Words:
.@POTUS describes health care bill: “Generous, kind, with heart… Going to come out with a real bill, not #ObamaCare.” pic.twitter.com/pOUL66dJnc
— Fox News (@FoxNews) June 13, 2017
Deeds:
ALERT: Reporters at Capitol have been told they are not allow to film interviews with senators in hallways, contrary to years of precedent
— Kasie Hunt (@kasie) June 13, 2017
The Republicans are determined to sneak their shitty healthcare bill through with minimal friction and are counting on the Sessions circus to provide cover. Here’s some good advice:
My advice today: focus 10% of your attention/outrage on Sessions testimony, 90% on the secret health care bill that is speeding to a vote.
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) June 13, 2017
And here’s a toolkit for resistance to Trumpcare. You know what to do.
TenguPhule
Names and Faces of the Outlaws. Gonna need em to know who to blame.
Jeffro
Wait…Betty…are you saying we shouldn’t give Trumpov the benefit of the doubt about his “generous, warm” health care bill? That’s not really very fair to slam it in advance. Hasn’t he always put the interests of the American people first?
LOL
I repeat my question from yesterday, for the consideration of the pundits, talking heads, and Sabbath gasbags of this great country: name one example where Trumpov has done something…anything…that is supported by a majority of Americans. Anything at all.
Big Jim Slade
I’m sure it will be very kind and generous to the top 1%.
Mike J
Interesting thing about the interview ban is that it requires prior approval from both the senator in question and the chair of the senate rules committee.
Every Dem ought to in the hallways right now giving unsanctioned interviews.
Thoroughly Pizzled
We’ll tear ’em limb from limb.
Trentrunner
Chris Hayes on All In last night asked Senator Debbie Stabenow point blank if Dem senators would use Senate process/rules to slow or stop the GOP from passing AHCA, the way McConnell did during the Obama years.
Stabenow was mealy-mouthed and evasive. Hayes pressed her, and she would not commit to doing so.
We are so, so fucked. I fucking HATE Senate “comity” horseshit, and they ALL are guilty of it at some time.
Keeping my eye on Kamala Harris and Kirsten Gillibrand. We need some Persistent Women right about now.
LAO
You ever notice (how could you fail to notice) that Trump uses primarily adverbs or adjectives, with very few nouns or verbs.
NotMax
Hey, at least you’ve already got the chickens with which to pay the doctor.
;)
Betty Cracker
@Mike J: That is an excellent idea. Tweet it at ’em!
Kay
Still hoping against hope that “norms” are still in place- just on temporary hiatus. This is the new normal. I know it’s hard to accept but these people bust a norm daily and have for months. They aren’t going back. This is how it is now.
They’re going to have to come up with more than clever ripostes, or they are going to find themselves with no protections.
I don’t know, but don’t news agencies file suit? Start suing. It isn’t getting better.
Betty Cracker
@Trentrunner: I was also yelling at my TV, but I’m hoping she’s keeping her powder dry for a full-court press. Anyone who doesn’t throw sand in the gears to prevent this travesty of a bill isn’t worth shit, IMO.
NotMax
Trying to stop senators from hogging face time in front of cameras and mics: the King Canute Rule.
rikyrah
@Trentrunner:
I saw that and was like, you gotta be phucking kidding me.
STAND.THE.PHUCK.UP.
Quinerly
@NotMax:
Did someone say chickens? Our chickens in Missouri are in danger. There’s a crazy Repug strangling them on line and ripping out their hearts( a repost from downstairs. Small update…my friend has reported the video to the Humane Society…I couldn’t actually watch it): http://m.riverfronttimes.com/newsblog/2017/06/13/missouri-legislator-decapitates-live-chicken-on-facebook-because-abortion
rikyrah
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 6/12/17
Could Trump really fire Special Counsel Mueller?
Matt Miller, former Department of Justice spokesman, talks with Rachel Maddow about the technical rules of the special counsel in the Trump-Russia investigation.
? Martin
Good on them.
rikyrah
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 6/12/17
Can Sessions explain Trump admin removal of US attorneys?
Rachel Maddow reviews many of the lingering questions that follow Attorney General Jeff Sessions into his Senate Intelligence Committee hearing tomorrow, not the least of which is why the Trump administration abruptly got rid of dozens of U.S. attorneys.
rikyrah
@Quinerly:
is this real? are you serious?
