I saw this article earlier on the state of efforts to draft a Trumpcare bill in the Senate this morning, which offered something of an update on what is happening in the Senate right now when there aren’t hearings on Trump’s scandal-plagued tenure.
More below the fold:
The bottom line is that the Senate appears to be attempting to fast-track a Trumpcare bill so that it can pass via reconciliation. As the article notes, a consensus among so-called “moderates” has emerged regarding when to end Medicaid Expansion. Remember that presumably “moderates” were uncomfortable with ending Medicaid Expansion, especially those who hold seats in states that have benefited from that feature of the ACA. Apparently they have grown comfy with the idea of ending Medicaid Expansion, at least at a more gradual pace than the House Trumpcare bill. There are apparently still quite a few sticking points left before the votes are there to pass this monstrosity, but it would be wise for us to prepare for the worst. Our household is certainly calling our Senators on a regular basis, simply to make the point crystal clear that Trumpcare is not acceptable. Bear in mind as well that the GOP is truly going this alone: no committee mark-ups, no deliberations with their Democratic colleagues, just back-room dealing and secrecy. I have friends who are still sanguine about the prospects of this bill passing (i.e., don’t worry – they’ll never get the 50 votes), but I am not convinced that complacency is in order. It is best to assume that McConnell has good reason to believe he has the votes, even assuming the CBO score looks every bit as godawful as the bill that passed through the House. Be vigilant.
Let’s make sure to not lose sight of what is going on behind the scenes as the latest Trump drama unfolds.
That’s the purpose of this phony scandal.
It’s a pretty sad commentary on morality and empathy for others. These people are going to kill people and march us backwards. And it doesn’t bother them a wit. It will let them move on to better things, helping the American people with nice tax cuts from Obamacare and those nasty progressive tax rates. Nice, eh?
Heard Trump today hawking his infrastructure plan and a few comments on TV. Seems he wants to spend a trillion, with 800 million coming from private investments. That only means we get to pay it back in use taxes, a regressive tax. I also heard that is only a drop in the bucket. We need four trillion.
Can I say they are dispicable now?
Preach it!
Any delusion that the GOP is the party of morality can be safely dispensed with – actually that was doable ages ago. The party’s agenda is anti-life and on matters of economic policy truly meets the definition of “neoliberal” to the letter. We are witnessing a transfer of wealth from the poor and middle classes to the wealthiest 1% as Trump goes bumbling on from crisis to crisis. Truly disaster capitalism at its worst.
A summary of the last two years:
Trump beats Clinton, despite predictions suggesting a McGovern like defeat.
The GOP holds the Senate, despite an unfavorable map.
The GOP stops a Supreme Court replacement, and substitutes a conservative one of their own
The GOP reverses a number of environmental measures.
The GOP pull out of the Paris Accords.
The GOP gets HCR out of the House
The GOP appears on the verge of getting HCR out of the Senate.
The House nears Dodd-Frank repeal.
The reality is the Republicans are getting an enormous amount done, and are on the verge of eviscerating Medicaid, something 3 prior GOP Administrations have not been able to do.
We have consistently underestimated them. We are continuing to underestimate them.
The denial of reality is simply incredible.
HCR should be all hands on deck.
I can only speak for my locality, but the impression I get is that it is all hands on deck when it comes to that atrocious health care “reform” bill in the Senate. One of our Senators has expressed reservations about the bill before, so we’re making sure his staffers are busy answering more phone calls than they’d care to. My county’s DP is the most active anyone’s seen it in ages. We are, so to speak, locked and loaded. It may or may not work, but we sure are going to try.
All hands I’m allied with are on deck. We can win this.
So let’s make the calls and do all the other things which can help us win this.
You’re missing the appointment of slates of conservative federal judges, all recommended by the Federalist Society and Heritage Foundation. I believe there are 21 so far and about 100 more promised.