• Menu
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Before Header

  • About Us
  • Lexicon
  • Contact Us
  • Our Store
  • ↑
  • ↓
  • ←
  • →

Balloon Juice

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

This blog will pay for itself.

Republicans are radicals, not conservatives.

Is it irresponsible to speculate? It is irresponsible not to.

“Everybody’s entitled to be an idiot.”

They love authoritarianism, but only when they get to be the authoritarians.

It’s easy to sit in safety and prescribe what other people should be doing.

American History and Black History Cannot Be Separated

“woke” is the new caravan.

And we’re all out of bubblegum.

“Jesus paying for the sins of everyone is an insult to those who paid for their own sins.”

Good lord, these people are nuts.

if you can’t see it, then you are useless in the fight to stop it.

rich, arrogant assholes who equate luck with genius

Come on, media. you have one job. start doing it.

If you are still in the GOP, you are an extremist.

You don’t get to peddle hatred on saturday and offer condolences on sunday.

We’ve had enough carrots to last a lifetime. break out the sticks.

A lot of Dems talk about what the media tells them to talk about. Not helpful.

JFC, are there no editors left at that goddamn rag?

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

Since when do we limit our critiques to things we could do better ourselves?

Sadly, there is no cure for stupid.

When do we start airlifting the women and children out of Texas?

Incompetence, fear, or corruption? why not all three?

Mobile Menu

  • Winnable House Races
  • Donate with Venmo, Zelle & PayPal
  • Site Feedback
  • War in Ukraine
  • Submit Photos to On the Road
  • Politics
  • On The Road
  • Open Threads
  • Topics
  • Balloon Juice 2023 Pet Calendar (coming soon)
  • COVID-19 Coronavirus
  • Authors
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Lexicon
  • Our Store
  • Politics
  • Open Threads
  • War in Ukraine
  • Garden Chats
  • On The Road
  • 2021-22 Fundraising!
You are here: Home / Mr. President, have pity on the working man

Mr. President, have pity on the working man

by DougJ|  March 7, 201710:32 am| 144 Comments

This post is in: Bring On The Meteor, Clown car

FacebookTweetEmail

Trump has not come out in favor of the Ryancare bill yet. If he comes out against it, then it’s probably dead.

I have no love for Trump, obviously, but it’s not clear to me that he will end up supporting this crappy bill. I just emailed the White House, asking him not to support the bill, saying that he promised something better than Obamacare and this is something much worse. I tried calling too but the line was busy. I’ll try again later.

It will be bad for Republicans politically if they pass this bill, but it will also be bad for millions of Americans. This is one case where I wish a motherfucker wouldn’t.

Update. I guess I’m too late.

Our wonderful new Healthcare Bill is now out for review and negotiation. ObamaCare is a complete and total disaster – is imploding fast!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 7, 2017

(h/t reader amk)

FacebookTweetEmail
Previous Post: « Kiss up, piss down
Next Post: Let’s win the special election in GA-6 »

Reader Interactions

144Comments

  1. 1.

    amk

    March 7, 2017 at 10:36 am

    too late, doug.

  2. 2.

    Hunter Gathers

    March 7, 2017 at 10:42 am

    Legislative incompetence is the defining characteristic of the modern conservative movement. Combine that with the fact that Trump steps on his own dick every fucking day and the odds of this passing are somewhere between ‘when pigs fly’ and ‘snowball’s chance in hell’.

  3. 3.

    Major Major Major Major

    March 7, 2017 at 10:43 am

    If the WH phone lines are busy just call the front desk at Mar-A-Lago. I hear you can get access to him there.

  4. 4.

    Regnad Kcin

    March 7, 2017 at 10:45 am

    @Major Major Major Major: that, plus $200,000 will get you a phone call

  5. 5.

    rikyrah

    March 7, 2017 at 10:46 am

    They will own this.
    Lock.stock.and. barrell.

    The pain and misery they will bring to MILLIONS.

    THEY.MUST.OWN.IT.

  6. 6.

    hovercraft

    March 7, 2017 at 10:46 am

    @amk:

    Donald J. Trump‏Verified account @realDonaldTrump

    Our wonderful new Healthcare Bill is now out for review and negotiation. ObamaCare is a complete and total disaster – is imploding fast!

    Retweets
    8,961
    Likes
    41,835

    4:13 AM – 7 Mar 2017

    He may be cheer leading this right now, but starting today the media is combing through this thing and the benefits or lack there of are all they are talking about. Ryan’s plan to jam it through tomorrow before anyone gets a look at it is already a failure, the Freedom Caucus is balking, and the senate doesn’t have the votes.

  7. 7.

    Corner Stone

    March 7, 2017 at 10:46 am

    @Major Major Major Major: For the amazing low, low fee of only $200K you can have weekend access to not only Ambassadors, Secretaries of Cabinet level positions, but the POTUS himself!*

    *Selfies with Ivanka ™ sold separately

  8. 8.

    cain

    March 7, 2017 at 10:47 am

    Yeah, looks like the bill needs to pass in order for people to wake up. It will only get worse from here on in. This is a total fucking disaster for those Americans who are on Medicare and require it to live or have a pain-free life.

  9. 9.

    hedgehog the occasional commenter

    March 7, 2017 at 10:47 am

    Gag.
    Just called Diana DeGette’s (CO-1) office. She opposes the bill, but my call was to thank her and to encourage her to keep up the fight. Starting to wonder if when we call our Rep’s offices we should further ask them to ask their Repug “colleagues” why they are so hell-bent on killing us all. /rant/

  10. 10.

    Humboldtblue

    March 7, 2017 at 10:47 am

    Pity? Pfft.

    As Howard Dean mentioned —

    “So, basically, they are taking money from people on Medicaid in Kentucky and West Virginia, which voted for Trump, and giving it to CEOs of health insurance companies and every other CEO in the country.”

  11. 11.

    TriassicSands

    March 7, 2017 at 10:49 am

    If he comes out against it, then it’s probably dead.

    I was just about to write that there was no way that Trump would “veto” this bill. He simply has no mind for policy and doesn’t care. He calls this POS bill “our wonderful new Healthcare Bill.” You have to be a real idiot to think this bill is wonderful and you can bet every penny you have that Trump has not read the bill and has no idea what’s in it.

    On the other hand, Trump constantly says “A,” followed by “not A” and never even blinks at the stupidity.

    It will be interesting to see his response when the CBO scores this POS. Will he accuse them of partisanship? That would be in character. Will he ignore them? Anything is possible.

  12. 12.

    hovercraft

    March 7, 2017 at 10:50 am

    @rikyrah:

    THEY.MUST.OWN.IT.

    They are doing their best to secure this anvil around their necks.

    Trump admin signs on to House GOP’s ObamaCare repeal bill
    By Jessie Hellmann – 03/07/17 10:38 AM EST

    Trump admin signs on to House GOP’s ObamaCare repeal bill
    © Victoria Sarno Jordan

    The Trump administration on Tuesday formally backed the House GOP’s plan to repeal and replace ObamaCare, in a sign that the White House and lawmakers are working to get on the same page.

    In a letter to Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.), chairman of the House’s health subcommittee, Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price called the bill a good first step toward healthcare reform but noted that more would need to be done later.