Mnemosyne
@Quinerly:
Once again, a “pro-life” asshole who refuses to understand the difference between a living creature and a potential creature.
His point would make more sense if he cracked open chicken eggs with half-formed chicks inside, but then he wouldn’t be able to kill animals and claim it’s “moral.”
NotMax
Repeated from below, as it seems more in place here.
Yutsano
@ Martin: Here’s hoping the Penguins do something similar.
Betty Cracker
@Quinerly: I can’t bear to watch or even read about it, having chicken friends and all. I just hope the sadistic shithead has a business or organization of some type that people can target economically.
tobie
I can’t seem to get a fax through to Marco Rubio’s office. Either my machine’s broken or they’ve turned off the fax, as they have the phones. What a profile in cowardice!
? Martin
Honestly, I’m now okay with Republicans choosing to die on this hill. Everyone hates the bill, some states will fully collapse under it – most notably those with Republican Representatives and who voted for Trump.
So, bring it. Let the states solve this if the feds refuse. California is big enough to go on it’s own, but New England could pool their resources under the leadership of Vermont and Massachusetts and come up with a program that spans the region. California has agreements with Canadian provinces, Germany, China on a host of things. There’s no reason why this can’t still get done right.
trollhattan
Stupidest congressman retains title, in a runaway.
Trey Gowdy is so happy to have Gohmert around.
Quinerly
@Betty Cracker:
I couldn’t watch it. Read it and went to his page. He seems to be certifiable. I’m shocked that the video is still up. My friend who is involved with the Humane Society is all over it.
Quinerly
@rikyrah:
It’s real. Still on his FB page this morning. See my reply to Betty. I couldn’t watch it but my friend said she did.
dogwood
@Trentrunner:
The person who needs to answer that question is Chuck Schumer. Stabenow isn’t in leadership. She wont speak for the caucus just to make people feel good. People who want to showboat for the base might make that promise, but it’s all talk unless the caucus is committed to that strategy. Stabenow doesn’t fit that mold since she’s not ever gonna run for president. Maybe Gillibrand will answer with “Fuck Yes” and get the style over substance crowd all excited. It’s Schumer who needs to prove his leadership here.
NotMax
@trollhattan
Bad, but not as brain dead as Dana Rohrbacher’s “ISIS is now (and ought to be, per ‘Trump’s strategy’) our ally” spew from last week.
Matt McIrvin
@? Martin: You’re wishing for mass death.
Quinerly
@Mnemosyne:
It appears to still be on his FB page. There’s a post where he’s kinda bragging about it. Small paper has also picked it up: http://themissouritimes.com/41563/anti-abortion-representative-moon-beheads-chicken-ahead-special-session/
Brachiator
@Mike J:
Yep!
Obliquely, the opportunity here reminds me of the bravery recently shown in Russia, with their unofficial, illegal protests.
hovercraft
@trollhattan:
I think the competition for runner up is stiffer than you think.
GOP Rep. Blasts Russia Probe: ‘Why Are We Going Through With This Charade?’
Corner Stone
Ahhh, Uber CEO, except for Uber.
hovercraft
Trump’s Breakthrough
By Josh Marshall Published June 13, 2017 1:15 pm
Huge breakthrough from President Trump. He’s finally hit 60% disapproval in the Gallup daily approval tracking poll. He almost got there in March, peaking at 59% disapproval on March 28th. But this is a new record and I guess a new decile?
TenguPhule
@NotMax: I thought a Republican already cut out their hearts on Facebook?
tobie
@hovercraft: Yes, their new line is that there’s no open (underlying) investigation. They seem to forget Comey’s testimony in March that there is an investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.
TenguPhule
@hovercraft:
This script would be rejected by any Soap Opera as far too cliched.
piratedan
perhaps some Dem Senators will take advantage of this and feel free to give their hot takes in spite of the rules… it would be wondrous to have the air time filled with those indictments of what the super secret GOP plan is while the GOP allows the Dems to fill the void. What is Turtle going to do? arrest the press, a sure winner, censure the Dem’s? fine, censure them, they’re already excluded from the policy meetings, there are no hearings, on what fucking grounds can they levy anything? other than being the petty sanctimonious fucks that they already are.
