Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Yeah, with this crowd one never knows.

Well, whatever it is, it’s better than being a Republican.

Come on, man.

They are not red states to be hated; they are voter suppression states to be fixed.

If America since Jan 2025 hasn’t broken your heart, you haven’t loved her enough.

Let me file that under fuck it.

Hey hey, RFK, how many kids did you kill today?

Hot air and ill-informed banter

You passed on an opportunity to be offended? What are you even doing here?

Republicans are the party of chaos and catastrophe.

I’m more christian than these people and i’m an atheist.

Our messy unity will be our strength.

Sadly, there is no cure for stupid.

The cruelty is the point; the law be damned.

Disagreements are healthy; personal attacks are not.

Republicans cannot even be trusted with their own money.

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

Republicans choose power over democracy, every day.

Trump should be leading, not lying.

The most dangerous place for a black man in America is in a white man’s imagination.

Giving in to doom is how we fail to fight for ourselves & one another.

The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand.

They fucked up the fucking up of the fuckup!

Republicans do not pay their debts.

You are here: Home / And he said one word to me and that was “dead”

And he said one word to me and that was “dead”

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I guess we have an answer to the old riddle “can Republicans create a health care bill so crappy that they themselves will not vote for it”. At least for now.

I guess they’ll try one more time tomorrow.

If it goes down tomorrow, this will have been one of the most remarkable failures in the history of American politics.

Reader Interactions

168Comments

  3. 3.

    Baud

    If it goes down tomorrow, this will have been one of the most remarkable failures in the history of American politics.

    Wait till you see what they come up with for Act II.

  5. 5.

    Patricia Kayden

    Only the rich will benefit from the AHCA. But that’s not surprising since that’s the only segment of the population which Republicans care about.

  9. 9.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    Trump is, in prison parlance, a dead man walking. A large cohort of Republicans now realize that he personally presents no threat – he’s mortally wounded by his own scandals, and his bully pulpit is a burnt pile of ash and charcoal.

    Toast.

  10. 10.

    Jeffro

    @rikyrah: aye, that he will…

    Can y’all imagine: after tomorrow Republican congressman are going to be besieged by progressive activists for ever entertaining this bill and by conservative activists for voting it down!

    that Ted Lieu (D-CA) tweet from yesterday is turning out to be awfully prophetic !!!

  12. 12.

    Ian

    Rallies and military parades are needed immediately or Ill Douche will start ww3 tomorrow.

  13. 13.

    maryQ

    I really thought Obama had rope-a-doped them into oblivion, but then, like Glen Close in the bath tub they sprang up on election night, half dead, but clutching the knife and ready to kill.

    But if the AHCA goes down, we’ll, Ann Archer appeared with the gun right on time.

    We’ll see, I gues.

  14. 14.

    Elizabelle

    Next up: tax reform. Or what Republicans call “reform.” Think that will go much better?

  16. 16.

    Jeffro

    Sidenote it sure looks like a lot of the counterintelligence investigation is centered on Paul Manafort – wonder if he will flee to Russia, or if he thinks he can at least stay alive in an American prison ?

  17. 17.

    ArchTeryx

    @Elizabelle: That’ll go a whole lot more smoothly. Tax cuts for billionaires is the one thing the entire party agrees on, and it’ll probably pass on a voice vote in both houses.

  21. 21.

    Percysowner

    So, basically Trump said “Bored, now”, to quote Evil Willow from Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

  22. 22.

    Corner Stone

    @Jeffro: Inconvenient people seem to be dropping dead as fuck over in that part of the world. I doubt Manafort sees it as a safe haven.

  24. 24.

    jharp

    I just love the smell of Republican surrender in the evening.

    The Great Deal Closer is a choke artist.

    Sad.

  25. 25.

    rikyrah

    @Elizabelle: That’ll go a whole lot more smoothly. Tax cuts for billionaires is the one thing the entire party agrees on, and it’ll probably pass on a voice vote in both houses.

    and nary a word about what those cuts will mean to the deficit.

  28. 28.

    ArchTeryx

    @Major Major Major Major: Unless they simply fire the parliamentarian, something that was seriously talked about if this disaster came out of the House, because McConnell wanted it on the floor within a week of passage and indicated he was willing to blow up the Senate to do it. (Whether a majority of his caucus was willing to follow him over the cliff is an open question, and one I devoutly hope will never have to be answered).

  30. 30.

    hovercraft

    @Corner Stone:
    Twitler said there’s no proof that Putin kills people, so I’m sure he’ll be safe. After all look at Snowden, he’s fine. Then again Manafort would be an embarrassment for Twiitler so I guess he could die of natural causes.

