Wednesday, July 26, 2017
For a Guy On Death's Doorstep, He Can Still Come Out Swinging.
Yes, Arizona senator John McCain did return to Washington to cast the essential vote allowing the Republicans to go ahead and debate health care, the first step to abolishing the Affordable Care Act. But then McCain delivered a couple of hard shots to his Republican leadership and fellow senators.
He blasted the path taken by Republican leaders “coming up with a proposal behind closed doors in consultation with the administration, then springing it on skeptical members, trying to convince them that it was better than nothing.
“I don’t think that’s going to work in the end, and it probably shouldn’t,” he said.
Debates in the Senate have become “more partisan, more tribal, more of the time than at any time I can remember,” he lamented.
With President Donald Trump threatening electoral retribution for Republicans who don’t toe the line, McCain urged senators to stand up for their own constitutional status.
“Whether or not we are of the same party, we are not the president’s subordinates,” he said. “We are his equal!”
People with health care problems had speculated on social media how McCain would vote, and his decision disappointed many. Addressing concerns that tens of millions will lose coverage if the Republican bill becomes law, McCain said the process is far from over.
“I voted for the motion to proceed to allow debate to continue,” he said. “I will not vote for this bill as it is today. It’s a shell of a bill right now.”
And then he turned around and DID vote for the bill as it was, which thankfully failed to get the needed support from other Republicans.
ReplyDeleteMcCain has always been a load of hot air, but when the chips are down he'll vote with the party every time. Today, he's criticizing Trump for tweeting about tossing trans people out of the military. But in 2010, when Congress ended the policy of barring openly trans people from serving, McCain voted no. He's nothing but a liar and a hypocrite, and being close to death hasn't changed that.
Cap
Yup, McCain actually lead the resistance to the Repeal of DADT.
DeleteHe play's an American in public, but always votes the party line.
ReplyDeleteThat's not my understanding of what transpired, Cap. The vote was to direct the Senate to take up the proposed bill, advancing it to debate and then a vote. You might be getting ahead of yourself here.
WASHINGTON — The Senate voted narrowly on Tuesday to begin debate on a bill to repeal major provisions of the Affordable Care Act, but hours later, Republican leaders suffered a setback when their most comprehensive plan to replace President Barack Obama’s health law fell far short of the votes it needed.
ReplyDelete...
“Asking us to swallow our doubts and force it past a unified opposition — I don’t think that’s going to work in the end, and probably shouldn’t,” Mr. McCain said, adding that it “seems likely” that the current repeal effort would end in failure. Still, Mr. McCain voted with Republican leaders in favor of the comprehensive replacement plan on Tuesday night.
That sure sounds to me like rank hypocrisy.
Cap
.. discussing with my son, I pointed out that American politicians & to some extent the voting population.. are all at once - complicated, conflicted, confused, uninformed.. at times, desperately ignorant.. in ahort, shifty ground.. like quicksand
ReplyDeleteComplicated is right, sal. The vote yesterday was to consider A bill to repeal and replace the ACA. In fact, over the next 20 hours of debate, a variety of options will come up and are expected to be voted down. When time is up, McConnell will present THE bill to be voted on. It could be any of the options previously voted down, or anything else he pulls out of his ass. The Senate will then vote on that bill as the final word, GOP senators will be under tremendous pressure, and I wouldn't be surprised if some horrible monstrosity passes.
ReplyDeleteYesterday, they considered and voted down McConnell's "comprehensive bill," which included a ton of crap from Ted Cruz that everyone in the healthcare sector hated. Today, they considered and voted down a straight repeal of Obamacare that would have cost 33 million people their insurance coverage.
Next up are options that haven't been vetted by the CBO, so nobody knows what their effect on the healthcare sector will be. These include the so-called "skinny repeal," which will put pressure on "moderates." At this point, McConnell's looking to pass anything he can to avoid a humiliating Twitter beating from Trump. But everyone's stumbling in the dark because the CBO hasn't done the numbers on what's up now. It's a real shit-show down there that totally belies the claim to being a model democracy.
Cap
Correction: I was wrong about the CBO scoring. Now that they're down to the short strokes, scoring will be faster. According to the latest estimates, the "skinny repeal" will cost 16 million Americans their insurance. That's better than any of the previous GOP efforts, but still a disaster.
ReplyDeleteCap