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
I do not doubt it. Never was a fan of Ryan & Romney.
My point is repeal of Odummy care is dead in the water now.
Remove the government totally from the medical and insurance fields and the market will give the optimal level of access and the quality of care will go up as the price declines. Every “plan” that requires “coverage” or mandates access will diminish access and quality, taking all of it out of range of an ever larger portion of an ever shrinking middle class.
It was dead in the water before today, too.
DISGUSTING!!
Um, no. It was pulled before any vote...
Well, there was at least a miniscule hope, but thanks to the hypocritical FC, that hope has been dashed.
I have not had a chance to read the entire bill. But I did tune into many hours of congressional hearings, and every republican repeated that there will be no mandate to buy any particular set of coverages. That 30% you mention is for those who need a subsidy, and the subsidy money goes directly to insurance companies.
What was lacking in this bill was, nothing on tort reform, nothing on buying insurance across state lines, nothing about drug price negotiation, nothing about importing drugs from Canada, and too many subsidies to too many people.
I'm not so sure that a significantly bipartisan effort will occur. What Dems can or will significantly change their position, regardless of the evidence? Another year or two of this debacle should give conservatives lots of time to further make their case about WHY this sort of program is doomed to failure, even as millions are harmed by its failure. If it was me, I would argue: "Look at what's going on, and why. We can't have anything like this, without the same or a worse result."
Of course the sad part is the millions who will be harmed.
No! The biggest loser is that weasel Paul Ryan. I really hope it costs him the speakers chair.
Get in here!
A blog pimp is begging for a beating.
What a con game.
The media “pundits” can’t seem to agree. Conservatives are the winners in this article:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3537899/posts
Don’t count on that, I’m sure those hypocritical FC members will vote for him again.
That’s pathetic. $65K over a career? Would that buy a cup of weekend coffee for him and his staff over the career? Probably most of it as Romney’s VP pick.
Go look up Koch and NeverTrump. This wasn’t about Ryan. It was about backstabbing Trump. Ryan didn’t even have to be there and they would have obstructed.
They hate Trump.
They overplayed their hand... they are the big losers and if you think otherwise you are naive.
If Obamacare continues and it implodes.. which it almost certainly will, doing something about it becomes a priority for all involved... and if democrats get on board the bill created will certainly be far worse as far as what the freedom caucus would like and Trump and others won’t need their votes to pass it.. so their impact will be minimal to none.
Trump just won big, even though it’s being spun as a loss, because people are so short sighted.
Trump just showed he’d walk away... and not did he walk away when the anger as to what just happen manefests. It won’t be at Trump. For 7 years the republican brand has marketed itself on getting rid of Obamacare... and when they finally had all they needed.. they didn’t get it done. You can argue the failings or merits of the bill all day, it won’t matter... The R brand took a huge Hit... not that voters wanting it gone will vote D next time... but they will stay home... especially if you look in any way responsible for failing to do what you campaigned on for nearly a decade.
Trump will move on to other things, but don’t think he lost.. there is now no doubt in Washington that Trump will walk away, something politicians are not used to. These guys completely overplayed their hand just like Dems did when they put Obamacare on the books in the first place
That was just for in 2012.
They’ve given him over $100K, over the years.
It compares to what INSURANCE companies have given him, though....
Northwestern Mutual ~ $258,360
Blue Cross/Blue Shield ~ $144,250
Koch Industries ~ $130,422
Let’s see.
If you oppose the Freedom Caucus you favor Ryan.
If you oppose the Freedom Caucus you also favor Trump.
Ryan and Trump both are pushing the same flawed garbage.
What is disgusting is hypocritical fools that can’t see that Trump and the RINOs running Congress are equivalent. Trump equals RINO.
Yes.
A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.
A smelly goat by any other name (RynoCare, TrumpCare, etc etc) would stink just as bad. And the stink would have been on Republicans.
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