  32. 32.

    rikyrah

    NBCWashington‏Verified account @nbcwashington

    RT: As of Thursday, a dozen D.C. teens, ranging in age from 14 to 18, are missing.

  34. 34.

    Roger Moore

    This is what committees are for: to create something worse than what any individual member would have come up with. The more they tinker with this abortion in an attempt to attract votes, the more fence sitters they’ll drive into the “no” camp.

  35. 35.

    oldster

    Congratulations to everyone who phoned, went to town halls, and raised hell.

    Sure, it’s only a delay. But given where we stood on Nov. 9, 2016, a delay is a victory.

    It’s the only kind of victory we’re going to have until we vote the criminals out, and vote some patriots in.

    So celebrate! We done good.

  36. 36.

    Waspuppet

    Not that I’m rooting for any of them to get their act together, but:

    Since Trump has a 3rd-grade knowledge of American governance, he probably doesn’t know that “Walking away” and “moving on” aren’t actual things. But they aren’t. He can do whatever he likes; the GOP in Congress can pass what they want when they want. It’ll still be on his desk. He probably thinks he can pull a bill from Congress; he can’t.

  37. 37.

    JMG

    Something will pass the House. Ryan’s career is over if it doesn’t. A lot of other sweet rides on the taxpayer gravy train would end, too. They figure they just have to yell about nonwhites and they’ll re-elected no matter what. They’re evil, but fortunately, they’re also stupid.

  42. 42.

    Ken

    one of the most remarkable failures in the history of American politics.

    In some systems of government, such a failure would trigger the resignation of the executive and new elections.

  43. 43.

    El Caganer

    Even if their wretched “health care” bill fails, haven’t they already changed some parts of Obamacare to insure it won’t work properly? I seem to recall that both Trump and the congress-critters were screwing around with it.

  45. 45.

    Timurid

    @Aleta: Spite. Of course antagonizing the people who will be asked to impeach him one day might not work out so well…

  49. 49.

    scottinnj

    The GOP wants to (a) cut taxes on the rich and (b) Kick the poors in the balls. What seems easy to me is that look, if you can only do one, you cut taxes for the rich. The rich own the GOP and can say look we’re sorry you can’t kick the poors in the balls, really we are we’d have love to watch, but look what really matters is please give us all the money. The bill is dying because you want to kick the poors in the balls not because it’s giving us all the money. get your priorities straight!!!

  50. 50.

    Bill E Pilgrim

    I just heard a Republican representative say that the President wants it to pass tomorrow, but “if for some reason” it doesn’t, he wants to drop it and move on.

    This thing is done.

    Digby nails it here.

    This would be Shakespearean were the main character not such a cheap buffoon. It’s like Shakespeare written for used car salesmen.

  51. 51.

    Thru the Looking Glass...

    If the House rejects the GOP plan, the president says, Obamacare will stay.

    Maybe the smarter members of the herd see that choice as their best chance of survival now…

    Seeing how toxic the GOP replacement is…

    And if that is outcome to this humiliating (for Republicans) adventure, it’ll be interesting to see who tries to blame whom for this…

  52. 52.

    oldster

    @El Caganer:

    Sure, they can try to kill it from within. But they’ll own that, too.

    Furthermore, the Repubs campaigned on a promise to repeal the hated Obamacare. They made it a symbolic issue, that they would repeal it in Congress, that they would make it as though it had never happened.

    They’re failing on that front, so far. And that will demoralize their base, and teach them that Trump always, always, betrays the people who trust him.

  53. 53.

    debbie

    The best part is that they’ve lost the crucial (to them) optic of killing Obamacare on the anniversary date of its enactment.

  54. 54.

    JMG

    It’ll pass the House. It has to or Ryan’s career is over. There may be provisions eliminating all health insurance for all Democratic districts, or revoking the 13th Amendment, but whatever it takes, he’ll do it. What happens of course, won’t be his problem.

  59. 59.

    Patricia Kayden

    @jharp: But Repubs may pull it off tomorrow and vote for the AHCA. When it comes to doing awful things, Repubs find a way. I doubt it will pass the Senate though.

  60. 60.

    Roger Moore

    @Waspuppet:
    It’s true that trump can’t pull a bill from Congress, but he can withdraw his political support. Given that Ryan has been asking trump to help convince members of the Freedumb Caucus to vote for the thing, loss of his support is going to hurt. It also signals Republicans who trust trump more than Congress that the bill is a bad thing and they should tell their Congresscritters to vote against it.

