We’ve got to do everything we can to stop this bill, and the best way to stop it and/or punish the assholes who voted for it is to scare Republicans into voting against it and/or run the fuckers out of office if they do vote for it.
Darrell Issa is a Grade A piece of shit in a tough district who is undecided on AHCA right now. Let’s raise money for Mike Levin, who is running against him.
Update. Many readers suggesting giving to funds that go to whoever is the Democratic nominee in various Swing Districts (there is more than one running in Issa’s district). Here’s the Balloon Juice fundraising page for that
Thoroughly Pizzled
They’ll have to go into witness protection. They’ll have to be buried at sea. Their kids will have to change their names. They are monsters.
Walker
I thought Applegate was running again.
liberal
I hate George Will as much as the next guy, but this is very well put:
Walker
Yeah, I just checked. Both Levin and Applegate are competing for the Democratic slot. So right now we are just giving money to fight each other. Makes you wish their was a way to contribute money to a trust for the winner.
The Moar You Know
What the fuck? You want to give money to Applegate, not some no-namer that nobody in the district knows.
ETA: I live here, it’s my district. This Levin guy is a serious unknown. Applegate almost won last time. He will next time, if you don’t split the fucking vote.
Mary G
@Walker: Applegate is running again. A Democrat organizer on Twitter told me Levin is a better candidate, but not why. I am still supporting Applegate for now. He did a great job and I think the heavy military vote in the district will be more inclined to vote for him.
zach
Why did no one ever ask Trump or Ryan, point blank, “Under your bill, will Americans be able to keep their insurance plan and their family doctor for the same price?”
zach
When this is eventually scored, what are the odds it’s revenue negative and requires 60 votes in the Senate? I recall discussion that plans unrestricted by essential benefits mean everyone will use their subsidy to buy a crap plan, raising the overall spending.
dmsilev
@zach: Trump would just lie and say “yes, of course”. Or maybe it’s not a lie but rather that he truly doesn’t know (or care) what the bill will do.
Davis X. Machina
@zach: Because we know the answer will be falser than an undertaker’s tears?
Davis X. Machina
@zach: Fire the parliamentarian, hire a new one, and have them give you the right answer.
The GOP did this once already, and in similar circumstances, in 2001.
zach
@dmsilev: I suspect that’s true but it would be good to see someone put him on the spot. So far, there have been lots of vague promises of Trumpcare being better and cheaper for everyone, but that’s debatably true since some Republicans place an infinite value on the freedom to not have health insurance. But there’s no close equivalent to Obama’s “If you like the plan you have, you can keep it. If you like the doctor you have, you can keep your doctor, too.”
Walker
@Mary G:
What I just read about Levin made him sound like a Clinton-style Democrat. Not that there is anything wrong with that. But is that what this district wants? There is some mumbling that he might do better in OC than Applegate, but I cannot imagine what would change OC voters.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
@zach: The entire arguement has been “Yes, it will be terrific for everyone. but it’s in this brown box and you open the box the magic pixes that make it a perfect for everyone will fly away so you can’t open the box and read the law”. That’s basically what they’ve been using on the undecideds.
Lizzy L
I’m supporting Applegate unless I’m given a good reason why I shouldn’t. I sent him $$ last year.
Sab
David Joyce (R-NE Ohio) has a thing on his website about this being “Small Business Week.” So we celebrate small business by gutting their health insurance. If you get your insurance through your employer and you work for a small business, you are in the individual market whether you know it or not.
ceece
I think swing left is raising money for funds to go to the winner of the primary. Here is a quote from an email I received:
——
Introducing Swing Left District Funds. District Funds are pots of money, raised in advance, for the eventual Democratic nominee in each Swing District. These grassroots donations will be passed on to the candidate right after the primary—and if the incumbent in a given Swing District is a Democrat, donations will be sent to their campaign immediately.
—-
MomSense
@Sab:
If you work for a small, small business you don’t get insurance through your employer. That’s the problem. There are so many people who cannot access insurance through their employers.
Kay
Liar.
Oh, well. A lot of the recipients voted for him.
Mnemosyne
I think even Democrats in “safe” districts are assuming they’re going to need to fight it out in 2018. I’ve been getting fundraising appeals from Adam Schiff. I’ve been on his mailing list for a decade and never gotten fundraising appeals before.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
Man, when the right turn on each other, they do it right, I gotta say
the charming Ms Long was retweeting Pamela Gellar when she caught Frum’s eye
Mnemosyne
@Ha ha haaaaa:
Bite me, troll.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Sab: “small business” is arguably the most abused term in politics, or at least it’s in the top ten. The term suggests Mom&Pop’s Hardware Store Downtown or Ed’s Plumbing, Now with Four Trucks. The reality, at least when I looked at the Commerce Dept definitions a few years ago, is quite different. My favorite example: Car Dealerships.
Goku
@Ha ha haaaaa: Go fuck yourself you piece of shit. You deserve to die as much as the assholes voting for this genocide for taking such glee in this gutting. You seriously think people won’t remember having their care taken away? Their parents being forced to live with them and going bankrupt? Please
pk
Useful twitter link: rage. (Hope it copies properly.) https://twitter.com/benwikler/status/859838674258755584
Also, this is a donation setup to fund every Dem primary. I think they hold all money until primary winner is decided. It’s a weekly donation that adds up for 2018: https://contribute.itstarts.today/2018. You can’t specify individuals though. It seems like an interesting idea. Just wondering if it’s worth it or if I should go with swingleft which I think pinpoints “winnable” races. As many of you all seem to have more political expertise, I would appreciate any feedback on what you all think would be smartest option.
Tilda Swintons Bald Cap
@Kay: Wait until they have to bring mom back from the nursing home and bankrupt themselves taking care of her. But America will be Great by then I’m sure.
oldster
I’d just like to point out that “Ha ha haaaaa” @19 is a repeat troll who comes around to tell us that all is lost and we may as well not fight.
Fuck you, troll. Whether you are sitting in the suburbs of Moscow right now, or just one of the Republican thugs who has decided to ally yourself with the Russians, you are no true American.
We are going to fight for our country, and in time we are going to win it back. And we will have the last laugh on you.
The Thin Black Duke
@Goku: It will. The troll is going to get old and sick sooner or later, right?
schrodingers_cat
@Ha ha haaaaa: I hope you are being well compensated to do a metaphoric dance on people’s graves by Comrade Putin.
JMG
I don’t know anything about the midterms in terms of who’ll win or lose, but I’m pretty sure almost all voters will remember this bill passing.
gbear
@Ha ha haaaaa:
If thousands of people lose their insurance because this bill passes, YEAH, people are going to remember this vote at the midterms. They’re going to remember this vote in 2020 too. Some of them will be remembering friends and relatives that would have been alive but for this bill.
Tilda Swintons Bald Cap
@JMG: Maybe, but the time between now and November 2018 is an eternity in today’s politics. Who knows what will happen between now and then. Also, if this passes the House the pressure on the Republicans in the Senate will be huge, they may pass something that will be very bad even if it’s not as bad as the House version. But at least Susan Sarandon told me that Trump would be less bad than Hillary, so I have that going for me.
zach
There should be ads catered to every congressional district saying, “X people will lose health insurance in this district. Are you one of them? Call this number to find out!”
Inventor
Col. Applegate is running again. He has name recognition, credibility with the USMC community in San Clemente, and came within an eyelash last time.
He gets my vote and money.
Is BJ endorsing a candidate in a primary? If so, why?
Yarrow
@Tilda Swintons Bald Cap:
Trump resigning or being impeached because he’s a traitor.
Pence also being forced out because he’s a traitor.
Ryan and McConnell also traitors.
Could be a very interesting midterm and not just because of this vote.