    “These proposals offer patient-centered solutions that will provide all Americans with access to affordable, quality healthcare, promote innovation and offer peace of mind for those with pre-existing conditions,” Price wrote in the letter.

    Price praised the refundable tax credits that will help people buy health insurance and the proposed Medicaid reforms, as well as the bill’s changes to health savings accounts.

    The Republicans hope to repeal ObamaCare through reconciliation, a special budget maneuver that is immune to filibuster and only needs 50 votes to pass in the Senate.

    But Republicans can only use reconciliation to repeal parts of ObamaCare that have an impact on the budget — meaning they will have to try to pass other reforms later.

    Price acknowledged that, writing that Trump’s goals to reform healthcare will require “more than what is possible in a budget reconciliation bill.”

  13. 13.

    Mike J

    March 7, 2017 at 10:51 am

    Three more threats against Jewish orgs this morning.

    On March 7, the JCC in Rochester, N.Y., the JCC in Davie, Fla., and the JCC in Whitefish Bay, Wis., were evacuated after bomb threats. This is at least the third time the JCC in Whitefish Bay has been evacuated this year and the second for the JCC in Davie.

  14. 14.

    Another Scott

    March 7, 2017 at 10:51 am

    The only people the GOP cares about are their donors and their primary voters. Since, as Eric Cantor showed, they don’t really care about their primary voters (or only do to the extent that they get enough to come out and keep their seat), their donors set policy.

    Therefore, the House will pass this bill (or something like it) – they don’t care about phone calls and so forth. They think it will all blow over so they think they can ignore the outrage (or hide from it).

    If the Senate kills it, or Trump vetoes it, that’s fine – they can continue running on how horrible Obamacare is and keep their primary voters and donors riled up, without riling up enough people on the other side to actually throw them out of office. Kinda win-win in their eyes…

    I’m all for letting them live in their fantasy world. Let them think they can do what they want without consequence. Realistically, they have the majority and if they want to pass something, they will. We have to scream and yell and fight them, to make it clear to lightly-attached voters that they are intentionally breaking stuff and harming people, and lay the groundwork to win races this fall, and in 2018 and beyond. That’s what it will take to reverse these horrible policies.

    Cheers,
    Scott..

  15. 15.

    Another Scott

    March 7, 2017 at 10:52 am

    @rikyrah: Cosign.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  16. 16.

    burnspbesq

    March 7, 2017 at 10:54 am

    Are there three Republican Senators who give a damn about the people who trusted them? We’re about to find out.

  17. 17.

    Another Scott

    March 7, 2017 at 10:54 am

    @TriassicSands: As Donnie showed with the EO that put Bannon on the NSC, he can’t or won’t read what’s put in front of him to sign. If it reaches his desk, he will sign it. He’s the empty suit with a pen that the GOP congressional leadership has been wanting for ages.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  18. 18.

    Brachiator

    March 7, 2017 at 10:55 am

    So, Trumpism, caring about the little white guy, turns out to have been another scam. With few exceptions, Trump will be content to rubber stamp Congressional GOP policy. In return he gets to play president, and collect his share of spoils in return for hooking up his cronies with Russian oligarchs.

    Make Grifting Great Again.

    Meanwhile WikiLeaks is churning out some CIA documents because they are angry at somebody, and desperately need to seem relevant again.

  19. 19.

    amk

    March 7, 2017 at 10:56 am

    @Humboldtblue: That’s a very good talking point (as well as truth). The dems should use it.

  20. 20.

    Major Major Major Major

    March 7, 2017 at 10:57 am

    I know that Trump is going to fuck over Ryan but hard one of these days. This bill is total shit, and its failure–if it failed because trump opposed it–would kill the GOP’s ability to legislate on any priority calendar other than Trump’s. It wouldn’t be the least savvy move he could make.

    Plus it would help destroy Ryan. But it wouldn’t debase him, so maybe this won’t be Trump’s move.

    ETA: I see that Trump has already come out in favor. Perhaps his mind will change once the senate starts to make it even worse. Perhaps not, and the GOP will kill thousands of Americans and destroy our health insurance system to give tax cuts to the rich.

  21. 21.

    WereBear

    March 7, 2017 at 10:57 am

    Price praised the refundable tax credits that will help people buy health insurance

    Everything, everysingleflippinthing, Republicans do is about leveraging people who already have wads of money lying around not pay any of it in taxes.

    The average person hears “money!” but it’s a scam. That 3k will pay for how many months? And you probably have to come up with the money up front. Then again, all Trump voters love to be conned, that’s how we got here.

  22. 22.

    hovercraft

    March 7, 2017 at 10:57 am

    OT.
    But Our new HUD Secretary, Be Carson tried to clean up the mess he left yesterday,

    “There were other immigrants who came here in the bottom of slave ships,” he said. “They too had a dream that one day their sons, daughters, grandsons, granddaughters, great grandsons, great granddaughters might pursue prosperity and happiness in this land.”

    Not surprisingly, these bizarre comments drew attention, because there’s no sensible comparison between those who move seeking a better life and people who are enslaved, shipped, and sold as property. On Facebook last night, Carson issued a statement that seemed to walk back his remarks, which initially seemed like a step in the right direction.

    But around the same time, Carson appeared on a radio show, where he defended the idea that slaves are immigrants. When a caller to the show insisted “you can’t be an immigrant if you’re brought over here in chains,” the HUD secretary replied, “Yes you can, you can be an involuntary immigrant.”

    For Ben Carson, “Obamacare” is like slavery, abortion is like slavery, and slavery is like immigration.

  23. 23.

    JMG

    March 7, 2017 at 10:58 am

    McConnell says he’ll bring the bill to the floor of the Senate for a vote as soon as it passes House. No hearings, no CBO score. Fix is in. He wouldn’t do that if he didn’t know he has 50 votes. The Republican Senators who whined about Medicaid will fall in line as always.

  24. 24.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    March 7, 2017 at 10:58 am

    Josh DawseyVerified account @ jdawsey1
    White House “wants to leave members some room to negotiate and get there on their own,” on Obamacare bill, per senior admin official.

    Christina Wilkie‏Verified account @ christinawilkie 16h16 hours ago
    This is Washington-speak for “We want Congress to own this mess, so if it’s a total disaster, they get the blame, and not the president.”

  25. 25.

    Doug!

    March 7, 2017 at 10:58 am

    @Mike J:

    That’s close to home. Most of my colleagues are members of the Rochester JCC.

  26. 26.

    Lurking Canadian

    March 7, 2017 at 10:59 am

    @hovercraft:

    the Freedom Caucus is balking

    There’s a pleasant irony in the fact that what saves healthcare for Americans who need it might be a Congressional bloc who thinks Ryan’s plan doesn’t screw them over enough.

    Somewhere on Bizarro-Balloon Juice, they are screaming at the purity ponies “Don’t let the abhorrent be the enemy of the awful!”

  27. 27.

    lapassionara

    March 7, 2017 at 10:59 am

    @cain: Did you mean Medicaid? Or does it have some kind of negative impact on Medicare that I have not yet heard about?

  28. 28.

    GregB

    March 7, 2017 at 11:01 am

    Will Trumpcare cover complications of nuclear fallout?

