So does Trumpcare pass the house?

[baseline bum]

I'm going to say yes, I think this piece of shit will get passed tomorrow.

[hater]

Dr Trump will probably make sure it passes.

[DarrinS]

Flip a coin

[Th'Pusher]

Passes the house. Not sure about the senate.

[SnakeBoy]

I just hope they force a vote even if it is going to fail.

[BanditHiro]

it is to universally hated.

[rmt]

I vote yes. I hear they're gonna attach something to get rid of the 10 essential benefits (or no penalty for policies not having them) so people can buy catastrophic, skinny, whatever benefits they want policies. Don't know how they can work that into a budgetary/financial reconciliation bill. But the goal is to bring prices down.

[spurraider21]

passes the house imo

when it gets predictably filibustered in the senate, they'll blame democrats for not allowing congress to fix healthcare, instead of admitting mistakes, doubling down on obamacare and hurting everyday americans, etc etc

[mavsfan1000]

Going to pass the house and Senate. Obamacare is dead. :)

[SnakeBoy]

Saw the Freedom caucus guys (Meadows & someone else) on the nightly news a little while ago. Judging from what they told Hannity, it's going to pass.

[baseline bum]

passes the house imo

when it gets predictably filibustered in the senate, they'll blame democrats for not allowing congress to fix healthcare, instead of admitting mistakes, doubling down on obamacare and hurting everyday americans, etc etc

It's going to be a reconciliation bill. That's why there is no selling across state lines in this bill, so that it isn't subject to filibuster. If three or more GOP senators don't defect this garbage is going to become law.

[Th'Pusher]

Saw the Freedom caucus guys (Meadows & someone else) on the nightly news a little while ago. Judging from what they told Hannity, it's going to pass.

I love the fact that Sean Hannity is your nightly "news".

A proud card-carrying member of the information bubble. :tu

[baseline bum]

I love the fact that Sean Hannity is your nightly "news".

A proud card-carrying member of the information bubble. :tu

You're talking to the person who said Trump and Bannon are really democrats.

[baseline bum]

Flip a coin

I think it's more 75% gets passed vs 25% the vote is pulled.

[Reck]

Morning Joe gets a lot of republicans on his show and most of them are shitting on it. I'm gonna say it falls.

[boutons_deux]

Freedom Kockus saying horrible TrashCare not HORRIBLE enough

As always with Repugs, Trashcare is a lie.

Trashcare nothing to do with providing health care (OBVIOUSLY), but enriching the rich

Trumpcare gives top one percent a $31 billion taxcut

http://www.rawstory.com/2017/03/trumpcare-gives-top-one-percent-a-31-billion-taxcut/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheRawStory+%28The+Raw+Story% 29

... maybe the Freedom Kockus whores are just running a shakedown, wanting to be paid for doing this nasty trick, since their wealthy johns will benefit by $100Ms.

[hater]

I hope it passes just to see the river of tears from Democrats next few days :lol

[tlongII]

I think it will pass. The republicans have too much riding on it.

[Spurminator]

Blake Farenthold was interviewed on NPR this morning basically saying he was going to support it even though he doesn't like it, because his re-election counts on it.

:cheer

[baseline bum]

I hope it passes just to see the river of tears from Democrats next few days :lol

So that's worth millions of people losing their insurance?

[Splits]

lol a 44 seat majority and can't pass a bill they've been campaigning on for 7+ years. What a fucking clown show.

My guess is they somehow ram it through the house, probably by catering to the "Freed:lolm" caucus (seriously, wtf kind of name is that?) by removing the essential benefits provision. From there it will either die in the Senate or the parliamentarian will rule it can't go through reconciliation as-is.

[baseline bum]

I think it will pass. The republicans have too much riding on it.

Pretty much. This is teabagger Christmas, they have been waiting 8 years for this dark day.

[Reck]

Blake Farenthold was interviewed on NPR this morning basically saying he was going to support it even though he doesn't like it, because his re-election counts on it.

:cheer

That POS was voting for it anyway, no?

Here's a list of republicans who oppose it as of right now.

http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/these-are-republicans-opposing-trump-s-health-care-bill-n737116

[boutons_deux]

the goal is to bring prices down.

goddamn you're stupid

cost is nowhere in Trumpcare

the goal is a tax cut for the rich, with later destruction of Medicare and Medicaid to finance even bigger tax cuts for the rich

goddamn you're stupid

[baseline bum]

lol a 44 seat majority and can't pass a bill they've been campaigning on for 7+ years. What a fucking clown show.

My guess is they somehow ram it through the house, probably by catering to the "Freed:lolm" caucus (seriously, wtf kind of name is that?) by removing the essential benefits provision. From there it will either die in the Senate or the parliamentarian will rule it can't go through reconciliation as-is.

It has to get three no votes from GOP senators to die in the senate. Which three are voting against the repeal?

[spurraider21]

lol a 44 seat majority and can't pass a bill they've been campaigning on for 7+ years. What a fucking clown show.

My guess is they somehow ram it through the house, probably by catering to the "Freed:lolm" caucus (seriously, wtf kind of name is that?) by removing the essential benefits provision. From there it will either die in the Senate or the parliamentarian will rule it can't go through reconciliation as-is.is it really worse than the "justice democrats" :lol

thats slowly becoming a thing

[Splits]

It has to get three no votes from GOP senators to die in the senate. Which three are voting against the repeal?

Three of so-called "moderates" who don't want to get rid of the Medicaid expansions in their states. Pick any from Collins, Murkowski, Flake, Heller, Gardner, Portman

[Splits]

is it really worse than the "justice democrats" :lol

thats slowly becoming a thing

huh? I don't know of a group of legislators calling themselves by that name. Maybe I missed something.

[Spurminator]

That POS was voting for it anyway, no?


No he changed his mind after meeting with Trump. Trump said he supported the bill "1000%" and representatives who didn't support it risk losing their seat in 2018.

[Splits]

lol

https://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/JiGB-MpQHo8vnBxM_GJcdFAgvbw=/1200x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/8210265/disapprove.png

[boutons_deux]

Repugs 20+ seats short of passing TrashRyanCare.

Trash is a LOSER.

If TrashRyanCare were to pass, 10Ms of Americans would literally be "sick of Trash winning"

[boutons_deux]

House GOP leaders agree to gut essential health benefits, begin hemorrhaging moderate votes

A short-sighted attempt to appease conservatives could easily backfire.

Ahead of the vote on Thursday, GOP leaders said the Senate would gut Obamacare’s Essential Health Benefits rule after the House passes the American Health Care Act.

Organizations representing 400,000 doctors wrote a letter to Congressional leaders earlier this year asking them to keep these requirements in a replacement of Obamacare.

Deputy House Whip Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC) told (http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/ehb-obamacare-repeal-vote) Talking Points Memo that

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) assured him that he would amend the bill to gut the essential health benefits requirement when it came to the Senate.

https://thinkprogress.org/republicans-gut-essential-health-benefits-endangering-bill-in-the-senate-7a45d2c7d0c6#.ppaofsx7y

The Freedom Kockus wants to stop BigInsurance from covering pre-existing conditions.

Let them die in family bankruptcy. Repug whores must cut taxes for their 1%/BigCorp johns.

[rmt]

boutons, those so called 10 essential benefits are a big part of why premiums are so high - do you need maternity benefits or pediatric dental and vision? Let people buy whatever health insurance they want - if you want a catastrophic policy, fine. If you want a full-blown, top-of-the-line policy, you pay for it. Just like everything else that we buy. If I want a flip phone with basic features, I am allowed to get that and pay accordingly. If you want an iPhone 7? with all its features, fine - you pay for it. Whatever happened to us having the freedom to buy what WE want/need and not having it mandated by the government which essential benefits (some of which we cannot even use) we must have and thereby driving up the prices for all.

[boutons_deux]

" those so called 10 essential benefits are a big part of why premiums are so high"

proof? hell no, you have nothing but blind stupid-making ideology

My guess, no better than your blind ideology, is that covering pre-existing EXPENSIVE conditions was the biggest wallop for insurers.

=========

btw ...

Gripes About Obamacare Aside, Health Insurers Are in a Profit Spiral

Obamacare hasn’t been a curse for the managed care companies. Over all, based on their share performance, it has been something of a blessing.

Since March 2010, when the Affordable Care Act was signed into law, the managed care companies within the Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index —

UnitedHealth, Aetna, Anthem, Cigna, Humana and Centene —

have risen far more than the overall stock index.

This is no small matter: The stock market soared during that period.

The numbers are astonishing.

The Standard & Poor’s stock index returned 135.6 percent in those seven years through Thursday, a performance that we may not see again in our lifetimes.

But the managed care stocks, as a whole, have gained nearly 300 percent including dividends, according to calculations by Bespoke Investment Group.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/18/business/health-insurers-profit.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&mtrref=undefined&gwh=90AA41F14CBA6C3C546EFB98E50AAD6B&gwt=pay&_r=0
BUSINESS DAY (https://www.nytimes.com/pages/business/index.html)

and TrashRyanCare DOES NOTHING to reduce costs, only shifts the burden away from govt onto citizens, putting health care way beyond their means.

[CosmicCowboy]

I told y'all a week ago the freedom caucus dudes would blow the deal up.

[baseline bum]

I told y'all a week ago the freedom caucus dudes would blow the deal up.

You think Trumpcare isn't getting out of the house?

