GOP Health care bill on the brink (again)

[Allybeboba]

From CNN Politics

'The Senate returns for a critical three-week period when Republicans will try to salvage their health care bill. But it's clearly in deep trouble and they might not be able to save it.
Things are looking especially tough after the bill hung out there over the recess (which Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell badly wanted to avoid) and it got battered by voters and senators.
Watch Tuesday's Senate lunch -- that's when we might get the first real indications of the week on which direction leadership is moving, and it'll be an opportunity for leaders to take the temperature of the conference on how they're feeling after the week-long recess.
Maybe the clearest sign that things aren't looking good? President Donald Trump's tweet Monday morning: "I cannot imagine that Congress would dare to leave Washington without a beautiful new HealthCare bill fully approved and ready to go!"...'


Full CNN article link
http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/10/politi...lay/index.html


I thought they were supposed to be voting this week.

[Kujako]

I thought they were supposed to be voting this week.

Turns out that letting Congress go home and tell the poor people they're going to kill so they can cut taxes on the rich about how they're going to do it, can cause push back.

[Lenonis]

They need to give up on both the house and the Senate versions and just come up with something that isn't a complete abomination.

Which, of course, they can't because the interests they are financially beholden to are in direct conflict with their constituents.

The GOP will flail around on healthcare without success until either a) democrats take back control of one of the houses given them cover to give up or b) enough moderate GOP folks can craft something tolerable to the more conservative Dems that can pass the Senate -- which means it isn't likely to pass the house so I don't really know how that would work.

[Breccia]

They need to give up on both the house and the Senate versions and just come up with something that isn't a complete abomination.

Mitch McConnell is at a turning point in what's left of his political career.

A) He can follow Trump lock-step, insist on repeal and replace with...uh...well I guess he could try to force the issue with TrumpCare 3: the Trumpening, but everything I've seen suggest even he doesn't think it'll pass. Multiple GOP senators have been saying "no, it hurts too many people" and 52 is a fucking dangerous number for them to deal with (get it? I'm clever!)

OR.

B) He could actually work with Democrats to either make something 100% new, or failing that stabilize the already stable markets, and make something both sides can agree on. But this will be seen as heresy by the far right and Trump who are not the same but somehow agree on killing old people for money.

Based purely on the information we have so far:
A) This route seems likely to fail. This leave the GOP with nothing, then August they don't work, then September they have a budget to pass which must happen before TrumpCare 4: Trumpsters on Ice is planned behind locked doors with no women, doctors, or people with souls involved. Worse, their lack of progress will embolden the Democrats, who will kick them in the wallet while they're down, and force them to cave on a few key issues during the budget process, leading to either a weakened form of B below or a government shutdown. With nobody to blame for a string of dismal failures but themselves, the GOP loses a pile of seats in 2018 and the implosion of the party commences in earnest. McConnell will not retain his leadership role, and might not even return to Washington. He might resign in disgrace.
B) Moderates get to return to their voters and not get booed the fuck out of their town halls and likely re-elected, but the hard right will be out for fucking blood. A power struggle in the GOP will ensue, with McConnell's seat in jeopardy. Assuming he keeps it -- possibly by managing to win other points on other issues -- the far right likely goes full Tea Party and splits, saving the GOP from itself but costing them market share in the process. If this happens, McConnell will likely retain his job, and the GOP might even retain their majority role, but the attacks by Trump will be nonstop.

I admit, it is possible they can somehow salvage what they have with a few tweaks and squeak by with 50 1/2 votes. But the current evidence is against that, and I don't see that happening until later in the fall regardless.

This is what seven years of being the Party of No gets you. Maybe they should have been the Party of Try This Instead?

[satimy]

Gonna be funny when Trump goes to the democrats and They fix it.

[Zan15]

they have to go back and figure out how to get that number to 30 million...then they can move on to gutting medicare, that other FORCED to buy insurance product.....you know just like Obamacare.

[Kujako]

They need to give up on both the house and the Senate versions and just come up with something that isn't a complete abomination.

Problem is, "Obamacare" was the Republican plan. So now, they gots nothin'.

[Breccia]

Gonna be funny when Trump goes to the democrats and They fix it.

He'd have to spin that really fucking hard to his usual "it was my idea and plan and it was great and it worked just like I said". But he'd take credit for it, despite the fact that a Dem-Rep hybrid plan would look exactly zero percent like anything he's ever asked for. Except maybe the "heart" bit.

That said, a Dem-Rep bipartisan hybrid on something this big would be a massive step in the right direction and would also likely save thousands of lives every year. I'd love to see that.

[cubby]

He'd have to spin that really fucking hard to his usual "it was my idea and plan and it was great and it worked just like I said". But he'd take credit for it, despite the fact that a Dem-Rep hybrid plan would look exactly zero percent like anything he's ever asked for. Except maybe the "heart" bit.

That said, a Dem-Rep bipartisan hybrid on something this big would be a massive step in the right direction and would also likely save thousands of lives every year. I'd love to see that.

It might also be a good way to literally "let the healing begin" from the national-embarrassment/travesty that Trump has become and whom we will soon (not!) be rid of.