Mike J
Corner Stone
@TenguPhule: But would it have been rejected by an MTV producer?
TenguPhule
@Corner Stone: Unless more boobs start flashing, yes.
Mike J
Gravenstone
@hovercraft: I want every single whoreson who is currently trumpeting about the need to stop the Russia investigation to be charged with obstruction of justice (at a minimum) once conclusive evidence is shown of the various ties that exist. Every. last. one. That should empty out the Republican side of Congress pretty fucking quickly.
Corner Stone
@TenguPhule: Well, you’ve got Gohmert, Duffy, The King Brothers, Farenthold…how many boobs do you need in this series?
NotMax
@TenguPhule
Derpnado. Could launch a whole new filmic franchise..
Mnemosyne
@Mike J:
Milo is already prepping for his closeup. I hope he remembers to wear waterproof mascara, because Kamala Harris is gonna make him cry.
Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho
@TenguPhule: Christ, don’t give them any ideas.
zach
An infuriating thought experiment is wondering how many things Trump has done would’ve had impeachment be a cakewalk in the House had Clinton done the equivalent. Sabotaging the ACA via intentional malpractice is one of the worst examples.
The GA-6 pickup will be great; compared to how much money has been spent on that race, how much has been spent on advertising to bash it into people’s heads that the AHCA = kicking people off healthcare to give tax cuts? There’s still time to start. Here’s an easy one:
JPL
@LAO: This cartoon is for you..
https://cmgajcluckovich.files.wordpress.com/2017/06/lk061317_color.jpg
I often thought that without adjectives and adverbs, he’d be nothing at all.
Corner Stone
Jonathan Allen should be shot for treason.
Gravenstone
@Mike J: As opposed to the assault on free speech on Capitol Hill?
bupalos
@Quinerly: I did watch it. It’s not inhumane. The guy is clearly sick, and anyone whose mind can go to religion while killing something – who in any way feels holy while in the act of killing – is in my mind likely a very dangerously sick human.
But I really think taking this is an animal cruelty direction is a potential short-circuit. It would be no more cruel to the chicken to leave the coop door open overnight. The “regular” means by which millions upon millions of chickens travel from egg to grocery is much more cruel to the animal than this. The focus should be on this person’s evident glee.
Mike J
Patty Murray
https://twitter.com/WillDrabold/status/874671842484772864
hovercraft
@TenguPhule:
On the Real World, that passes for insightful commentary : )
@Corner Stone:
Beat me to it ;(
The Moar You Know
@? Martin: We are only if we shut down most of the rest of the state’s functions. Or provide overwhelmingly shit healthcare to most of our state’s citizens. The pricetag on what little I’ve seen proposed is very, very, very high.
Do it wrong or badly and we could easily end up handing this state back to the GOP. I really don’t want to do that.
Timurid
@? Martin:
And for those of us who are stuck in red states and are not good enough at our jobs to find employment in blue states (whose job markets are going to become even more competitive for pretty obvious reasons), the solution is…?
TenguPhule
@Corner Stone: None of them have dropped their pants in front of the cameras. Yet.
JPL
@zach: If the 6th district flips, which I still think unlikely, it will be ACHA that made the difference. That was the number one issue according to polls.
In order to flip, democrats need to turn out, and as you know, they might vote in Presidential elections, but their turnout is low in mid year elections, and especially in runoffs.
Yoda Dog
@Matt McIrvin: Californian’s tend to be far more pollyannaish about all this than the rest of us, I have found. They can afford to be, I suppose..
dr. luba
@? Martin: So you’re fine with it? The problem is, that for some of us, it could be a death sentence.
hovercraft
@NotMax:
See now if you combine it with Sharknado and use real live sharks, your GoFundMe page would blow up.
Corner Stone
I think Jeff Sessions has a small explosive enema inserted in his rectum ala Denzel in Man On Fire.
“Last wish? I wish you had more time.”
TenguPhule
@Timurid:
I believe you are expected to bravely take one or more of your oppressors with you when you go.
Or they just forgot that you existed.
Quinerly
@bupalos:
I read enough of his FB page and the descriptions of him to pick up on the glee. Didn’t have to see the video. Apparently, the Humane Society has gotten a few calls on it according to my friend who messaged me a few minutes ago. He’s the guy who has been harping on an abortion museum since before he was elected. I had heard of him because of that. Sometimes it’s hard to keep up will all our MO nutcases.