[rmt]

" those so called 10 essential benefits are a big part of why premiums are so high"

proof? hell no, you have nothing but blind stupid-making ideology

My guess, no better than your blind ideology, is that covering pre-existing EXPENSIVE conditions was the biggest wallop for insurers.

=========

btw ...

Gripes About Obamacare Aside, Health Insurers Are in a Profit Spiral

Obamacare hasn’t been a curse for the managed care companies. Over all, based on their share performance, it has been something of a blessing.

Since March 2010, when the Affordable Care Act was signed into law, the managed care companies within the Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index —

UnitedHealth, Aetna, Anthem, Cigna, Humana and Centene —

have risen far more than the overall stock index.

This is no small matter: The stock market soared during that period.

The numbers are astonishing.

The Standard & Poor’s stock index returned 135.6 percent in those seven years through Thursday, a performance that we may not see again in our lifetimes.

But the managed care stocks, as a whole, have gained nearly 300 percent including dividends, according to calculations by Bespoke Investment Group.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/18/business/health-insurers-profit.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&mtrref=undefined&gwh=90AA41F14CBA6C3C546EFB98E50AAD6B&gwt=pay&_r=0
BUSINESS DAY (https://www.nytimes.com/pages/business/index.html)

and TrashRyanCare DOES NOTHING to reduce costs, only shifts the burden away from govt onto citizens, putting health care way beyond their means.


bou, if this GOP proposal includes no penalty for not covering the 10 essential benefits, then insurance companies can sell any kind of insurance policy - from only catastrophic, to skinny, to full-blown coverage. They can price them accordingly so that will bring down costs. Most young and healthy people can get by with catastrophic coverage and pay for annual/routine procedures (this is where I think the most savings can be had as you can comparison shop for these). Remember only a small percentage of the population uses the majority of the care - iirc, these will be helped by block grants to states.

Who in the world do you think funds the government? The point is we aren't forced to pay for benefits we don't want or need.

[Reck]

Paul Ryan is nervous as fuck. He's cancelled his press briefing for a third time now. :lol

[boutons_deux]

"They can price them accordingly so that will bring down costs."

:lol The cost of SHITTY insurance, yes, but not the cost of health care.

"then insurance companies can sell any kind of insurance policy "

yep, they will create SHITTY policies, total scams, just like before ACA, which will impoverish if not bankrupt people when they need care.

goddamn, you're stupid, AND full of shit

[Spurminator]

Vote postponed.

lol

[Reck]

They scrapped the vote tonight. :lol

They know they ain't got shit.

[Adam Lambert]

i sure am tired of all this winning

[DMX7]

The ultimate deal maker failed?

[Splits]

lol 7+ years, a 40+ vote margin, and still can't pass their stupid bill with a simple majority

[mavsfan1000]

Vote postponed.

lol
They are making progress. But yeah way too optimistic about finishing negotiations with the house this soon. But this will be an awesome plan when it is finished!

[boutons_deux]

passed 60+ bullshit votes of repeal in the House for years. :lol

[baseline bum]

I wonder if the freedom caucus is thinking the republicans can get to the 60 seat threshold in the senate after the 2018 midterms and they're gunning for a full repeal in January 2019. It seems like a really dangerous strategy. Though the senate map looks incredibly tough for the democrats in 2018, with Heller the only GOP seat up for re-election in a currently competitive state.

[Splits]

The lunatic caucus won't even accept the removal of essential coverage, they want to remove the pre-existing conditions as well

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/gop-health-care-plan-hangs-in-balance-as-house-leaders-push-for-thursday-floor-vote/2017/03/23/6e8bf05a-0fbd-11e7-9d5a-a83e627dc120_story.html


Earlier Thursday, conservative House Republicans had rebuffed an offer by Trump on Thursday to strip a key set of mandates from the nation’s current health-care law, raising doubts about whether House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) had the votes.

...

As of midafternoon Thursday, 37 House Republicans (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/03/07/whip-count-heres-where-skeptical-republicans-stand-on-the-gops-obamacare-replacement/?utm_term=.f9b8bb143c24) — mainly Freedom Caucus members — had announced their opposition to the bill, known as the American Health Care Act.

...

But with failure not a viable option, Ryan and Trump have been working furiously to win over the large voting bloc of conservatives who control the House bill’s fate. Conservative lawmakers have asked to eliminate much of the measure’s Title I, which not only mandates which benefits participating insurers must cover — such as mental health treatment, wellness visits, and maternity and newborn care — but also bars companies from setting insurance rates based on a person’s sex, medical condition, genetic condition or other factors.

:lmao their constituents are going to love this

Fucking sadists

[DMX7]

They are making progress. But yeah way too optimistic about finishing negotiations with the house this soon. But this will be an awesome plan when it is finished!

They can't pass anything that can make it through the senate.

It's OVER. DONE. FINISHED. We beat you! We did it!!!

[baseline bum]

They can't pass anything that can make it through the senate.

It's OVER. DONE. FINISHED. We beat you! We did it!!!

:lol It's not finished. You really think the GOP is going to give up on ACA repeal after 8 years of whining?

[CosmicCowboy]

They can't pass anything that can make it through the senate.

It's OVER. DONE. FINISHED. We beat you! We did it!!!

?????????

What did you beat?

[DMX7]

:lol It's not finished. You really think the GOP is going to give up on ACA repeal after 8 years of whining?

They had 6+ years to come up with something. They've got nothing. They couldn't get it done. It's over.

[DMX7]

?????????

What did you beat?

We win! You lose! It's that simple. Politics is that simple.

[baseline bum]

They had 6+ years to come up with something. They've got nothing. They couldn't get it done. It's over.

They never expected Trump to win. That's why they all hated him before they loved him. But they'll figure something out.

[SnakeBoy]

I wonder if the freedom caucus is thinking the republicans can get to the 60 seat threshold in the senate after the 2018 midterms and they're gunning for a full repeal in January 2019. It seems like a really dangerous strategy.

You're talking about the people who thought letting the US default by not raising the debt ceiling would have been good for the country...and you think Trump is the extremist.

[baseline bum]

You're talking about the people who thought letting the US default by not raising the debt ceiling would have been good for the country...and you think Trump is the extremist.

LOL you think Trump is a democrat.

[boutons_deux]

They never expected Trump to win. That's why they all hated him before they loved him. But they'll figure something out.

yep, Repugs are PAID to cut taxes on their BigDonors, and they will NEVER stop doing that.

They don't GAF about health care, TrumpRyanCare is really a tax cut, not health care.

[DMX7]

They never expected Trump to win. That's why they all hated him before they loved him. But they'll figure something out.

If they come up with something that passes the house, it can't get through the senate through budget reconciliation. They freedom caucus held the line and what they want can't survive the senate. Just watch.

[rmt]

They never expected Trump to win. That's why they all hated him before they loved him. But they'll figure something out.

Agreed. They all voted for the repeal knowing Obama wouldn't sign and had no replacement plan because no one expected Trump to win. But they will come up with something (at least in the House) - Senate is much more iffy.

[Reck]

:lol It's not finished. You really think the GOP is going to give up on ACA repeal after 8 years of whining?

It's finished if they're only delaying it because :cry we no want to vote at 2AM :cry

These NOs already made their points and the threat of Trump going after them was called a bluffed correctly. Unless Ryan does overnight surgery to the bill it will still be a failed Bill.

[monosylab1k]

Going to pass the house and Senate. Obamacare is dead. :)

:lmao

[DMX7]

Going to pass the house and Senate. Obamacare is dead. :)

:rollin

[baseline bum]

I bet Trump has a sociopathic health-taxcut bill pass the house without a single democrat vote within two weeks. The GOP has been waiting for this for years, it's going to happen.

[DMX7]

I bet Trump has a sociopathic health-taxcut bill pass the house without a single democrat vote within two weeks. The GOP has been waiting for this for years, it's going to happen.

And that's going to pass the Senate without going right back to the House? Freedom caucus held the line. We did it.

Viva la resistance! :toast

[boutons_deux]

https://img.wonkette.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/paul_ryan_joan-e1375843948992.jpg

[baseline bum]

LOL people celebrating because a vote got put off.

[DMX7]

Sean Spicer: There's no 'plan B'. :lol

[baseline bum]

Sean Spicer: There's no 'plan B'. :lol

Yeah, I believe what she says

[Reck]

LOL people celebrating because a vote got put off.

It got pulled because the votes aren't there. Yet.

[Warlord23]

TtK3d_ZY-2I

[boutons_deux]

TtK3d_ZY-2I

Trash has no plan.

Investors won't finance "private construction of infrastructure" unless they get a high, long-term return, like private investors FUCKED Chicago in eternity with privatized parking meters.

[hater]

LOL people celebrating because a vote got put off.

:lol let the poor bastards celebrate for a change

Lord knows they been getting their asses beat every day since their idol Shitlery folded like a lawn chair :lmao

[baseline bum]

So is this piece of shit going to clear the house tomorrow morning like Dear Leader is saying?

[hater]

So is this piece of shit going to clear the house tomorrow morning like Dear Leader is saying?

It may pass or it might not pass. The real take away here is that Shillary will never be president :lol

[Reck]

It may pass or it might not pass. The real take away here is that Shillary will never be president :lol

What a retarded take that doesn't have to do shit with what's being discussed.

In fact, it may.