  61. 61.

    Jeffro

    So anyway with Republicans being forced to vote on this abomination of a bill in the morning … just how hard do we think Rebekah Mercer is working the phones tonight ??

  63. 63.

    Chyron HR

    @JMG:

    It’ll pass the House. It has to or Ryan’s career is over.

    And he’s going to use the full power of his charisma to bend the other 214 votes to his will?

  64. 64.

    Hungry Joe

    I suspect that, in whatever form, it’ll get the votes it needs. Can’t see enough GOP’ers passing up the chance to, as they see it, follow through on their promise to stick it to Obama … or wanting to face their base on why they didn’t. What’s actually in the bill — who it hurts, what it destroys — is secondary.

  66. 66.

    Citizen_X

    Trump will blame Ryan, publicly, if it fails. Doesn’t matter; Trump will have loser stink all over him. Nobody in Congress is going to care about his idle threats after that.

  69. 69.

    Bill E Pilgrim

    I think it’s cooked. The President telling Republicans to go out and say things like “if for some reason it doesn’t pass tomorrow the President wants to drop it and move on” is the end of it. How many fence sitters would decide to vote yes when the President has basically disowned it now.

  70. 70.

    smintheus

    I guess we have an answer to the old riddle “can Republicans create a health care bill so crappy that they themselves will not vote for it”.

    Isn’t the real question whether the Republicans can create a health care bill sufficiently crappy that they themselves will vote for it?

  72. 72.

    JPL

    If they vote no, Tom Price can direct funding in such a way, that tanks the ACA. They will blame Obama, but at this point, I’m not sure anyone would believe them.

  76. 76.

    Major Major Major Major

    @JPL:

    Oh, I am heartily tired of hearing about what Lee is going to do. Some of you always seem to think he is suddenly going to turn a double somersault, and land in our rear and on both of our flanks at the same time. Go back to your command, and try to think what we are going to do ourselves, instead of what Lee is going to do.

    Ulysses S. Grant

  80. 80.

    Roger Moore

    @JMG:

    It’ll pass the House. It has to or Ryan’s career is over.

    Then his career is likely to be over. The Freedumb Caucus wants repeal without replacement. Ryan can’t deliver because they can’t pass that through reconciliation. The not-so-crazy caucus doesn’t want to lose their next elections because they’ve thrown tens of thousands of constituents off healthcare. He might have a prayer of delivering that, but not if he’s trying vainly to win over the Freedumb Caucus. He has to have both to pass anything, and it looks as if he’s likely to wind up with neither.

  82. 82.

    XTPD

    @Citizen_X: Per Doug’s Twitter feed: Michael Cannon indicated earlier today that they’d let the bill die and publicly throw the HFC under the bus, so.

  85. 85.

    trnc

    @hovercraft:

    Twitler said there’s no proof that Putin kills people, so I’m sure he’ll be safe.

    I missed that. I remember this one:
    O’Reilly said: “He’s a killer, though. Putin’s a killer.”
    “There are a lot of killers,” Trump replied. “We’ve got a lot of killers. What, do you think our country’s so innocent?”

  87. 87.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @trnc: I suspect that, in whatever form, it’ll get the votes it needs. Can’t see enough GOP’ers passing up the chance to, as they see it, follow through on their promise to stick it to Obama

    I still can’t quite believe that one just kinda floated away into the ether

  95. 95.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Matt Fuller‏Verified account @ MEPFuller 33m33 minutes ago
    Hey, btw, Appropriations Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen just told me he’s undecided on #AHCA.
    Yes, the Appropriations Chairman is undediced.

    I’ll believe it when I see it, and I’m seeing in other tweets that the Freedumb Caucus is coming home, but it aint’ pretty

  96. 96.

    lollipopguild

    @Major Major Major Major: Lincoln was told that Grant drank too much. Lincoln responded by asking what brand of whiskey Grant drank because he wanted to send a case of it to all of his other Generals.

  99. 99.

    LadyNorth

    @El Caganer: Yes, that’s the problem. In the first days of his presidency, Trump showed that he didn’t want the administrative apparatus to enforce the mandate.

    And of course, republicans will try all sorts of tricks to defund Obamacare, so the problems will indeed get worse.

    If they don’t pass any new “don’t care” Bill, democrats will have to come out in force and denounce the way republicans will hurt Obamacare. It will be time to come up with a clear proposition to 1) restore the ACA in full and 2) add the correctives. Of course it won’t go far, but politically it will be a good strategy. Campaign on this in 2018.

