A last, last chance: Republicans strain for Obamacare repeal

There's no suspense about this 'scoring' charade. The 'score' will come back saying that several million people on welfare are going to get thrown off the welfare handout roles for "subsidies" and other government healthcare giveaways. No big surprise. With that announcement, all the hyperliberal Leftists are going to have another apoplectic fit, roll their eyes around like cattle with anthrax, and the howls to the liberal "news" media will start. "Oh, the horror -- the 'free-stuff' spigot is going to get shut off...?!" Next, the RINO's will crap their pants with fear of the 'back-lash' and back away from finally getting rid of Obamacare.

Guess what? Nobody is going to "get rid" of ANYTHING. This is all a sh*tty little one-act play being put on by Republicans (mostly RINO's) who want to create the appearance of having done SOMETHING that working taxpaying citizens want done! The parasite-class can relax -- nobody's going to "take the baby's candy away". This whole thing, from the day the whole Obamacare fraud was stuffed down our throats by the deceiving, lying bastards in Obama's regime, has been a disaster, and it will only continue to be exactly that!

 

Thanks, and we're pretty much in agreement here.

To clarify my point, I do believe that there are things in O'Care that are worth preserving and I'm not inflexible or dogmatic about how they can/should be preserved. However, I think a full repeal is necessary to get rid of all the other unnecessary stuff around it. I also think that the parts that have merit and are worth preserving can form the basis of a compromise package that Republicans and Democrats can build around. I would also be in favor of a "skinny" replace that would get those things back into the HI/HC system immediately following a full repeal. After that, the two sides can negotiate what else needs to be replaced and what they can't agree on we will probably be best without.

Of course, this is my ideal scenario, but we're not dealing with an ideal reality. Right now, Republicans can only chip at O'Care through reconciliation, so I think the ideal approach at this point is to start rolling back things like the individual mandate and the taxes that are funding the program. Trump should also cut off the bailouts to insurers and force Democrats to the table. They're not going to concede or compromise anything unless they are forced to do so.

Unfortunately, the brutal reality of the situation is that next week's vote in the Senate will die in that chamber or in the House and reconciliation will expire without Congressional Republicans accomplishing anything. That means ObamaCare is going to continue into its death spiral and the only person who will be able to hasten or delay that is Trump. Again, I would like to see him cut off the bailouts to insurers, continue relieving people from paying the individual mandate and do whatever else he can to hasten O'Care's demise. If this compels Democrats to negotiate and compromise, fine, if not, so be it...

 

A bit disingenuous for Newt to be trying yo take credit for Bill Clintons suceess. The man is basically scum.

 

And the Republicans had eight years to come up with a better idea and failed totally. American healthcare was broken before the ACA, is still broken and will be arguably even worse should the Republican fiasco be approved.

 

I can't disagree with you on that. So, at the same time we're supposed to be getting rid of Obamacare, let's go through the U. S. Tax Code like an avenging angel and get rid of ALL the tax shelters, tax loopholes, tax exclusions, tax deferrals, tax deductions, and other labyrinthine, endless crap that allows the rich to pay little or nothing in taxes! I'll bet you didn't expect to see ME write something like that, but I've been saying it for years!

 

They want to rush a vote to see who they need to bribe. Laden the healthcare repeal bill up with pork and of course it will pass. Eeps!

 

In what way was American healthcare "broken" before Obamacare...? I seem to recall that it worked just FINE for everybody I knew. There were too damned many 'co-pays' and too damned many 'deductibles', , and, yes, premiums went up nearly every year, but, for nearly all of us who actually WORK for a living, it certainly worked so well that many people in foreign countries were doing everything in their power to come get medical care OVER HERE! Now, if everything was so damned wonderful with healthcare in little socialist paradises all over the world, why do you suppose they were doing THAT...?

Oh, BTW, even with your wonderous Obamacare, we STILL have too damned many 'co-pays', we still have too damned many 'deductibles', and increases in premiums have really begun to skyrocket -- if you can even get healthcare plans anymore in some areas of the country at all!

 

One can also judge the honesty of a post when opinion is confused with fact and responsibility is confused with blame.

First of all, the system was by no means perfect but to claim that it was a "disaster" prior to the enactment of the unACA is your opinion, not a simple fact. Furthermore, many Americans, including myself, think the unACA has made things worse instead of better.

