The GOP Health Plan -or-If You're Not Wealthy You're Screwed

[Guinevere]

Spicey in his whiney voice --- "You guys are so negative."

This is just comedy gold. Paging Melissa McCarthy.

[Joe Guy]

Trump doesn't really care about our health care. If/when the republican "plan" fails, he will move on and blame the problem on Obama.

Is this going to continue whenever a republican or democrat becomes president? If Ryancare were to pass, then when president Gavin Newsom takes over, will he repeal Ryancare?

and on and on and on....?

[Big RR]

GREAT question -- "He is the closer, he is the dealmaker, if this deal goes down what does that say about the [Trumpanzee]?"

I would think the answer is obvious--pretty much what we already knew about him; he can't close a deal because he can't close his mouth.

[BoSoxGal]

How is it even an 'ultimatum' for him to tell the GOP House members 'vote for this plan or Obamacare stays in place'?

Isn't that just a statement of objective fact?

Perhaps the first one since he took office?

[Lord Jim]

A lot of the GOP Congress critters may not realize it, but if this goes down today, (which seems increasingly likely; once it became apparent that there was likely not going to be the votes needed for passage, it took pressure off others to be able to vote no as well) they will have really dodged a bullet...

The Medicaid roll back component of this, while an almost religious priority to the Radical Randians and hardcore budget hawks, was profoundly stupid politically...(even laying the moral issues aside....)

Not passing anything may suppress the GOP turnout somewhat in the midterms, but where it's likely to have the most suppressive effect is in districts where the GOP starts out with a lopsided advantage to begin with, so they can probably ride it out...

But rolling back Medicaid expansion would not have garnered a single vote, and would have cost many, (a lot of people who have benefited from this are Trump supporters) and motivated many more people who wouldn't have voted Republican, but otherwise might have stayed home to go to the polls...

The average person who doesn't like Obamacare, (unlike some of the radical ideologues on The Hill) doesn't really give a hoot about the Medicaid expansion. What they care about are the aspects of Obamacare that has affected them personally in ways they view as negative...(being required to pay for an insurance package that includes coverage of things they will never need or use, losing the doctor they had for years, seeing their insurance provider pull out of the program leaving them with fewer choices, etc.)

The only people who truly care about the Medicaid expansion to the level that it would be decisive voting factor are the people who are on it and need it...

The 14 million who would be losing it, next year alone...

So you don't win any votes with this; you only lose them and increase voter turnout for your opponent...a double whammy; a classic "lose-lose"...

And as it so happens based on the numbers I've seen, a disproportionate number of the folks benefiting from Medicaid expansion live in light red or purple districts represented by Republicans... There's a very good chance that they all would have been swept out office in the midterms...

If this had passed into law, the odds of the Democrats winning back the House in 2018 would have gone up significantly.

As it is it will still be possible, but much more difficult...

[Lord Jim]

Isn't that just a statement of objective fact?

Perhaps the first one since he took office?

No, in fairness I think it's the second one...

Guin posted the first:

President Trump in a new interview dismisses a question about risks to his "credibility" if any of his statements are proven wrong, saying he is not “doing so badly, because I’m president and you’re not.”

I suppose we could at least acknowledge the fact that he correctly identified who is president, and that the reporter is not president, as an actual, confirmable fact.


http://thehill.com/homenews/administrat ... -youre-not

I suppose we should also give him credit for "Abraham Lincoln was a Republican"...

[Big RR]

The other thing I find amazing in the bill is the provision in the bill which provides that NY state counties (except for those in NYC) cannot be saddled with any of the Medicaid costs--these have to go to the states. What happened to the precepts of federalism? Can the federal government order a state and not one of its subdivisions to pay costs? This is a pretty piss poor bill to raise those questions through.

[BoSoxGal]

About the healthcare conundrum, this is an excellent piece:

https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/03/24/u ... e-act.html

[rubato]

White House Said to Plan to Blame Ryan If Health Bill Fails

You tell them, Donny Donkey!

Poor Donny Donkey, it's not YOUR fault the Republicans have been lying for seven years about how they can too write a HC bill, a really big sparkly one!


yrs,
rubato

[Lord Jim]

You mean Lord Dampnut isn't going to step up and take responsibility?

[oldr_n_wsr]

A lot of the GOP Congress critters may not realize it, but if this goes down today, (which seems increasingly likely; once it became apparent that there was likely not going to be the votes needed for passage, it took pressure off others to be able to vote no as well) they will have really dodged a bullet...