Speaking of this vote, I can’t get through to any Republican offices, local or D.C. I have several GOP reps I can call for various reasons and all phones just have busy signals. Chickenshits. They don’t want to deal with constituents since they already know they’re signing death warrants.
JMG
@Tilda Swintons Bald Cap: I think the Senate bill which passes (and one will) will be very bad. But it might not be bad enough for the Freedom Caucus. One thing I saw some reporter whose name I forget post on twitter is that should the House bill become law, health care will then become the leading issue in every governor’s race in 2018, too, because of the waiver provision.
Goku
@The Thin Black Duke: I was thinking a little sooner tbh
schrodingers_cat
@JMG: We get it, we are doomed, there is no need to keep repeating yourself every 5 min.
gbear
@Tilda Swintons Bald Cap:
Susan Sarandon is rich. Trump is less bad for her than Hillary. Trump at his worst will only provide a minor inconvenience for very rich people while he destroys everyone who is not rich.
Kay
So much for the “moderates” as far as power, huh? Weak and ineffectual and rolled by the Far Right, as usual.
They’re going to take us back 30 years on health care.
ArchTeryx
Just remember me.
The Moar You Know
.
@Inventor: I agree, and I’d also like to know why we’re trying to throw money at a political first-timer who declared, literally, this morning. I don’t get it. To be very clear, he’s not getting a dime from me, we’ve got a good guy already here in Applegate who has shown he can beat Issa’s machine. Nobody else has come remotely close.
Goku
@ArchTeryx: It isn’t over yet. We’ll keep fighting. Hang in there. If you ever need help ask us
retr2327
There are Republican Congressmen from N.Y. about to vote for this bill. As per my earlier exchange with David Anderson, one of the virtually unknown side effects of this bill is that it will strip EVERY New Yorker of subsidy assistance, because the bill bars the use of Fed. money to purchase plans that cover abortion and all plans sold in N.Y. must, by law, cover abortion.
Those N.Y. Rs must be called, now, and asked how they can possibly vote to strip their constituents of healthcare subsidies!
(I live in Ct.; my calls mean nothing to them)
schrodingers_cat
@ArchTeryx: We are going to fight this to the bitter end. Tune out the negative Nellies.
Corner Stone
@Kay: They keep calling them members of the “Republican moderate group”. Drives me insane. They sold themselves for an $8B fig leaf bullshit amendment.
And yes, got rolled by two dozen super far right asshole FC wingnuts.
rikyrah
@ArchTeryx:
Always keep you in my mind.
Uncle Cosmo
@oldster: You mean Fuh Fuh Fuhhhhhckhead was here & I missed it? Dang. Them that snoozeth, looseth [sic].
Lizzy L
@retr2327: I wonder if this is true for CA plans.
@ArchTeryx: Don’t give up yet.
JMG
@schrodingers_cat: I didn’t say that. I said some bill will pass the Senate but it might not allow the Senate and House to agree on one. That would be a good thing, right? BTW, according to reporters, the Senate parliamentarian can’t make any rulings on a bill without a CBO score. So even an expedited timeline would be a June vote at the earliest. Much time to rally opposition. Again, good, not bad.
oldster
@retr2327:
I’ve been calling Tom Reed’s DC office all morning; line busy. Spoke to his local office earlier and left a plea for ‘no’ before the very harried clerk ended the call. She wasn’t rude about it, and I don’t blame her–I’m glad that she has a lot of phone calls coming in.
I’m resigned to fighting this for a long time. And I’m looking forward to seeing Tom Reed at the next Town Hall meeting, if he ever holds another one.
Yarrow
@The Moar You Know: This post needs to be edited to include Applegate’s donation info. I don’t know if he has an Act Blue or whatever, but one should be set up if he doesn’t. People here worked hard to get him elected last time and almost succeeded. He deserves support.
Tazj
@retr2327: Nice, I knew it was bad and I didn’t know it was that bad. I live in NY and have tried to get through to my Rep. Chris Collins today 5 times and have also tried to fax. It’s either busy or they’re not taking calls. I have been able to get through other days including the last time they were supposed to vote on the AHCA. He’s described as a “moderate” which is crazy. He’s one of 45’s best buddies in Congress and I’m sure he wants to vote for this bill.
NYCMT
@retr2327: My personal network in NY-19 includes present lead editorial staff at the local papers (the THR, Sullivan County Democrat) and local public radio. I started the ball rolling for in depth coverage of John Faso’s constituent-punching and pre-vote bunker-hiding to appear tomorrow alongside whatever vote happens.
Old media works too. Make it work harder.
hedgehog the occasional commenter
@ArchTeryx: We will fight for you, as long as it takes.
SatanicPanic
@Walker: He is. Isn’t he leading against Levin? Give it to Applegate.
artem1s
@Yarrow: David Joyce’s (OH14) DC office also not taking calls. I did reach his local office. He is still officially a ‘lean no’ so maybe if he is afraid of 2018 he will roll back to full metal NO? call him 440.352.3939 and tell him we’re gunning for Jim Renacci now that he’s flipped. Might as well go for a twofer. I find it helpful to tell them that I am already donating in other districts to flip them blue. They may not be afraid of you vote if you are outside their district but they still have to be afraid of your money.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@SatanicPanic: I think, I’m not sure, that SwingLeft is fund-raising for [insert name of R’s opponent], raising money for eventual nominees precisely in order to stay out of primaries. At least that’s what their tweets on this make it look like.
SatanicPanic
@The Moar You Know: Wait, I don’t think Levin literally declared this morning. He’s been in my FB feed for at least a month (I happen to know a guy who knows him personally and has been telling people to support him). I’d still stick with Applegate but it’s not my district so take that with a grain of sale.
Josie
@pk: I would go with SwingLeft. They are well organized and are pointed at the most winnable districts. I signed up with them to help a district next door to mine and get great organizing information from them. They will take money and hold it for the Democrat and will actually have people walking the district making personal contact when the right time comes.
rikyrah
@JMG:
Hadn’t thought of that.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: this is one of the districts they’re going to target
I’ve seen that interpreted on twitter as “Booyah! Let’s be heroes!” and “We’re fucked, let’s just get it over with and hope they forget”. Don’t know which it is.
Yarrow
Finally got through to Freedom Caucus rep whose district also contains my zip code. Staffers have told me for days he “hadn’t decided” how he was going to vote. Today he’s voting yes. I told the staffer his vote would directly negatively impact me and my family, it’s an age tax and I would work my ass off to make sure he was thrown out of office. She said, “Have a nice day.” Asshole. All of them. My hatred for them is probably visible from space.
Mary G
@Walker: Levin showed up at an in-person town hall Issa finally did and they got into a shouting match. People didn’t like that.
trollhattan
@gbear:
It would appear the Flit has been applied because troll-be-gone. Borscht breaktime.
zmulls
Took me a few tries to get through the Meehan (PA, 7th). This is a borderline red/blue gerrymandered district so I am sure he’s running scared.
He was in NY Times yesterday as a NO, so I called his office to a) verify he is still a NO, and b) thank him for it. Have to reinforce good behavior.
Both times I’ve called his office, they’ve been careful to take my address (to verify I’m really a constituent)
Kay
@Corner Stone:
Episode 501 of “The Republican Moderates will Save Us!”
Failed. Again.
Taylor
What the fuck is this post doing endorsing one Issa opponent over another in the primary? Someone wake up the poster.
ArchTeryx
@hedgehog the occasional commenter: Just fight in my name. Probably won’t be around to see it.
SatanicPanic
@Taylor: Someone just get Bernie to pick so we don’t have to argue who is better.
Yarrow
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
Remember how well that went for the Fyre Festival folks?