  100. 100.

    JMG

    I am old enough to remember 1998 very well. The Republicans thought Monica would give them a landslide in the elections. Instead, they lost ground, a public warning that nobody cared. THEN they impeached Clinton anyway. They don’t believe elections have consequences for them, because they believe the American voters have the attention span of the current President. And it’s always worked for them. Difference this time is, they’d be taking money out of the voters’ pockets. But they will pass this bill into law if they have to murder Susan Collins.

  102. 102.

    trollhattan

    As much as I want to believe otherwise Ryan’s not going anywhere. He’s the Koch brothers’ dreamboat and this speedbump is Trump’s fault, since they didn’t get their pet president.

  103. 103.

    efgoldman

    If it goes down tomorrow, this will have been one of the most remarkable failures in the history of American politics.

    If we climb down from our fear tree, and think about it for a minute, this shouldn’t be a surprise.
    The Republiklowns have been the lockstep party of NO for so long, and Granny Starver is such a poor, sad, incompetent excuse for a “speaker”, that they just don’t know how to legislate any more.

  104. 104.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    il Kapur‏Verified account @ sahilkapur 48m48 minutes ago
    In the health care mtg, one House Republican stood up and started quoting Ben Franklin from the Constitutional Convention, per Rep. Gaetz.

    and on a dark, quiet street in Philadelphia, the sound of ghostly retching could be heard in the otherwise still night

    ETA:

    Sahil Kapur‏Verified account @ sahilkapur 51m51 minutes ago
    Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) warns that if Republicans don’t pass AHCA tmrw, Dems will “impeach Donald Trump in 2 yrs when we lose the majority.”

    Dude! you’re not supposed to say that out loud!

  106. 106.

    jl

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: Maybe it was the Franklin quote about how sex with older women was really good?

    Edit: anyone there quote a Twain fart joke? I wanna know how the House GOPers are applying the wisdom of the great minds in US history?

  111. 111.

    magurakurin

    @trnc:

    O’Reilly said: “He’s a killer, though. Putin’s a killer.”

    that exchange was a classic one. It always makes me think of this

    Iris: Who’s a ‘killer’?
    Travis: That guy Sport’s a killer. That’s who’s a killer.
    Iris: Sport never killed nobody.
    Travis: He killed someone.

  113. 113.

    Ian

    @Major Major Major Major:
    I do not think they (the Kochs) hate his bill. I think they are giving their conserva-pet politicians cover from the right so they don’t get primaried for doing nothing about Obamacare.

  114. 114.

    J R in WV

    @rikyrah:

    Oh well

    She voted for Donald Trump because she believes in his immigration policy, now her husband is being deported.

    Oh Well, indeed!! Couldn’t have said it better. Getting what they deserved, what they voted for, good and hard. But still, a little sad for them, after all the excitement of winning the election, now getting kicked to the curb in some other country. HAHahahahahahaha!

  115. 115.

    pseudonymous in nc

    Even if this turd passes by one or two votes, the process has given the EHBs more publicity than they’ve had since the ACA came into existence, perhaps because “oh, this plan covers doctors and medication” was taken for granted among too many people.

    And that room full of old white dudes gathered around Pence to declare maternity care an optional extra… wow.

  117. 117.

    efgoldman

    @JMG:

    It’ll pass the House. It has to or Ryan’s career is over.

    Granny Starver’s career was over the day he decided to be “speaker.” All he has is ideology and ambition. As Nancy SMASH! could have told him, political skill is an absolute necessity, and he ain’t got any. None.

  118. 118.

    Jeffro

    @Major Major Major Major: I think even the Kochs know that the unsubtlety, the “optics” if you will, were going to cause a bigger backlash than this is worth …(to them)

    … my guess is they would prefer to tinker with it so that it gradually loses participating insurers and starts running bigger deficits and so on.

  119. 119.

    danielx

    @Jeffro:

    If I was Manafort right about now – or Page or Stone – I would be doing the following:

    1. Engaging the best armed security I could pay for,
    2. Staying in the most secure location I could find,
    3. Seeing what kind of deal I could get, and…
    4. Making sure my affairs were in order.

    This is becoming more like a le Carré novel every day.

  120. 120.

