The tactic House leadership is using sounds like a textbook version of bad faith. Vote for something you don’t support because, well, freedom? Someone else will make it better? Democrats will never target your vote to kick millions off their insurance – eliciting a fear of facing the medical-industrial complex alone that lies in the hearts of every halfway sentient American?
And of course, please vote on this without a CBO score, naturally, in the dark of the night on a bill amended but not made available to anyone, because that’s how freedom and democracy work.
Ingenius! And when we are done with this shitshow, we will impose a carbon tax on a grading scale: Those that pollute the most get the least or no tax. But don’t worry. The Senate will change it, and Donnie pleases his Russian oil-garchs.
This entire debacle is not about “Health Care” and never has been.
It is about Hair Furor’s EGO and nothing else.
The Republican Congresscritters who are balking have seen the anger of their constituents and are between a rock and a hard place, knowing they will get hammered in 2018 if they vote for this pile of shit, but knowing that the Trump Wing of the party WILL retaliate against them for NOT voting for it, possibly even running primary opponents against them and at the very least using the massive Republican “dark money” warchest to punish them for their “disloyalty”.
They HATE being in this position and are very angry about it, but they are “damned if they do, damned if they don’t.”
They made this bed, now they have to lay in it.
Can’t say it doesn’t give me pleasure to see them squirm however.
As I posted on another site, this is the result of seven years of labeling it “Obamacare”, instead of using it’s rightful name, The PPACA, or the “ACA” as we know it. A lot of people hated “Obamacare” but really liked a lot of the provisions provided by the “ACA”, and just imagine their surprise to find out that they are the SAME THING!
Who Knew?!?
Congressional Republicans, both chambers across two presidential terms, sowed this bullshit storm of a whirlwind. Let them reap the consequences.
“They’re always giving us their Byrd bath stuff,” Brat complained, referring to the Senate’s Byrd Rule that determines what legislation can pass on a simple majority vote. “It’s about time they get a dose of medicine.”
So now we have both chambers throwing bricks at each other, instead of just factions within the House.
Buncha grade school cowards.
The moderates know that regardless of the final shape of the bill, their opponents will be able to point to this vote and accurately say that the member voted to eliminate coverage for preexisting conditions. There’s also a pretty decent chance that the Senate won’t fix the problems because it won’t ever take the bill up on the floor, so the moderates will be stuck with their votes.
And when it comes to the floor, are the Republicans planning to do a completely closed rule, take it or leave it? The Democrats should be allowed at least a motion to recommit, and if they’re smart the motion will require that the preexisting condition coverage be restored. How do the moderate Republicans vote on that?
The salary cap applies to the Social Security portion of FICA but there is no salary cap on Medicare. In fact the ACA levies an additional 0.9% Medicare surcharge on high salary individuals/families.
Any House Member who votes for this bill will be putting his/her constituents’ lives, with a pre-existing condition, at great risk. Additionally many of their other constituents will be put at risk of losing coverage. The underlying rationale for this effort, when you put aside all the political b.s., is to save face for Trumpanzee,Speaker Ryan and Representative Mark Meadows. Ego & Greed are driving this undertaking. And the quintessential death panel, to borrow a phrase from Sarah Palin, is Trump,Ryan ,Meadows and any member of the House, who caters to their desperate need to save face. Hopefully, the House members who are all up for re-election in 2018 paid heed to Jimmy Kimmel’s plea to save the Affordable Care Act.
The GOP controls both houses and the WH; watch how nothing gets done. These fools really have no skill at or interest in governing; they don’t know anything other than opposing Democratic ideas/policy. ACA repeal will never happen, nor will anything relating to overturning Roe v. Wade. The GOP has never wanted the responsibility of coming up with real solutions to our nation’s problems; it’s hilarious to see the hapless rubes bump into each other like so many Keystone Cops.
“They’re always giving us their Byrd bath stuff,” Brat complained,
referring to the Senate’s Byrd Rule that determines what legislation can
pass on a simple majority vote. “It’s about time they get a dose of
medicine.”
Correction. It’s past time for Brat to stop acting like one. “Medicine” and poison pills are different conversations.
“I think people sweat these details way too much at this stage in the game.”
-Tom Cole R-OK
Typical Republican way - don’t think, just do. Fortunately, the risk of losing one’s seat (thanks to the resistance) is causing some R’s to exercise their atrophied brain cells of late. R leadership hates that!
Right - it is about erasing everything Obama ever did, and that goes triple for Trump. I am not sure I have seen this level of petty vindictiveness since Nixon - almost makes McCain look statesmanlike
So while millions of people’s futures hang in the balance (the effects would go way beyond the 20 million losing coverage), the Republicans are desperately trying to play theatrical politics with no regard for the actual consequences for anyone but themselves and their precious careers, and the media is thrilled because they are back to counting votes which is the one thing they actually know how to do and report.
And Trump is exerting his rapidly diminishing influence to make sure he gets something he thinks he will be able to brag about as a “win”.
I feel like a child with drug addicted alcoholic parents fighting over whether to spend the welfare money on booze or heroin. Food does not enter into the equation, and no matter what happens the end result is not going to be beneficial to me or my millions of siblings.