7 years trying to kill Obama and they still cant do it despite having majority all over the place. :lol

[boutons_deux]

So is this piece of shit going to clear the house tomorrow morning like Dear Leader is saying?

what horrible shit is trash/ryan offering to buy off the dirty thirty of the Freedom Kockus?

[BanditHiro]

what horrible shit is trash/ryan offering to buy off the dirty thirty of the Freedom Kockus?

i just love how this bill didn't get enough votes not because it was a shitty draconian law but because it wasn't shitty enough or draconian enough.

[Spurminator]

So is this piece of shit going to clear the house tomorrow morning like Dear Leader is saying?

Doesn't look like he even cares. Now he's saying if it doesn't pass, they'll keep Obamacare.

[mavsfan1000]

:lol let the poor bastards celebrate for a change

Lord knows they been getting their asses beat every day since their idol Shitlery folded like a lawn chair :lmao
Yep. :lol Trump President not Clinton.

[Monostradamus]

Yep. :lol Trump President not Clinton.
Obamacare passed not repealed

[SnakeBoy]

Spicer just said Trump is demanding a vote tomorrow no more delays. If the vote fails he will move on to tax reform. Freedom caucus will own Obamacare.

[Spurminator]

Congress is still free to propose other options as many times as they want. Is Trump going to veto all of them?

[mavsfan1000]

Spicer just said Trump is demanding a vote tomorrow no more delays. If the vote fails he will move on to tax reform. Freedom caucus will own Obamacare.
He chose the wrong Paul tbh. But obviously, he is tired of dealing with Congress. Time to move on to his next headache with reform disagreements. Lol

[baseline bum]

Spicer just said Trump is demanding a vote tomorrow no more delays. If the vote fails he will move on to tax reform. Freedom caucus will own Obamacare.

What Dear Leader says is meaningless, the only time he has told the truth is when he said he could shoot someone and wouldn't lose any votes from his base.

[Reck]

Spicer just said Trump is demanding a vote tomorrow no more delays. If the vote fails he will move on to tax reform. Freedom caucus will own Obamacare.

No, this piece of shit president will own it.

[hater]

Yep. :lol Trump President not Clinton.

Yup thats all that matters :lol

All his laws canngo ahead and fail to pass from now till 2020. Actually I hope they do :lol

All that really matters is Shillary is not president :lol

[mavsfan1000]

No, this piece of shit president will own it.
No support from the Opposition Party. Time to let Obamacare die to prove a point.

[hater]

What Dear Leader says is meaningless, the only time he has told the truth is when he said he could shoot someone and wouldn't lose any votes from his base.

When is the last time Shitler told the truth?

[hater]

No support from the Opposition Party. Time to let Obamacare die to prove a point.

Yup Actually Trump wins regardless. Passes it and hes King Deal Maker. doesnt pass and he can always say he tried his best but democrats, media and neocons blocked him

Win win :lmao

[Reck]

Wait so the meeting is already over? It was supposed to be a debate that lasted about 5 hours.

They probably saw that Trump was demanding a vote and said fuck that ******. :lol dear leader

[baseline bum]

No, this piece of shit president will own it.

I'm not following. Why would he own Obamacare if he can't repeal it?

[mavsfan1000]

I'm not following. Why would he own Obamacare if he can't repeal it?
Yep it's the Democrats that own it.

[Reck]

I'm not following. Why would he own Obamacare if he can't repeal it?

Because he said everyone would be ensured with his plan. And since he's not into fixing what's wrong with Obama with the high costs, it becomes his problem.

Not only won't he come up with his own healthcare plan but he's threatening to let Obama just go into inflation mode and screw everyone on it. That would be 100% on him.

[rmt]

Because he said everyone would be ensured with his plan. And since he's not into fixing what's wrong with Obama with the high costs, it becomes his problem.

Not only won't he come up with his own healthcare plan but he's threatening to let Obama just go into inflation mode and screw everyone on it. That would be 100% on him.

Nope, he's done his dealing - if the Freedom Caucas won't move - Obamacare care continues - more and more ins cos will pull out. What other choice does he have than to let Obamacare implode on its own. How can he own Obamacare when they don't pass any legislature touching it?

[mavsfan1000]

Because he said everyone would be ensured with his plan. And since he's not into fixing what's wrong with Obama with the high costs, it becomes his problem.

Not only won't he come up with his own healthcare plan but he's threatening to let Obama just go into inflation mode and screw everyone on it. That would be 100% on him.
So you admit the Democrats are idiots for supporting Obamacare?

[Spurminator]

I'm not following. Why would he own Obamacare if he can't repeal it?

*Can't* would involve more than a week of work and supporting the first draft he sees. If he truly backs off any further discussion of repeal or a replacement after tomorrow, it's more of a *won't* than a *can't*.

[Reck]

So you admit the Democrats are idiots for supporting Obamacare?

Obamacare was better than what we had before. Fact.

But Obamacare is not perfect. It just needs a few teaks to make it work. The republicans can do that but won't because they want full repeal without having an actual plan. That's why they're in this mess.

[SnakeBoy]

Congress is still free to propose other options as many times as they want. Is Trump going to veto all of them?

Why would Trump veto proposals that will never pass through congress.

If Ryan doesn't chicken out, tomorrow the freedom caucus guys get to vote to keep Obamacare or not. We'll see what they do if they actually have to go on record with a vote.

[Th'Pusher]

Nope, he's done his dealing - if the Freedom Caucas won't move - Obamacare care continues - more and more ins cos will pull out. What other choice does he have than to let Obamacare implode on its own. How can he own Obamacare when they don't pass any legislature touching it?

I thought he was a deal maker?

[Spurminator]

Why would Trump veto proposals that will never pass through congress.

If Ryan doesn't chicken out, tomorrow the freedom caucus guys get to vote to keep Obamacare or not. We'll see what they do if they actually have to go on record with a vote.

My question implies something does get through Congress. Which also implies we have a viable, working Legislative branch. But still, how is it up to Trump, ultimately, to "move on" from Health Care?

[boutons_deux]

Nope, he's done his dealing - if the Freedom Caucas won't move - Obamacare care continues - more and more ins cos will pull out. What other choice does he have than to let Obamacare implode on its own. How can he own Obamacare when they don't pass any legislature touching it?

i posted insurers are doing great, their stocks, too. they pulled out of exchanges for political reasons not financial

Trash's man Price can and will do enormous damage to ACA and to anything Repugs pass

[Spurminator]

How can he own Obamacare when they don't pass any legislature touching it?

Who knew Government could be so complicated?

[SnakeBoy]

Obamacare was better than what we had before. Fact.

But Obamacare is not perfect. It just needs a few teaks to make it work. The republicans can do that but won't because they want full repeal without having an actual plan. That's why they're in this mess.

Before I had the same plan I have now for $315/month instead of $660/month. If I lose this grandfathered plan my only choice is an ACA approved HMO plan that none of my doctors take for $1947/month for comparable coverage.

Tell me how how this is better?



But Obamacare is not perfect. It just needs a few teaks to make it work. The republicans can do that but won't because they want full repeal without having an actual plan. That's why they're in this mess.


What tweaks? Democrats keep saying it needs to be fixed but don't give any solutions. Remember when Obama said "I gave you a starter home, of course it's a piece of shit."

[pgardn]

Nope, he's done his dealing - if the Freedom Caucas won't move - Obamacare care continues - more and more ins cos will pull out. What other choice does he have than to let Obamacare implode on its own. How can he own Obamacare when they don't pass any legislature touching it?

Another promise made and Fd up.
Get the party in line.

You own practically all branches with SC the next.
Get it done. You are a deal maker.

[Reck]

Before I had the same plan I have now for $315/month instead of $660/month. If I lose this grandfathered plan my only choice is an ACA approved HMO plan that none of my doctors take for $1947/month for comparable coverage.

Tell me how how this is better?




What tweaks? Democrats keep saying it needs to be fixed but don't give any solutions. Remember when Obama said "I gave you a starter home, of course it's a piece of shit."

I'm telling you that's the part that needs fixing. The prices are out of control.

Whatever you may think of it, it is far far better than the Republican propposed plan which would not only kick out millions of people who wouldn't be able to afford it, it will penalized the old folks even harsher.

The democrats aren't in a position where they can propose or give ideas. That's up to the republicans now. But nope, they want to start from 0 like that ever works.

[SnakeBoy]

My question implies something does get through Congress. Which also implies we have a viable, working Legislative branch. But still, how is it up to Trump, ultimately, to "move on" from Health Care?

You're asking about something that will never happen. We are supposed to speculate what would happen if this plan fails, Trump/Ryan/McConnell move onto tax reform and then the Freedom Caucus/Rand Paul/Cruz wing magically get a bill to his desk. I don't know how to answer that.

[Reck]

The White House is starting the blame game. Just saw on CNN how they are saying they didn't like how Paul handled the healthcare plan issue. :lol

[SnakeBoy]

I'm telling you that's the part that needs fixing. The prices are out of control.

Whatever you may think of it, it is far far better than the Republican propposed plan which would not only kick out millions of people who wouldn't be able to afford it, it will penalized the old folks even harsher.

The democrats aren't in a position where they can propose or give ideas. That's up to the republicans now. But nope, they want to start from 0 like that ever works.