    Jeffro

    Maddow connecting the dots tonight on all of the people who have recently been turning up dead who are…were…connected with Russia and Paul Manafort

  121. 121.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Scott WongVerified account @ scottwongDC
    Just talked to House lawmaker who surveyed bunch of HFC, RSC and TG members on health bill: “All say it will pass now”

    @pseudonymous in nc: the process has given the EHBs more publicity than they’ve had since the ACA came into existence, perhaps because “oh, this plan covers doctors and medication” was taken for granted among too many people.

    here’s hoping

  122. 122.

    Jeffro

    @danielx: I am kind of shocked that neither of them has been caught trying to leave the country with a suitcase full of cash yet

  125. 125.

    efgoldman

    @Hungry Joe:

    Can’t see enough GOP’ers passing up the chance to, as they see it, follow through on their promise to stick it to Obama

    There’s a substantial countervailing force at work.

    In a last-minute effort to sink the Republican health care bill, a powerful network of conservative donors said Wednesday it would create a new fund for Republican 2018 reelection races — but they’ll only open it up to GOPers who vote against the bill.
    The advocacy groups helmed by Charles and David Koch have unveiled a new pool of money for advertisements, field programs and mailings that would exclude those who vote for the health care bill they oppose on Thursday. The effort, which they described as worth millions of dollars, is an explicit warning to on-the-fence Republicans from one of the most influential players in electoral politics not to cross them

  126. 126.

    Alan Barney

    The thing is… Republicans have made a lot of money off of Obamacare. Money and votes! Why kill the “Golden Calf”?

  127. 127.

    Keith P.

    If it goes down tomorrow, this will have been one of the most remarkable failures in the history of American politics.

    At least since Clinton-Kaine ’16. Ba-dum-bump!

  128. 128.

    danielx

    @Jeffro:

    Oh, and avoiding contact with Russians at any cost. Being in a nuclear sub for the next six months might do it.

  130. 130.

    ArchTeryx

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: I really hope that tweet is wrong. I want so much for this to be over and be able to put my Health Care Disaster Plan (which ends with ‘die quickly’) out to pasture permanently.

  134. 134.

    manyakitty

    @Aleta: He’s bored and it’s a punishment. And the polls say people liked Obamacare. And did you see the yuge crowds at his inauguration? World record, believe me. I like pancakes. What does polonium taste like?

  137. 137.

    Aleta

    I wonder why they don’t go with the plan they worked out years ago that was so much better than the ACA. Or the plan Trump thought up during the campaign.

    It wouldn’t surprise me if Trump just changed the name Obamacare and called it his.

  139. 139.

    jl

    @raven: Looks like Trump is going to really do something about that problem, but not in the way his supporters expected.

  142. 142.

    Bill E Pilgrim

    @Ladyraxterinok: I did have the greatest image for a few minutes after writing that of the Globe Theater done up to look like a Jersey City used car lot and the actors all wearing plaid suits and shiny ties. Now Nunes, this guy, I mean, he’s an honorable man, amirite?

  143. 143.

    mdblanche

    OT: My state senator became president of the Senate today after his predecessor quit. I received a phone call from Planned Parenthood this evening looking for constituents to call him and ask him to bring up a bill to enshrine Roe v Wade into RI state law. His predecessor had it bottled up and the new president isn’t expected to change that, but we’ll see if hearing from his constituents might change his mind.

  144. 144.

    jl

    @amk: Well, Trump is vindicated, I guess, by fact that probably the fuzz was tapping his flunkies, one of whom appears to be a criminal in the pay of foreign powers. But that was just one of campaign managers, and Trump hardly knows who the guy is. Vindication!

  145. 145.

    Bill E Pilgrim

    @Radiumgirl: Ooh, wow that was less expensive than a fancy ring!

    More seriously I just followed your link and now I’m beyond flattered, yeesh.

  146. 146.

    efgoldman

    @Aleta:

    It wouldn’t surprise me if Trump just changed the name Obamacare and called it his.

    But then he couldn’t let Price fuck with it, and old Tom would need something else to fap to, like watching the old films of emaciated skeletons being liberated from the camps or something.

  149. 149.

    Jeffro

    @Aleta: this is the thing right ? If these cretins had half a brain between them, they would have either made a few tweaks and claim credit for how much better it was for working class (read: white) Americans, or tinkered around the edges to help hasten Obamacare’s relatively minor fiscal problems; renamed it Trump care or Ryan care or Reagan care; declared victory and gone on to the next issue.

    But they’re just batshit insane from their own propaganda at this point. They have convinced themselves that any sort of government spending other than on defense is evil … and that anything less than white male Christian nationalism is going to result with them getting burnt to death in a cage .