They’re legends alright.
piratedan
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: McSally ran on the “I’m a vet and I support Veterans issues!” campaign, apparently everybody else is on their own. If she votes for this (and she’s been a Yes all along), she loses all bipartisan cred and will likely be done after this… so it’s a “brave” move on her part to vote her conscience to remove people from affordable health care. She may think she can brazen it out because she has some big money behind her (after all, this is Gabby Giffords old district and the GOP poured a shitpotfull of cash into these races as they chose to make Giffords defeat a huge priority as she was one of the tortured Blue Dogs that voted for the ACA (and look what that got her, offices vandalized and herself a target for GOP outrage).
In a way, I hope McSally does vote yes… because I think that she’s shown herself to be just another GOP lemming, doing what the money tells her to do. If she does, this AZ seat could become extremely flippable, fuck, I might be able to win it if I ran.
Eolirin
@ArchTeryx: I know I mostly lurk here, so I feel a little awkward saying this, but in the worst case scenario that this shit actually becomes law, I can’t see the BJ community not doing everything it possibly can to prevent that. A lot of people are gonna die unnecessarily if this thing becomes law, but communities like this one will also come to together to save everyone they can. You aren’t alone. We’ll have your back no matter what way the vote goes.
PST
An hour before the vote, is there even now a text online somewhere of the current bill? If there is, I can’t find it.
germy
Washington Post:
So polite!
themann1086
@zmulls: I told my mother (who lives in Meehan’s district) to ask him to convince his colleagues to vote No. Just to add some fresh pressure to him.
ArchTeryx
@Eolirin: Trouble is…what can this or any community do? Chronic conditions arent amenable to gofundme campaigns, and health care is more expensive then any community can support…it is why health insurance exists.
I’ve been deemed expenable. Aint nothing gonna change that now.
amk
artem1s
@PST:
No, they have not written it. It hasn’t been scored. It’s just a collection of torture p0rn fantasies that Freedum Caucus members had scribbled in cum and blood in the back of their bibles.
eclare
@Eolirin: Seconded.
schrodingers_cat
@JMG: Not those words exactly, but that’s been the gist of your comments since yesterday. May be you are right, may be you are not. We just don’t need to hear it like a refrain, all the time.
Eolirin
@ArchTeryx: In the aggregate they are, individually they aren’t. We can set up something like a Patreon page if need be. Those run on monthly subscriptions.
What we can’t do, outside of fighting politically, is help the hundreds and thousands of others in exactly the same situation. But we can help *you* and at least that’s *something*
hueyplong
It was never “moderates” who were saving us. It was the freedom caucus types for whom the legislation was insufficiently draconian. The moderates are cowards who flee if there is no one standing between them and accountability of any type.
Once the hard core was satisfied, it was going to pass the house. Someone needs to tell the HFC that somewhere there is a family of color who is not screwed by this bill.
Major Major Major Major
@ArchTeryx: Haven’t you said you can quickly marry your fiancee and get on her plan? It’s obviously not an ideal solution but I imagine it’s preferable to death.
Kropadope
My congressfolk are all solid “no”s. Any suggestions on how to pressure people outside my own district? I doubt Rs way the opinions of anyone very heavily, least of all people who don’t live in their district anyway.
Kropadope
@hueyplong:
Oprah?
MomSense
@ArchTeryx:
Do not give up. We are going to fight this and we will win.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
far right crank tweeting this at her own side
schrodingers_cat
@Kropadope: Any Freedumb caucus members in NH?
Yarrow
@pk:
Just had t look at your link. Everyone should read this. The fight goes to the Senate if this passes and they’ll be watching to see what we do. Click here to start thread:
Sample follow up tweets from thread:
I think not pressuring the Senate is wrong. But it’s both/and, not either/or.
SatanicPanic
@amk: I hate the word “deserve” because people don’t get what they deserve. I hate “Democrats deserve to lose” even more. I am a Democrat, do I deserve to be governed by evil idiots if the public chooses to be uninformed? F*ck that. NOPE. We’re not talking about a football team that I watch on television. We’re talking about US.
Tilda Swintons Bald Cap
Remember back in 2003 some folks were saying Iraq would turn out to be the biggest foreign policy blunder in our lifetimes? This may well turn out to be the biggest domestic policy blunder in our lifetimes. The question is, will they pay a price?
Mnemosyne
@Yarrow:
That’s exactly what flashed through my mind as well.
You can always count on Republicans to act vindictively when they realize they’re going to lose, and this is going to get them shellacked in the midterms, bigly.
ArchTeryx
@Major Major Major Major: It is and she is willing but her insurance is…not the best, and limited to where she lives, not where I live. There will be large and probably fatal delays while I try to figure out how to put a square peg in a round hole.
Getting a job with NYS would solve everything, but a dozen interviews have yielded zero offers . Being a PhD apparently is fatal to being a job seeker.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Tilda Swintons Bald Cap: I think they will, but as with Iraq, there’s the potential for a lot of people’s lives to be destroyed– from bankruptcy to irreversibly aggravated illness to death– before that price is paid.
sharl
FYI, after seeing the complaints from commenters who know Issa’s district and brought up veteran Dem. opponent Applegate, I DM’d Doug on Twitter to let him know about the situation. I also included the links to the websites for Swing Left – which appears to be slightly favored (so far) by commenters here – as well as the link for It Starts Today.
Hopefully Doug will see that DM, if he doesn’t see comments here first.
Kropadope
@schrodingers_cat: OMW to work, but I’ll look into it. Our NH house is in the sticks, so maybe there…
?eric
@artem1s: post of year! most notable for its mild reservation and tact. Winner!
Yarrow
@ArchTeryx: Take the PhD off your resume. Pretend to be dumber than you are. People the other day were talking about taking years of work experience off their resumes and it worked.
Anyone have a Rep who pretends to be big on veterans care?
Trumpcare makes being a veteran a pre-existing condition.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
I sometimes think Lindsey Graham is expecting as big a backlash as we’re hoping for– but, yeah, he’ll vote as he’s told, especially know that he and Old Man McCain think trump is gonna give them their waragra
Tilda Swintons Bald Cap
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: For sure. TPM has an blurb with Manchin saying it’s DOA in the Senate. I hope he’s right.
Barbara
@Yarrow: Both/and not either or. For God’s sake, we still pay one monthly fee no matter how many emails, tweets and facebook posts we generate.
What I would suggest as a strategy for those in Virginia, with an upcoming governor’s election, is that people show up to Republican events and ask Gillespie (in particular) point blank questions about his intentions for Virginia. Same for New Jersey, which is also up this year.
germy
http://www.nybooks.com/daily/2017/04/05/no-one-to-blame-but-trump/
rikyrah
@Barbara:
Not only the Governor’s race, but the State Legislature races too.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
@Tilda Swintons Bald Cap: Katina brought Bush down, but was that really worth New Orlens?
Mike J
@PST:
Republicans pledged that every bill would be available for at least three days before a vote, so it must be, or they would just be a bunch of filthy liars.
It’s in the section about reforming congress and restoring trust..
http://pledge.gop.gov/resources/library/documents/pledge/a-pledge-to-america.pdf
Barbara
@Tilda Swintons Bald Cap: Well, Manchin’s West Virginia cohort Shelley Moore Capito does not want it to pass, that’s for sure. West Virginia is already poor enough and was one of the first states to expand Medicaid. It’s also old (as is Maine), so the “age tax” meme is especially destructive. This is also true in Pennsylvania, but Toomey is a true Club For Growth believer and has never met a poor or sick person he wouldn’t kill if he didn’t end up going to jail for it. A true sociopath along the lines of Paul Ryan.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Tilda Swintons Bald Cap: I think this version would be dead in the Senate, but something less bad, but still devastating, will probably pass, probably with Manchin’s vote, and then we’re back to counting on the Freedom Caucus to find it too generous. I wouldn’t bet either way right now
rikyrah
Overlooked part of GOP bill may undermine employer health plans
05/04/17 09:20 AM
By Steve Benen
One of the goals of the Affordable Care Act was to avoid widespread disruptions to the existing system. Most Americans in the workforce have health coverage through their employers, and the ACA’s Democratic architects made sure not to undermine those plans.
