Own it. (Go Tierney!)
The flaw in everyone’s logic is the inability to see how cutting $800 billion from Medicaid over a decade does not constitute “cutting Medicaid.” Until we can see the beauty in that plan, we’re doomed to live in the dark.
Lucy, football, irrelevant. Sociopaths.
Because in certain states Republicans can’t win without the votes of some Democrats and Independents. And because they don’t want to mess around and further rile up Democrats to actually, ya know, vote in a midterm.