Secondly, Democrats are solely responsible for the unACA and its failure. Republicans are not to blame for a program that Democrats passed entirely on their own.

I would add that it was not politics that prevented the system from getting fixed 7-8 years ago - it was power. If Democrats had been interested in fixing the system instead of imposing their will on the American people then we wouldn't be having this conversation and Democrats wouldn't be in the position they find themselves in today.

 

Heh. It was "broken" in the way that "progressives" always use as an excuse to totally **** things up.

PS. While I'll agree that the system needed some improvement, it worked just fine for me, too..

 

Watch what they offer Alaska (Murkowski) and Wisconsin (Johnson).

 

The GOP is totally responsible now for a national health care plan.

Totally. They have had eight years. Let's get cracking, pachyderms.

 

It looks like it's dead.

Republican Sen. John McCain announces opposition to health care bill, dashing hopes for GOP leaders

WASHINGTON — Republican Sen. John McCain announces opposition to health care bill, dashing hopes for GOP leaders.

This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/polit...ill-dashing-hopes-for-gop-leaders/ar-AAsmlvo?

 

Fight, and if that means canning every RINO who doesn't want to be in this fight, so be it.

Look how the high and mighty Eric Cantor was brought low by Dave Bratt here in Virginia, and we're all better for it.

C'mon, Pollycy - I've never seen you shy away from a political fight. Why start now?

 

I am really enjoying your posts and our exchange here. Thank you! Very informative and interesting, and I always appreciate an exchange of ideas.

I think you and I are very much in agreement with what we want to happen. We may vary some in how they get there, but I think the end achievable is the same. I am good with cutting off the bailouts for the insurance companies, by the way. Something has to happen, even if it's not what many or most people would want. But sometimes you have to play a little chicken in order to get things moving.

I just posted a link from the AP that McCain announced he won't vote for this bill. I think that is pretty much its demise right there. So now what? I hope these fools go back to the drawing board and come up with something that truly makes healthcare affordable for everyone, removing that idiotic misnomer of "Affordable (Care Act)" which the ACA now wears. I'm even okay with a conceptually skinny replacement, as long as some of the important items stay in place, like the removal of the treatment caps, the pre-existing conditions thing (assuming the person can verify that he had insurance in the last x months and didn't wait until he needed it to try to get it). Things like that.

I can't decide if this is good or bad political theater. I think bad. Let's be honest - the healthcare debate and the goings on of the last 10 years or so represent the absolute worst in our government.

 

Yup, and while the optics aren't great we're probably better off letting ObamaCare implode like the black hole of bad "progressive" ideas and policy it has always been...

 

So McCain and Paul are saying they're out with Murkowski and Collins leaning towards a no vote. This is certainly going to be one hell of a ride if one of those 2 vote no.

 

Agree. Don't try to solve a problem with another problem. It's better to work on a permanent and REAL fix, even if we have to wait. Hell, we've waited this long. Another few months or years won't be that bad.

Message to both parties in Congress - fix it, work together, stop the bickering, and remember that you all work for us.

 

Bill is pretty much dead as of this morning. The author of art of the deal can't make a deal with his own party lol

 

Newt truly is scum for so many, many reasons. Trumpcare is going nowhere, because his people are incapable of building anything. They can only destroy...Meanwhile Trump will be known for Art of the Steal, instead of the fictional Art of the Deal.

 

Me, too. It's a nice change of pace.

Ain't that the truth.

I'm inclined to agree that it's bad political theater, too, and I wouldn't be surprised if McConnell pays for this. I would prefer that ObamaCare wasn't left to implode but the GOP base is going be howling mad.

Perhaps, it is time for a shakeup. People have to produce results...

 

For some reason your post got stuck in with my post you quoted but I copied it down here to respond.

I think McConnell will pay for this. His constituents have to be getting antsy right about now. I spent the last 6 years voting for the Republicans with the understanding that they were going to fix the problems with the ACA. I'm not happy with them right now. At all.

 

GOP better do something: had 8 years.

 

So you forgot the rest of his promises.

When is he going to put forth this plan he bragged about on the campaigned.

 

Johnson and McCain may very well vote no as well. McConnell is trying to get a vote on record to protect himself and to give the red meat Right some people to go after.

 

You are correct about this. Trump promised that everyone would be covered. Even if this bill passed the House and Senate (as it appears to have no chance of doing) he would be going back on that promise.