Posted on 03/24/2017 8:05:54 PM PDT by ckinv368
The Republican effort to repeal and replace Obamacare—the American Health Care Act—finally came up for a final vote in the House. First put forward by Speaker Paul Ryan in 2009, it offered few surprises to Republicans. And the effort itself was very familiar, as Republicans had voted over 60 times to repeal Obamacare since its passage eight years ago. Yet, when the time came to exercise the prerogative of the majority and finally repeal and replace President Obama’s deeply flawed social program, Republicans came up short.
Over the past two weeks, moderate Republicans argued that they could not vote for a plan that did not keep certain fail-safe protections for the elderly in place. Conservative Republicans—many in the so-called “Freedom Caucus”—complained that Ryan’s plan kept popular portions of Obamacare on the books. They wanted a complete repeal, and many would accept nothing less. In the end, no-one got their wish. As Speaker Ryan admitted this afternoon, “we are going to be living with Obamacare for the foreseeable future.” This, in part, because the Trump Administration refuses to have its agenda held hostage. It is sidelining healthcare and moving forward with tax reform.
Democrats are celebrating Republican missteps. And the collective finger-pointing within the Republican establishment has already begun in earnest. An early contender for sacrificial lamb is Speaker Ryan.
Without doubt, Ryan’s plan was far from perfect. As provisions were added, modified, and deleted, it became less a divination of policy genius, and more a Golden Corral smorgasbord of disparate measures designed to keep factions of the Republican Party moderately happy. Deficit reduction went down. Entitlements and complexity increased. Projections of coverage availability plummeted. Was it the plan any Republican in the House could fall in love with? Certainly not. Was it a plan that could get past a centrist-Republican Senate which had expressed significant doubts? Possibly.
Some have already blamed Ryan for failing to whip the necessary Republican votes to pass the bill. Indications were that he was as few as five votes short. With additional tweaks, pressure, threats, and a hard weekend push, the bill may have gotten across the goal line. However, that effort may have created so much ill-will that it could have hobbled the President’s policy goals for the next four years.
Conservative Republicans have been quick to point fingers at moderate Republicans, saying that these “RINOs” merely wanted to pass Obamacare-lite, without “real change.” However, the reality for Republicans in swing districts is that it’s politically difficult to remove insurance from a projected 24 million Americans over the next decade. Taking entitlements away is much more painful than granting them. And, it should also be remembered that moderate Republicans were much more willing to compromise in this effort than their hard-line brethren.
While pointing fingers, conservative Republicans in Congress should look in the mirror. Maybe these Republicans meant well, in a naïve sort of way. After all, Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona (a dentist) told The Washington Post that he came to Washington “to do health care right.” Rep. Louie Gohmert said that “a no vote means we save Donald Trump from a Democratic majority in 2019.” Others vehemently argue that Obamacare should be immediately repealed, but that Congress should give itself until midterms to pontificate over a replacement (all, while millions of Americans lose health coverage). Unfortunately, none of this is politically feasible. Was the American Health Care Act exactly what the Freedom Caucus wanted? No. Did it offer conservatives the best healthcare deal they may ever get? Probably. The time had come to pass a plan that could receive 216 votes in the House, and 51 in the Senate. Conservative Republicans blew it big time.
By comparison, President Trump is nothing if not pragmatic. In an interview with Robert Costa of The Washington Post, he argued that his next efforts at healthcare reform will garner bi-partisan support once Obamacare premiums exponentially increase, coverage options decrease, and the program implodes. This is good politics. But, a bi-partisan effort guarantees that the Freedom Caucus will be locked out of negotiations, with the bill too centrist for their taste. Trump said so himself. When asked whether a bi-partisan bill would free him from having to court those farthest to the Right, he replied “a lot of people might say that,” opining that such a possibility would “end up with a better health-care plan. A great plan. And you wouldn’t need the Freedom Caucus.”
