Posted on 03/31/2017 9:47:25 AM PDT by IBD editorial writer
Health Reform: For a week now, the conservative House Freedom Caucus has been taking hits for derailing the Republican effort to repeal and replace ObamaCare. But why are moderate/liberal Republicans who refused to support the bill getting a free pass?
The Freedom Caucus was the most vociferous in its opposition to the American Health Care Act — or at least its criticisms of the bill attracted the most attention.
The Wall Street Journal editorial page blamed the group, calling it the "Freedom-From-Reality Caucus." CNN reported that "its members … are Public Enemy No. 1 on Capitol Hill."
President Trump went so far as to tweet that "The Freedom Caucus will hurt the entire Republican agenda if they don't get on the team, & fast. We must fight them, & Dems, in 2018!"
The truth is that nobody knows for sure who would have voted against the bill — since House Speaker Paul Ryan pulled it from the floor before a vote was cast.
However, IBD examined two lists — compiled by NBC News and Heavy.com — of those who had publicly stated that they were leaning or definite "no" votes on the American Health Care Act. Combining the two lists, it adds up to 44 Republicans who could have cast "no" votes if they'd had the chance.
Of those, only 18 are members of the Freedom Caucus.
(Excerpt) Read more at investors.com ...
Here is the problem. The FC can never have a bill introduced without opposition, and the rest, although they can introduce a bill, will find it opposed by the FC unless its fit them to a tea.
The democrats? We already know full well what they will do.
So that leaves a split within the majority that each is hell bent on opposition to nearly everything.
Trump will have to rule like Obama did...by EO. The rest will never get done, unless they all have a change of heart.
Right now, if I were the POTUS, I would strip the EOs on Obamacare and ENFORCE IT fully. Take away the exemptions of CONgress and everyone. US Grant once said that the best way to get rid of an obnoxious law is through strict enforcement. Enforce it, all of it.
You just diagnosed the disease without realizing you did.
The illness is when a person makes everything about their own identity: “I’m a true conservative, so there’s no way I’ll support Trump because he did this or he said that.”
Meanwhile, Trump is actually doing what conservatives have been demanding for decades, and the “freedom” caucus is going off the deep end as they worship a list of conservative ideals they could never attain without President Trump.
Agreed. It's like Geraldo Rivera "Conservatism" has absorbed Free Republic.
I stand with the Freedom Caucus, Lou Dobbs, Laura Ingraham, Limbaugh, and even Mark Levin on the RINOcare stink-bomb.
It’s the Uniparty eunuchs who are holding up repealing Obamacare.
Ryancare was an effort to keep most of it in place and hang it around Trump’s neck to make him a one term President.
Half of the FC is made up of NeverTrumpers.
Are you saying they speak for conservatives?
“And how has selling out your principals caused that success?”
That’s such a non-sequitur I’m going to urge you to seek some medical attention lol.
My point in all of this is for all the “principals” this small caucus is being played up to have is this: they have accomplished NOTHING. They look like they will continue to accomplish NOTHING. Has the one page repeal bill been taken up in committee yet???
If it’s not taken up in committee, then what good is it??? What good is being chock full of principals if you cannot accomplishing anything positive with it?
Till they develop some backbone & leadership skills to match their “principals” they are as useless as Lyin Ryan & the rest of the GOPe, IMO.
That's my whole point. Give me a "fer instance", not conjecture.
I’ve had similar thoughts on the matter. I’m sick of is this one caucus being held up as a paragon of “principals” when their only other “accomplishment” that I can find record of is them supporting Lyin Ryan to replace the last UniParty Speaker.
Meanwhile, Ocrapcare remains on the books while the FC still has their “principals”.
They had no choice. In the first election on Ryan they tried to get an alternative and the RINOs prevented it.
On the second one they were trying to be the team players everyone is now screaming for them to be.
30 guys can’t elect a Speaker against 200+ RINOs.
Also they would have been subjected to punitive measures like cut form committee assignments where they could do some good.
“We only want to eliminate “conservatives” from congress. Not conservatives.”
And maybe eliminate them from this forum as well?
JimRob might have something to say about that.
I’ve read this claim that half, most, all FC members are #NEVERTRUMPers many, many times. My question is, among the FC membership, which supported Trump?
Mark Meadows - Yes
Jim Jordan - Yes
Justin Amash - No
Brian Babin - Yes
Joe Barton - Yes
Andy Biggs - Yes
Rod Blum - Yes
Dave Brat - Yes
Jim Bridenstine - Yes
Mo Brooks - Yes
Ken Buck - Yes
Warren Davidson - Yes
Ron DeSantis - Yes
Scott DesJarlais - Yes
Jeff Duncan - Yes
Trent Franks - Yes
Tom Garrett Jr. - Yes
Louie Gohmert - Yes
Paul Gosar - Yes
Morgan Griffith - Yes
Andy Harris - Yes
Jody Hice - Yes
Mike Johnson - Yes
Raúl Labrador - Yes
Alex Mooney - Yes
Gary Palmer - Yes
Steve Pearce - Yes
Scott Perry - Yes
Bill Posey - Yes
Mark Sanford - No
David Schweikert - Yes
Randy Weber - Yes
Ted Yoho - Yes
Admittedly, many of these members of the Freedom Caucus, like people everywhere did not enthusiastically endorse Trump, but that doesn’t make them #NEVERTRUMPers.
“They had no choice. “
There is ALWAYS a choice. They didn’t HAVE to support Lyin Ryan. If they had stood firm against Lyin Ryan then RyanCare might never have been born. We’ll never know though, will we?
Guess you would have been happier if we had not removed the weasel Eric Cantor (who would have voted for Ryancare) so that the Uniparty eunuchs could have passed Rubio’s amnesty in June of 2014 as planned to clear that issue off the table for Yeb! and there would have been no President Trump.
We need more conservatives in Congress, not less.
Because the Snake Ryan, who ENGINEERED the failed bill, WANTS it that way!
That is why he didn’t call for a floor vote. So no one would notice the bleeding heart RINOs and Republican cowards who are afraid to offend Obama’s Minority Status by torpedoing his signature legislation.
By not calling for a floor vote to identify the people who would reject this bill, and by extension, NEARLY ANY BILL to rescind Obama’s Signature Legislation, Ryan hoped to discredit the House Freedom Caucus and alienate Trump from his base.
READ MY TAGLINE.
ping
“Which CHANGES NOTHING!!!! Obamacare remains the law of the land. Screw trying, I require SUCCESS.”
Exactly right. It is about time those in DC actually got their act together and did something for us. We gave them a majority in the House, a majority in the Senate, the White House and a clear mission - Make America Great Again.
They can’t even get a healthcare bill to a vote and instead expect us to just wait it out while Obamacare explodes?
Why are “moderate” Republicans even supporting RuanCare is a better question. RyanCare is a Leftist piece of garbage.
There are 8 to 10 more not listed.
When one thinks about it, hardcore NeverTrumpers would find cover in the FC as a shield.
I agreed with Jordan leading an effort against Ryancare and urge not to be distracted with the divisive tactic of using the FC v. Trump and vice-versa. It’s not worth it now.
The President has the best interests of conservatives at heart but he likes ‘flexibility’ and he will fight anyone that denies him that in principle.
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