  29. 29.

    lapassionara

    March 7, 2017 at 11:01 am

    PS I read yesterday that the Koch brothers have decided that congress has to act soon re repealing the ACA. That means, to me, that this has a strong likelihood of getting passed. Can’t disappoint their real constituents.

  30. 30.

    Major Major Major Major

    March 7, 2017 at 11:01 am

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: isn’t that what obama said too?

  31. 31.

    Judge Crater

    March 7, 2017 at 11:02 am

    This bill is essentially “trickle down” healthcare. It’s like supply-side economics: give more money to the rich, and the poor and middle-class will have shorter waits at the emergency room where they get primary care. Throw in some “free market” bs and everything will be great.

  32. 32.

    Fair Economist

    March 7, 2017 at 11:02 am

    @burnspbesq:

    Are there three Republican Senators who give a damn about the people who trusted them?

    I think it’s dead in the Senate. Cassidy won’t vote for it without a CBO score (which will stink), Collins won’t vote to defund Planned Parenthood, and Cruz won’t vote for what Paul has labelled “Obamacare 2.0” (Paul himself will fold like a cheap suit under pressure, as he always does.) That’s without even considering the 4 suspicious of canning the Medicaid expansion.

  33. 33.

    hovercraft

    March 7, 2017 at 11:02 am

    @burnspbesq:

    Are there three Republican Senators who give a damn about the people who trusted them?

    No, but I’m pretty sure there are at least three senators who care about keeping their jobs enough to oppose this. We all know that more of their base despite their protestations rely on Obamacare than our side does. I know, I know, all those black and brown people sucking on the government teat, but math is hard, there are more white people in this country, and they draw more benefits than the rest of us combined.

  34. 34.

    WereBear

    March 7, 2017 at 11:03 am

    @hovercraft: It really is a nightmare we can’t wake up from.

  35. 35.

    Lurking Canadian

    March 7, 2017 at 11:04 am

    the Koch brothers have decided that congress has to act soon re repealing the ACA

    Holy shit. The Koch brothers is TWO PEOPLE. Out of FOUR HUNDRED MILLION.

    The fact that this sentence can be written with a straight face shows just how far into the Gilded Age we’ve fallen. It is also the best argument for punishingly high marginal tax rates that I can imagine.

  36. 36.

    Mike J

    March 7, 2017 at 11:04 am

    @hovercraft:

    For Ben Carson, “Obamacare” is like slavery, abortion is like slavery, and slavery is like immigration.

    So by the transitive property….Obamacare weighs the same as a duck,

  37. 37.

    Another Scott

    March 7, 2017 at 11:05 am

    @JMG: Part of the rush probably has to do with the Reconciliation calendar. They have to have certain things in place by certain deadlines or Reconciliation implodes and they can only try Reconciliation once per year.

    But, it is true that their best chance of trashing Obamacare is to do it relatively quickly, so they’re trying to rush it through. I don’t think it means, though, that it’s impossible to stop in the Senate (though it was always going to be difficult for the reason you cite).

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  38. 38.

    MattF

    March 7, 2017 at 11:06 am

    FWIW, Jen Rubin is scathing about Ryancare, and ends her column by quoting Schumer on the subject.

  39. 39.

    Это курам на смех

    March 7, 2017 at 11:06 am

    @TriassicSands: What is the CBO? Is that like the CBC? Set up a meeting.

  40. 40.

    Timurid

    March 7, 2017 at 11:06 am

    “A 3 and a 6? Sure, I’ll double down…”
    They’re all acting as if 2016 was the last election ever.

  41. 41.

    lgerard

    March 7, 2017 at 11:07 am

    We should all be calling members of the “house freedom caucus” urging them to oppose the bill because it is socialism

  42. 42.

    pk

    March 7, 2017 at 11:07 am

    The difference between Trump and Obama is that Obama probably knew every aspect of his healthcare plan. Trump on the other hand knows nothing. I actually have no problems with Kentucky losing medicaid and the money going to insurance companies. Kentucky voted 66% for Trump. No coal jobs, no health care and call me in 4 years is just what the doctor ordered for Kentucky. Obama’s biggest mistake was trying to help people who loath him. It never works and it never will.

  43. 43.

    Mnemosyne

    March 7, 2017 at 11:08 am

    @hovercraft:

    Don’t forget why they’re insisting on using reconciliation to repeal PPACA — that’s how Obama’s bill originally passed. Yes, they are just. that. petty.

  44. 44.

    amk

    March 7, 2017 at 11:08 am

    Instead of paying a tax to the government, which is tyranny, you'll pay a penalty to a corp, which is freedom https://t.co/LkS2Fsvpvr— Luke O'Neil (@lukeoneil47) March 6, 2017

    of course, it’s freedumb. The poor ceo needs a better yacht and a bigger palace. The tax is just subsidizing those people.

  45. 45.

    amk

    March 7, 2017 at 11:11 am

    @hovercraft: this pos of uncle tom called obamacare slavery, ffs.

  46. 46.

    Major Major Major Major

    March 7, 2017 at 11:11 am

    @GregB: unfortunately not. Having a madman as president is now a pre-existing condition.

  47. 47.

    Lurking Canadian

    March 7, 2017 at 11:11 am

    @Mnemosyne: That doesn’t make a lot of sense. Not even Republican sense. They could have done away with the filibuster if they wanted to. I can only imagine that means there are at least ten squishy Republican Senators who wouldn’t go along.

  48. 48.

    Another Scott

    March 7, 2017 at 11:13 am

    @Mnemosyne: Point of order.

    The Atlantic:

    Reconciliation has already been linked to health reform via its role in the legislative history of the ACA. Though the 2010 law known as Obamacare was not passed via reconciliation, as conservative politicians and writers often claim it was, reconciliation did play a key role in the shape the law takes today. In the early phases of the act’s passage in December 2009, Democrats enjoyed a filibuster-proof 60-vote majority in the Senate, and did not need reconciliation to effectively pass bills. But the House and Senate did pass slightly different versions of a health-reform bill in December of that year, with the House bill spending more, taxing more, and extending more subsidies to increase coverage to more Americans. The House and Senate hoped to bring their bills closer together in a conference, which would have necessitated another Senate vote and another possible filibuster attempt.

    Republican Scott Brown’s victory in Massachusetts in the 2010 special election to fill Democrat Ted Kennedy’s Senate seat changed the calculus on that process. Brown’s election upended the Democratic filibuster-proof majority in the Senate, and in response, Democrats resorted to the process of reconciliation to bridge the gaps between the Senate and House bills. The Democrat-led House abandoned its own bill to pass the Senate’s more conservative legislation, and then the Senate avoided a Republican filibuster by using reconciliation to pass the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, which amended the ACA to be more like the House’s original bill. That bill used federal funds to pay for the bulk of the Medicaid expansion, increased tax credits and subsidies for purchasing insurance, closed the Medicare “donut hole,” and increased some taxes to afford the expenditures, among other measures.

    The Teabaggers are trying to use Reconciliation to kill Obamacare because they don’t have the votes in the Senate otherwise. And may not have the votes there anyway.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  49. 49.