There is nothing stopping them from proposing their ideas except that they have no idea how to fix it. It's pretty simple, you have a market based healthcare system where the market rations healthcare or you move to a government run system where the govt rations healthcare. This promise everyone cadillac coverage for one low low price shit is never going to work.

[Spurminator]

You're asking about something that will never happen. We are supposed to speculate what would happen if this plan fails, Trump/Ryan/McConnell move onto tax reform and then the Freedom Caucus/Rand Paul/Cruz wing magically get a bill to his desk. I don't know how to answer that.

Ryan and McConnell are not obligated to move on to tax reform. No one in Congress is required to move on from HC reform just because the President is tired of talking about it after a week.

It's not a question of likelihood, it's procedure. There have been 7+ years of hyperventilating and screeching over the ACA, Republicans can't just throw their hands up and stick with it after working on a replacement plan for less than a few days without coming across even more spineless than they already appear.

[baseline bum]

Because he said everyone would be ensured with his plan. And since he's not into fixing what's wrong with Obama with the high costs, it becomes his problem.

Not only won't he come up with his own healthcare plan but he's threatening to let Obama just go into inflation mode and screw everyone on it. That would be 100% on him.

There is no way it's on him unless he actively does something to undermine it, such as zeroing out the penalty for not having insurance.

[Reck]

There is no way it's on him unless he actively does something to undermine it, such as zeroing out the penalty for not having insurance.

It's on them on default alone. They're the ones in power right now. If they let it get worst, then yeah. You cant tell me they're scottfree on this.

[Th'Pusher]

It's pretty simple, you have a market based healthcare system where the market rations healthcare or you move to a government run system where the govt rations healthcare. This promise everyone cadillac coverage for one low low price shit is never going to work.

this is a wildly uninformed and, quite frankly stupid, binary proposition you're proposing here. There are plenty of examples of hybrid solutions out there. And the only one promising Cadillac coverage for one low price was the ineffectual windbag you voted for.

[Reck]

New CBO is out for the revised version is out.

Guess what?

http://money.cnn.com/2017/03/23/news/economy/obamacare-cbo-republican-bill/index.html

[florige]

I thought he was a deal maker?

That's just what I thought. He campaigned on having this grand plan that was going to be soooo much better than Obamacare that everyone would love it. Turns out no one like this pile of garbage and he is already pointing fingers.

[pgardn]

That's just what I thought. He campaigned on having this grand plan that was going to be soooo much better than Obamacare that everyone would love it. Turns out no one like this pile of garbage and he is already pointing fingers.

Trump had nada. He can't even talk particulars, only politics. There are Congressmen who know this plan and Trump says vote for it or it will make us all look bad. That's not a solution. Can't bother with details, just pass the damn thing...

charlatan

[rmt]

Obamacare was better than what we had before. Fact.

But Obamacare is not perfect. It just needs a few teaks to make it work. The republicans can do that but won't because they want full repeal without having an actual plan. That's why they're in this mess.

There are no few tweaks that will make ACA work. The whole premise of full-blown (10 essential benefits) coverage without any cost control while promising to keep your plan, your doctor, getting back $2500 and letting people move in and out of coverage as they please (imagine I could have my utilities turned off and get a legit reason to not carry insurance) has got to be the most stupid law ever. We have spent a lot of money on this website that still don't fully work, on ads, upended our entire health care system when it would have been cheaper to just give the people who didn't have it for free. But this has never been about health care but control - us being forced to buy mandated health insurance (or pay a fine) and government taking over 1/5 of our economy.

[pgardn]

There are no few tweaks that will make ACA work. The whole premise of full-blown (10 essential benefits) coverage without any cost control while promising to keep your plan, your doctor, getting back $2500 and letting people move in and out of coverage as they please (imagine I could have my utilities turned off and get a legit reason to not carry insurance) has got to be the most stupid law ever. We have spent a lot of money on this website that still don't fully work, on ads, upended our entire health care system when it would have been cheaper to just give the people who didn't have it for free. But this has never been about health care but control - us being forced to buy mandated health insurance (or pay a fine) and government taking over 1/5 of our economy.

So where is the fantastic replacement plan?

[Th'Pusher]

So where is the fantastic replacement plan?

What about introducing a public insurance option that would compete with private insurance?

[pgardn]

What about introducing a public insurance option that would compete with private insurance?

Is that Donald's? He supposedly had the tremendous plan.

[Th'Pusher]

Is that Donald's? He supposedly had the tremendous plan.

It was probably his idea, he just hasn't thought of it yet.

[pgardn]

It was probably his idea, he just hasn't thought of it yet.

If that would WIN, Donald would claim it.

[baseline bum]

What about introducing a public insurance option that would compete with private insurance?

That was the cost control in the ACA. Thank you Lieberman and Nelson for killing it and Ted Kennedy for dying the second he could have done something useful for the first time, forcing the house to pass the crappy senate bill right away.

[Th'Pusher]

That was the cost control in the ACA. Thank you Lieberman and Nelson for killing it and Ted Kennedy for dying the second he could have done something useful for the first time, forcing the house to pass the crappy senate bill right away.

Shit. I thought that was my idea. :lol

[pgardn]

The bill has a preexisting condition, everybody hates it.

-Colbert

This about sums up all of the attempts it seems.

[SnakeBoy]

The whole premise of full-blown (10 essential benefits) coverage

Some change in that will be in the bill tomorrow





Here are the changes to the bill that will be a part of the AHCA tomorrow morning:

Page 1. The first two amendments delay repeal of the Additional Medicare Tax Increase to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2022, and make a conforming change to the underlying text.

Page 1-3. Adds maternity coverage and newborn care to the use of funds for the Patient and State Stability Fund. Provides clarification that mental health and substance use disorder services within the fund includes inpatient and outpatient clinical care for treatment of addiction and mental illness; and early identification and intervention for children and young adults with serious mental illness.

Appropriates an additional $15 billion to the Patient and State Stability Fund solely devoted to States for maternity coverage and newborn care, and mental health and substance use disorders.

Page 3. This addition requires states to determine essential health benefits, beginning in 2018, for purposes of the premium tax credit.

[baseline bum]

Some change in that will be in the bill tomorrow

I imagine that shit will pass then.

EDIT: On second thought, how can they get that into a reconciliation bill? If they're trying to force Trumpcare to be a bill subject to filibuster. :lol

[SnakeBoy]

I imagine that shit will pass then.

EDIT: On second thought, how can they get that into a reconciliation bill? If they're trying to force Trumpcare to be a bill subject to filibuster. :lol

Well that's the problem with the freedom caucus types. They don't want to vote for it unless it has things that guarantee it's failure in the Senate. Funny thing is the reporting is that the Senate doesn't give a shit what's in it because they are basically going to throw out the house bill and craft their own plan. Just need the house to send them something to get the ball rolling.

[DMX7]

Tactically, I actually like what Trump is doing here. If they want to repeal it so badly, they can come back begging to him while he's working on tax reform.

[SnakeBoy]

Tactically, I actually like what Trump is doing here. If they want to repeal it so badly, they can come back begging to him while he's working on tax reform.

Yeah that's why I said at the beginning of this thread that I just hoped Trump forced a vote. These guys can spin all they want but they will have voted to keep Obamacare.

[SnakeBoy]

What about introducing a public insurance option that would compete with private insurance?

Or a healthcare fairy...neither party supports that idea either.

[rmt]

Some change in that will be in the bill tomorrow

What does that mean about the purposes of the premium tax credit? What's the point of requiring the states to determine essential health benefits - I thought the whole point is that we, the consumer, get to choose what we want/need?

[ElNono]

What does that mean about the purposes of the premium tax credit? What's the point of requiring the states to determine essential health benefits - I thought the whole point is that we, the consumer, get to choose what we want/need?

http://i.imgur.com/rmcV5I5.jpg

[Reck]

Shit, did we witness rmt have an ephiphany?

[SnakeBoy]

What does that mean about the purposes of the premium tax credit? What's the point of requiring the states to determine essential health benefits - I thought the whole point is that we, the consumer, get to choose what we want/need?

I just want more than one choice. You know the whole free market solves everything speil is BS right?

[ElNono]

I just want more than one choice. You know the whole free market solves everything speil is BS right?

You had more than one choice with Barrycare too, tbh... the problem is that all the choices are ridiculously expensive. That predates the ACA too...

It's not changing with this thing either, this is basically a symbolic 'repeal the niglet law' and remove the mandate after the SCOTUS shat on their faces.

A wasted opportunity, tbh. Just really disappointing that after 7 years to work on something palatable, this is what they come up with.

What I regrettably take from this is that the GOP just doesn't have a solution to the healthcare problem, never did, and probably don't care much about it either.

[rmt]

Well, does someone care to explain? What are you people doing up at 4 o'clock in the morning? Well, if this is what it's evolved into (and prices don't go down), I hope it goes down in flames.

[SnakeBoy]

You had more than one choice with Barrycare too, tbh... the problem is that all the choices are ridiculously expensive. That predates the ACA too...

It's not changing with this thing either, this is basically a symbolic 'repeal the niglet law' and remove the mandate after the SCOTUS shat on their faces.

A wasted opportunity, tbh. Just really disappointing that after 7 years to work on something palatable, this is what they come up with.

What I regrettably take from this is that the GOP just doesn't have a solution to the healthcare problem, never did, and probably don't care much about it either.