There is an old saying in Texas that seems particularly appropriate: "pigs get fat, but hogs get slaughtered." That colloquialism pretty much sums up the predicament conservative Republicans now find themselves in. By asking for too much, being too greedy, and demanding unrealistic provisions that had little chance of surviving a Senate vote, they may have shown themselves expendable. There’s little doubt in my mind that the healthcare debate is not over. But conservative Republicans and the Freedom Caucus may be left out of the fold the next time votes are counted.
For more commentary like this, please visit:
www.cameronkinvig.com
You’re correct. Republicans are the biggest losers.
Hopefully they can turn their attention to a healthcare bill that’s good for the American people.
The Freedom Caucas saved the day.
Obamacare Trumpcare.
My only interest in it was that it would be a political disaster for the GOP Congress and President Trump to pass an "Obamacare fix" bill in March 2017 -- only to have millions of Americans face disastrous increases in their insurance premiums in October and November because the "fix" didn't do a damn thing to help them.
Yeah that might happen. And Trump will be a one term punch line to a joke on SNL.
Well Odummy’s care is here to stay now, thanks!
Typical Establishment RINO garbage.
Conservatives proved they can stand up to Ryan (and the rest of the party), and if President Trump really wants to drain the swamp, he can’t do it with half measures (if that), and he can’t do it without us.
As long as conservatives stand on principle, we win.
Don't blame me for the ineffective leadership in Congress.
You might want to question the bonafides of a bunch of guys NeverTrump Koch Bros are funding. They committed to stopping the Trump agenda.
They sure succeeded in this. I doubt Trump’s people were aware of it. Ryan was probably telling them all of his conference are principled people. Probably Ryan didn’t know about the Koch connection, either.
Okay, you are satisfied with Obamacare and Planned Parenthood funding; lots Democrats are happy too, especially that President Trump was defeated and publicly humiliated by conservatives in his own party.
I don’t blame you personally, I blame all those who can’t see the forest through the trees.
Ryan’s Pac has pulled millions of campaign $$ away from reps that refused to sign the bill. Huge $$. It is reported David Young from central Iowa is losing $1.6 million in campaign funds.
Ryan was probably telling them all of his conference are principled people. Probably Ryan didn’t know about the Koch connection, either.
You mean the same Ryan that is FUNDED by the Koch Bros???? That Ryan???
https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2012/08/14/the-big-money-behind-paul-ryans-political-career
.....The vice presidential nominee’s campaign finance record is not without some minor controversy. To begin with, he has long been a favorite of the libertarian billionaires Charles and David Koch. Before entering Congress, Ryan worked with a conservative group that would eventually merge with a Koch brothers’ group to become FreedomWorks, a leading sponsor of the Tea Party movement. Their mutual interests in libertarianism could explain why the private energy corporation Koch Industries has given Ryan more than $65,000 over his career.
Geez....give it up.
I guess I’m old fashion, if my team wants to win the Superbowl, they have to first win enough games to get there. Once they win enough to get to the Superbowl, they got a great opportunity to win all the marbles.
The problem now is that it sounds like the conservatives won’t have a seat at the table when healthcare finally gets addressed in the future according to Trump.
None of that will turn anyone on the left. Their near goal is to get everyone “covered” which means that very few can afford the medical care that is left from the practitioners who remain but everyone will have “insurance.” The left doesn’t care a bit about whether you or I live or die or can afford to see a doctor. Even conservatives have bought the delusion that Insurance is what counts, not so much actual medical access. The middle goal is for Single Payer for which the designed in failure of obamacare is intended. The long goal is, of course, total control. That which is not prohibited is mandated.
I hate the mandate and this Ryan bill would have at least freed me from the mandate.
The mandate was still there. You would’ve just paid it to the insurance companies, via your new policy (30% surcharge), rather than to the govt. That’s one reason so many opposed it.
Uh — whut?
I believe there was only one vote against Paul Ryan. For that reason I am skeptical of ALL he Republicans in Congress. They will not cooperate in anything that diminishes their take from the Chamber of Commerce or, for more of them than I like to think about, their Soros stipend.
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