On the contrary, “Obamacare” did the opposite, leaving that coverage untouched, except to add consumer protections such as a ban on lifetime limits.
With that in mind, many Americans may be watching the Republican health care crusade with a degree of emotional detachment: the GOP bill may be indefensible, many are likely thinking, but it won’t affect me personally because I have coverage through my private employer.
The Wall Street Journal reports today, however, on a provision of the Republican legislation that could affect those who thought they were safe from the GOP’s bill.
…………………………………
Tilda Swintons Bald Cap
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: Agree.
Timurid
Then why did you rubber stamp his Cabinet of circus freaks and cannibals, you dumbfucks?
LurkerNoLonger
FUCK. YOU. This motherfucker better start sending out resumes.
germy
@Timurid:
Good question.
Chris
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
“Should be viewed with caution.” LOL. Translation: I’m hand-wringing for the media so they can continue to give me moderate cred, but I’ll vote for it anyway.
chopper
generally i’d assume they have the votes if they’re having a vote. but i’m really hoping that given that ryan is basically fucked as speaker if he pulls the bill a third time, he may just be winging it.
Tilda Swintons Bald Cap
@Enhanced Voting Techniques: Of course, nothing is worth what this bill or a watered down version will do. The time to stop it is here and now before it gets to the Senate. Passing in the House gives it momentum and allows Trump to get a win. Better to kill it here than wait.
germy
@LurkerNoLonger: Don’t forget Faso is the one who wrote an op-ed during the bush admin. extolling the virtues of privatized Social Security. He said it would be great for wall street.
I didn’t expect him to do the right thing. And stephanik’s mentor was karl rove.
chopper
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
if the senate changes it to be more like the first version that the HFC lost their shit over, i have no confidence at all that ryan will be able to get them to vote for it.
even if by some miracle that happens, that was still a terrible bill that will fuck over millions. the goopers really fucked themselves here, at least if voters really want to make them suffer.
PST
@liberal: About the George Will column, the sentence I love best, and one I think I will try to memorize and use whenever I can, is:
He’s a malicious Forest Gump with his finger on the button.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
These people are demented.
If Patton were alive, he might point out that neither McCarthy, nor Ryan, nor McHenry, ever served in the military. Then he would slap them for suggesting that taking Sicily was like taking health insurance away from poor people. Maybe. I’d like to think so.
liberal
@germy:
It most definitely would be good for wall street. They skim off anything they get their hands on. Even if only 0.5%, we’re talking a fuckton of money. And I’m sure it wouldn’t only be 0.5%. It’s not like Vanguard would run the whole thing.
Mike J
@chopper: The danger in the senate is that they pass a bill that on its face seems reasonable. Hey, we’ll make sure Obamacare is fully funded and offer states more incentives to participate fully!
Then they’ll go to conference.
Kay
Another liar. They’re all following the Trump precedent: lie constantly and hope no one figures it out.
And it’s all to give another giant, budget busting tax cut to the top 1%.
Weaselone
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
I don’t think this is getting Manchin’s vote. At its heart, this bill is about stripping about 800 billion from Medicaid over 10 years and doling it out to the rich as tax cuts. Medicare cuts alone should be enough to sink it with the Senator of Medicaid dependent West Virginia.
germy
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: Well, they have declared war, after all.
On us.
Aleta
@ArchTeryx: Some computer-related jobs in Maine that require a PhD are supposed to be posted in the next few months. I’m going to link to them here when they’re posted. (Not NYS, I know.)
dmsilev
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: Also, Rocky lost in the end.
ETA: If the House GOP wants follow Rocky and beat their meat over healthcare, they should at least have the courtesy to do so in private.
artem1s
Reichert WA is evidently a NO and he was previously recorded as leaning Yes
https://twitter.com/NatalieBrandK5/status/860168906480132097
Maybe the mods are getting nervous again?
Kay
Just repeat this over and over- he lied. He’s cutting 880 billion from Medicaid.
He’s hoping no one will find out.
Gretchen
I called both Yoder’s (KS) offices – local and DC. I went with “What’s the rush to get this through this afternoon? It’s irresponsible to push this through in a hurry before you have a CBO score and know what the effects will be – especially since it may affect employer-based insurance too. Does he really want Jimmy Kimmel and his cute, sick baby cutting ads for his opponent in the next election? Nervous laughter and an admission that they’re getting lots of calls.
liberal
@PST: Billmon described it thusly: Trump’s mind is “a cave of winds”. He thought Trump has been bullshitting so long there’s nothing left of the core persona.
I think it’s “better for us” politically that Trump is charge, not Pence. But the risk of him getting us into a war with a major power is high enough that I’d rather Pence replaced him.
liberal
@Mike J: I haven’t looked it up…can a bill coming out of conference be filibustered?
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Kay: in this particular case, and in several others, I have no problem believing that McCarthy is dumb enough to believe what he’s saying. Remember he’s the one who gave the game away on the Benghazi(!) hearings, and has had a couple of other embarrassing epodes of telling the truth. Ryan knows he’s lying, I’d guess most of them do, but a lot of them are truly as dumb as we say they are. Their faith in the market is as simple and unquestioning as Reagan’s
MomSense
@Aleta:
Our Medicaid situation here is bleak. We are not an expansion state.
Mass would be better. That’s where I’m trying to move.
dlm
Does anyone know if they left in the exemption for themselves and their staff?
Kay
You’re probably wondering what public employee Ivanka Trump is up to today while her dad pulls health care from tens of millions of people.
She’s promoting her book:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BTq3IjRl5Pz/
Boy, that was money well spent, huh? Hiring her and her staff and her huge security apparatus. That public investment is certainly paying off.
How many people could we keep on Medicaid if we got rid of the Trump nepotism hires and their entourages?
MomSense
@ArchTeryx: @Yarrow:
That would be me! Last round of resumes I chopped off half my life and dates of degrees. Have two interviews next week. Ugh.
Leaving now to get my hair degrayed and youngified.
Kay
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
Trump voters should be scared. They may not use Medicaid but Trump is a liar and he included Social Security and Medicaid in that lie he told them.
If Medicaid is gutted they’re next. His word means nothing. If he gets away with this nothing is off the table.
Jeffro
Coffman voting ‘no’, according to CNN
Major Major Major Major
@Kay: Trump voters are scared.
…of immigrants.
retr2327
@dlm: From what I’ve seen today, yes, the exemption is still in the bill. There is a separate bill that repeals the exemption, but that one won’t be coming up for a vote today, so far as I know. Funny how that works . . .
Mary G
@dlm: Yes, they exempted themselves, of course.
jacy
@dlm:
Last I heard yes. But who the hell knows now — it’s all dark.
Tilda Swintons Bald Cap
@Kay: Considering the NYT is running a he said / she said both siders do it comparison of statements from Ryan and Pelosi ( you can read about it over at DKOS) I am betting he might be able to get away with it.
Yarrow
@artem1s: They might have enough votes and be letting more vulnerable Reps off the hook to vote no.
Timurid
I got in one last call (but my Rep, Clay Higgins of Louisiana likely won’t care).
This is total insanity. The GOP does not seem to realize anymore that actions have consequences.