You're just realizing this :lol. I thought I told you in another thread (maybe it was Baseline) why I want this to pass. Democrats never had a real solution to healthcare but took full ownership of the problem with the ACA and they got fucked for doing it. If the AHCA passes Republicans will take full ownership of healthcare and they will get fucked for doing so. Then maybe (maybe) both sides will realize they are going to have to come up with a bipartisan solution. I don't know what that solution is but I know it's going to require trial and error. A single bill rammed through when one party briefly has enough power isn't going to get it done.

[spurraider21]

solution? the solution was always "not obamacare"

[SnakeBoy]

Well, does someone care to explain? What are you people doing up at 4 o'clock in the morning?

I get insomnia every time a cool front passes through. It sucks.

[SnakeBoy]

You had more than one choice with Barrycare too, tbh...

Only plan on the individual market in Texas is a Blue Cross Blue Shield HMO Plan. Everything else has been dropped. I think they did that ~2 years ago. My wife's practice lost about 3000 patients then and to explain to these angry people we didn't drop you your insurance dropped us, good luck finding a new doctor.

The choice is bronze, silver, gold which is just a choice of how far they stick it in. Just the tip (bronze), mid shaft (silver), all the way (gold).

[rmt]

You had more than one choice with Barrycare too, tbh... the problem is that all the choices are ridiculously expensive. That predates the ACA too...

It's not changing with this thing either, this is basically a symbolic 'repeal the niglet law' and remove the mandate after the SCOTUS shat on their faces.

A wasted opportunity, tbh. Just really disappointing that after 7 years to work on something palatable, this is what they come up with.

What I regrettably take from this is that the GOP just doesn't have a solution to the healthcare problem, never did, and probably don't care much about it either.

Don't 1/3 of the counties in the country only have 1 provider? And it's predicted to get worse next year? We have 2 choices (PPO and HMO) - gotta choose the PPO to cover dd in Texas.

I put the majority blame on Ryan - he should have been doing all this negotiating beforehand - not just put forth this proposal as a fait accompli and compound the problem with this anniversary date vote. Better for this to not get off the ground than to own something that won't bring down prices.

[SnakeBoy]

Don't 1/3 of the counties in the country only have 1 provider? And it's predicted to get worse next year? We have 2 choices (PPO and HMO) - gotta choose the PPO to cover dd in Texas.


Who's still offering a PPO in Texas?

EDIT
Ahh still some counties with PPO's (not mine)


(Updated!) There are still three PPOs in Texas this year—Scott & White, Memorial Hermann, and Medi-Share:

Scott & White is offering a Bronze PPO plan this year in their service area (see map below). It’s a high deductible plan that essentially provides catastrophic coverage but will be the only major medical company to offer a true PPO with out-of-network benefits. Of course, to get the most out of the plans you’ll want to use Baylor’s network as much as possible.

https://i0.wp.com/blog.takecommandhealth.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Scott-and-white-network-locations-2017-plans.png?resize=600%2C657

[spurraider21]

is medishare the jeebus one i keep hearing on am radio?

[rasuo214]

You had more than one choice with Barrycare too, tbh... the problem is that all the choices are ridiculously expensive. That predates the ACA too...

It's not changing with this thing either, this is basically a symbolic 'repeal the niglet law' and remove the mandate after the SCOTUS shat on their faces.

A wasted opportunity, tbh. Just really disappointing that after 7 years to work on something palatable, this is what they come up with.

What I regrettably take from this is that the GOP just doesn't have a solution to the healthcare problem, never did, and probably don't care much about it either.

There are solutions to the problems you just have to go to the extremes to find them, whether it's to the right or the left. The problem is when the establishment/moderates/lobbyists take over you get ObamaCare or the Ryan/TrumpCare trash.

[SnakeBoy]

is medishare the jeebus one i keep hearing on am radio?

Yeah. It's not real insurance. These christian sharing programs aren't ACA compliant and aren't even required by law to cover anything from what I've read. Just gotta rely on their christian word that they'll pay.

Edit - Well they say they are ACA compliant even though they aren't insurance. Not sure how that works.


Penalty Free—In Compliance with the Affordable Care Act
We're not insurance, but we're still compliant with the Affordable Care Act. This means that you won't get fined by the government for not having insurance if you join with the Medi-Share family.

[rasuo214]

I wonder if the freedom caucus is thinking the republicans can get to the 60 seat threshold in the senate after the 2018 midterms and they're gunning for a full repeal in January 2019. It seems like a really dangerous strategy. Though the senate map looks incredibly tough for the democrats in 2018, with Heller the only GOP seat up for re-election in a currently competitive state.

They could always pass a repeal without the replace portion (better than crap they're trying to pass). The biggest issue is the 3 phased strategy that won't work. If they were smart they would get the moderates and conservatives together, find what they can agree on and pass that, maybe add a few compromises for both sides. The take it or leave it approach wasn't going to be very successful, as I predicted a couple weeks ago.

[SnakeBoy]

They could always pass a repeal without the replace portion (better than crap they're trying to pass).

That will collapse the individual market. You can't just wish away what has been done.


If they were smart they would get the moderates and conservatives together, find what they can agree on and pass that, maybe add a few compromises for both sides.

That's what they are trying to do. The freedom caucus is demanding things that lose the moderates and vice versa. And the things the far right want can't pass under reconciliation. Somehow they think some Senate democrats will go along their ideas which is delusional.

[rmt]

Yeah. It's not real insurance. These christian sharing programs aren't ACA compliant and aren't even required by law to cover anything from what I've read. Just gotta rely on their christian word that they'll pay.

The christian sharing programs ARE ACA compliant - no penalty if you use it. I was on Christian Health Ministries for 5 months last year - that's when I got on the catastrophic coverage & pay for routine bandwagon. $459 per month to cover family of 5 nationwide/anywhere - $500 deductible per incident - "unlimited" coverage.

[rmt]

Who's still offering a PPO in Texas?

EDIT
Ahh still some counties with PPO's (not mine)


https://i0.wp.com/blog.takecommandhealth.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Scott-and-white-network-locations-2017-plans.png?resize=600%2C657

I'm in FL. Only the PPO offers out-of-area coverage for dd in TX.

[SnakeBoy]

The christian sharing programs ARE ACA compliant - no penalty if you use it. I was on Christian Health Ministries for 5 months last year - that's when I got on the catastrophic coverage & pay for routine bandwagon. $459 per month to cover family of 5 nationwide/anywhere - $500 deductible per incident - "unlimited" coverage.

Maybe you missed my edit.

Doesn't matter...I'm not eligible


Eligibility

Medi-Share is built on a foundation of like ideals agreed upon by the Members. These biblical principles of health and lifestyle are important requirements for membership in Medi-Share.

Each adult member must attest to a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and profess the Statement of Faith to join. Members also agree to live by biblical standards, bear one another's burdens, and regularly attend and actively support a fellowship of believers.

As part of the commitment to a healthy lifestyle, members have agreed not to:

use tobacco and illegal drugs,
abuse legal drugs,
or have sex outside of traditional Christian marriage.

[djohn2oo8]

845112899328716800
:lmao

[pgardn]

Yeah that's why I said at the beginning of this thread that I just hoped Trump forced a vote. These guys can spin all they want but they will have voted to keep Obamacare.

He is definitely willingly to put its failure on the table.

But the bottom line is the Republicans had plenty of time to get something together. Since the Freedom Cacus function has been to say no, the Republicans dare not put up a plan. The real deal here is the legislative branch realizes that their constituents do want something. There is a real pushback from many Republican districts not to be left hanging. Thus Trump does have some leverage. People want a plan. Not just a simple repeal.

[boutons_deux]

Repugs don't GAF about healthcare, at any cost to citizens, or at any level of "freedom of access and choice".

AHCA is fundamentally $100Bs in tax cuts for the 1%.

And it's the 1%/VRWC/KockBros who own and dictate to the Freedom Kockus.

[boutons_deux]

Bernie Sanders (https://www.facebook.com/berniesanders/?hc_ref=NEWSFEED&fref=nf)

11 hrs (https://www.facebook.com/berniesanders/posts/1362819153773085) ·

Paul Ryan said that Republicans made “improvements” to their so-called health care bill.

Well, if you’re in the top 2 percent or you are the CEO of a big pharmaceutical company, yes the Republicans did make major improvements for you.

Under these “improvements” the top 2 percent will receive an additional $31 billion in tax breaks on top of the $275 billion already included in the Republican bill.

Big pharmaceutical companies will now be getting $3 billion more — $33 billion in total.

And instead of getting a $145 billion tax break, big insurance companies will be getting a $161 billion tax break — $16 billion more.

Meanwhile, tens of millions of Americans will still lose their health insurance and premiums for low-income seniors will still skyrocket.

They will still be left in the cold.

The Republican bill is not a health care bill at all.

It is a massive tax break for the rich and powerful and it must be defeated.

https://www.facebook.com/berniesanders/?hc_ref=NEWSFEED&fref=nf

[djohn2oo8]

845229664377356288

[djohn2oo8]

845250362974048257

[Splits]

845240270472073216

[boutons_deux]

845229664377356288

sicko Trash doesn't care whom he hurts, only cares that he WINS. He's President for himself, not for America.

Combined with Repug whores who work exclusively for BigDonor ...

America is fucked and unfuckable.

4 years of misgovernance and destruction. Nothing will be solved, nothing advances except wealth of the wealthy.

