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The Ryancare Route -- Winning by Losing?
Townhall.com ^ | March 28, 2017 | Pat Bucanan

Posted on 03/28/2017 5:22:27 AM PDT by Kaslin

Did the Freedom Caucus just pull the Republican Party back off the ledge, before it jumped to its death? A case can be made for that.

Before the American Health Care Act, aka "Ryancare," was pulled off the House floor Friday, it enjoyed the support -- of 17 percent of Americans. Had it passed, it faced an Antietam in the GOP Senate, and probable defeat.

Had it survived there, to be signed by President Trump, it would have meant 14 million Americans losing their health insurance in 2018.

First among the losers would have been white working-class folks who delivered the Rust Belt states to President Trump.

"Victory has a thousand fathers; defeat is an orphan," said JFK.

So, who are the losers here?

First and foremost, Speaker Paul Ryan and House Republicans who, having voted 50 times over seven years to repeal Obamacare, we learned, had no consensus plan ready to replace it.

Moreover, they put a bill on the floor many had not read, and for which they did not have the votes.

More than a defeat, this was a humiliation. For the foreseeable future, a Republican Congress and president will coexist with a health care regime that both loathe but cannot together repeal and replace.

Moreover, this defeat suggests that, given the ideological divide in the GOP, and the unanimous opposition of congressional Democrats, the most impressive GOP majorities since the 1920s may be impotent to enact any major complicated or complex legislation.

Friday's failure appears to be another milestone in the decline and fall of Congress, which the Constitution, in Article I, fairly anoints as our first branch of government.

Through the last century, Congress has steadily surrendered its powers, with feeble resistance, to presidents, the Supreme Court, the Federal Reserve, the regulatory agencies, even the bureaucracy.

The long retreat goes on.

Another truth was reconfirmed Friday. Once an entitlement program has been created with millions of beneficiaries, it becomes almost impossible to repeal. As Ronald Reagan said, "A government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth."

Nor did President Trump escape unscathed.

Among the reasons he was elected was the popular belief, which carried him through scrapes that would have sunk other candidates, that, whatever his faults or failings, he was a doer, a man of action -- "He gets things done!"

To have failed on his first big presidential project has thus been an occasion of merriment for the boo-birds in the Beltway bleachers.

Yet, still, Trump's Saturday tweet -- "Obamacare will explode and we will all get together and piece together a great healthcare plan ... Do not worry!" -- may prove prophetic.

Now that "Trumpcare" or "Ryancare" is gone, the nation must live with Obamacare. A Democratic program from birth, it is visibly failing. And Democrats now own it again, as not one Democrat was there to help reform it. In the off-year election of 2018, they may be begging for Republican help in reforming the health care system.

After what he sees as a wonderful win, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer now intends to block a Senate vote on Judge Neil Gorsuch for the Supreme Court, and thus force Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to muster 60 votes to halt a Democratic filibuster.

Should Schumer persist, Senate Republicans will exercise the "nuclear option," i.e., change the rules to allow debate to be cut off with 51 votes, and then elevate Gorsuch with their own slim majority.

Why would Schumer squander his political capital by denying a quality candidate like Judge Gorsuch a vote? Does he also think that a collapsing Obamacare -- even its backers believe is in need of corrective surgery -- will be an asset for his imperiled colleagues in 2018? The last time Democrats headed down that Radical Road and nominated George McGovern, they lost 49 states.

While the Republicans have sustained a defeat, this is not the end of the world. And there was an implied warning in the president's Sunday tweet:

"Democrats are smiling in D.C. that the Freedom Caucus, with the help of Club For Growth and Heritage, have saved Planned Parenthood & Ocare."

What Trump is explaining here is that, if Republican majorities in the House and Senate cannot or will not unite with his White House behind solutions on health care, taxes, infrastructure, border security, he will seek out moderate Democrats to get the work done.

This humiliation of Obamacare reform may prove a watershed for the Trump presidency. What he is saying is simple and direct:

I am a Republican president who wants to work with Republicans. But if they cannot or will not work with me, I will find another partner with whom to form coalitions to write the laws and enact the reforms America needs, because, in the last analysis, while party unity is desirable, the agenda I was elected to enact is critical.

The health care defeat yet may prove to be another example of winning by losing.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Government
KEYWORDS: bushbot; butthurt; patbuchanan; ryancarebillpulled; townhalltroll; trumpdems; winning
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1 posted on 03/28/2017 5:22:27 AM PDT by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

2 posted on 03/28/2017 5:27:32 AM PDT by Emergencyawesome
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To: Kaslin
I kinda like the idea that any healthcare bill the gov't considers MUST apply to any and all Congressional and gov't employees. As a prod to get McConnell and Ryan off their lazy asses, all current gov't heathcare policies are permanently cancelled, as of yesterday. I wonder how long it would take them to get a good policy together? Gees, guys, you've had since 2010 to have a draft in the works, but you continue to be so busy fund raising, you can't do any work for those who put you there. This is a wake-up call, Bucko!
3 posted on 03/28/2017 5:30:36 AM PDT by econjack
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To: Kaslin

So that we don;t get banned for sharing full articles maybe next time just share the first 2-3 paragraphs.