I wouldn’t be surprised if in a few days Trump completes the “We Are Your Overlords” trifecta… after AHCA and the “religious liberty” EO… by canning Comey and running the Russiagate investigation into the ditch for good. I’m becoming more and me convinced that there’s a plan to delay and/or rig the 2018 and 2020 elections (of course even if there is a plan, there’s no guarantee it will work). I can’t think of many other explanations why so many people are willing to commit what would be, in any normal setting, a very public and very messy political suicide.
Tilda Swintons Bald Cap
I guess we’re minutes away from having our contradictions heightened.
Chris
@liberal:
Correct. It’s impossible to be this much of a bullshit artist for so long without at some point losing track of what’s real and what’s not. And this guy was born in as sheltered an existence as possible – he didn’t have a firm grip on reality to begin with.
SatanicPanic
@Timurid: Maybe they have decided that this is going to be popular or that not getting anything done will depress enthusiasm with their base. Republicans seem to do better in midterms so it’s not crazy to bank on that. If there’s a plan to rig or delay the elections, we’d probably know about it right now, because one of these goobers would have talked. They’ve been loudly announcing every “clever” move they’ve made for years.
Taylor
@germy: So the GOP strategy is to gut social programs, hang the blame on Trump, and then probably impeach him for being a Russian agent.
He was never a True Conservative, you know.
chopper
@Tilda Swintons Bald Cap:
and it might be long and drawn out. if ryan doesn’t have quite as many votes as he thought he may hold this sucker open for a while.
mai naem mobile
I find it hard to believe these GOP congress critters believe anything Dolt 45 has promised them. If they do they’re not in on the con.
Yarrow
@dlm: Last I heard, yes, the MoCs and their staffers are exempt from the pre-existing conditions coverage being taken away. Of course they are.
mai naem mobile
I don’t remember, are they doing this through reconciliation or regular vote. Can it be filibustered?
TenguPhule
@Yarrow:
Is that sufficiently evil enough for the folks here to allow me to let loose as to parentage, eventual destination and means to that end?
gvg
@Taylor:
Neither are they by the meaning of the word. Radical reactionaries is what they all are. It is what they call their tribe and it’s true he isn’t exactly one of them but the way parties work, he is now the head of that tribe and changing THEM. Besides it proves just how insincere their loyalty to Christ is. I sometimes wish I could quote scripture at these self promoting smug unaware liars. It’s a good thing I know a few really nice Christians or I would blame the religion when it’s really just bad people.
TenguPhule
@mai naem mobile: Reconciliation. No filibuster allowed, but the Senate and House versions would have to match or be fixed in committee.
mai naem mobile
@Yarrow: I called my MoC – a Democrat – and then staffer said that’s not true . Supposedly there’s an amendment that does not exclude them.
TenguPhule
@Taylor: And that will work out about as well for them as Les Collaborators worked out in France after the Germans left.
dmsilev
@mai naem mobile: That’s a Senate thing; House is majority-only. Their hope is to pass in reconciliation in the Senate because there’s no way on Earth that they’d get 8 Democrats to go along with this, but that’s not a factor today.
rikyrah
@Kay:
She’s phucking hideous.
SatanicPanic
@mai naem mobile: depends on the bill that passes. if it’s budget neutral they need 50 votes, if not, they need 60. We don’t really know yet.
rikyrah
@Kay:
Absolutely.
TenguPhule
@Timurid:
Fascism plans to stay in power by any means necessary. It’s not coincidence that Trump is allowing the Nutball churches to start getting into the political game.
Handmaid’s Tale has become the new GOP instruction manual.
Teddys Person
@artem1s: I hope so. This is my rep and I faxed him yesterday and today when I couldn’t get through on the phone.
mai naem mobile
@TenguPhule: pretty sure McSally is signing her career suicide note there. She thinks she lives in a red district because she had a decent margin last time around . But she doesn’t. She’s in a purple district. Also McSally is a vet so she gets her sweet sweet government paid healthcare.
TenguPhule
@SatanicPanic: It’s going to be budget neutral even if they have to fire the rule maker. They’re trying to steamroll this as fast as possible before the CBO scores it.
TenguPhule
@mai naem mobile: It shouldn’t stop at just her career.
Yarrow
Are they voting yet? I thought they were going to vote at 1 p.m.
Timurid
@SatanicPanic: With public opinion so overwhelmingly against this, they’d have to be clinically insane to think they’re going to be rewarded for their actions at the polls.
dmsilev
@Yarrow: Last I heard was 1:15, so now-ish in theory.
TenguPhule
@Kay:
Trump voters should also be rational decision makers.
They’re not.
Things are about to get a lot worse.
TenguPhule
@Timurid: They apparently think the fix is in. Who cares about the voters? They control who counts those votes now.
TenguPhule
@Kay:
Depends, do we confiscate all their assets and sell their organs in the process? Because that would fund quite a lot of Medicaid coverage.
SatanicPanic
@TenguPhule: The Senate Parliamentarian has got no divisions.
LurkerNoLonger
@germy: He was for it the first time, but that statement makes it seem as if it was this useless amendment that made him change his mind. He just wants to vote yes on any piece of shit they dump on the floor. Asshole.
Yarrow
KEEP CALLING!
Mike J
@liberal:
Conference reports on budget and reconciliation bills are limited to 10 hours debate in the senate.
SatanicPanic
@Timurid: Sure, if you ask the public about it, they say it sucks. But I don’t want to bet on the public remembering it, thinking it’s a big deal, or properly assigning blame. I mean, look at who our president is.
Yarrow
@mai naem mobile:
There is an amendment but it’s not being passed with this bill. They hope people will forget about it and it’ll never come up for a vote. As this bill stands now, MoC and staffers are exempt.
Origuy
After Sheila Jackson Lee spoke on the House floor against the bill, Doug Collins (R-GA) called her speech “going into hysterics”.
Miss Bianca
@germy: Oh, yeah, they’re sorry NOW. Not sorry enough to resist him before the election, but they’re sorry NOW, now that they see their own asses – and electoral futures – on the line.
mdblanche
Hope for the best and prepare for the worst. One potential hope spot:
Miss Bianca
@PST:
Man…when you’ve lost George Fuckin’ *Will* like that…
@Jeffro: Wow, Coffman voting ‘no’? That’s a switch. Emailed Scott Tipton, CO 3, today. Doing my mite for the resistance…
Yarrow
Republicans are their most extreme wing now. Make them own it.
The Thin Black Duke
@Miss Bianca: Yeah. “Party of Personal Responsibility “, my ass. Cowards.
Paul W.
I finally got off my ass and called my rep (Queens NY, so it wasn’t really a concern), but I was almost too overwhelmed to speak because EVERYTHING IS WORSE THAN I THOUGHT!
Trump is too stupid to understand what it would do, but many of these representatives are not and I don’t understand how they can do this in good conscious. UGHH, FUCK THE REPUBLICANS!
Eolirin
@Miss Bianca: I think it’s a bit deeper than that. They may hate Trump but they won’t do anything to help get rid of him anyway. Disloyalty to the party results in excommunication. None of them will risk that. Better to lose an election and move into a cushy consulting job.
mdblanche
@mdblanche:
cthulhu
@Walker:
Swing Left has set up these specific types of funds: swingleft.org/district-funds
MCA1
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: “These people are demented.”
Not to mention, f’ing dorks. This is Michael Scott level stuff. I picture them playing the “Rocky” theme on a f’ing boombox with a CD while they high five each other in their Dockers khakis.
zzyzx
I have a business trip coming up in Germany. When I was looking up things to do in the Frankfurt area, one thing that came up was the red light district. I didn’t know that Germany had those, so I read up about them. Apparently most of the places there are a scam. There is a barker standing by the door who lures people in. Once inside, a potential customer (and there usually is only one there at a time because everyone else knows about this) is surrounded by women who get them to buy a drink… which turn out to cost hundreds of Euros each. There’s a law in Frankfurt that says that menus have to be posted at the door, but the barker stands in front of it so no one can see the prices.