[SnakeBoy]

4 years of misgovernance and destruction. Nothing will be solved, nothing advances except wealth of the wealthy.

So you're predicting the next 4 years will be exactly the same has the last 8

[Splits]

lol appears doomed at this point

845245813026639872

So Trump is forcing House members to take a difficult vote that can be used against them on a bill that he doesn't understand and is destined to fail out of some sort of loyalty test.

Leadership.

[hater]

Love Dr Trumps strategy tbqh.

Vote now fail or pass. im dropping the mic and walking away regardless :wow

Gangsta

[hater]

Also love his statement. You vote no today and you own Obamacare forever :wow hes basically playing chicken with all his opponents :wow

I still think it could pass and it would be anshocking surprise almost as big as his electoral win :lmao

The tears if this passes today would be epic :lmao :lol

[Splits]

The tears if this passes today would be epic :lmao :lol

Uhh, no. The House vote was supposed to be the easy part where Trump has a 44 vote edge and only needs a majority vote.

[hater]

Uhh, no. The House vote was supposed to be the easy part where Trump has a 44 vote edge and only needs a majority vote.

Most news outlets and experts already calling a defeat. Just like his election.

If it passes the taers will be fantastinc believe me :lol

All we can do at this point is wait and see

[Splits]

Most news outlets and experts already calling a defeat. Just like his election.

If it passes the taers will be fantastinc believe me :lol

All we can do at this point is wait and see

Nobody is calling a defeat. The consensus is "will Trump's strategy work"? Some are saying it will pass

845262942606168064

[DMX7]

Love Dr Trumps strategy tbqh.

Vote now fail or pass. im dropping the mic and walking away regardless :wow

Gangsta

Jesus H. Christ, you've been totally conned if you believe that stupid shit.

[boutons_deux]

How Paul Ryan played Donald Trump

Sometimes the swamp drains you.

He was a pragmatic businessman who was going to make Washington work for you, the little guy, not the ideologues and special interests.

Instead, Trump has become a pitchman for Paul Ryan and his agenda.

He’s spent the past week

fighting for a health care bill he didn’t campaign on,

didn’t draft,

doesn’t understand (http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/3/17/14961066/donald-trump-gop-health-bill),

doesn’t like to talk about (http://www.politico.com/story/2017/03/trump-health-care-plan-aides-236266), and

can’t defend (http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/3/22/15028278/trumps-weak-closing-argument-on-health-care-and-why-it-matters).

Rather than forcing the Republican establishment to come around to his principles, he’s come around to theirs — and with disastrous results.

Democrats don’t like this bill.

Independents don’t like this bill.

Conservatives don’t like this bill.

Moderates don’t like this bill.

All the energy behind the American Health Care Act is coming from inside the GOP congressional establishment — and now from Trump himself. In a sense, this Matt Drudge tweet says it all:


Follow (https://twitter.com/DRUDGE)
MATT DRUDGE (https://twitter.com/DRUDGE)
(https://twitter.com/DRUDGE)✔@DRUDGE (https://twitter.com/DRUDGE)

The swamp drains you.
1:48 PM - 23 Mar 2017 (https://twitter.com/DRUDGE/status/844984313212919808)


Sixty days into his presidency,

Trump has lashed himself to a Paul Ryan passion project that’s polling at 56-17 percent against (http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/3/23/15042748/republican-health-vote-time-delay).

As political scientist Ryan Enos drolly observed (https://twitter.com/RyanDEnos/status/844945340239400960), “in a hyper-partisan political climate, it's actually

an accomplishment to write legislation this unpopular.”


The AHCA breaks Trump’s promises to his base so fulsomely, so completely,

that when told by Tucker Carlson on Fox News “that counties that voted for you, middle-class and working-class counties, would do far less well under the bill,”

Trump was reduced to saying, simply: “Oh, I know.”

Donald Trump has become Paul Ryan with orange hair. How did it happen?


This is what happens when you don’t sweat, or even understand, the details

How did Ryan persuade Trump to adopt his bill? The truth is, it doesn’t appear to have been very hard.

On Wednesday, the New Yorker’s Ryan Lizza published (https://twitter.com/RyanLizza/status/844721400954925056) a series of messages from a House Freedom Caucus source laying out the state of play on the American Health Care Act. “Don’t source to me,” the person wrote, “but

Ryan’s astonish[ed] how in over his head Trump is. He seems to neither get the politics nor the policy of this.”

Recently, I read every public statement (http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/3/17/14961066/donald-trump-gop-health-bill) Trump made on health care since the unveiling of the AHCA. It was striking how obviously thin Trump’s knowledge of the issue was. His standard riff veered from complaints about Obamacare to complaints about how Democrats wouldn’t work with him to vague promises about how great everything would be after the House plan passed.

To this day, Trump has never made a substantive case for why this bill would make people’s lives better.

Politico reports (http://www.politico.com/story/2017/03/trump-health-care-plan-aides-236266) that Trump doesn’t even like talking about health care — and his staffers have started, amazingly, to see that as a good thing:

Several people with knowledge of the discussions said having Trump on the golf course wasn’t a bad thing for his team, who could wade more into the nitty-gritty and have “real talk” with the conservatives. They fear that when he meets with legislators or interest groups that he’ll promise them too much — or change the terms under discussion altogether. “It’s easier to negotiate sometimes without Trump,” one adviser said.


This is the problem with not knowing or caring much about the details of policy —

it’s easy to get spun by people who do know and care, and

it’s easy to get trapped in processes that people are building for their benefit rather than yours.

And that seems to be what happened to Trump. For instance, the New York Times reports (https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/23/us/politics/trump-health-care-bill-regrets.html) that Trump barely paid attention when he agreed to put health reform first:

He approved the agenda putting health care first late last year, almost in passing, in meetings with Mr. Ryan, Vice President Mike Pence and Reince Priebus, the White House chief of staff.


Pence and Priebus persuaded Trump to make Rep. Tom Price his health and human services secretary.

Pence, Priebus, and Price are all Ryanists, not Trumpists,

and so when Ryan emerged with a health care plan that reflected their views, they told Trump it was a great deal and he should work for its passage.

How Trump became the fall guy for Ryan’s bill

Ryan’s stroke of genius, however, has been flattering Trump’s vision of himself as a dealmaker through the process, and amping up Trump’s sense of the personal stake he has in the AHCA’s success.

On Monday, Politico reported (http://www.politico.com/story/2017/03/trump-health-care-plan-aides-236266) that “members of Speaker Paul Ryan’s team, trying to appeal to Trump’s ego and deal-making sensibilities, have begun calling him the ‘closer’ or the ‘ultimate closer.’”

In an interview (https://twitter.com/BraddJaffy/status/844549865606664192), Ryan amped up both the flattery and the pressure. “I’ve never seen, since I’ve been in Congress — and this is the fourth president I’ve served with — I’ve never seen a president as deep and involved and engaged on passing the signature legislation as this one,” he said.

And that’s how a bill that Trump didn’t campaign on and didn’t write and doesn’t understand become his “signature legislation,” and that’s how its possible failure could be recast as proof that Trump isn’t the closer he promised to be, even when he’s maximally involved in the effort.

I am not suggesting Ryan is some kind of political genius. The problems here lie with Trump. He is strongly committed to his personal project of being the president, being seen as a great dealmaker, and appearing on television, but

he is weakly committed to his ideological project and obviously uninterested in the details of legislation.

he has burnt much of the political capital he had on Paul Ryan’s health care plan —

there is no one, after this, who thinks his salesmanship unstoppable or his commitment to his own agenda unshakable, and that weakens his ability to push the Republican Party to places it doesn’t already want to go.

We are 60 days into Trump’s presidency, and

Trumpism is already being strangled by Ryanism.

As Drudge wrote, sometimes the swamp drains you.

http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/3/24/15039664/paul-ryan-donald-trump-ahca

iow, ignorant, piece-of-shit Trash doesn't know WTF he is doing, nor what's being done to him, other than making sure Don The Con Trash WINS!

The Repug establishment that Trash promised to blow up, to drain the DC swamp, has conned and is crushing Don the Con

LOSER, out of his depth, and conned

[hater]

Jesus H. Christ, you've been totally conned if you believe that stupid shit.

Conned what? Thats what is happening.

[hater]

Nobody is calling a defeat. The consensus is "will Trump's strategy work"? Some are saying it will pass

845262942606168064

Who besides white house, Trump allies and Ryan alles is saying it will pass?

[Splits]

Who besides white house, Trump allies and Ryan alles is saying it will pass?

So in addition to not being able to post tweets, now you can't read them?

[hater]

So in addition to not being able to post tweets, now you can't read them?

:lmao I can show you tweets that say anything. You seriously treat twitter as a legit source?? :lmao

[DMX7]

Conned what? Thats what is happening.

he's taken the best option but he is going to have pie on his face when the vote fails. there is no dropping of the mic. :lol

[rjv]

So you're predicting the next 4 years will be exactly the same has the last 8 the last 37 years to be honest. only trump would be doing this at a far more accelerated rate.

[baseline bum]

So does anyone think this garbage healthcare bill was a plan from Trump (or more likely Bannon) to kill Paul Ryan off? Let Ryan hang himself with his bill that no one was going to like? As much as I hate Trump, Ryan is twice as bad.

[boutons_deux]

So does anyone think this garbage healthcare bill was a plan from Trump (or more likely Bannon) to kill Paul Ryan off? Let Ryan hang himself with his bill that no one was going to like? As much as I hate Trump, Ryan is twice as bad.