    Their fear response, it has been misfiring, on steroids, for about 15 1/2 years now…

  150. 150.

    Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho

    @schrodingers_cat: Isn’t not being attached to results a pretty key point? And such useful advice, except it’s difficult as fuck for most of us. By which I mean myself, of course.

  151. 151.

    jl

    @Bill E Pilgrim: I think that the Trump flunky Devin Nunes is a dairy farmer from south of Fresno. We can think up a more colorful setting for his Shakespeare play.

  152. 152.

    billcoop4

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    Matt Fuller‏Verified account @ MEPFuller 33m33 minutes ago
    Hey, btw, Appropriations Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen just told me he’s undecided on #AHCA.
    Yes, the Appropriations Chairman is undediced.

    I’ll believe it when I see it, and I’m seeing in other tweets that the Freedumb Caucus is coming home, but it aint’ pretty

    Rodney’s not had balls since before 1980. If he gets them now, then game over. (One grew up in NJ as a Leanna Brown follower. Rodney was most threatened by her).

    WMC

  154. 154.

    pseudonymous in nc

    Rodney Frelinghuysen is the guy who Michael Moore wanted to run a ficus plant against. His family business is “being in Congress” and has been for 200+ years.

  156. 156.

    Elizabelle

    @Bill E Pilgrim:

    It’s like Shakespeare written for used car salesmen.

    Who don’t even hold title to the cars they’re selling.

    Great comment. Between that and Jim, Foolish Literalist pegging Bob Fuckin’ Woodward as a pundit Norma Desmond, I got my money’s worth out of my expensive Balloon Juice subscription today.

  157. 157.

    manyakitty

    @Bill E Pilgrim: I saw an innovative production of Measure for Measure set in the seedy 1970s. Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival in Cleveland, 9 or 10 years ago.

  158. 158.

    Elizabelle

    All this and a Watergirl sighting today. And burns esq. Had been not seeing them enough …

  159. 159.

    danielx

    Probably somebody smarter than me has already pointed this out, but – correct me if i am wrong – the political math works about like this for HFC* members in particular:

    They have a choice, to vote for this rolling clusterfuck or not. If they don’t vote for it because it doesn’t go far enough – ideology crossed with meanness – Trump’s threats are empty. They’re giving their constituents exactly what they voted for when they were elected. If other Republicans want to vote for it for whatever reason, let ’em – the HFC will ride this sumbitch down in ideologically pure flames. As for Trump? He’s sui generis and seventy years old, and not exactly a person who inspires loyalty. At most he’s going to be around for four years, if that, but they’re (hopefully) going to be dealing with their colleagues and constituents for a long time to come. So who cares if he makes threats? Worst thing that can happen is that they have to go back to Dubuque or wherever to practice law or something, hardly a fate worse than death.

    Am I off base?

    *House Freedom Caucus.
    High Fructose Cocksuckers has a ring to it, but I prefer Highly Filled Cobags myself.

  160. 160.

    Bill E Pilgrim

    It really is though, going back to that Digby Tweet, the last one:

    But he doesn’t are about them. Obviously. This is Prince Narcissus we’re talking about. But he should. They’re covering him.

    So far …

    The perfectly ominous atmosphere of that last line… chilling. Or well it would be except for who we’re talking about, more popcorn-inducing in this case. Just the web of connivance and double-crossing going on, betraying them all now like so many contractors on one of his construction projects, not grasping that they’re the only thing keeping him in his castle at this point…..

  162. 162.

    danielx

    @Bill E Pilgrim:

    And if it doesn’t pass, we already know whose fault it won’t be, because he’ll tell us in great detail why the failure of his major policy initiative is everybody else’s fault. With an occasional pause to rain down empty threats on his betrayers, naturally.

    Then – he’s bored and wants to move on to some new disaster – he’ll act like the whole thing never happened.

  166. 166.

    catclub

    @Major Major Major Major:

    can’t pass tax cuts through reconciliation. Increases the deficit.

    My understanding was that you could if the tax cut is limited to ten years.
    Hence the Hold Obama had in 2011/2012 on the renewal of the Bush tax cuts.

  168. 168.

    catclub

    @Millard Filmore: I was highly irritated when some GOP Congressman said that he was taking Trump at his word.
    At that point the interviewer should have interrupted and asked if there is ANYONE who has taken Trump at his word who came out better.

    Did you take Trump at his word when he said there should be a Muslim ban?
    Did you take Trump at his word when he said that the new healthcare would be much better and cover everyone? How about when he said Hillary should be in jail?

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