Timurid
@Matt McIrvin:
In these threads there’s a pretty clear inverse relationship between the level of alarm over AHCA and the poster’s likelihood of keeping longterm access to bombproof employer health coverage.
Brachiator
@hovercraft:
While it’s fun to see Trump’s rating go lower than a limbo pole, none of this has any impact on Trump or the Republicans as they continue to push their malign agenda.
We’ll see if remnants of this have any impact going into the 2018 elections.
TenguPhule
@hovercraft:
You want us to be attacked by flying killer sharks and flying killer Republicans at the same time?
Soprano2
@rikyrah: Yes, that is absolutely true. That is crazy, crazy Mike Moon, who hearkens from near my neck of the woods. He is one of the bat-shittiest of all the batshit crazy Republicans in the MO state legislature. I will say many Republicans are also animal lovers, and they won’t take to well to him doing that.
My local paper has a story about it, as well. http://www.news-leader.com/story/news/politics/2017/06/13/southwest-missouri-lawmaker-beheads-chicken-make-point-abortion/391876001/
Corner Stone
@Yoda Dog:
They’ve gotten a little too over-confident, IMO. Jerry Brown is not going to live forever.
TenguPhule
@Soprano2:
Good night everybody!
/Animaniacs
D58826
@Trentrunner: I saw that and was just as annoyed. On the other hand if they have a particular strategy (insert democrat joke here) then I can see not tipping hand prematurely.
I did see on twitter this AM that the D’s are unwilling to go nuclear on the repeal because they want to have a bipartisan bill on Russian sanctions. NOW if that is the strategy, then I have sent my last check to the D’s. I’m old enough to remember when it came to Russian the only questions the GOP ever asked was how many megatons do you want to drop.
LAO
@JPL: Love it.
Kelly
and Alexandra Petri nails the King Lear parallel.
hmm link didn’t show so https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/compost/wp/2017/06/13/i-love-you-more-mr-president-a-cabinet-competition/
trollhattan
@NotMax:
I would watch Derpnado, yup!
The Moar You Know
@Corner Stone: More to the point, this is his last year in office and then I’m pretty sure he’s term-limited out. He’s not running again, regardless.
The bench to replace him ranges from “utterly unacceptable” (Newsom) to “grind my teeth and color the bubble” (everyone else). I am not looking forward to losing Jerry Brown, a guy who has been, from start to finish, REALLY good at his job.
Stan
@Yutsano:
Yeah and Trump is even less welcome in Pittsburgh than he is in the UK ;)
Betty Cracker
@Quinerly: Wait, what?!? This person is an elected official? Good gravy.
SFAW
@Gravenstone:
Obstruction? Fuck that — go for TREASON. As the saying goes: MAKE THEM DENY IT. Don’t even need a formal charge: “Senator/Congressman!!! There’s a tweet making the rounds in Law Enforcement circles that somewhere between 30 and 70 percent of the members of the Republican Caucus are under investigation, to determine whether you — um, I mean THEY — have committed Treason. Would you care to comment? And, as a follow-up: are you still doing those behaviors about which led them to launch the investigation?”
No guts, no glory
Fuck them all, those traitorous, anti-American fucks.
hovercraft
@TenguPhule:
That’s being saved for when the Real World Twitler goes to London. Kir Simmons said yesterday that some groups were planning on giving Twitler a massive group ‘moon’ when he visited London, to show their appreciation of all the support he gave them in their hour of need. Can’t you just picture it, the streets lined with pale British arses as he drives by, for once when he used the word “historical”, it would be accurate.
TenguPhule
@SFAW:
Which is the problem we have with our televised media.
trollhattan
@The Moar You Know: We get Gov Brown for one more cycle of the sun after this one. Who is his replacement ironically hinges on DiFi.
hovercraft
@TenguPhule:
Think abut it, how many would survive the filming? It’s a twofer, they all slaughter one another, problem solved.
Survivors could be placed in a rel life Jurassic Park. Win Win, the republicans and the sharks could continue to fight for top dog status, so think of the park in terms of the Hunger Games.
bemused
@Kelly:
Oh wow, this is fantastic.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
@Yoda Dog:
That’s the wierd part of this, Cal, ..well we have a good economy so we can do something about if the austerity peacocks get their way. Alot of these redstates who are pushing hard for this are totally screwed. One does get the vibe that the Trump ears will be noted as the finally collapse of rural America.
