by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist
The Senate's long simmering bromance between John McCain and Lindsey Graham seems to have hit a rough patch with McCain's declaration yesterday that he cannot support the Graham-Cassidy bill to repeal Obamacare. McCain's defection, along with that of Kentucky's Senator Rand Paul, means that the GOP would have to muster the votes of each of its remaining fifty senators in order to pave the way for Vice President Pence to save the day by casting a tie-breaker in favor of taking health care away from millions of deserving Americans.
So close, but yet so far.
The Senate Republican leadership had unreasonably high hopes that by letting Lindsey Graham champion this repeal effort, that would be enough to keep McCain, Graham's cantankerous BFF, in line. But the blatant attempt to cast the Lindsey lure failed to work. Some are saying that McCain is using the issue to polish up his image as a maverick - or a statesman, while others remain a bit more cynical and believe the cagey Arizona senator is simply getting even with Trump for his taunts back during the campaign which defamed McCain's military service.
I'm more of a mind that John McCain doesn't get mad, he gets even.
Donald Trump only has one diplomatic "skill," and that is to bully - and the more he tries to bully John McCain the safer, and the healthier, America will be.
Trump also tried to bully the other GOP defector, Rand Paul, and the result of that attack ended badly as well. In a tweet yesterday Trump bloviated:
To which the junior Republican senator shot back a tweet saying that he didn't regard Graham-Cassidy as a true Obamacare repeal - and that he would not be "bribed or bullied."
Donald Trump may be comfortable trying to bully his way through what he has termed "the swamp," but the Republican's biggest alligator in the Senate, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, is a master of bribery. McConnell has two remaining worries with regard to the way his caucus votes on Graham-Cassidy. One is Susan Collins of Maine, and the other is Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. Both of those senators voted against the Senate's last effort to kill Obamacare, along with pissed-off John McCain - and thus kept the vote to repeal at forty-nine, denying Mike Pence the chance to rush in and vote to insure that Americans in need remain that way.
During the last vote, Republicans tried bullying Murkowski with threats toward the energy economy of Alaska. This time around the GOP leadership seems to have changed its tactics with Murkowski and will try bribery instead. The senator has apparently been told that if she will vote to repeal Obamacare through Graham-Cassidy, an exception will be carved out within the bill that will essentially allow Alaska to keep Obamacare. Think about that. If Murkowski votes to take affordable health care away from the forty-nine other states, her state will be allowed to keep it. What is a political animal to do?
Once again we are at a moral and political crossroads in America watching helplessly as the health and well-being of millions of our fellow citizens dangles by a thread. We shouldn't have to live in constant fear that illness or injury could first render us impoverished - and then dead.
Stand tough, senators. You are our last line of defense against the bullies, and bribers, and greedy charlatans who are striving so desperately to make America hate again. If you have our backs, we will have yours. Protect America by making health care affordable and keeping it that way!
Citizen Journalist
The Senate's long simmering bromance between John McCain and Lindsey Graham seems to have hit a rough patch with McCain's declaration yesterday that he cannot support the Graham-Cassidy bill to repeal Obamacare. McCain's defection, along with that of Kentucky's Senator Rand Paul, means that the GOP would have to muster the votes of each of its remaining fifty senators in order to pave the way for Vice President Pence to save the day by casting a tie-breaker in favor of taking health care away from millions of deserving Americans.
So close, but yet so far.
The Senate Republican leadership had unreasonably high hopes that by letting Lindsey Graham champion this repeal effort, that would be enough to keep McCain, Graham's cantankerous BFF, in line. But the blatant attempt to cast the Lindsey lure failed to work. Some are saying that McCain is using the issue to polish up his image as a maverick - or a statesman, while others remain a bit more cynical and believe the cagey Arizona senator is simply getting even with Trump for his taunts back during the campaign which defamed McCain's military service.
I'm more of a mind that John McCain doesn't get mad, he gets even.
Donald Trump only has one diplomatic "skill," and that is to bully - and the more he tries to bully John McCain the safer, and the healthier, America will be.
Trump also tried to bully the other GOP defector, Rand Paul, and the result of that attack ended badly as well. In a tweet yesterday Trump bloviated:
"Rand Paul, or whoever votes against Hcare Bill, will forever (future political campaigns) be known as 'the Republican who saved ObamaCare.'"
To which the junior Republican senator shot back a tweet saying that he didn't regard Graham-Cassidy as a true Obamacare repeal - and that he would not be "bribed or bullied."
Donald Trump may be comfortable trying to bully his way through what he has termed "the swamp," but the Republican's biggest alligator in the Senate, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, is a master of bribery. McConnell has two remaining worries with regard to the way his caucus votes on Graham-Cassidy. One is Susan Collins of Maine, and the other is Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. Both of those senators voted against the Senate's last effort to kill Obamacare, along with pissed-off John McCain - and thus kept the vote to repeal at forty-nine, denying Mike Pence the chance to rush in and vote to insure that Americans in need remain that way.
During the last vote, Republicans tried bullying Murkowski with threats toward the energy economy of Alaska. This time around the GOP leadership seems to have changed its tactics with Murkowski and will try bribery instead. The senator has apparently been told that if she will vote to repeal Obamacare through Graham-Cassidy, an exception will be carved out within the bill that will essentially allow Alaska to keep Obamacare. Think about that. If Murkowski votes to take affordable health care away from the forty-nine other states, her state will be allowed to keep it. What is a political animal to do?
Once again we are at a moral and political crossroads in America watching helplessly as the health and well-being of millions of our fellow citizens dangles by a thread. We shouldn't have to live in constant fear that illness or injury could first render us impoverished - and then dead.
Stand tough, senators. You are our last line of defense against the bullies, and bribers, and greedy charlatans who are striving so desperately to make America hate again. If you have our backs, we will have yours. Protect America by making health care affordable and keeping it that way!
No comments:
Post a Comment