One might think that Trump would feel some responsibility for the outcome -- being the (self-proclaimed) great dealmaker, the guy who was going to whip Congress into action and make it look easy -- but put that aside.
Three Republican Senators let down the side. 49 voted to move forward to at least get something moving (with final prospects extremely doubtful unless the caucus is ready to abolish the filibuster). Trump should not be alienating any more of the 49; he should be looking for ways to flip one or more of the three. Susan Collins was at least consistent. She is a northeastern liberal Republican, one of the last specimens of a dying breed, and she did what most of us expected her to do all along. The other two ...?
I don't know what McCain's thinking was. McConnell clearly thought he had McCain's vote, and then McCain broke at the last minute. My ungenerous supposition is that his decision was petty, personal, and spiteful -- but if so, that is simply Trump's own shabby and embarrassing comments about McCain during the campaign coming back to haunt him. Words and actions have consequences.
I do. Revenge. McCain hates Trump and will do whatever he can to get even for the "I like people who were not captured" comment last summer. Even if the country suffers because of it.
Just another frontal lobe decision. That’s all.
So which of the thirteen GOP dwarfs would have accomplished more than Trump has accomplished against all odds?
What makes you think this? He couldn't have just been pretending he thought he had it, could he?
I have been following politics for decades now and it never ceases to amaze me how many times we miss by one vote. It is almost like the leadership wants the Democrats to win on a particular issue and makes sure that there are just enough defectors to get it done.
Oh bull! How naive are you? If McCain hadn't voted no there were a half a dozen others who voted Tea, waiting to bring out their knife if needed. There was Heller, Alexander, Flake and others who were able to cast a sham vote because McCain had their back. Had McCain changed his mind one of those traitors would certainly have changed their vote.
If McConnell thought he had McCain's vote, he's an idiot. McCain has been owned and operated by the Democrats for years. Whenever they really need a vote, all they have to do is yank on his chain.
As much as I support Trump, I’m still waiting to see all this wonderful “Art of the Deal” i was promised... all I see is a lot of turmoil with little to show for it.
Yes the GOPe are traitorous bastards.. thats a given.
But Trump himself has to bear some of the blame, you cant blame EVERYTHING on someone else...
You are quite naïve.
So, you believe Trump bears some responsibility for the feckless Republican congress?
Laughable.
All he did is expose these worthless pieces of sh!t for what they are.
Wow...this is what one man against the machine looks like. Your thought process is caustic and quite frankly toxic.
You need to grow wise or balls one or the other.
I agree with you that it is probably better to try to make three new allies instead of 49 more determined opponents. Notice I did not say 49 more opponents because very few of the 49 seem to really be on his side.
As for negotiation, NOBODY seems to have a workable solution to health care. Not just obamacare but health care in general. Part of the solution is that they will not accept the most probable real solutions staring them in the face; abandon the commerce clause nonsense, tort reform, some regulation in price posting, simplification, get rid of the silly medical records stuff etc.
For seven years they have fumed and whined about obamacare and given the opportunity to do something profound they sit on their thumbs. I’d say they aren’t very smart but the truth is probably closer to they don’t intend to do anything. The highest bidder for their loyalty does not want anything done. Big medicine like things just the way they are.
Few people understand the problem or even what we really have. The politicians that do don’t want to do anything because they lose more votes by doing something than nothing.
Barky care gave us the following stripes of insurance. Everyone has been affected to some degree but none so much as the private payer who actually pays for his insurance. He is taking a beating financially, getting nothing in return and will probably soon run out of options.
1. Group insurance, corporations, unions, local to feral gubments and congress and staff by barky decree. This group is about 90% of the people that work.
Cost went up because of mandates to cover chit not needed
Some don’t like being mandated to provide abortions but they got over it or got exceptions
Any of their objections are mostly over and they aren’t very passionate about it anymore
Large voting block with not a very big dog in the fight
2. The “exchange” indigents, pre-conditions, poor, low income mostly, the dregs and unfortunate of society
These are getting better care than they ever had without “embarrassment” of using clinics and asking for charity
They pay little or nothing for better care and coverage than we who pay can get
Not a big voting block, they may not even vote but they are a valuable emotional card good for a lot of votes from the libs
These people have a lot of time to scream and get a lot of attention. They are the tear jerker sob stories.
They get their insurance, the very same private medical insurance some buy, through the “.gov exchange” and actually believe the .gov is their insurance company, a gift from the libs. In reality .gov is just a middle man that processes their application, collects data, doles out subsidies and is their sugar daddy.
3. Private medical insurance
What the self-insured buy whether we buy it through .gov or direct from Cigna, BCBS, United or whomever
It includes all the same risk pool as #2
We can’t get insurance anywhere else. We either buy here or we do without and pay a penalty
Some pay a penalty and opt out further increasing costs to those who do pay.
We are a voting block that do not matter much at all. We don’t have any clout, we don’t get any sympathy.
4. Enhanced Medicare
For those who can’t pay anything
It gives them access to the same health care as the mainstream of society without being embarrassed.
People argue these forms of insurance will lead to the dreaded single payer. NO Way unless by fakery because there are too many who are not affected enough to give a damn and ask for it.
For this mess to work though with all the things people want like universal coverage, unlimited coverage, unlimited access and all that either all must be in the same risk pool and all pay into the risk pool. Self-insured that pay in group 3 can’t afford group 3 with 2 on our backs. We will break one way or another. Group 1, 2 and 4 won’t give a damn.
Don't be fooled, a lot of those 49 would have voted "no" if their vote really mattered.