AHCA is RyanCare, Trump has been played, conned to go along (too stupid, ignorant not to, has NO choice), where Ryancare is really $100Bs tax cuts for the wealthy, not about health care for the non-wealthy.

Trash PROMISED, VOWED not to touch Medicaid, but now he's supporting sociopathic sicko Ryan's plan to cut Medicaid.

Even without AHCA passing, Price, forced onto Trash by the Repug establishment, will fuck up ACA, Medicare, Medicaid, because he has vast powers to do so, and will.

Repugs fucking Americans to enrich the wealthy.

[pgardn]

Repugs don't GAF about healthcare, at any cost to citizens, or at any level of "freedom of access and choice".

AHCA is fundamentally $100Bs in tax cuts for the 1%.

And it's the 1%/VRWC/KockBros who own and dictate to the Freedom Kockus.

Wrong.

Once you legally become an adult in this country, during what time period did you experience a good life in this country?

No love it or leave it, but you really seem To need to get the hell out of here.

[pgardn]

:lmao I can show you tweets that say anything. You seriously treat twitter as a legit source?? :lmao

Says the RT news fan...

[pgardn]

Jesus H. Christ, you've been totally conned if you believe that stupid shit.

He he was a jungle fighter in Nicaragua.
But now he has employees in Mexico and Russia.

So... moving on.

[baseline bum]

Wrong.

Once you legally become an adult in this country, during what time period did you experience a good life in this country?

No love it or leave it, but you really seem To need to get the hell out of here.

If this bill makes it out of the house I don't see how you could argue against boo's assertion. The savings in Ryan's bill are going to come from a lot of the sickest dropping out of the insurance market when they can't afford $15000 a year for their insurance with the ACA subsidies killed. This bill is pure cancer.

[boutons_deux]

Wrong.

Once you legally become an adult in this country, during what time period did you experience a good life in this country?

No love it or leave it, but you really seem To need to get the hell out of here.

... pfarten being a good German, a wannabe Shutzstaffel, criminalizing dissent, deporting dissenters as unAmerican.

[hater]

he's taken the best option but he is going to have pie on his face when the vote fails. there is no dropping of the mic. :lol

Why? He will say he tried his best but swamp monsters prevented him from succeeding. With that statement he will basically seal his 2nd term election

Win win

Huge win

[Splits]

845310870607548418

845312313167171584

lol

[boutons_deux]

Trash ain't the risk to Ryan.

Ryan's risk is the strict obstructionist Freedom Kockus, the Kockus that brought down Boner.

That Kockus is the group of about 30 reps against AHCA because it's not horrible enough to Americans.

They want Ryan gone, too, replaced with one of their own bomb-throwers.

[DMX7]

Why? He will say he tried his best but swamp monsters prevented him from succeeding. With that statement he will basically seal his 2nd term election

Win win

Huge win

BAHAHAHAHAHAHA :rollin

[baseline bum]

845324098435637248

I still think it's going to pass.

[DMX7]

Sean Spicer made it sound like the votes simply aren't there as of right now and holding the vote is simply a desperate attempt to put public pressure on the holdouts to go along.

I'm 99% certain it fails. The freedom caucus crowd doesn't know how to govern. If they weren't afraid to hold out this long, they aren't going to be afraid to make their vote official.

[baseline bum]

Sean Spicer made it sound like the votes simply aren't there as of right now and holding the vote is simply a desperate attempt to put public pressure on the holdouts to go along.

Dear Leader knows how much the teabaggers have been foaming at the mouth to repeal Obamacare for 8 years now.

[DMX7]

Dear Leader knows how much the teabaggers have been foaming at the mouth to repeal Obamacare for 8 years now.

This bill isn't a real repeal. Everyone on capital hill knows that.

[boutons_deux]

Trump Vowed Never To Cut Medicaid — Now Guess What He’s Trying To Do

But the legislation that Trump has aggressively promoted, and that Congress is expected to vote on Thursday, appears to do exactly that. It would reduce Medicaid spending by hundreds of billions of dollars over 10 years, compared with current law, while dramatically altering the financing of a program that covers 70 million Americans.

The White House, however, says it is not "cutting" Medicaid.

What the White House says

But when the Congressional Budget Office issued its initial analysis (https://www.statnews.com/2017/03/13/gop-health-plan-takeaways/) of the Republican health care bill, its verdict on Medicaid was quite clear: Spending on the program would decrease and millions fewer people would be enrolled over the next decade, compared to current law.

Why?

The Affordable Care Act expanded Medicaid to allow more people to enroll.

The GOP bill both phases out that expansion and fundamentally restructures the overall program's financing, capping the federal government's contributions at a certain amount for each person enrolled.

"We are capping the growth rate of the program, not cutting it," :lol

a White House official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to address the matter more candidly. The official argued that the formula being used to calculate federal Medicaid spending increases at a higher rate than the program's spending has recently grown.

Nonetheless, the bottom line from the CBO, the independent scorekeepers of what legislation would do, was that

Medicaid spending would be $880 billion less over 10 years under the bill than if the current system remained in place.

http://www.nationalmemo.com/trump-vowed-never-cut-medicaid/

Ryan is cutting Medicaid, and Medicare is up next.

Medicare/Medicaid: the White Whale to be harpooned, on which Captain Ahab Ryan has monomaniacally staked his career.

[hater]

My sources are telling me they already told Trump it wont pass. Mo need to vote tbqh :lol

Trump is preparing his first 2020 reelection speech slated for later today. Major win

[boutons_deux]

TRUMP TO BLAME PAUL RYAN IF TRUMPCARE DEFEATED, PREPARING TO PUBLICLY SAVAGE HIM


https://theintellectualist.co/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Screen-Shot-2016-10-11-at-12.45.23-PM.png?x75966

The Hill: (http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/325594-the-memo-recriminations-fly-with-trumps-health-vote-in-peril)

Recriminations have begun flying among Republicans even before the House votes Friday on a plan that aims to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.

President Trump and House Republican leadership are adamant that the bill, titled the American Health Care Act, must pass. But that outcome was in deep doubt on Friday morning, as lawmakers on both flanks of the GOP expressed skepticism.

Trump will be seriously damaged if the legislation goes down to defeat.

The moment of political peril is exposing the deepest fault line in the new era of Republican control in Washington — the unhealed wound between Trump loyalists and the GOP establishment personified by Speaker Paul Ryan (http://thehill.com/people/paul-ryan) (R-Wis.), which dates back to last year’s presidential race.

Criticism of Ryan from Trump World is erupting into the open.

Perceived Ryan allies such as White House chief of staff Reince Priebus are also in the loyalists’ sights.

Complaints range from the contents of the legislation itself to the decision to press for healthcare reform before moving on to other big-ticket items in the president’s agenda, notably tax reform.

The sequencing was “a blunder,” one Trump ally told The Hill on condition of anonymity, adding that “Reince put way too much trust in Ryan.”

https://theintellectualist.co/trump-to-blame-paul-ryan-if-trumpcare-defeated-preparing-to-publicly-savage-him/

[Splits]

My sources are telling me they already told Trump it wont pass. Mo need to vote tbqh :lol

Trump is preparing his first 2020 reelection speech slated for later today. Major win

:lmao Are you tired of winning yet?

[Spurminator]

Trump is preparing his first 2020 reelection speech slated for later today. Major win

First? Dear Leader has already given several 2020 campaign speeches.

[Spurminator]

Gingrich wtf

845348593426948097

[DMX7]

No vote. The bill is dead.

[baseline bum]

Dear Leader just pulled the bill

[Spurminator]

It would have passed if not for the millions of illegal votes.

[DMX7]

Unless Ryan does overnight surgery to the bill it will still be a failed Bill.

No, it's done. They've admitted that they can't change it to gain votes without losing as many or more votes.

[hater]

Good news! My abuelita will keeep her insurance and Trump has the best slogan to win 2020

"Repeal Obamacare".


Fucking genius

[Spurminator]

413211066269974528

[DMX7]

Trump personally told Costas of WAPO that he wants to work with democrats on healthcare next go around but for now it's dead. What a victory for us! WOW! :flag:

[baseline bum]

Trump personally told Costas of WAPO that he wants to work with democrats on healthcare next go around but for now it's dead. What a victory for us! WOW! :flag:

Can't believe a word out of Dear Leader's mouth.

[baseline bum]

http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/23/politics/trump-health-care-latest/index.html

CNN Politics
March 24, 2017 3:58pm EDT
+1SHARE
JUST IN

Paul Ryan's message now: Let's move on
From CNN's Lauren Fox

Speaker Ryan told Republicans in a meeting that they were moving on, according to Rep. Bill Flores.

Rep. Andy Barr said Ryan told them health care is basically dead for the rest of the Congress.

[baseline bum]

By rest of the congress does Ryan mean it's dead until 2019?

[Spurminator]

TrumpTrollTwitter is hard at work to de-emphasize Trump's part in this and focus all blame on Ryan.

[CosmicCowboy]

No, it's done. They've admitted that they can't change it to gain votes without losing as many or more votes.

Well duh. I told you guys that weeks ago. Change the bill enought to appease the freedom caucus defecit hawks and you lose the moderates.