[Xeones]

Gonna be funny when Trump goes to the democrats and They fix it.

If they got some moderate republicans to do it? Possible.

The big problem with the Republican bill is it isn't intended to improve health care in any way. Not the quality, not the accessibility, not the cost. The singular goal of the bill was to kick people off insurance to give a tax cut to the richest people in the nation.

If Trump got some republicans together with the democrats with the intent of making a health care bill instead of a tax cut they could do something. But that would require Trump not be a total fucking idiot. And he is sadly a total fucking idiot.

[satimy]

If they got some moderate republicans to do it? Possible.

The big problem with the Republican bill is it isn't intended to improve health care in any way. Not the quality, not the accessibility, not the cost. The singular goal of the bill was to kick people off insurance to give a tax cut to the richest people in the nation.

If Trump got some republicans together with the democrats with the intent of making a health care bill instead of a tax cut they could do something. But that would require Trump not be a total fucking idiot. And he is sadly a total fucking idiot.

You mean to stop the trillion dollar unfounded Backdoor expansion of Medicaid? How are state budgets going to look in 10 years. Maybe expanding Medicaid is the right answer, but just yoloing it probably isn't the best solution

[Elegiac]

You mean to stop the trillion dollar unfounded Backdoor expansion of Medicaid? How are state budgets going to look in 10 years. Maybe expanding Medicaid is the right answer, but just yoloing it probably isn't the best solution

Wouldn't have to yolo it if you lot would pay your taxes.

[Breccia]

It might also be a good way to literally "let the healing begin" from the national-embarrassment/travesty that Trump has become

If both sides of the aisle can come together for something like this, it is a huge deal regardless of who's president. That'd be massive and I'd be cheering openly.

The fact that Trump would have zero percent to do with it would be icing on the cake, but hardly the important part.

[Poopymonster]

Gonna be funny when Trump goes to the democrats and They fix it.

Single Payer, why you handsome devil you, come over here.

[Gestopft]

That said, a Dem-Rep bipartisan hybrid on something this big would be a massive step in the right direction and would also likely save thousands of lives every year. I'd love to see that.

Color me skeptical, but I have a hard time seeing any plan with Republican involvement institute the cost controls we need to actually fix our healthcare system.

[Breccia]

Color me skeptical, but I have a hard time seeing any plan with Republican involvement institute the cost controls we need to actually fix our healthcare system.

The only way it could happen is with bilateral support. And there's no chance anything remotely like that will happen with any GOP plan they're trying to rush out before the year ends.

[PACOX]

BREAKING NEWS!!!!

McCain is deeply disturbed.

More news when Donnie wakes up.

[Healing Rain]

They need to at least repeal the insurance mandate right now. The federal government can't legally require anyone to buy a product.

[PACOX]

They need to at least repeal the insurance mandate right now. The federal government can't legally require anyone to buy a product.

((that was supposed to be stepping stone to a single payer system))

[Glorious Leader]

Mitch McConnell is at a turning point in what's left of his political career.

A) He can follow Trump lock-step, insist on repeal and replace with...uh...well I guess he could try to force the issue with TrumpCare 3: the Trumpening, but everything I've seen suggest even he doesn't think it'll pass. Multiple GOP senators have been saying "no, it hurts too many people" and 52 is a fucking dangerous number for them to deal with (get it? I'm clever!)

OR.

B) He could actually work with Democrats to either make something 100% new, or failing that stabilize the already stable markets, and make something both sides can agree on. But this will be seen as heresy by the far right and Trump who are not the same but somehow agree on killing old people for money.

Based purely on the information we have so far:
A) This route seems likely to fail. This leave the GOP with nothing, then August they don't work, then September they have a budget to pass which must happen before TrumpCare 4: Trumpsters on Ice is planned behind locked doors with no women, doctors, or people with souls involved. Worse, their lack of progress will embolden the Democrats, who will kick them in the wallet while they're down, and force them to cave on a few key issues during the budget process, leading to either a weakened form of B below or a government shutdown. With nobody to blame for a string of dismal failures but themselves, the GOP loses a pile of seats in 2018 and the implosion of the party commences in earnest. McConnell will not retain his leadership role, and might not even return to Washington. He might resign in disgrace.
B) Moderates get to return to their voters and not get booed the fuck out of their town halls and likely re-elected, but the hard right will be out for fucking blood. A power struggle in the GOP will ensue, with McConnell's seat in jeopardy. Assuming he keeps it -- possibly by managing to win other points on other issues -- the far right likely goes full Tea Party and splits, saving the GOP from itself but costing them market share in the process. If this happens, McConnell will likely retain his job, and the GOP might even retain their majority role, but the attacks by Trump will be nonstop.

I admit, it is possible they can somehow salvage what they have with a few tweaks and squeak by with 50 1/2 votes. But the current evidence is against that, and I don't see that happening until later in the fall regardless.

This is what seven years of being the Party of No gets you. Maybe they should have been the Party of Try This Instead?

The problem is that they spent alot of telling people democrats are the devil. When the good senator from podunk shit hill midwest fly over state goes back to his base and says he worked with satan he gets primaried. Hell he may as well say he aborted a fetus.