? Martin
@Matt McIrvin: I am not because the GOP will get to the same outcome by simply tearing ACA down from the inside, even if they can’t pass this bill. What people don’t get is that the result will be the same either way. Millions of uninsured is not what is at stake here – the only thing under debate here is the path we take to get there and who takes the blame.
Meanwhile, the states have not seen the health care crisis with the necessary level of urgency to do what is necessary to solve it. It’s now clear that it cannot be done at the federal level. The only alternative is to try and do it at the state level, and given that, what do the states need to act? If the threat of mass death is what gets them off their asses, then that becomes the only path forward.
eclare
@? Martin: Not too happy here in Tennessee….lot of Hillary voters in Memphis, we all get to die?
SatanicPanic
@Corner Stone: Jerry Brown’s not driving the train (hehe) on healthcare though.
? Martin
@Timurid: You seem to think you aren’t fucked either way. One way or another, even under the ACA, your governor, legislature, HHS Price, or just Congress defunding it, they’ll get it to the same state. At this point the GOP is just looking for credit for doing it openly so they can win their next round of primaries.
Betty Cracker
I love Sherrod Brown:
Mike in DC
@D58826:
The sanctions bill is not as important as the repeal bill, but it IS important. Withholding consent won’t stop a bill from being voted on and passed. At best it delays it a few days or a week and gives citizens more time to apply pressure to stop it. But between the two options, leadership has to make tough but pragmatic decisions about how to play it.
trollhattan
@Enhanced Voting Techniques:
A CA leg. shakeup is coming once the gas and registration taxes hit–just ask Gov Davis. Republicans will probably flip enough seats to eliminate the supermajorities. They won’t win either house, though.
TenguPhule
@hovercraft:
Professional Courtesy. Same reason none of the sharks in the movies ever try to eat each other.
Quinerly
@Betty Cracker:
Tea Partier. Elected a few years back.
SatanicPanic
@trollhattan: I wouldn’t be so sure about that. $.12 a gallon doesn’t seem like that big of a deal.
NotMax
@JPL
Ossoff saying the other day he would do everything in his power if elected to block single-payer was somewhat … unsettling.
Quinerly
@Soprano2:
You in the Springfield, MO area?
Spanky
@Timurid:
Canada!
(Of course, doesn’t really address the poorly skilled. Then again, there’s always working the fields in the Imperial Valley!)
bemused
Who was the ass who told reporters they couldn’t film interviews?
I just read (Yashar Ali) that Sen Klobuchar talked with SEn Shelby who said there would be no change without consulting her and we must make him stick to it.
Ella in New Mexico
@Quinerly: I have to say all his video does is make me think that being a vegetarian might not be such a hard thing to do…So instead of getting people to vote for outlawing abortions, he’s just creating more liberal hippies to find a way to vote him out of office.
Yeah, the more I see animals killed brutally for my dinner, the tastier hummus and almond milk are.
hovercraft
@Brachiator:
You’re right, his numbers have not yet translated into stopping the GOP yet, and by the time they do, it may be too late, the damage inflicted may take decades to fix, but at the moment with little we can do to slow them down, it’s a start. Yertle is making all these moves to try to protect his members, but we still have the ability to show up at rallies and senate offices and to flood them with calls. They can turn off their phones and faxes, but drowning the switchboard still sends a message. I know it’s easy for me, I live in Jersey, so I get to just call and say thanks.
donnah
@Betty Cracker:
Me, too! He’s our guy in Ohio. We send him support in $$ and via email. Smart, decent, and tough!
The Truffle
@D58826: I called my senators today and the phone was busy. This is a good thing, IMO.
bemused
@donnah:
I admire the writings of his wife, Connie Schultz too.
LAO
@Betty Cracker: Who doesn’t. I mean really — point them out to me and we’ll have words.
Quinerly
@Ella in New Mexico:
Unfortunately, he is in a very crazy part of the state….no liberal hippies there or will transplant there. Thankfully, I’m in very liberal St. Louis CITY.