My thought about that is basically shock. I mean you have the option of selling what is commonly referred to as the oldest profession, and you decide that that apparently isn’t a sustainable model, so instead of promoting repeat customers, you try to scam people once (and you have to bribe the police to help you out to do this) and make your money that way. It seems like a lot of work to make money, and not a way that you’d ever feel good about yourself at the end of the day.
The reason I bring this up is that this is what this health care bill is trying to do. The health care system is a fifth of our economy. Everyone is going to need it at some point in their life. Provide good service, figure out a way to balance the healthy and the sick into your risk pool, and you can make a ton of money and help people at the same time. Complications? Sure, but solvable ones.
Instead we now have a bill to promote scam insurances. They want to offer cheap looking programs that are so affordable because they cover nothing. The healthy will pay you money to think they’re covered, and the sick will be priced out of everything. At least in the short term, yes, you can make some bank that way. Eventually though, the marks catch on. This isn’t being evil to get rich. This moral bankruptcy is only going to achieve a very short term advantage and ultimately is likely to gut an extremely profitable industry. That’s what I don’t get. Who is the person who thinks this is good?
Jeffro
5 more ‘no’ votes and this thing goes down – let ’em have it, people!!! TO THE PHONES!!!!!
Mel
@ArchTeryx: Me as well.
And so many others. I don’t know what we will do.
Yarrow
Topher Spiro says Dems are on the floor to vote No first. I can’t watch this debacle. Is anyone watching?
Jeffro
@Yarrow:
It’s what Josh Marshall calls, the Iron Law of GOP Politics: the GOP ‘moderates’ will always cave.
Tilda Swintons Bald Cap
Just to add to what’s happening there’s this:
Yarrow
Apparently Ryan is nervous:
Yarrow
@Tilda Swintons Bald Cap: Of course they are. And the next time there’s a financial crash the people responsible need to go to prison.
chopper
@SatanicPanic:
i’m wondering how everything in this bill is kosher with the reconciliation process. how again is gutting federal requirements as to preexisting conditions going to be seen as merely budgetary?
japa21
I remember when the ACA passed. I watched the vote and was on the edge of my seat because I knew the worse that could happen would be maintenance of the status quo and the best would be a major step forward. I can’t watch this time because the worse that can happen is an abomination.
TenguPhule
@Yarrow: Perhaps he’s feeling the cold hand of DEATH resting on his shoulder?
We can only hope.
sixthdoctor
@Yarrow: Of course he’s nervous, he’s been dreaming of this since his college days…
Major Major Major Major
@Tilda Swintons Bald Cap: They’ll have to break a filibuster for that, or just get rid of the filibuster entirely.
Yarrow
@TenguPhule: Is a Dem running against Ryan in his district? I thought I heard someone was stepping up to challenge him.
Chris
@sixthdoctor:
Probably more nervous here than he was when he asked his wife to marry him.
liberal
@gvg:
As I always say, Krugman put it best in his preface to The Great Unraveling: The Republican Party is now a “revolutionary power,” a la some early work by Henry Kissinger.
A more common but related description I’ve seen these days is that they’re behaving like a Westminster parliamentary party, which isn’t compatible with the framework set up by the Founders. (Not that I think the Founders didn’t fuck this up.)
liberal
@Chris: He’s probably already in a doctor’s office, suffering priapism.
satby
@Yarrow: This. Take the PhD off. It sucks because it’s something you worked hard for, but it’s probably making you seem too high priced and or overqualified. Lose it and keep trying. Even if this passes, it may be months before they unwind everything in place today, and you may land a job by then.
Mnemosyne
@zzyzx:
Republicans and conservatives genuinely think that nothing bad will ever happen to them that they won’t be able to weasel their way out of. They’ll never get an inoperable brain tumor. They’ll never have a pregnancy with a fetus with fatal birth defects. They’ll never have an elderly parent who needs a lot more care than they can pay for.
And even if they do, they pretend it’s not happening. Remember the Republican House rep who bragged that he made his kid wait overnight to get his broken arm set so the rep wouldn’t have to pay the ER fee? He’s convinced himself that his child’s pain and suffering is less important than his saving $200.
chopper
@Yarrow:
man he really is winging it, isn’t he.
Yarrow
There isn’t a war on women. Nope.
H.E.Wolf
Thanks to rikyrah and sixthdoctor in the previous thread for the FaxZero suggestion. I faxed 5 wavering GOP Reps. Can’t hurt; might help….
Timurid
@liberal: Even in a Westminster system, actions have consequences. But these people are acting as if consequences have been outlawed.
liberal
@Yarrow: @zzyzx:
All the people in both the insurance industry and the actual medical system who are making money hand over fist?
liberal
@Timurid: That, AFAICT, is precisely the problem. They’re acting as a Westminster party in a non-Westminster system.
Eolirin
@liberal: Which is why all those groups are opposed to this bill?
Yarrow
I hope so. If the Dems can’t beat them using this vote….
ArchTeryx
@Yarrow: Believe me I do, but it leaves a giant hole in my work record, which causes its own problems. A 10 year gap can’t be easily explained away.
liberal
@Yarrow: There isn’t, really. Ask yourself, for example, how white women voted in the last election. Last I checked, “suicide” is not “war”.
eclare
@liberal: I thought the industries were generally against this because so many people would lose means to pay. Hospitals will close. Doctors will lose patients. Who thinks this is good? Koch’s, anyone who benefits from the tax cut, that’s it.
amk
Is the floor vote happening now?
Aleta
They can’t vote away our voices.
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
@liberal:
I hate you for putting up something that makes me say “I agree with George Will”.
You, sir, are a monster without a sense of empathy, compassion or shame.
Yarrow
@ArchTeryx: Were you doing any research? Change it to “research assistant” or something like that. Focus on the nature of the work you were doing. You weren’t only taking classes for ten years, right?
NorthLeft12
I read on Daily Kos that the GOP Health Care bill allows sexual assault, pregnancy, C sections, and domestic violence to be classified as a pre-existing conditions which can be subject to higher insurance rates. I really cannot believe that is true. Can anyone confirm that?
BTW I would like to say that I’m surprised that these conditions mostly/exclusively impact women, but then I would be lying. Is there a list of male related conditions that would also apply?
Chyron HR
@ArchTeryx:
Can you fake being 10 years younger than you really are?
Chris
@Eolirin:
This. It’s about ideology. They’re way past common greed – they’re doing this because they want people to suffer, and don’t even care anymore if it costs them.
ETA: or as a wise person once said,
“Almost all political conflict, especially in the US, boils down to a fight between the Sane Billionaires and the Insane Billionaires. It generally follows this template:
INSANE BILLIONAIRES: Let’s kill everyone and take their money!
SANE BILLIONAIRES: I like the way you think. I really do. But if we keep everyone alive, and working for us, we’ll make even more money, in the long term.
INSANE BILLIONAIRES: You communist!!!”
liberal
@Eolirin: I was addressing the system as a whole (private health insurance and medical provision), not just this bill.
chopper
@Eolirin:
this. the AMA is tweeting about how everyone needs to call their congresscritters and demand they oppose this POS bill.
liberal
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: Yeah, in this case I’m a self-hating-G.Will-citer.