    Mnemosyne

    March 7, 2017 at 11:15 am

    @Lurking Canadian:

    Of course it makes sense — it’s petty revenge for the way the Republicans got outmanuvered by the Democrats in 2009. What is it about the Republicans that makes you think they’re not that childish and petty?

  50. 50.

    Just One More Canuck

    March 7, 2017 at 11:15 am

    @Mike J: and, therefore….

  51. 51.

    Major Major Major Major

    March 7, 2017 at 11:15 am

    @Mnemosyne: one, it’s because they don’t have sixty votes to pass it otherwise, and two, contrary to what republicans have gotten everybody to believe over the last eight years, Obamacare passed under regular order, not reconciliation.

    ETA: but of course they’re going to say this is how it passed in the first place since it’s a convenient lie and nobody will call them on it. And, clearly, everybody believes it.

  52. 52.

    MattF

    March 7, 2017 at 11:17 am

    Just to note, for the record, that every single thing DJT has said about healthcare legislation is turning out to be a lie.

  53. 53.

    Mnemosyne

    March 7, 2017 at 11:17 am

    @Another Scott:

    Again, that’s my point — the myth is that PPACA passed via reconciliation. Therefore, the Republicans MUST use reconciliation to repeal it, or their petty revenge won’t be sufficiently satisfying.

  54. 54.

    hovercraft

    March 7, 2017 at 11:17 am

    @Mnemosyne:
    Except it did NOT pass through reconciliation. that was how they contemplated passing the house version after Ted Kennedy died, the original senate version passed the normal way, and that is what became law, along with a second bill that had some other related stuff.

    ETA: Sorry about the pile on ;-)

  55. 55.

    MattF

    March 7, 2017 at 11:18 am

    Just to note that every single thing that DJT has said about healthcare legislation has turned out to be a lie.

  56. 56.

    Mnemosyne

    March 7, 2017 at 11:18 am

    @Major Major Major Major:

    See my other two responses. It’s symbolic petty revenge. It’s what Republicans fucking LIVE for.

  57. 57.

    tobie

    March 7, 2017 at 11:19 am

    @lapassionara: The rush on having the Senate vote on the bill right after the House is to deliver a body blow to Dems by erasing Obama’s signature bill and healthcare legacy. It will be swift; it will hurt. They are hoping to discourage Dems and deflate their energy. We need to be prepared for this.

  58. 58.

    rikyrah

    March 7, 2017 at 11:20 am

    @Mike J:

    you know that they are just pretending about these threats….says this White House.

  59. 59.

    Mnemosyne

    March 7, 2017 at 11:20 am

    @hovercraft:

    The Republican myth is that PPACA only passed thanks to reconciliation. Therefore, they need to use reconciliation to reverse it or it won’t “count.”

    These are the same people who think that “radical Islamic terrorism” is a magical incantation that the president must say or else the bad guys win.

  60. 60.

    Shalimar

    March 7, 2017 at 11:20 am

    @Corner Stone: Ivanka probably charges her own fee for selfies, but I assume the $200k Mar-A-Lago membership comes with Ivanka nudes from Donald’s private stash. You are buying the opportunity to become his personal friend, after all.

  61. 61.

    Mnemosyne

    March 7, 2017 at 11:21 am

    I can’t believe that I’m having to try and convince people that the Republicans are childish and petty. Really?

  62. 62.

    MattF

    March 7, 2017 at 11:21 am

    Just to note, for the record, that every single thing that DJT has said about healthcare legislation has turned out to be a lie.

  63. 63.

    hovercraft

    March 7, 2017 at 11:22 am

    @Mnemosyne:
    I guess we suffer from being too, um literal, we need to embrace alternative facts, then we’ll begin to understand what’s going on. If Obamacare was enacted through reconciliation, then it only makes sense to undo it the same way.

  64. 64.

    The Thin Black Duke

    March 7, 2017 at 11:23 am

    @tobie: Oh, the Democrats are already prepared for this shitstorm, don’t worry. But, ironically enough, what the GOP doesn’t get is how much this abomination is going to piss off Republican voters.

  65. 65.

    randy khan

    March 7, 2017 at 11:25 am

    @JMG:

    Alternatively, McConnell doesn’t think there’s a chance it will pass the House.

  66. 66.

    ET

    March 7, 2017 at 11:26 am

    I don’t know of Ocare is imploding but nothing can implode as fast as the Trump presidency is. We haven’t even hit day 100 yet.

  67. 67.

    amk

    March 7, 2017 at 11:26 am

    @Mnemosyne: People pushed back against the obamacare passed via reconciliation part in your original post, not the one you think.

  68. 68.

    tobie

    March 7, 2017 at 11:27 am

    @The Thin Black Duke: Thanks. You’ve lifted my spirits, and it’s my birthday and I don’t wanted to feel totally despondent today.

  69. 69.

    Major Major Major Major

    March 7, 2017 at 11:27 am

    @Mnemosyne: as a writer you must be familiar with the notion that if every single reader misunderstands what you wrote, the problem is not with the readers.

  70. 70.

    Shalimar

    March 7, 2017 at 11:27 am

    @The Thin Black Duke: I think the majority of them understand it is going to screw their voters too, and those voters are going to be angry about it, but A) Their voters will also be incredibly pissed off at them if they don’t pass something, and B) Republicans are hoping their voters will believe anything bad that happens to them was because of whatever Democrats said and did (it has always worked before).

  71. 71.

    Regnad Kcin

    March 7, 2017 at 11:28 am

    @Timurid: https://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007674
    July 14, 1933

  72. 72.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    March 7, 2017 at 11:30 am

    OT:

    CBS Sunday Morning‏Verified account
    @ CBSSunday
    “It’s not just the fire in your belly anymore, you have to have the bile in your throat.” – @KellyannePolls

    that’s called acid reflux, not healthy, especially in the long term

  73. 73.

    TriassicSands

    March 7, 2017 at 11:31 am

    @Это курам на смех:

    No, it’s more like HBO.

  74. 74.

    Shalimar

    March 7, 2017 at 11:33 am

    @JMG: McConnell has to be aware that hearings and CBO score can only cost him Republican votes, not gain more. I don’t think it means the fix is in, just that he has no chance of passing whatever the House passes if he makes his members look bad with a debate about whether or not they should use lube when they’re screwing so many people.

  75. 75.

    The Thin Black Duke

    March 7, 2017 at 11:33 am

    @tobie: You’re welcome. Hey, I’m a cynical bastard who sees the glass of beer as half-empty most of the time, but I’m feeling reasonably confident that when Grandma is living at home because Medicaid is dead and the nursing home has closed, even the hardcore Trump voters ain’t gonna want to hear that it’s Obama’s fault. No, those pissed-off white folks are gonna want this shit fixed NOW.

  76. 76.

    clay

    March 7, 2017 at 11:35 am

    @Another Scott:

    Part of the rush probably has to do with the Reconciliation calendar. They have to have certain things in place by certain deadlines or Reconciliation implodes and they can only try Reconciliation once per year.

    What are those deadlines, out of curiosity? It seems like delay delay delay would be the Dems’ best tactic.

  77. 77.