4 posted on 03/28/2017 5:31:49 AM PDT by tekrat
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To: Kaslin

Repeal it. We don’t want a replacement.


5 posted on 03/28/2017 5:52:16 AM PDT by ViLaLuz (2 Chronicles 7:14)
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To: Kaslin
Now that "Trumpcare" or "Ryancare" is gone, the nation must live with Obamacare. A Democratic program from birth, it is visibly failing. And Democrats now own it again, as not one Democrat was there to help reform it. In the off-year election of 2018, they may be begging for Republican help in reforming the health care system.

I think Trump wanted the bill to fail. Any new health care that was attributed to the Republicans would be declared a failure by the MSM even if it was considerable better then Obamacare. Trump had to look like he tried. But the endgame is to have the Dems admit Obamacare is a failure and come crawling to Trump to fix it when it finally implodes. That would be the only way to document that Obamacare was indeed a failure and Trump fixed it.

6 posted on 03/28/2017 5:53:22 AM PDT by CaptainK (...please make it stop. Shake a can of pennies at it.)
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To: Kaslin

Route or rout?

I see either one being correct...

...as long as one of them leads to Ryan’s exit.


7 posted on 03/28/2017 5:55:14 AM PDT by moovova
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To: Kaslin

Old news. We’d like to hear more about the missing $10 TRILLION from the Defense Dept. during the last ten years. That’s the amount of national debt that Obama racked up and someone should know where it went. You can’t “lose” $10 TRILLION without a trace.


8 posted on 03/28/2017 6:07:40 AM PDT by txrefugee
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To: tekrat
Why should I only type 2 or three paragraphs if the excerpt is not necessary?

Obviously you have never posted an article, otherwise you would know that any articles that have do be excerpted, the limit is 300 words.

You might want to read this and bookmark it.

Updated FR Excerpt and Link Only or Deny Posting List due to Copyright Complaints

Besides it's don't as in do not get banned, not don;t.
the word "don;t" does not exist.

9 posted on 03/28/2017 6:29:25 AM PDT by Kaslin ( The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triump. Thomas Paine)
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To: Kaslin

Representative Mo Brooks just filed a bill that completely repeals Obamacare:

FR Article post

"Effective as of Dec. 31, 2017, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is repealed, and the provisions of law amended or repealed by such Act are restored or revived as if such Act had not been enacted," the bill states.

Mo Brooks is a member of The House Freedom Caucus!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Call Congress at 202-224-3121

Ask your Congress Critter to sign the discharge petition for US Representative Mo Brooks's bill titled, "Obamacare Repeal Act"!!!!!!!!!!!

10 posted on 03/28/2017 6:33:06 AM PDT by Basket_of_Deplorables (Drone Soros and sons!!!)
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To: tekrat; Kaslin
RE:”So that we don;t get banned for sharing full articles maybe next time just share the first 2-3 paragraphs”

BREAKING NEWS : FR shut down for posting Townhall.com

Posted on Townhall.

11 posted on 03/28/2017 6:41:15 AM PDT by sickoflibs (Trump good/Ryan bad!)
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To: Emergencyawesome

Study: Senate Can Repeal Obamacare’s Regulations through Reconciliation, with Only 51 Votes
https://www.cato.org/publications/commentary/study-senate-can-repeal-obamacares-regulations-through-reconciliation-only

The Real Repeal Obamacare Bill has been Languishing in Committee since February 10 (links)
http://thewashingtonstandard.com/real-repeal-obamacare-bill-languishing-committee-since-february-10/

Sherman Antitrust Act Break UP MONOPOLIES, Big Pharma, INS and Congressional Lobbyist
https://www.britannica.com/event/Sherman-Antitrust-Act

The Big Money Behind Paul Ryan’s Political Career
Ryan’s 20 biggest backers are in the financial, insurance, or health sectors
https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2012/08/14/the-big-money-behind-paul-ryans-political-career

Paul Ryan: Bankrolled by the Banksters, the Privatizers, and the Kochs
http://www.prwatch.org/news/2012/08/11704/paul-ryan-bankrolled-banksters-privatizers-and-kochs

House Budget Robs Social Security for Welfare Payments
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/10/29/house-budget-robs-social-security-welfare-payments/

How the AARP Made $2.8 Billion By Supporting Obamacare’s Cuts to Medicare
https://www.forbes.com/sites/theapothecary/2012/09/22/the-aarps-2-8-billion-reasons-for-supporting-obamacares-cuts-to-medicare/#5d182c745935

How Money From Pharmaceutical Companies Sways Doctors’ Prescriptions
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/04/13/doctors-receiving-pharmaceutical-money.aspx

