Collins and Murkowski must also be given their dues. The stood fast despite constant pressure and threats. They’ll probably get a lot of shit soon, but they did the right thing
Also note that during the events McCain was the LAST senator to give his vote. It really seems like he planned this whole thing to humiliate McConnell and Trump
It seems that John McCain may have had a "Lee Atwater moment."
Clearly the failure on health care was Priebus’ fault! With the mooch’s messaging the 3 senators would have been won over.
Great reporting and outstanding writing. The best writing, like this, uses nouns and verbs, not adjectives and adverbs. As you work your way through the Senate, Tierney, do you hear any talk about the Republican leadership stepping down, due to their failure to produce anything? I am talking about Thune, Senator Doctor John Barrasso, M.D, and Cornyn as well as McConnell.
The cavalry, riding in at the last minute to save the wagon train. The women carried the burden by themselves for quite awhile and took a lot of crap…they’re the real heroes. Thanks to McCain for pulling it off, but thanks to Collins and Murkowski who really made it happen.
I think they don’t really care about the blowback at least in terms of keeping their seats. Murkowski isn’t up for reelection until 2022 and last time she lost the primary and still ended up winning, and i think she knows that being on the side of drump is not going to look good by the time we get to 2022. Rumor has it Collins wants to become governor in Maine and replace the idiot currently sitting there and as of right now she would likely win it in a landslide, plus she also isn’t up for reelection until 2020. Republicans in the senate also can’t really afford being to extreme with them as well given how much they need them for all the other things going on.
Thanks, Tierney Sneed, for making me feel as though I were there in person! Well written!
So, the most courageous R’s were two women, again, and a guy with brain cancer.
Good for McCain, but it was the Democrats who won this fight. It was the Democrats who fought tooth and nail to defeat all these awful Republican bills. Remember that McCain voted for the motion to proceed, and then voted for repeal and replace (after saying he would not). The Democrats are the real heroes here. Let’s make sure everyone remembers that. The story here is Democrats defeat Trump, McConnell & Ryan.
My thoughts exactly. I figure they’ll “drop” the news to him somewhere over Kansas.
Continuing the analogy:
Repeal and replace: Strike one.
Repeal and delay: Strike two.
Repeal something/anything: Strike three.
Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright.
The band is playing somewhere and somewhere hearts are light.
And somewhere men are laughing and somewhere children shout,
But there is no joy in GOPville – mighty Mitch has struck out.
Big Pussy on “The Sopranos” got the “friend” treatment. Since they don’t consider Priebus a friend…
I would submit that these women are used to being cut out of the action, not invited into the boy’s clubs, ridiculed behind their backs - in other words, what most of us women have grown used to in our lives - and thus shown that they have some integrity. They’re used to being bullied.
https://thechive.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/random-04_08_15-920-491.jpg?quality=85&strip=info&w=920
Oh, the irony. Trump doesn’t respect people that were captured (McCain in Vietnam). Well, in the end, McCain was the one that handed a defeat to Trump. Really, really delicious.
Great read, well done to all who contributed.
I’ve been really hard on McCain in recent comments here. This one vote doesn’t change all the bad shit he’s done. But credit where credit is due. Though I wonder how much that credit should be tempered: from all reports, he’s not going to be running for election again. If he had these principals he’s paid hypocritical lip service to so often in the past all long… well, what took so long? Did he put party over country until he didn’t need to worry about winning an election for that party again?
Still, thanks McCain, though John Judis’s post on TPM gives pause: now trump will try to kill the ACA through executive action.
One can hope!!
Agree, great journalism, Tierney. You should be proud!
Yup. I really appreciate the fact that for whatever reasons McCain voted against the bill but then he had to throw in the idea that because no Repubs voted for the ACA it meant the bill was created in the same secretive manner as the trump/ryan/mcconnell bills to destroy it. In fact as we all know and McCain surely knows there were over 100 GOP amendments included in the ACA as the year and a half of publicly aired negotiations went on. That all GOPers voted against it was partisan pig headed fealty to party over country. That the Dems were capable of accepting all those GOP amendments in order to advance the bill shows that their concerns were for the country instead of rank party loyalty. See the difference McCain? No, probably not because false equivalency is at least some thread of excuse making to mollify his pissed off party leaders.
Mooch, the great communicator!