    Jeffro

    March 7, 2017 at 11:36 am

    @amk: I never really doubted he was going to come out in favor of it – in no instance has he ever done anything but support what is best for billionaires

  78. 78.

    Jeffro

    March 7, 2017 at 11:38 am

    @randy khan: he’s wrong … there are almost certainly enough Republican votes to pass this thing in the house , The question is will the senators, who have to represent whole states, get behind this abomination ?

  79. 79.

    Mike in NC

    March 7, 2017 at 11:38 am

    Shocked, shocked, I tell you to learn that the GOP health care plan is a total shit sandwich!

  80. 80.

    NorthLeft12

    March 7, 2017 at 11:39 am

    @rikyrah: I hate to say this, but from my perspective from up here in Canada, the GOP don’t seem to care and enough people in the US don’t care about the damage they are doing to those people who will lose their coverage.

    There seems to be a significant shortage of empathy among these people. Unless the negative impact is happening directly to them, or someone very close to them THEY.JUST.DON”T.CARE.

    NOTE: They have proven this time and again w.r.t. minority rights [specifically same sex marriage, BLM, mass deportations, etc.].

  81. 81.

    Major Major Major Major

    March 7, 2017 at 11:39 am

    @clay: I don’t believe any of it is delay-able by a minority, except insofar as the senate has limited bandwidth and gentlemen’s agreements are reached on what will and won’t be delayed as a result.

  82. 82.

    randy khan

    March 7, 2017 at 11:40 am

    @ET:

    I don’t know of Ocare is imploding but nothing can implode as fast as the Trump presidency is. We haven’t even hit day 100 yet.

    We haven’t even hit day 50 yet. It’s hard to believe, but true. (11 days in January, 28 days in February, 7 days in March = 46.)

  83. 83.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    March 7, 2017 at 11:40 am

    @Corner Stone:

    *Selfies with Ivanka ™ sold separately

    Are those like erotic photos or post-coital selfies? Asking for a friend…

  84. 84.

    hovercraft

    March 7, 2017 at 11:40 am

    For anyone who thinks Putin is having buyers remorse: from POLITICO

    Kremlin-backed media turns on Trump

    News outlets funded by Putin’s government rooted for Trump’s election but now relish the chaotic first weeks of his administration.

    By Michael Crowley

    03/07/17 05:06 AM EST

    Kremlin-controlled news outlets used to root for Donald Trump’s election. Now they’re reveling in the chaos and division of his early presidency.

    “Sessions Scandal: ‘U.S Headed to Constitutional Crisis,’” reads a March 3 headline on the website of the Kremlin-funded English language network RT.

    “Immigrants See American Dream Fade in Wake of Surge in Hate Crimes,” Sputnik News, another English language outlet bankrolled by the Kremlin, reported the same day.

    “America is in the grips of hatred,” the Russian television commentator Dmitry Kiselyov told viewers of the Rossiya 1 network on Sunday night. The popular host, appointed directly by Russian President Vladimir Putin, suggested the political discord could lead to violence in gun-friendly America — “a dangerous combination with free-flowing firearms,” he said.

    It’s not that the Kremlin-controlled outlets which all but explicitly rooted for Trump to defeat Hillary Clinton last fall have changed their view of the New York mogul. It’s that Moscow’s main goal was always to undermine the U.S. political system, regardless of who is in the White House, experts said.

    “The Russian government is savoring the severe damage to America’s international image a result of the tumultuous first weeks of the Trump administration’s tenure,” said Andrew Weiss, a former Clinton White House National Security Council official for Russian affairs.

    Money well spent Vladamir, Russia won this round, time to up our game.

  85. 85.

    Aleta

    March 7, 2017 at 11:41 am

    Is anything set up — phone line, website, town meeting– so people can ask questions about the coverage for their issues? Somehow I doubt it. Perhaps the offices of Republican reps need to get phone calls asking for answers to specific questions by constituents.

  86. 86.

    randy khan

    March 7, 2017 at 11:42 am

    @Jeffro:

    I guess whether there are enough Republican votes in the House depends on whether Ryan can enforce party discipline on the Freedom Caucus or can make enough changes to make them happy without losing 25 or so other votes.

  87. 87.

    hovercraft

    March 7, 2017 at 11:43 am

    @TriassicSands:
    No STARZ, they are definitely all STARZ, the president told me they were all from central casting.

  88. 88.

    NorthLeft12

    March 7, 2017 at 11:43 am

    @Jeffro: Of course they will. If they don’t, they can fully expect to be primaried from the Right when their term is up. Again, these bastards JUST.DON’T.CARE.

  89. 89.

    Yarrow

    March 7, 2017 at 11:45 am

    @NorthLeft12:

    There seems to be a significant shortage of empathy among these people.

    A lack of empathy is one of the defining characteristics of Republicans. They don’t think anything is real unless it affects them or possibly a very close family member. Otherwise it’s all made up and not a real issue.

    Lack of empathy is also one of the defining characteristics of sociopaths.

  90. 90.

    chopper

    March 7, 2017 at 11:45 am

    @Mnemosyne:

    Don’t forget why they’re insisting on using reconciliation to repeal PPACA — that’s how Obama’s bill originally passed.

    if it’s a myth, why repeat it in a way that implies it isn’t?

  91. 91.

    hovercraft

    March 7, 2017 at 11:47 am

    @randy khan: I know, I keep having to remind myself that it’s only just begun, I almost wish I still drank ;-(

  92. 92.

    Another Scott

    March 7, 2017 at 11:47 am

    @clay: I’m no expert. here’s what the House says.

    Reconciliation has its own set of deadlines, but they’re written into the “instructions” on each relevant step in the process. The FAS has a CRS report on previous Reconciliation timelines (16 page .pdf). It has varied a lot. I don’t know the details of the “instructions” for this go-round.

    If you believe the House link above, the total Reconciliation stuff has to be wrapped up in the House on June 15. Recall that Congress usually only “works” a few days a month, so that’s sooner than it appears. But since the Congress rarely completes work on the Budget any more, I’m not sure how hard a deadline that is.

    FWIW.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  93. 93.

    Brachiator

    March 7, 2017 at 11:48 am

    @Hunter Gathers:

    Legislative incompetence is the defining characteristic of the modern conservative movement.

    Huh? Reagan and Bush got their legislative agendas passed, especially when it came to tax legislation. Got it done easily.

    The Republicans are more excitable than a schoolboy at the prospect of repealing Obamacare, even at the expense of ordinary citizens. They also want to give Trump his first big legislative victory. It’s even money that they pass the repeal bill. And Trump will sign whatever they put in front of him.

    Combine that with the fact that Trump steps on his own dick every fucking day and the odds of this passing are somewhere between ‘when pigs fly’ and ‘snowball’s chance in hell’.

    Trump is a special kind of incompetent. But he is great at pretending that he has brokered the biggest and bestest deal that has ever been dealt. And then all he has to do is sign the final approved bill.

  94. 94.

    Tim C.

