Observations on a Late-Night Rescue Mission 1. Let's

New Post Public Reply Private Reply Replies (0) Message Board

Jul 28, 2017 at 9:29 PM 218

Quote:

Observations on a Late-Night Rescue Mission

1. Let's appreciate people in the proper order here for last night's stake in the heart of Trumpcare, the current effort at repealing the Affordable Care Act (and, like a movie monster, it will be back, no doubt, for another goddamn sequel):

a. Voters from across the nation inundated legislators with calls and messages and face-to-face confrontations. Some of the most effective opposition came from disabled Americans who blocked hallways and demanded to be heard by their senators.

They were stark and real physical reminders of what's at stake if the Affordable Care Act was repealed. People in wheelchairs and on ventilators were abused and arrested, but they bravely persisted.

b. Democrats held together in a way that I have rarely seen. While you can attribute that to solid leadership, you can also say it was helped by the support of their constituents (and the fact that GOP efforts polled at less than 20% support). The strongest outcome from this politically is that finally, at long last, Democrats have decided to own Obamacare fully.

Sure, sure, Chuck Schumer spoke of the need to improve it (perhaps putting on too much of a show of eating shit). But Democrats have staked their electoral futures on the turn in public opinion in favor of the ACA, and that just might reveal a path to the real improvement: single payer.

c. Early on, I predicted that Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski (and, perhaps, John McCain) had the potential to turn independent and maybe caucus with the Democrats. While that didn't happen, these two senators, from far flung states, stood firm against every effort to cut Medicaid, undermine the insurance exchanges, and get rid of policies that protected the most vulnerable in people in Maine and Alaska.

Both of them withstood insane pressure and even wishes for violence against them from the savage members of their party in the House. Hell, Murkowski even had her state directly threatened by the Secretary of the Interior. In the end, they told their party's leadership, including the idiot president, to go fuck themselves. That was gutsy and even honorable, something you can rarely say about Republicans.

d. And, finally, John McCain did something vaguely mavericky in voting against the skinny repeal. That's great, but remember that he only did it because his sense of Senate protocol was too offended by the process. If he was against the repeal in general (or even the process), he could have stopped it on Monday by voting against the motion to proceed to debate.

And he opposed this bill because it didn't do enough to get rid of the ACA. This is not to mention that he's weak and sick and needs to get back to Arizona for treatment but wanted to get to the next bill, the National Defense Authorization Act, before leaving. Bombs before chemo.

But, fine, let's give him some props for a few minutes. Besides, there's also a good chance McCain did this as a solid "Go fuck yourself" to Donald Trump for shitting on McCain's military service during the campaign.

2. What comes next is up in the air. Trump is probably going to demand that Congress not pay insurance companies the cost-sharing reductions subsidies they are supposed to get under the ACA.

McConnell already started calling those promised payments "bailing out" insurers, which is like telling your credit card company that your monthly payment to them is "charity."

Schumer thinks everyone might just get along for a bit. But the mad, mad House of Representatives is already wanting to tee up another repeal because otherwise they'd have to govern.

3. Except for a few true believers, like the skeevy cat fucker Rand Paul or the sleazy cat strangler Ted Cruz, you know that most Republicans were thinking, "Oh, thank fucking god" last night. If the repeal had passed, the millions kicked off insurance and the skyrocketing premiums and the closure of Planned Parenthood clinics and the cut in the budget to the CDC (yeah, that was in there) and the end of the employer mandate, all the fuckery contained in a simple eight pages, would have been theirs. It's a helluva lot easier to bitch about something than to have to fix it.

3a. Democrats had better be ready to take down Jeff Flake and Dean Heller, both "yes" votes in states that aren't solidly Republican, in 2018.