How Much of Big Pharma’s Massive Profits Are Used to Influence ...
http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/33010-how-much-of-big-pharma-s-massive-profits-are-used-to-influence-politicians

New drugstore lobby mandate would increase prescription drug costs in Medicare
http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/healthcare/325777-new-drugstore-lobby-mandate-would-increase-prescription-drug

Big Pharma and Big Profits: The Multibillion Dollar Vaccine Market
http://www.globalresearch.ca/big-pharma-and-big-profits-the-multibillion-dollar-vaccine-market/5503945

Big Pharma’s big donations to 2016 presidential candidates
http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/11/health/big-pharma-presidential-politics/

True Cost of Healthcare
http://truecostofhealthcare.net/

Why Pharma Faces So Many Corruption Allegations - Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jwebb/2016/02/23/why-pharma-faces-so-many-corruption-allegations/#4f672b771bd3

New Harvard study reveals Institutional Corruption of Pharmaceuticals and how FDA cannot be trusted with public safety
http://seattleorganicrestaurants.com/vegan-whole-food/institutional-corruption-of-pharmaceuticals-how-FDA-cannot-be-trusted-with-public-safety.php#sthash.etRtisFQ.dpuf

Medicare Funds Totaling $60 Billion Improperly Paid, Report Finds
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/medicare-funds-totaling-60-billion-improperly-paid-report/story?id=32604330

VA’s record of waste, fraud and abuse keeps piling up
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/sep/3/golden-hammer-vas-record-of-waste-fraud-abuse-keep/

The Secretary of The Dept. of Veteran Affairs & How He Is Wasting Our Tax Payer Money
https://sofrep.com/29130/the-department-of-veterans-affairs-fraud-waste-abuse-eric-shinseki/

Because Of Obamacare, Illegal Immigrants Get Taxpayer-Financed Care
https://www.forbes.com/sites/theapothecary/2016/03/25/because-of-federal-health-law-illegal-immigrants-get-care/#2139b2082139

Here’s how hospitals mark up saline solution by 1,000%
http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/blog/mass_roundup/2013/08/hospital-overcharging.html

Sen. Feinstein’s Husband’s Company to Bag $1 Billion for Government Deal
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/01/17/sen-feinsteins-husbands-company-to-bag-1-billion-for-government-deal/


12 posted on 03/28/2017 6:49:15 AM PDT by GailA (Ret. SCPO wife: suck it up buttercups it's President Donald Trump!)
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To: sickoflibs
When did that happen? The reason was obviously something else than an article by Townhall.com, I just did a search and found no reference to it. If you have a link to it, than kindly post it. I did a search in FR and found nothing

But so I make me clear, I will post Townhall.com entire articles as long as I want to and as I feel like. The only articles that have to excerpted from Townhall.com are those by the Associated Press.

13 posted on 03/28/2017 7:17:28 AM PDT by Kaslin ( The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triump. Thomas Paine)
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To: Kaslin

I was joking!

Its not on the list.


14 posted on 03/28/2017 7:18:15 AM PDT by sickoflibs (Trump good/Ryan bad!)
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To: sickoflibs

free humor is always the best


15 posted on 03/28/2017 7:23:03 AM PDT by Nailbiter
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To: Kaslin

Big Government conservatism..???


16 posted on 03/28/2017 7:28:19 AM PDT by Leep (Cyclops Network News (CNN). The Most Trusted Source Of Fake News.)
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To: sickoflibs
Here are the sites that have to be excerpted.

These sites must be excerpted and linked only [300 words or less, 1/2 the words or less for short articles]:

All McClatchy sources must be excerpted and linked.

If you noticed Townhall.com is on the list.

The reason why it shut down was definitely something else other than Townhall.com

17 posted on 03/28/2017 7:30:09 AM PDT by Kaslin ( The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triump. Thomas Paine)
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To: Basket_of_Deplorables

That all sounds good and fine if every republican and conservative will go along with it and if only 51 votes are needed. I doubt that any of the rats will agree to it.


18 posted on 03/28/2017 7:37:38 AM PDT by Kaslin ( The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triump. Thomas Paine)
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To: Kaslin

The worst thing we can do is not get people on record as to either support complete repeal, or not.

You can’t manage what you can’t measure.

Anyone who refuses to put their name to a clean repeal, but campaigned on it, needs to have their phones melted, be publicly protested, and if they still refuse, primaried.

No more GOPe lying hypocrites!!!!


19 posted on 03/28/2017 9:19:06 AM PDT by Basket_of_Deplorables (Drone Soros and sons!!!)
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To: econjack

Sure, that’s fair—but I still don’t like the idea of the federal government fashioning any kind of “great healthcare plan” at all.

Trump sounds like he’s itching for that fully socialized medicine he had advocated in the past, but on the campaign trail had said the time wasn’t right for in our country right then.


20 posted on 03/28/2017 9:39:58 AM PDT by 9YearLurker
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