    March 7, 2017 at 11:49 am

    @Shalimar: This is the only real option they have given their coalition. The big question we will be asking soon is how resistant will the white working class be to the pain that is being directly inflicted on them. This isn’t something you can answer with polling right now, because 80% of the GOP simply doesn’t believe that anything bad will happen to them in this. And the ones who do get hurt have very very powerful internal incentives to ‘stay the course’ even when they are getting directly hurt. People die for stupid causes all the time, so I wouldn’t expect too much resistance, even in places like West Virginia and Kentucky. On the other hand, I could be wrong. Likewise, even with a good shift in opinion, the gerrymander means the GOP has to lose a *lot* of support to lose the house.

  95. 95.

    Keith P.

    March 7, 2017 at 11:50 am

    This Trumpcare bill contains death squads!!!

  96. 96.

    Major Major Major Major

    March 7, 2017 at 11:52 am

    @hovercraft:

    Moscow’s main goal was always to undermine the U.S. political system, regardless of who is in the White House

    Yep. Anything pro-Russia that Trump might do, other than the sanction lifting and the Crimea stuff that Russia already paid for, is just icing on the cake.

  97. 97.

    randy khan

    March 7, 2017 at 11:52 am

    @hovercraft:

    I’ve always thought that Russia’s goal was not to install Trump, but to weaken the country. It wouldn’t have worked if Clinton had won (as they really didn’t understand how the country worked). When Trump won, though, they hit the jackpot.

  98. 98.

    ? Martin

    March 7, 2017 at 11:55 am

    This is what you get when you substitute ‘what will piss off Democrats’ for every metric of what good legislation looks like.

  99. 99.

    gene108

    March 7, 2017 at 11:57 am

    @Mnemosyne:

    Don’t forget why they’re insisting on using reconciliation to repeal PPACA — that’s how Obama’s bill originally passed. Yes, they are just. that. petty.

    Obamacare was passed via regular procedure. That’s why it took so long to get done. Democrats did not have 60 Senators, until Franken was seated, Kennedy’s interim replacement was seated, and Specter flipped.

    The Republicans are doing this via reconciliation because they know they cannot get 60 votes to overcome a Democratic filibuster in the Senate.

    It is the only shot at doing damage to Obamacare.

  100. 100.

    D58826

    March 7, 2017 at 11:58 am

    This is way OT but there have been a number of threads where free-trade/NAFTA/TPP were the hot topic.

    This Politico article goes into a deep dive on the history/complexity of trade agreements like NAFTA/TPP. In short like health care its complicated.

    The Trade Deal We Just Threw Overboard

    Donald Trump wants to rewrite NAFTA, but someone else already did. Here’s how it went down

    Hint the ‘someone’ was a tall skinny guy, funny name, big ears
    http:///magazine/story/2017/03/trump-tpp-free-trade-deal-obama-renegotiate-nafta-214874

  101. 101.

    schrodingers_cat

    March 7, 2017 at 11:59 am

    @randy khan: Republican obstruction and BS would be attacking her from the left, would have stopped her from getting anything done. It would be like Obama 2.0 still far better than what we have now.

  102. 102.

    cain

    March 7, 2017 at 11:59 am

    @lapassionara:

    @cain: Did you mean Medicaid? Or does it have some kind of negative impact on Medicare that I have not yet heard about?

    No, you’re right, I meant Medicaid.

  103. 103.

    Brachiator

    March 7, 2017 at 11:59 am

    @Yarrow:

    A lack of empathy is one of the defining characteristics of Republicans. They don’t think anything is real unless it affects them or possibly a very close family member. Otherwise it’s all made up and not a real issue.

    Republicans don’t need empathy. They’ve got “principles.”

    They believe in the free market fairy that sprinkles prosperity. They also fundamentally believe that government should not be used to collect taxes to promote the general welfare (except for wars), so social insurance or universal health insurance provided by the government is an evil that people must be protected from.

  104. 104.

    D58826

    March 7, 2017 at 12:00 pm

    @gene108: IIIRC most of Obamacare was passed using regular order but there was a final enabling piece in 2010 that used reconciliation. Forget the details but it is a bit more complicated than either/or.

  105. 105.

    Another Scott

    March 7, 2017 at 12:01 pm

    @randy khan: Putin’s main goal seems to have been to prevent Clinton from winning in order to have a chance at removing the Crimea sanctions. The only threat to Putin’s power is a crappy economy – the Rubble has strengthened from ~ 67/dollar to ~ 58/dollar since the election. If HRC had won, the trend certainly would have gone the other way.

    The speeding up the longer-term goal of weakening NATO and the EU is a benefit, also too, but that’s not the main reason why he wanted Clinton to lose. The sanctions were and are hurting him.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  106. 106.

    rikyrah

    March 7, 2017 at 12:01 pm

    @lapassionara:

    Or does it have some kind of negative impact on Medicare that I have not yet heard about?

    it will bankrupt Medicare by 2024, while Obamacase extended the life of Medicare.

  107. 107.

    NobodySpecial

    March 7, 2017 at 12:01 pm

    FWIW, I think Obamacare is now the new Roe v. Wade, which the GOP ran against endlessly. If they repeal it, they’ve got nothing left to publicly target and fundraise off of. It’s easy to snow their base into believing that the only reason it didn’t get repealed was evil Democrats, so they don’t have to do much of anything and they still keep their base.

  108. 108.

    hovercraft

    March 7, 2017 at 12:03 pm

    @D58826:
    Stop lying everyone knows that for all his campaign promises, Obama was just another free trading corporate democrat who threw workers under the bus. He did not undo free trade, kick China out of the WTO and order every worker in America to join a union, he was no friend to the working man or woman.

  109. 109.

    germy

    March 7, 2017 at 12:05 pm

    Jamie Dupree‏Verified account @jamiedupree 1h1 hour ago

    Earlier today, Freedom Works issued a statement labeling the GOP health bill, “ObamaCare Lite”

  110. 110.

    Origuy

    March 7, 2017 at 12:08 pm

    @randy khan: Putin is also playing to his domestic audience. He’s saying that Western democracy is dysfunctional and leads to chaos, using Trump and Brexit as prime examples. Russians fear disorder more than just about anything except a rise in the price of vodka.

  111. 111.

    Major Major Major Major

    March 7, 2017 at 12:09 pm

    @D58826: it wasn’t an ‘enabling’ piece, it was mostly tweaks like removing the embarrassing bribes that ended up in the senate bill, iirc. Plus student loan reform.

  112. 112.

    rikyrah

    March 7, 2017 at 12:09 pm

    @tobie:

    The rush on having the Senate vote on the bill right after the House is to deliver a body blow to Dems by erasing Obama’s signature bill and healthcare legacy. It will be swift; it will hurt. They are hoping to discourage Dems and deflate their energy. We need to be prepared for this.

    Deflate our energy?

    The hatred I feel for these people burns brighter everyday. And, I do mean complete and utter hatred.

  113. 113.

    rikyrah

    March 7, 2017 at 12:10 pm

    @Shalimar:

    B) Republicans are hoping their voters will believe anything bad that happens to them was because of whatever Democrats said and did (it has always worked before).

    They have never owned it all.

    They own EVERYTHING.

    No Democrat to blame.