Quinerly
@bemused:
Love me some Connie! I think they are such a great combo! SEN Brown was my first choice for HRC’s running mate.
trollhattan
@SatanicPanic:
It doesn’t but the price of gas is literally the only consumer good in everybody’s faces at all times and they always trigger an emotional response. The bump in annual registration fees (sliding scale based on value) will also stick in people’s craws. Republicans will beat the drum as soon as its promulgated Nov 1 and Jan 1, respectively. Naturally there’s already a recall petition for the new law. They should call it “Hey, our roads are smooth enough, damnit.”
Kristine
Can states band together to form multi-state/regional healthcare networks, or does the crossing state lines issues complicate matters?
Also, so tired of T***p’s overuse of superlatives. The never-ending waves of bs.
LAO
@bemused: You reminded me of the “right wing sting” of journalists — who appear to cosy with politicians and her response to them re: Sherrod Brown:
NotMax
@Quinerly
Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t Missouri the state that re-legalized puppy mills?
bemused
@Quinerly:
Another couple in politics along with the Obamas that would be a joy to meet and spend some time with. And there are very few others in office I would want to waste my time with.
? Martin
@The Moar You Know:
Remember the pricetag is for literally everything. They could easily carve off Medicare, leave that to the feds, and cut that price in half and eliminate the need for a waiver they won’t get. The point of the bill going through is to get an accounting of what everything looks like, and then work back to what’s possible.
Further, if they implement it as a payroll tax, the important companies, those that currently provide health insurance will see it as a wash – they’ll pay 15% to the state and stop paying 15% to their group insurer. The companies that don’t are largely service sector – which means that they are geographically constrained, and generally commodities. So what if Target or McDonalds pulls out – some other retailer and fast food will take their place because there is still a market here for those products to be sold locally. The same goes for all other service industries. And that’s really the problem here – we have a system that only works at all because of employer coverage, but many/most people don’t work for one of those employers. If implemented as a payroll item, every employer would in effect be buying the same policy. That leaves open how to bring in people that aren’t employed, but maybe you don’t. Maybe the payroll tax can cover everyone, or maybe there’s another revenue channel you pick.
But either way, because the net outlay will be lower under the state’s plan, it’s really just an exercise in how you convert one type of spending to another – rather than an exercise in how to find new dollars. And the plan as presented is the most generous possible – on purpose. Adding even a small co-pay (which is beneficial on its own) will lower that cost a fair bit.
Brown has supported single payer in the past, and the next governor of CA is more likely than not to as well. His only real objection is to the cost, and there’s a LOT of room to work there that (by design) hasn’t been done yet. And if you’re worried that a failure will hurt the Democrats, that’s a great excuse to do nothing.
This is what voters are rebelling against – a government that is too afraid to act. And all the people upthread who are suggesting that I’m advocating for people to be harmed – you’re going to be harmed regardless. The only way to not be harmed is to move this forward. Even standing still will harm you in this case.
bemused
@LAO:
Oh I remember her writing that but can’t recall what the backstory was. Yes, she’s fun to read.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
@trollhattan: See what happens but worth noting Bush pre-Katrina was seen as the second coming of Regean and these elections will be in the Anything but Trump era. If Bleeding Kansas is waving the white flag on tax cuts then things might be changing.
Brachiator
@hovercraft:
I agree with all of this. I also think it might be worthwhile to challenge FaceBook “friends” and colleagues who love Trump and want to see Obamacare repealed. Trump promised something better that would keep all the best parts of Obamacare. Where is it? Instead, he and the Republicans are cutting back on health care and helping the insurance companies.
SatanicPanic
@? Martin:
This. Look at how Republicans are in the state- the most popular Republican is, who? Kevin Faulconer, i.e., a total windsock. That’s not what people are looking for right now.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
@Kristine:
Notice at no points does the conman mention specifics, it’s all “trust me, this will be terrific, but only if you don’t ask any questions”
? Martin
@trollhattan: Maybe. Things are a bit different now. Voters are much more supportive of taxes than they were then, and there is more trust that now that we’re past the budget battles of the past that the spending will actually be visible.
Fair Economist
@? Martin:
The problem is that, under the current plan, net outlay will be *higher* overall. The proposed plan is better than an ACA Platinum plan, better than Medicare, and better than the overwhelming majority of private plans (including my family’s, which is better than average). It’s better than what anybody gets these days except top management. That’s a good thing in many ways, but it *is* expensive. I’m guessing they’ve probably been conservative in estimating efficiencies the state could squeeze out, but even so this will probably raise expenses.