Yarrow
@eclare: I think I saw that the health insurance group and big insurers are quiet on this. Maybe it’s revenue neutral for them.
liberal
@eclare: Yeah, I meant the system as a whole. I’m not saying that I was opposed to O’care, but it did benefit the industry in many ways.
liberal
@Yarrow: There’s other complications, though—I thought at least one insurer thought if it played nice with Trump they’d get some merger approved.
ArchTeryx
@Chyron HR: Try ’20’. And sadly, I aint looking like my 20s any more.
The problem isn’t getting interviews. Its getting offers. When they SEE me, it is all over. Even a Director level contact I have can’t tell me why, either, but there it is.
Yarrow
@liberal: I don’t know. Maybe David Anderson can weigh in.
Eolirin
@liberal: Are you trying to imply that the entire post-ACA healthcare and insurance industry is a short sighted con like the german red-light district one then?
Mike J
Anybody else nervous about Reichart coming out as a no? My fear is that they came up with enough votes to let him defend himself from constituents. I hope I’m just overthinking it.
liberal
@Jeffro: At least one so-called “moderate” has a recent score of “0%” from Americans for Democratic Action.
Mnemosyne
@liberal:
It was Aetna. Because Aetna is run by assholes. Worst insurance company I’ve ever had to deal with, and I have Cigna.
NorthLeft12
@Yarrow: Funny, I thought the repubs were pro-family. Apparently not.
I think this is just another piece of evidence that the Repubs will eff over anyone in their base to deliver what their paymasters demand. The UltraRich RWNJs want their taxes cut. Period. Full stop. They paid for it, and they expect delivery.
Mary G
@Yarrow: I dug out the remote and have C-SPAN on. Nancy SMASH’s speech was awesome. They are voting now on an amendment regarding the Congressional exemption. I didn’t process the explanation of it well because I was wishing a long and painful death on Paul Ryan, but I think it’s a Democratic bill to remove the Congressional exemption from Trumpcare. It’s winning 342-0 right now.
Walker
@ArchTeryx:
Unfortunately, research positions (academic or industry) are one of the most age discriminatory fields out there. When a university hires a researcher, they evaluate him or her on “trajectory.”
schrodingers_cat
@NorthLeft12: Their true base is the .1%. That’s who the media caters to as well.
TenguPhule
@Yarrow: Catch 22. If they oppose it and lose, Trump and the GOP will punish them for it. If they oppose it and win, Trump and the GOP will simply go through this again and we’re all back at the starting line.
chopper
@Mike J:
that kind of leadership strategy makes more sense when you know you have more than enough votes to let some guys off the hook. this seems way too close for that strategy to make any sense.
HeleninEire
@JMG: That is VERY interesting. Hadn’t thought of that. They are ceding the power to the states. How will the governors react?
chopper
@Mary G:
chaffetz must be happy he got his foot surgery before today.
Crashman06
@Mike J: I suspect you’re right. They’re giving him cover. This, unfortunately, will most likely pass.
Yarrow
@Mary G: One of the Insurance people on twitter said that exemption won’t survive reconciliation so Congress will still be exempt in the end. It’s just to cover their rears.
NorthLeft12
@Yarrow: Yep, the extreme right wingers know exactly how weak and weasly their less extreme brethren are. Why do you think they are running their party?
Aleta
Disgusting
via TPM
Mary G
@Mary G: OK, per Twitter I was right. Dems have shamed them out of exempting themselves. Except no insurance company is going to turn down a member of Congress.
retr2327
@liberal: No. Those people can make money under either system. This is about the 600 billion to 1 trillion in tax savings over the next decade, virtually all of which goes to people making 250,000 or more, especially those making over $1,000,000 from investment income. In short, the very rich to ultra-rich getting back the money that Obama and the Dems used to help finance the ACA.
chopper
@Aleta:
so, first they ruin health care for tens of millions of americans, then they have a kegger to celebrate.
these really are just the most fucking awful people on the planet.
TenguPhule
@Aleta: Hundreds of drunk Republicans on the streets of the Capital celebrating the impending deaths of the poor and sick.
The scenarios write themselves.
chopper
@Yarrow:
i have a feeling, barring shitcanning the parliamentarian, there’s a lot of stuff in this bill that mcconnell will have to strip out to allow a reconciliation vote.
Yarrow
@Mary G: Mary, read what I commented. Insurance people saying the removal of the exemption won’t survive the Senate. Congress will be exempt in the end.
Corner Stone
@liberal:
Yeah, Aetna. Guess who conveniently just announced a pull out of the exchange in Virginia and Iowa?
Yarrow
@Aleta: I hate them all so much. I can see why violence is the chosen option when people feel they have run out of other options. I’m not advocating it. Just see how it happens.
LAO
@Aleta: I certainly hope that there will be footage of the festivities for 2018 ads.
Ohio Mom
@Kay: Except for the fact that my kid is a Medicaid recipient, I am beginning to look forward to rubbing this in the face of almost every.single.person.I.know in Cincinnati’s disability community.
Even the ones who should know better have been exceedingly condescending to me over the past few months whenever I voiced any concern. How many times did I hear, “They would never do anything to OUR kids”? Well guess what, they would and they apparently are.
Barbara
HuffPost’s Matt Fuller seems to be giving the best coverage right now. Will Hurd, who was leaning yes, is now a no. I suspect, however, that the leadership is apportioning the nos and putting intense pressure on those inclined to vote no if their seats are perceived to be safer.
Corner Stone
Voting now. I hate these fucking fucks with every fucking fuck I own, could fucking beg, fucking borrow or fucking steal.
Mary G
Now they are having a five-minute vote on / reconciliation? 188-16 Rs, 0-169 Ds.
LAO
@Corner Stone: seconded.
Chris
@chopper:
@TenguPhule:
Said it before, will say it again: that moment when Ron Paul was asked if people who didn’t have health insurance should just be allowed to die, and before he could answer, the audience just screamed “YEAH!!!” is literally all that the Republican Party has become.
hueyplong
I have litigated against Aetna. Not interested in learning that any insurer is worse.
SFAW
@Enhanced Voting Techniques:
Funny, I normally think of “brought Mr. X down” to mean that Mr. X did not finish out his term, not that his popularity dropped a bit.
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
@JMG:
I’ve been suspecting that the lure of passage would be out there.
Frankly, I’m enjoying the thought of angry former middle class white people, cancer ridden and untreated middle class people, unemployed union guys and all of those guns.
Yarrow
@Barbara:
Yep.
I don’t think any of them wanted to take this vote.
TenguPhule
@Corner Stone: Memorize names and faces. It may come in handy someday.
Timurid
They’re going to set 1/6 of the US economy on fire. I guess 5/6 of the oligarchs have voted to murder the others.
Mob rule: Not just for plebs anymore.
mdblanche
@Yarrow: It sounds like there are a whole bunch who are waiting.
Yarrow
@Corner Stone:
Said before, my hatred for them is so massive I think it could be seen from space. I’m filled with rage. Fuck them all with rusty chainsaws. And may they please have no medical insurance to cover treatment.
TenguPhule
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: I’m not. A lot of them are stupid enough to believe that the “uppity black/brown folks” are secretly getting benefits that they themselves just lost. It’s not going to be like the last civil war with two easily defined sides. Its going to be a free for all with angry people everywhere.
Chris
It passed.
chopper
@Chris:
goddammit.
eclare
@Yarrow: Same here, and it’s exhausting. This week has felt like forever, and I don’t have coverage through the ACA. Can’t imagine what it’s like for people who do.
sigaba
@chopper: They can all have their beers now.
TenguPhule
@Timurid: 1/6th nothing. The cascade of rolling consequences is going to set the entire global economic market on fire. With dynamite sticks rammed in for good measure.
Darkrose
@eclare: Not good.