4. Mitch McConnell's very real anguish was delicious.

Posted by Rude One at 12:49 PM

Newer

Older

Scroll down for more posts ▼

Top 10 Most Recent News Articles

Aurra Markets Wins 'Most Transparent Broker' Award 2026

Spotlight on Transparency in Trading Alright, so Aurra Markets snagged the 'Most Transparent Broker' award at the Money Expo in Mumbai this year. From the greasy streets of trading floors to the polished halls of Jio World Convention Centre, transparency is one of those golden words you hear tossed around, but like finding a needle in a haystack, it’s not always easy to...

Syra Health Joins CMS ACCESS Model for Scalable Growth

Syra Health Secures Spot in CMS ACCESS Model Every once in a while, a company gets a nod that could redefine its trajectory, and today it’s Syra Health’s turn at bat. Teaming up with HealthSync, they’ve clinched a position in the coveted CMS ACCESS model—a move not just about snagging headlines but potentially securing a golden ticket to a robust revenue stream...

Flotek Faces Lawsuit: Investors Urged to Act Fast

Flotek's Current Storm: Gather Your Wits, Shareholders If you've staked your hard-earned cash into Flotek Industries, Inc. (FTK), it's high time to buckle up. Those court-blaring sirens aren’t a drill: we're talking class-action territory, people. The Law Offices of Howard G. Smith sound the alarm, calling on investors who’ve had their financial feathers singed to...

TPx Pivots Post-Bankruptcy, Rebuilding for New Growth

TPx Rebounds with Stronger Foundation Folks, TPx just got itself a fresh pair of legs to stand on. Emerging from the labyrinth of Chapter 11 bankruptcy, TPx has managed to shave off a cumbersome load of debt and cement a pathway to long-term success. A court nod from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas confirmed their reorganization plan. It's a...

Nanochon Tests Innovative Knee Implant in Human Trial

Mending Knees with New Tech: The Chondrograft™ Debut Picture this: Nanochon's Chondrograft™ just hit the ground running. They've got a bite out of the future by diving headfirst into their First-in-Human (FIH) clinical study. This ain't your grandma's knee replacement talk. This is about changing the game for those knee cartilages that let out a groan every time you...

Spencer Spirit Completes Hot Topic Acquisition

Merging Forces in Retail In the latest retail reshuffle, Spencer Spirit Holdings has wrapped up its acquisition of Hot Topic, Inc., alongside its eclectic sub-brands: BoxLunch and Her Universe. This move doubles down on Spencer Spirit's ambitions to tighten its grip on the mall-based specialty retail game. If you're an investor looking for a shake-up that could redefine...

Zum Drivers Shine as New School Year Begins

Opening the School Year with High Hopes Zum's crew of enthusiastic drivers hit the streets with a mission: kickstarting the new school year with a sense of excitement that feels fresh, even to a grizzled trader like me. These folks are doing more than just turning the ignition, they’re handling a vital cog in the education machine. From Fresno down to Rockford, you’ll...

Sports CIOs Tackle Venue Tech Ownership Challenges

Untangling the Mess Behind Game Day Ever wonder why getting to your seat at a sports event feels seamless? It's like magic with your ticket appearing as a barcode on your phone, the concession stand knowing your order from last week's game, and sponsor ads personalized just for you. This is no easy feat. Behind the scenes, though, it's akin to a game of Twister. The...

Ares Management Heads to Barclays Conference Spotlight

All Eyes on Ares – From the Trading Floor to Barclays Nothing like the crisp snap of traders' attention when big players like Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES) are set to spill some beans at a fancy conference. Come September 16, 2026, Ares' head honcho, Michael Arougheti, will be hitting the stage at the Barclays Global Financial Services Conference. It’s the...

Eluvio's Broadcast Revolution: Zero-Copy AI Streaming

The Game-Changing Shift in Broadcast Tech Eluvio's latest reveal at IBC 2026 shows they've taken the gloves off in the broadcast arena. They're pitching an all-in-one Global Broadcast Fabric that's turning heads with its zero-copy distribution and inline AI capabilities. No more dilly-dallying with satellites or cumbersome cloud solutions. Instead, they've cut right to...