Laura
@The Moar You Know: hey, check out John Chaing. He’s a workhorse not a showhorse. Good at Treasury-and pushed back HARD on Arnold when it counted in furloughing state employees.
I’m all in for John Chaing!
Mnemosyne
@Brachiator:
Funny, the few Trump supporters in my Facebook feed stopped defending him a few months ago. ?
Mnemosyne
@Laura:
If we can just get DiFi to goddamned retired already, I’m liking the sound of either US Senator Ted Lieu or US Senator Adam Schiff. Time to get some So Cal representation, damn it! ?
Quinerly
@NotMax:
Yes. You are correct.
Fair Economist
@The Moar You Know:
Newsom has a zipper problem, and is rumored to have a sniffing problem (never verified though), but on policy he’s excellent. Sure Brown is great, but the state will be fine with Gov. Newsom, or really any Dem.
SatanicPanic
@Fair Economist: and really, are those problems anymore?
hovercraft
@Brachiator:
I am fortunate enough to not be on the Book of Faces, and I’ve only ever tweeted once. But I hear you, we must do what we can to reach people who are reachable. The problem is that even those you can get through to still aren’t ready to leave their savior. Over the weekend I saw something on CNN about an island in the Chesapeake Bay with 400 inhabitants, they voted for Twitler at 80%, the island is losing 16 feet a year to rising water. They are not bothered by the withdrawal from the Paris Accords, even though they have personal knowledge of the effects of Global Warming, several islands have already been lost. They’re not bothered because they are sure that Twitler will do something to stop it, they will nevah leave, and he wouldn’t have pulled out without a plan. Yes he is going to take away Obamacare, but he is going to give them something better, because he said he would.
Brachiator
@Mnemosyne:
This is a good sign. I don’t do FaceBook, but conversations I hear at my local coffee shop and during my commute include Trumspsters who are stubbornly hanging on and supporting their guy.
And the line from most of the talk radio hosts on KFI (most popular English language station in Los Angeles) is still “give Trump a chance.”
Brachiator
@hovercraft:
My challenge to people like this is simple. Trump said he would replace Obamacare with something better. Where is it? The Republican plan on the table would make it harder for people to get insurance and would make it harder for them to keep insurance. It helps the insurance companies and also includes cuts to Medicare. Again, it’s simple. Trump promised a better plan. Where is it?
As far as I can see, the only people who come out well are healthy people who don’t want to be forced to get health care. There are ways to challenge this, but I can be honest and say that these people come out theoretically OK with an Obamacare repeal. They get what they think they want. But even the Republican plan might punish these people if they decide later on that they want some of that sweet health insurance.
? Martin
@Fair Economist: But the authors of the bill said at the outset that they wanted to give the broadest possible charge to the implementation group because they wanted to get the full cost of a maximal plan. That is, if you give a charge for a minimal plan, you’ll get less than a minimal plan. If you give a charge for a maximal plan, you’ll get less than a maximal plan and likely get more than a minimal plan.
So the plan from the outset was to get a full accounting and then the implementation group can start constraining to make it work. Maybe Medicare goes because of the difficulty of the waiver. You’ve now cut out a huge cost because the single payer vision would have covered all Part D premiums, all part B premiums, Advantage premiums, copays and deductibles, etc. And it’s not a dealbreaker that people shift off of a lower-costs system onto Medicare and incur the premiums and whatnot, both because people are currently planning for that expense, and because it benefits how single payer is viewed to see that kind of a transition.
And there will almost certainly be co-pays and other sensible things added to this plan to even out costs. And from what I’ve seen, the $400B cost assumes no efficiencies. That’s another area the implementation group can work on – choose to have the state negotiate certain prices, etc.
Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho
@LAO: I saw him first ladies.
SgrAstar
@The Moar You Know: can you fill us in on Newsom? As a California exile I don’t know a lot about him. Friends of mine know him and like him, but….?
Brachiator
@The Moar You Know:
Right now, I would think that Newsom is the odds on favorite. We’ll see what happens.
SFAW
@TenguPhule:
Co-signed