The Medicaid roll back component of this, while an almost religious priority to the Radical Randians and hardcore budget hawks, was profoundly stupid politically...(even laying the moral issues aside....)

Not passing anything may suppress the GOP turnout somewhat in the midterms, but where it's likely to have the most suppressive effect is in districts where the GOP starts out with a lopsided advantage to begin with, so they can probably ride it out...

But rolling back Medicaid expansion would not have garnered a single vote, and would have cost many, (a lot of people who have benefited from this are Trump supporters) and motivated many more people who wouldn't have voted Republican, but otherwise might have stayed home to go to the polls...

The average person who doesn't like Obamacare, (unlike some of the radical ideologues on The Hill) doesn't really give a hoot about the Medicaid expansion. What they care about are the aspects of Obamacare that has affected them personally in ways they view as negative...(being required to pay for an insurance package that includes coverage of things they will never need or use, losing the doctor they had for years, seeing their insurance provider pull out of the program leaving them with fewer choices, etc.)

The only people who truly care about the Medicaid expansion to the level that it would be decisive voting factor are the people who are on it and need it...

The 14 million who would be losing it, next year alone...

So you don't win any votes with this; you only lose them and increase voter turnout for your opponent...a double whammy; a classic "lose-lose"...

And as it so happens based on the numbers I've seen, a disproportionate number of the folks benefiting from Medicaid expansion live in light red or purple districts represented by Republicans... There's a very good chance that they all would have been swept out office in the midterms...

If this had passed into law, the odds of the Democrats winning back the House in 2018 would have gone up significantly.

As it is it will still be possible, but much more difficult...

This is why I always read what you have to say about politics LJ. Whether I agree or not is beside the point, you always analyze it on both sides.
Thanks for that.

[Lord Jim]

Why thank yew oldr...

I frequently like to take off my party hat, (and a festive hat it is) and put on my objective political analyst hat...

(Which reminds me...I still owe BSG a more thorough analysis of the Dems prospects for retaking the House...I went into one important aspect of it in the post you quoted, but there are more factors involved...I'll try to get to that sometime over the weekend)

[Guinevere]

You mean Lord Dampnut isn't going to step up and take responsibility?

That's why the question about the Trumpanzee as "the closer" was such a good one. It puts the spotlight exactly where it belongs.

[Sue U]

You mean Lord Dampnut isn't going to step up and take responsibility?

After his refusal to take any responsibility whatsoever for his patently false accusations that Obama had tapped his phones and used British intelligence to spy on him, resulting in an absurd and wasteful Congressional "investigation" and which he blamed on Fox News twerp Andrew Napolitano;

After his refusal to take any responsibility whatsoever for the Michael Flynn debacle, blaming it on "leakers" and "the media";

After his refusal to take any responsibility whatsoever for that fiasco of a "raid" in Yemen -- and his revolting attempts to blame it on the military as "something they wanted to do" and how "they" lost CPO Owens -- followed by his shameless parading of Owens's widow before Congress in a disgusting politicization of the tragedy resulting from his own thoughtless blunder;

After his refusal to take any responsibility whatsoever for relentlessly promoting the lie that Obama was not born in the United States;

After his refusal to take any responsibility whatsoever for stoking racism and violence in his campaign;

I'm sorry, what was it you were expecting again?

[Sue U]

That's why the question about the Trumpanzee as "the closer" was such a good one. It puts the spotlight exactly where it belongs.

Once this healthcare bill goes down -- or goes to the Senate in a wholly unworkable form, whether procedurally or substantively -- I think it'll be time to start referring to "the failed Trump Presidency."

[BoSoxGal]

No vote! They pulled the bill.

[Guinevere]

Bill withdrawn. Ryan presser at 4PM.

Thank god.

[Lord Jim]

I just heard that on MSNBC...

Ryan's going to make some sort of statement at the top of the hour...

The cover story that's being reported is that Trump asked Ryan to pull the bill, but I have a hard time buying that since it was Trump who was insisting that they vote today win or lose...

Ryan probably decided he wasn't going to allow a vote where the bill would be defeated, (Which would have looked even worse for him then it would have for Trump) and told Trump that it would look better for all concerned (both him and Trump) if they pretended he was responding to a request from Trump rather than defying him...

[Guinevere]

Agreed, LJ. And this seven-headed snake will rise again. But for now, lets call this a victory and walk away.

[BoSoxGal]

'We’re going to win so much, you’re going to be so sick and tired of winning' ~ Donald J. Trump