  114. 114.

    hovercraft

    March 7, 2017 at 12:11 pm

    @Brachiator: @Yarrow:
    Remember when Obama nominated Sonia Sotoymayer, and he spoke of her “empathy” being an asset on the bench, the right went nuts, it was a huge deal, a disqualify-er, the MSM of course followed them down the rabbit hole debating whether empathy was a good quality in a jurist. Good time, but no empathy is definitely not a republican trait. That’s why they only support gay marriage when they find that someone in their family is gay,they are people who lack imagination, so anything outside their personal experience is incomprehensible. They all claim to love Jesus, and yet they are the least Christ like people out there, they believe in the the punitive strictures of the old testament, not the compassion of the new one.

  115. 115.

    Fair Economist

    March 7, 2017 at 12:12 pm

    @NorthLeft12:

    Of course they will. If they don’t, they can fully expect to be primaried from the Right when their term is up. Again, these bastards JUST.DON’T.CARE.

    The incentives on that are unclear. The Republicans are calling this “Obamacare 2.0” (0.5 is more like it, as Krugman says) and so those voting *for* it may get primaried from the right as well.

  116. 116.

    gene108

    March 7, 2017 at 12:13 pm

    @rikyrah:

    There’s always a Democrat to blame. Always.

    Whether people buy it or not is a different issue.

  117. 117.

    D58826

    March 7, 2017 at 12:13 pm

    @Major Major Major Major: As i said I forgot the details. Just that it is inaccurate to say Obamacare in total was passed using reconciliation.

  118. 118.

    frosty

    March 7, 2017 at 12:14 pm

    Just made my calls to useless Senator Toomey and HFC Rep Perry in opposition to repealing and replacing ACA and vehement opposition to the current bill. For whatever good it will do.

  119. 119.

    D58826

    March 7, 2017 at 12:15 pm

    @germy: that’s gotta hurt!!

  120. 120.

    Brachiator

    March 7, 2017 at 12:16 pm

    @randy khan:

    I’ve always thought that Russia’s goal was not to install Trump, but to weaken the country. It wouldn’t have worked if Clinton had won (as they really didn’t understand how the country worked). When Trump won, though, they hit the jackpot.

    Sadly, this looks exactly like what they wanted.

  121. 121.

    ArchTeryx

    March 7, 2017 at 12:16 pm

    So, how much chance that a middle aged, chronically ill poor person with a PhD can claim asylum status in Canada?

    Not snark. Survival.

  122. 122.

    hovercraft

    March 7, 2017 at 12:17 pm

    @germy:
    Not just Freedom Works, they are all pissed off. Even though the Koch’s fund Freedom Works, the hoi polloi may yet stop this “travesty”

    A statement Tuesday from Jason Pye, director of public policy and legislative affairs at FreedomWorks, labeled the GOP bill “ObamaCare-lite.” Michael Needham, the CEO of Heritage Action, argued the legislation “not only accepts the flawed progressive premises of Obamacare but expands upon them.” The staff of the Republican Study Committee, which boasts 170 members in the House, said in a memo obtained by Bloomberg that the tax credits amounted to “a Republican welfare entitlement.”

    Meanwhile, the House Freedom Caucus, a group of hardliners known to derail Republican agenda items, is planning its own press conference on the legislation later Tuesday afternoon. The House hardliners will be joined by Sens. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), who has introduced his own Obamacare replacement legislation that has the backing of conservatives.

  123. 123.

    hovercraft

    March 7, 2017 at 12:19 pm

    @Major Major Major Major:
    Golde oldies like the cornhusker kickback which I’m told Sean Hannitty still references on a regular basis when slamming the ACA.

  124. 124.

    MJS

    March 7, 2017 at 12:20 pm

    @hovercraft: Of course, this could also just be cover for their puppet. There are a lot of dimwits who would buy the “Look, Russia’s state sponsored media is critical of Trump. So how can it be possible that they supported his candidacy?”

  125. 125.

    germy

    March 7, 2017 at 12:20 pm

    @hovercraft:

    The House hardliners will be joined by Sens. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), who has introduced his own Obamacare replacement legislation that has the backing of conservatives.

    Oh my god… something even more horrible than the ryan plan?

  126. 126.

    Jeffro

    March 7, 2017 at 12:22 pm

    @NorthLeft12: @Fair Economist:

    I’m not understanding how anyone in the GOP could even be “primaried from the right” anymore…is that even possible?

    Will they not be happy until their entire membership is full of Dave Brats, Louie Gohmerts, and Steve Kings?!?

  127. 127.

    Spanky

    March 7, 2017 at 12:22 pm

    Looks like we soon won’t have a Trump impersonator to kick around anymore:

    (CNN)Alec Baldwin might be hanging up his fake tan and red tie.

    The actor tells “Extra” he thinks viewers may tire of his portrayal of President Trump on “Saturday Night Live.”

    “His policies aside, which you can hate, I thought he would have just relaxed,” Baldwin says. “The maliciousness of this White House has people worried. … That’s why I’m not going to do it much longer, the impersonation, I don’t know how much more people can take it.”

    Please don’t take Spicey from us!

  128. 128.

    Jeffro

    March 7, 2017 at 12:24 pm

    @germy:

    Oh my god… something even more horrible than the ryan plan?

    Wouldn’t that be just a full repeal, no provisions for covering anything that O-care covered?

    Or would “worse” mean actively hunting down libruls and making them ill? Because frankly, the Trumpov administration is already doing that…

  129. 129.

    germy

    March 7, 2017 at 12:25 pm

    @Spanky: they should hire Anthony Atamanuik. I think he’s a more subtle and funnier interpreter of the madman.

  130. 130.

    Brachiator

    March 7, 2017 at 12:28 pm

    @hovercraft:

    Remember when Obama nominated Sonia Sotoymayer, and he spoke of her “empathy” being an asset on the bench, the right went nuts, it was a huge deal, a disqualify-er, the MSM of course followed them down the rabbit hole debating whether empathy was a good quality in a jurist.

    Great callback! You’re totally right on this.

    Good time, but no empathy is definitely not a republican trait. That’s why they only support gay marriage when they find that someone in their family is gay

    Sometimes not even then.

    But think it more fair to say that Republicans do not believe that gushings of empathy should necessarily determine governmental policy.

  131. 131.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    March 7, 2017 at 12:30 pm

    TPM sounds like it’s questionable whether Ryancare makes it out of the House with all the conservative groups lining up against it because it’s not evil or viscious enough.

    I think Obmacare is turning into another Abortion Rights issue – something that all True Conservatives denounce as a tribal indicator but never actually repeal.

  132. 132.

    Jeffro

    March 7, 2017 at 12:33 pm

    @Brachiator:

    Good time, but no empathy is definitely not a republican trait. That’s why they only support gay marriage when they find that someone in their family is gay

    At this point, it almost feels safe to say that the parties have sorted themselves out psychologically in addition to everything else…those with empathy to any degree, or an orientation towards collaboration, etc = Democrats. Those out for themselves, those motivated primarily by spite = Trump Tea Party Republicans.

  133. 133.

    hovercraft

    March 7, 2017 at 12:33 pm

    @germy:
    Maybe we’ll be back to bartering chicken like we did in the olden days, or per Chafettz you can trade your phone for treatment. The possibilities are endless.
    @Jeffro:
    With the budget cuts in the draft floated last week, we would have fewer food inspectors, fewer regulations and monitors for our water air and food, so they are actively seeking to make us sick, the only downside is once again most of us liberals are in blue states where we will still have some protections, for now, until president drumpf sues us for not letting people to pollute more in our states and poison us, after all just look at how well it’s worked in Flint, it’s still going on and it’s been three years.