Mary G
217-213 it passes. Now a bunch of them are singing the na-na-na-na hey-hey-hey goodbye song. 20 Republican Nos per C-S SPAN. Maxine Waters is waving goodbye to the Republican side, like “you committed suicide, see ya. What a sad day for America.
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
As they said weeks ago when Fyre Fest was clearly a disaster in the works, “let’s do it anyway, and if we pull it off, we’ll be legends!”
Timurid
Barbarians. Savages.
They all belong in prison.
TenguPhule
@Chris: And so the shitfest begins. 5/4/17, the day Republicans said in one voice “You’re on your own. Die quickly.”
Yarrow
Since Issa’s future is the subject of this thread, time to kick him out of office. Dead man walking.
chopper
@Mary G:
by a handful of votes on the third try, yet the media is gonna fluff trump’s ‘negotiating skills’.
Mary G
I am shocked, shocked, I tell you, to see that Darrell Issa voted yes.
Corner Stone
@Timurid:
With all their assets stripped from them.
bemused
@chopper:
Yes, they are. I remember when they put some effort to obscure their real goals, enrich themselves and screw everyone else. They don’t even bother anymore.
Corner Stone
@Yarrow: They “made” Justin Amash vote for it? Made him? Made him fucking vote for it?!
No. That is bullshit. Amash voted Yea for this bill. Period.
Barbara
Curbelo, Amash and Issa voted yes in the end. Amash seems safe, but Curbelo and Issa are not. Trying to find roll call.
themann1086
FUCK ALL OF THEM
Tenar Arha
Is it illegal to demonstrate outside a congresscritter’s home on the sidewalk? Asking for a friend…
SatanicPanic
@Barbara: Issa is going down. I know where I’m going to be volunteering next year.
Turgidson
Well, they finally did it. They killed my fucking health care. (well, not mine, I don’t think. Yet.)
If they don’t pay a massive political price for their unhinged cruelty, I’ll lose the tiny sliver of hope for this country’s future I’m hanging on to.
They just voted to set 20-some million people’s health and economic security on fire and inevitably sentence a subsection of those people to an early, preventable death. I’m not a big believer in the afterlife, but if heaven and hell do exist, a construction crew just got to work building a new wing in hell for these sick fucks.
Un.fucking.believable.
Yet, all too believable. Because I’ve been watching these cruel, braindead dolts in action for the past 20 years (and 8 in particular). They’re going to pat themselves on the fucking back for “freeing” millions of people from the tyranny of being able to afford health care. Assholes, every one of them.
TenguPhule
@Tenar Arha: Yes. They’ll arrest you for it.
ETA: Terroristic threatening, Disorderly conduct, Stalking….etc.
Yeah it wouldn’t really stand up in court, but they will arrest you for it.
Yarrow
@Turgidson:
They’ve been at this agenda without hiding it since Reagan. How long is that now? 40 years?
bemused
@Ohio Mom:
That drives me crazy. Republican voters are like the abused making excuses for their abusers.
TenguPhule
@Turgidson:
Not quite yet.
This is a three step process.
They just passed step 1.
Step 2 is the Senate.
Tenar Arha
Was reading Josh Marshall’s TL & read that the No’s are also strategic, therefore they should be targeted too. is there an ActBlue for that like there is here?
ETA : I just donated to that earlier, but I’ll have more discretionary income this year probably.
JaneE
By the time I called, my congresscritter (R, naturally) wasn’t answering the phone and his mailbox was full. I will check Thomas to see how he voted, but I am pretty sure he was a yes.
Chris
@Tenar Arha:
It’s illegal to laugh at a congresscritter now, apparently. Careful.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
@Turgidson: Not over yet, on to the senate. But you really should share that rage of your’s with your Senator and Representive and help them remind themselves of their humanity, to much toleration of being an asshole in this society and people need to called on it.
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
@Yarrow:
I like the idea of doing maps and floor plans of 1%er-spawn frequented nightclubs and bars, 1%er country clubs, churches, corporate HQs, preferred think tanks and lobby shops. Put up the maps and floor plans alongside ads for firearms, suppressors and vests….
Chris
@Turgidson:
Nobody who’s spent any extended time in the right wing blogosphere is at all surprised by a single thing that they’ve done in the last fifteen years.
Yarrow
@Corner Stone:
I don’t know what Matt Fuller means by “made him” but here’s a follow up tweet:
DCrefugee
I live in an R+20 Florida CD (apparently the same one as BC…) and that schmuck’s office has been telling me for months he’s undecided. Curious he never showed up on any whip lists.
Anyway, he and so many other Rs have decided the wrath of their base, primary voters will be greater than ours in the general. I plan to prove that wrong.
Turgidson
@TenguPhule:
I know. I was just taking the opportunity to paraphrase the Big Lebowski.
Still. That was a big step. And one that I thought they weren’t going to pull off as recently as 36 hours ago.
I’m not big on hating people or things. But I can’t help but hate the gargoyles who are driving this train. Utterly amoral. Sociopaths. Evil. I can’t help it. I hate them.
Turgidson
@Enhanced Voting Techniques:
My Senators are Feinstein and Harris and my Rep is Barbara Lee. They’re more likely to grow wings than they are to vote for this moral catastrophe. I’m more grateful than ever that I live in one of the most impenetrable liberal coastal bubbles in the country. But I’m still nearly shaking with rage that this vote actually happened.
Shalimar
@Mike J: There is no possible “reasonable” bill the Senate can pass that wouldn’t cause chaos next year. Remember, their only real goal is to give rich people that $800 billion tax break. You can’t put together any reasonable plan after taking that much money out of the system. Tens of millions are going to lose coverage.
TenguPhule
@Turgidson: I found that it helps if you stop thinking of them as humans, rather then just monsters who wear human skins.
Tenar Arha
@Turgidson: Same. I’m hating so hard that it’s scary the amount of ill wishing that keeps on popping into my head that I forcibly have to stop myself from writing out & sending to these legislative grifters.
dww44
@Enhanced Voting Techniques: The truth is that my Senators are much more in the cruel Republican camp than is my Republican representative and he was always a firm yes. Our only remedy is at the ballot box in 2018.
Will be interesting to see if this vote has any impact in the Ossof/Handel run-off. It would be nice if the GOP actually suffers some electoral damage from this vote. In a righteous world they will.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
@Turgidson: Well for you personally the Cal dems have made it clear they will do something and Cal is rich enough to so something about it (unless the Republicans have their fingers crossed on the states rights bit). Meanwhile it truely sucks ass in a teeth grinding way what’s going to happen in the rest of the country and not good at all.
Beyond the Senate, I am sure what ever law comes out this is mess is going to be eminantly challengeable in court the way the GOP leadership has been promising magic ponies to everyone. That’s assuming the law will be enforceable at from the contradictions in it.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
@dww44: Call him anyway. At lest it will make the swine feel less loved by the world.
retr2327
@TenguPhule: Just because the prospects for Senate approval currently look dim does not mean that this monstrosity won’t end up passing. As I said upstream, we’re talking about 600 billion to one trillion in highly concentrated tax savings over the next decade. That amount of money exerts an incredible amount of force: put a mere one billion dollars a year (1% of the tax savings, conservatively) into critical House and Senate races and watch what happens . . .
TenguPhule
@retr2327: I know this may sound strange coming from me, but as bad as it is now, its not completely hopeless. Odds are getting worse though.
Once again, we need new odds.
retr2327
Well, I do agree that it’s not completely hopeless. A clear demonstration of just how politically radioactive this might turn out to be could help. Rather than just hoping that the Ossof race turns out well for Dems, maybe we should try to make it so? Anybody care to put up an ActBlue AHCA defeat fundraiser to shower money on that race as a way of making our anger concrete and effective?