[DMX7]

Speaker Ryan: "Obamacare is the law of the land. Obamacare will remain the law of the land." :clap

[Spurminator]

I know a lot of people whose sole reason for grudgingly voting for Trump was the hope of health care reform. The ACA took 13 months to approve.

How are those people feeling now that a Republican President and his Republican Congress are giving up after 2.5 weeks?

[CosmicCowboy]

Bet they can pass tax cuts. It's a great time to be an American. :lol

[DMX7]

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v3QVPKGgpWI/Va6bgC8yD8I/AAAAAAAAk3s/y4Ys0KftIpg/s640/donald%2Btrump%2Bobama.png

[baseline bum]

I'm floored the GOP couldn't figure something out. I don't believe Ryan saying healthcare is off the table for a long time though.

[hater]

Dr Trump about to speak fellas

His first pitch to his 2020 re election

"We will repeal Obamacare"

They will love him for it

Fucking genius

[DMX7]

Dr Trump about to speak fellas

His first pitch to his 2020 re election

"We will repeal Obamacare"

They will love him for it

Fucking genius

That was his 2016 spiel and now it's a broken promise, dummy.

[hater]

That was his 2016 spiel and now it's a broken promise, dummy.

Its not broken until Trump stops being president dummy :lol

Most powerful slogan ever will get him re elwcted

[Splits]

Also love his statement. You vote no today and you own Obamacare forever :wow hes basically playing chicken with all his opponents :wow

I still think it could pass and it would be anshocking surprise almost as big as his electoral win :lmao

The tears if this passes today would be epic :lmao :lol

:lmao playing chicken, got runover by a fucking mack truck
:lmao bluff got called, he's holding a 2-7 off

:lol I will make great deals
:lol I know these politicians, I know how to deal with them
:lol Art of the Deal was ghostwritten
:lol Worst 100 days of any administration ever
:lol tired of winning yet?

[DMX7]

Its not broken until Trump stops being president dummy :lol

Most owerful slogan ever will get him re elwcted

2021 will be the end of his presidency.

[hater]

2025 will be the end of his presidency.

Fixed it for ya

[hater]

Seriously fast forward to 2020 and you have Shitlery on one side and Trump on the other saying "we will repeal Obamacare"

Who do you think most rednecks will vote for???:lmao

Re-election is a lock :lol

[SnakeBoy]

Bet they can pass tax cuts. It's a great time to be an American. :lol

We'll see. Freedom caucus could kill tax reform because it's not reformy enough.

[SnakeBoy]

Trump personally told Costas of WAPO that he wants to work with democrats on healthcare next go around but for now it's dead. What a victory for us! WOW! :flag:

He's going to have no choice if the GOP can't do something before midterms. If dems take back the house Trump is going to triangulate the fuck out of healthcare reform.

[baseline bum]

Trump trying to blame the democrats for Ryan's bill failing :lmao

[MultiTroll]

TRUMP TO BLAME PAUL RYAN IF TRUMPCARE DEFEATED, PREPARING TO PUBLICLY SAVAGE HIM


https://theintellectualist.co/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Screen-Shot-2016-10-11-at-12.45.23-PM.png?x75966


Is this above tweet real?
Trump just got thru sucking Ryan off in a press conference.
:cry the Democrats wouldn't support my bill :cry

[mavsfan1000]

Fake news. Fuck You Democrats for supporting a failing Health Care. I can't afford insurance anymore. You fucking douchbags are totally out of touch with reality.

[Splits]

Fake news. Fuck You Democrats for supporting a failing Health Care. I can't afford insurance anymore. You fucking douchbags are totally out of touch with reality.

:lmao you have a 44 seat edge in the House and couldn't even pass the bill on a simple majority

[mavsfan1000]

:lmao you have a 44 seat edge in the House and couldn't even pass the bill on a simple majority
Republicans are divided in the replacement. Much easier for Congress to say no than yes when it comes to Health Care. Not a single fucking Democrat supports repealing Obamacare. A bunch of sheep.

[hater]

Trump trying to blame the democrats for Ryan's bill failing :lmao

Told you its his 1st 2020 speech :lmao

U niggas need to start takin my word as law

[hater]

Ma ngga Rand Paul son of Dear Dr Paul won tbqh

He called this shit month ago :lol

[DMX7]

After all Sean Spicer's shit talk, he's going to have a great weekend. :lol

[Splits]

845322429492809728

[Splits]

845366546755207168

Who's tired of all this winning?

[Splits]

Wonder when Nieto is going to call the WH and tell them he's paying for the wall?

All this winning is making me tired

[Splits]

845371368451575810

[baseline bum]

Gotta say this is great news. The ACA is preserved for a while and Clinton's political career is over. I figured Clinton was going to have to win to preserve the law, which is why I voted for that cancer.

[baseline bum]

Wonder when Nieto is going to call the WH and tell them he's paying for the wall?

All this winning is making me tired

Damn Nieto is still in power? I thought his approval rating was even lower than Dear Leader's.

[mavsfan1000]

845366546755207168

Who's tired of all this winning?
We will get the Travel suspension once Neil Gorsuch is confirmed. Russia:Trump is fake news.

[Splits]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C7tkGMtX0AEWIJ3.jpg

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C7tkGMqXkAAyh4r.jpg


:cry but you can't take him literally :cry

[Reck]

The freedom Caucus cucked Trump good this time.

They're going to own the party for a while now.

[ElNono]

Only plan on the individual market in Texas is a Blue Cross Blue Shield HMO Plan. Everything else has been dropped. I think they did that ~2 years ago. My wife's practice lost about 3000 patients then and to explain to these angry people we didn't drop you your insurance dropped us, good luck finding a new doctor.

The choice is bronze, silver, gold which is just a choice of how far they stick it in. Just the tip (bronze), mid shaft (silver), all the way (gold).


Don't 1/3 of the counties in the country only have 1 provider? And it's predicted to get worse next year? We have 2 choices (PPO and HMO) - gotta choose the PPO to cover dd in Texas.

I put the majority blame on Ryan - he should have been doing all this negotiating beforehand - not just put forth this proposal as a fait accompli and compound the problem with this anniversary date vote. Better for this to not get off the ground than to own something that won't bring down prices.

You could always buy coverage outside the individual market directly with an insurance company. I guess few people knew this, because the tax credits didn't apply. I found out when I didn't qualify for tax credits anyways. There was the minimum mandatory coverage, but the options were always there. Just expensive.

[CosmicCowboy]

The freedom Caucus cucked Trump good this time.

They're going to own the party for a while now.

Nope. They will split on tax cuts and some democrats will cross over too.

[rjv]

845322429492809728

https://kaitlynmcquinheckel.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/princess_bride_that_word.jpg?w=506&h=284&crop=1

[clambake]

winning like charley sheen?

[boutons_deux]

Breibart wants Ryan gone

[spurraider21]

Bannon wants Ryan gone
Fify

[rmt]

The taxpayers are the ones who will suffer under the GOP proposal failure - in particular, those in the states that chose to expand Medicaid. 2016 was the last year that the Feds paid 100% for the Medicaid expansion. The under estimation of enrollment and cost per enrollee will put a strain on state budgets which unlike the Feds can't just print money or add to the national debt. These states will either have to raise taxes or divert money from education, transportation, prisons, etc. So congratulations to those able-bodied people receiving Medicaid and subsidies and sympathy to the rest of us stuck with cost in the thousands of dollars per month for insurance (that's assuming you're in a county that offers insurance).

That Freedom Caucus can stick to their principles but IMO they will come to regret it. Instead of compromising and taking the deal, they turned down a chance to stop Medicaid expansion (which will be the eventual ruin of us) and extend those without (big) employer-sponsored insurance the same tax treatment (hurts small business). So what will happen now - Obamacare collapses to the point where people are screaming, Democrats come to the table, Trump makes a deal with them and the Freedom Caucus are worse off than if they had taken this deal - really dumb. I know this proposal took a leap of faith but you have to be a realist - take the deal, halt the insidious spread of Medicaid and piece by piece fight for those principles that will bring down costs e.g. a bill that does nothing but allow selling policies across state lines or one that does tort reform only. But that trust for steps 2 and 3 just weren't there and as I said earlier, Ryan should have had all this discussion behind closed doors a long time ago.

The republicans need to take a page out of the Democrats who are in lock step and unity - they went for ACA as a stepping stone to single payer and it now looks like they'll get there as this able bodied Medicaid becomes more and more entrenched.

[tlongII]

Well I got this one wrong. The republican party is a mess.

[Warlord23]

For the last 7 years, the one thing the Republican party agreed on was that they wanted to repeal ACA. Every single one of them in Congress - the teabaggers, the moderates, the corporate whores - voted 50+ times to repeal it.

Now along comes the Greatest Negotiator in the universe, who by the way, had an amazing, tremendous plan that would cover everybody and save so much money. And he couldn't even negotiate a deal with the Koch brothers' sock puppets.

I can hardly wait till he starts negotiating trade deals.

[boutons_deux]

"on Day One" :lol :lol :lol

[Warlord23]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C7tTMdGVMAAo7z4.jpg

[DarrinS]

I'm glad it failed. Why replace one shitty law with another shitty law? Let ACA go through its death spiral.

[baseline bum]

The approval rating of the president matters. Dear Leader crying wolf for months has made him so hated by the public and he was a cancer on the bill. I can't imagine there being the same mobilization in the town halls if this was President Pence trying to push this awful bill.