The blame is being thrown about, especially in the direction of the Freedom Caucus, and the Democrats are gleeful, but what they don’t understand is Donald Trump will persevere and their healthcare plan is a disaster. However, if a replacement isn’t in place before 2018, Republicans could lose the majority in the Senate and seats in the House.
The approach and the entire process was flawed. It is said that when the Freedom Caucus visited the White House earlier this week, Steve Bannon opened with the line, “Guys, look, this is not a discussion. This is not a debate. You have no choice but to vote for this bill.”
One member said, “You know the last time someone ordered me to do something, I was 18 years old. And it was my daddy. And I didn’t listen to him either.”
Threats don’t work with Conservatives. They will die for their principles.
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Speaker Ryan and the Trump team went overboard in attempts to reign in the Conservatives by assuming an authoritative role. It might not have mattered either way but it certainly wasn’t effective. Meeting in secret and then trying to force it on opponents doesn’t work with people holding to principles and burned out from the last dictatorship.
The problem for Conservatives is the Marxists have succeeded in buying Americans’ good will with handouts at others’ expense. All manner of healthcare as a human right is part of the nomenclature.
Ryan began the repeal and replace process before the inauguration and, as one member said, “He boxed us in. We didn’t have any choice.”
Right from the beginning, Ryan refused Amendments and negotiations. When he and his team finally said they’d make changes, they weren’t always serious. For example, Ryan’s wing added a work requirement to Medicaid in response to conservatives’ concerns, but then the conservatives found out the work requirement was optional. In other words, it was useless.
It is also said that when concessions were made, the moderates dropped out because they have to win in more liberal states. Conservatives don’t want to accept that.
It is said that in response to Conservatives’ requests, the leadership rescinded essential health benefits like emergency room care, maternity care, and mental health care– moderate Republicans thought that was too extreme.
The final blow, according to Business Insider, was when New Jersey Republican and chair of the House Appropriations Committee, Rodney Frelinghuysen, withdrew his support.
Speaker Paul Ryan, Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, HHS Secretary Tom Price all told President Trump they had the process in hand and they did come close from all reports. But they never had it in hand and it certainly would have faced difficulties in the Senate.
When Conservatives said it was DOA, they were serious. Conservatives said they were willing to live with the big government architecture in place but the bill didn’t do enough to lower costs and it was clearly similar to Obamacare. They felt they were saving Trump. They didn’t trust Ryan to proceed with parts 2 and 3.
If Republicans don’t repeal and replace Obamacare, they will be in trouble in the 2018 elections. Hopefully they know that.
Trump needs a win but he’s working with an antagonistic, fearful and, in many cases, liberal Republican establishment in Congress as well as resolute Conservatives.
Trump doesn’t want to get lost in an Obamacare replacement battle for the next year or two and blow all his time and capital and he said he was going to give it up.
Trump has a far less powerful hand than Obama did when he shoved Obamacare down our throats the first time with a 60-vote majority in the Senate and control of the House. Trump needs to work on this at a slower pace and as Rand Paul said, they can work on an Obamacare replacement and tax reform at the same time.
As Trump said, the left told people Obamacare was fine as a replacement was close to a vote. Democrats own Obamacare and hopefully people will see that as it declines further. Democrats will blame Republicans for not being able to lead.
The latest tack by Democrats is to say it’s up to Trump to save Obamacare now. Some Republicans are already folding and insisting Obamacare be fixed as opposed to replaced. That would be a serious problem for many in the Republican base and it’s not clear the GOP understands that.
On the other hand, Obamacare is likely impossible to repeal at this point. It’s intertwined in our system, special interests with deep pockets won’t give it up, and Americans want their subsidies.
Obamacare has to be addressed. Obama was adding rules and pulling money from everywhere to keep it afloat. The insurance companies had a racket going with the administration with the “risk corridor” which Republicans stopped. The “risk corridor” required taxpayers to cover the losses of insurance companies who sold us out to pass the bill. The entire Obamacare operation was meant to fall apart after Obama left office with the only option being full government healthcare.
Under a government system, unaccountable bureaucrats get to decide who gets the pills, who gets the surgery, who lives, who dies, and the patients won’t be able to sue. At least with insurance companies, there is recourse other than appeal.
The left is having a field day but as we said, they don’t know Trump. He won’t give up. Congress is another issue. Unfortunately, the deal the conservatives were offered was probably the best they were ever going to get. If Democrats get involved, it won’t be good.
While media portrays this as a stunning defeat, one must wonder what is stunning about something declared DOA weeks ago.
Sean Hannity said this is not President Trump’s fault and Republicans have to be clearer in the future.
If nothing is done and insurance companies go under, will the communists among us get their way?
We now have to begin the final fight for free universal health care for all. Remember this poll: the majority AGREE! https://t.co/8z1Ha1vl7R
— Michael Moore (@MMFlint) March 25, 2017
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