  134. 134.

    rikyrah

    March 7, 2017 at 12:34 pm

    @The Thin Black Duke:

    Hey, I’m a cynical bastard who sees the glass of beer as half-empty most of the time, but I’m feeling reasonably confident that when Grandma is living at home because Medicaid is dead and the nursing home has closed, even the hardcore Trump voters ain’t gonna want to hear that it’s Obama’s fault. No, those pissed-off white folks are gonna want this shit fixed NOW.

    this is truth.

  135. 135.

    pk

    March 7, 2017 at 12:36 pm

    @germy:

    something even more horrible than the ryan plan?

    I believe the new plans requires doctors to personally kick the poor in the guts before prescribing any medication.

  136. 136.

    MJS

    March 7, 2017 at 12:37 pm

    @hovercraft: I guess I’m becoming paranoid, but I view this as just so much posturing. I expect almost every single one of these HFC members to ultimately vote for this bill under the guise of “It’s the best we could do that would pass the Senate.” Alleged Senate hardliners will find a way to reverse course, likely using the “Obamacare is imploding, we need to do something” line.

  137. 137.

    Lurking Canadian

    March 7, 2017 at 12:39 pm

    @Mnemosyne: Sorry for the delay in replying. Lunch date.

    It’s not that I don’t think they are that petty. There is no limit to how petty they are.

    It’s just that (as I understand it) there are things they want that they can’t do with reconciliation. Lifetime caps. Pre-existing conditions. Sale across state lines. I don’t think even Republicans would give up a chance to really stick it to their enemies if they thought they had it.

  138. 138.

    The Moar You Know

    March 7, 2017 at 1:04 pm

    So, how much chance that a middle aged, chronically ill poor person with a PhD can claim asylum status in Canada?

    @ArchTeryx: If you’re under 50, actually pretty good so long as you’re working.

    If you’re over 50, forget it unless you can show that you can pay all your own living and healthcare costs. Forget all the Crown colonies (Canada, Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand). They’ve made it quite clear that they’re not going to become America’s nursing home. I looked into this a little too late…Trump got elected right before my 51st birthday. Fuck.

  139. 139.

    PIGL

    March 7, 2017 at 1:13 pm

    @hovercraft: I have seen no evidence, in the 50 years that I have been somewhat aware of American politics, of Republicans ever accepting or being charged with any responsibility for the consequences of their actions. Much as would relish the death over a slow fire of Every Single Republican Official, elected or otherwise, the enthusiasms of the electorate are for quite different things.

  140. 140.

    hovercraft

    March 7, 2017 at 1:23 pm

    @PIGL:
    They are better liars and the media has been beaten down for the past 50 years as being liberal and cowards that they are have instead of telling the GOP to fuck off and stop lying, they retreated to on the one hand a=on the other hand reporting to show their neutrality, facts have a liberal bias. When the hit really hits the fan though, the WWC overcomes their fear and dislike of the democrats long enough to vote them in to right the ship. Which means that on some level they recognize that democrats actually fix shit, while the GOP destroys them, unfortunately, culturally they identify with and like what they espouse, even if they never deliver on it.

  141. 141.

    D58826

    March 7, 2017 at 2:01 pm

    @Lurking Canadian:

    It’s just that (as I understand it) there are things they want that they can’t do with reconciliation.

    I read somewhere that if the Senate parliamentarian rules in their favor they can use reconciliation for everything. This of course twists reconciliation completely out of shape but that’s OK they are republicans..

    If the parliamentarian rejects the request they can simple replace him/her until they find one more how to say it ‘open to reason’.

  142. 142.

    clay

    March 7, 2017 at 3:21 pm

    @pk:

    I believe the new plans requires doctors to personally kick the poor in the guts before prescribing any medication.

    No, that’s the Republican version of Planned Parenthood.

  143. 143.

    catclub

    March 8, 2017 at 1:56 pm

    @WereBear:

    That 3k will pay for how many months? And you probably have to come up with the money up front.

    yep.

    The max refund/credit is $4k for 55-64 year olds, … but their policies will cost $10k, no matter what their income, in the GOP plan.
    for a 26 y.o the policy might be only $3k with a $2k refund/credit. GOP will amp up the allowed age gradient in premiums, ACA has a low fixed maximum penalty for age.

    And of course you have to buy the plan first before you get the refund/credit.

  144. 144.

    catclub

    March 8, 2017 at 1:59 pm

    @PIGL: I disagree. the elections of 2006 and 2008 did. UNfortunately, the US public has the memory of a flea, and re-elected the GOP in 2010.

    I have seen no evidence, in the 50 years that I have been somewhat aware of American politics, of Republicans ever accepting or being charged with any responsibility for the consequences of their actions

Comments are closed.

Primary Sidebar

Recent Comments

  • kalakal on HEY DID YOU GUYS HEAR (Mar 30, 2023 @ 9:03pm)
  • 2liberal on Cake Watch: Day 4 (Screw the Cake, I Am Baking a Pie) (Mar 30, 2023 @ 9:02pm)
  • Jackie on HEY DID YOU GUYS HEAR (Mar 30, 2023 @ 9:02pm)
  • Rileys Enabler on HEY DID YOU GUYS HEAR (Mar 30, 2023 @ 9:02pm)
  • Tom Levenson on The Funniest Thing About All of This (Mar 30, 2023 @ 9:02pm)

Balloon Juice Meetups!

All Meetups
Seattle Meetup coming up on April 4!

🎈Keep Balloon Juice Ad Free

Become a Balloon Juice Patreon
Donate with Venmo, Zelle or PayPal

Fundraising 2023-24

Wis*Dems Supreme Court + SD-8

Balloon Juice Posts

View by Topic
View by Author
View by Month & Year
View by Past Author

Featuring

Medium Cool
Artists in Our Midst
Authors in Our Midst
We All Need A Little Kindness
Classified Documents: A Primer
State & Local Elections Discussion

Calling All Jackals

Site Feedback
Nominate a Rotating Tag
Submit Photos to On the Road
Balloon Juice Mailing List Signup
Balloon Juice Anniversary (All Links)
Balloon Juice Anniversary (All Posts)

Twitter / Spoutible

Balloon Juice (Spoutible)
WaterGirl (Spoutible)
TaMara (Spoutible)
John Cole
DougJ (aka NYT Pitchbot)
Betty Cracker
Tom Levenson
TaMara
David Anderson
Major Major Major Major
ActualCitizensUnited

Join the Fight!

Join the Fight Signup Form
All Join the Fight Posts

Balloon Juice Events

5/14  The Apocalypse
5/20  Home Away from Home
5/29  We’re Back, Baby
7/21  Merging!

Balloon Juice for Ukraine

Donate

Site Footer

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Comment Policy
  • Our Authors
  • Blogroll
  • Our Artists
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2023 Dev Balloon Juice · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc

Share this ArticleLike this article? Email it to a friend!

Email sent!