Trump's Full Court Press on healthcare

[Carpet_pissr]

All the GOP hold-outs seem to be caving on the motion to proceed.

Amazing what throwing a few billion dollars to the states of those holdouts will do to a vote.

[malchior]

All the GOP hold-outs seem to be caving on the motion to proceed. Heller, Portman, Capito and others just announced they're voting YES. Passing the motion to proceed would clear a significant hurdle towards getting a final bill approved that could decimate health coverage for millions of Americans. A bill that likely only a small percentage of Americans will approve.

And for what? To save face, give the administration a victory, and line the pockets of wealthy donors?

Edit: the roll call is happening now. It looks like only Collins and Murkowski are voting NO. It's going to eek by... shameful.

Yep the next few days will literally lead to millions of people losing coverage. Another day to be completely disgusted by my country's completely morally bankrupt leadership.

[stessier]

I'm so confused by the whole thing at this point. All they are doing today is voting if they should work on amending the bill? If that's the case why is everyone freaking out like they have accomplished something? I'm sure Trump will hold a parade, but no actual laws have been changed right? God I can't wait until this fucktard is out.

538 has a live blog going on with good information.

ANNA MARIA BARRY-JESTER 12:46 PM
What’s Going To Happen
The New York Times has a helpful primer on what’s going to go down the next few days if the motion to proceed goes through. Here’s the basic order of things:

1. The Senate will debate for 20 hours (not necessarily consecutively), with that time split evenly between Democrats and Republicans.
2. Then comes the vote-a-rama, when essentially unlimited amendments can be added to the bill.
3. Points of Order, when the Senate parliamentarian will advise on what provisions of the bill meet Senate rules. The parliamentarian has already advised that several provisions in previous iterations of the bill violate Senate rules.
4. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell offers the final amendment.
5. Final vote.

BEN CASSELMAN 1:18 PM
About That “Final Amendment”
Anna, thanks for the guide to Senate procedure, which many of us are learning on the fly. One thing that may not be obvious to people who haven’t followed these votes in the past is that the “final amendment” that McConnell may introduce in Step 4 isn’t really an “amendment” in the traditional sense. It’s the bill.

Here’s how this works: During the “vote-o-rama” (Step 2), senators will introduce and vote on dozens of amendments in rapid succession. When that wraps up, McConnell will have the option of introducing an amendment that will wipe away all the previous amendments and replace them with whatever he decides should be in the final bill. That’s what the Senate would actually vote on in Step 5. (Even that bill may not be truly final — the House and Senate could still make changes in a conference committee, if the House doesn’t just pass the Senate bill.)

So why bother with the vote-o-rama at all? The answer is partly politics: Many of the amendments will exist primarily to force members of the other party to cast politically damaging votes. But the votes on the amendments will also give McConnell crucial intelligence on what provisions could make it through the Senate. So pay attention to the amendments for a hint of what will be in the final bill.

Oh, and one final reminder: None of this will happen at all if the motion-to-proceed fails.

[Captain Caveman]

It's done. The motion to proceed has passed.

[Octavious]

Okay I didn't misunderstand as much as I thought. Still need to have a vote on the actual crazypants bill they come up with, so doesn't seem like all is lost yet. I'm sure Trump is already holding a parade though.

[Rip]

Elections have consequences.

[malchior]

There is a belief amongst some that the only amendment that will matter will be McConnell's which will be the BCRA. Or whatever they want to call that evil document.

One analyst i read was speculating this process will be used to bludgeon the holdouts or obfuscate culpability enough to bring them into the fold. We will see.

[LordMortis]

I hate to be an ass but if congress gut health care for huge progressive tax cuts for households that make an excess of $250,000 a year, I hope no state pays for this more dearly than the state that contains the voters of Kentucky.

That's a shitty way to feel and I'm not proud but I can't help but have that kind of malice at this point. I'll feel even shittier about it when Kid Rock is one of my senators.

[malchior]

It'd be rich if they collapse the insurance market and usher in single payer. I don't think it'll happen but fun to think about. Whatever happens it should banish them to the political wilderness.

[LordMortis]

It'd be rich if they collapse the insurance market and usher in single payer.

I like your reality, where do I find it?

[Captain Caveman]

What kind of system do we have when a bill poling in the teens among Americans gets ushered forward by this Senate? Who do they think they are they representing here?

[malchior]

Also anyone want to continue to pretend we are not completely broken politically? No matter whether they succeed or not at killing people that they lead, this is not how you should run the wealthiest country on the planet. This is flat out insanity.

[malchior]

What kind of system do we have when a bill poling in the teens among Americans gets ushered forward by this Senate? Who do they think they are they representing here?

A low information voter is the majority there and the other part is the tiny fraction that matters.

[El Guapo]

There is a belief amongst some that the only amendment that will matter will be McConnell's which will be the BCRA. Or whatever they want to call that evil document.

One analyst i read was speculating this process will be used to bludgeon the holdouts or obfuscate culpability enough to bring them into the fold. We will see.

I'd say it's less a belief and more of a certainty. The final "amendment" will basically wipe out everything before it and be the bill.

Basically the situation is that McConnell wants to pass a bill that will cause massive insurance coverage losses in order to finance tax cuts for rich people. He's aware that this is politically unpopular, and shameless enough to not care. So he's just working to find the least transparent way to pass some version of that.

Note that my understanding is that once the "final amendment" (i.e. the bill) is introduced, McConnell can limit debate on the actual bill to a matter of hours. Which makes it tough for the media to cover and for activists to fight, since you're aiming at an ill-defined and moving target (and this also lets repeal people obfuscate on the bill more easily).

It's pretty clear at this point that 50 GOP senators are willing to go along with that in some form if they think that the GOP can get away with it (without said senator losing their seat), and McConnell is pretty good at creating situations where it looks like the GOP can get away with it.

[LordMortis]

it's also hard to imagine that immediately after recieivng a terminal diagnosis, he'd want travel cross-country to help rip healthcare away from millions to give a "victory" to a draft-dodging President who said he wasn't a hero because he got captured. I'm preparing to be disappointed.

Not any more. His traveling cross country to give a victory Trump (and potentially rip health care away from millions) was literally the deciding factor.

[Captain Caveman]

And then McCain proceeds to give a speech decrying how terrible the process has been. But he voted yes. And still the media lionizes him.

[malchior]

It is institutional insanity all around at this point.

[El Guapo]

And then McCain proceeds to give a speech decrying how terrible the process has been. But he voted yes. And still the media lionizes him.

A small amount of style can cover for a lot of substance. Like the media covering Paul Ryan as a non-ideological policy wonk for *years*, which was never accurate in the slightest.

[pr0ner]

What kind of system do we have when a bill poling in the teens among Americans gets ushered forward by this Senate? Who do they think they are they representing here?

This is a tweet from a Trump supporter I still follow for some reason on Twitter:

"WOOHOO. Junk it. People that actually vote (instead of just tweet or protest) want it gone."

Uhh, wut?

[malchior]

That covers the low information part of the low teens portion. The small fraction talks via dollars.

[coopasonic]

What kind of system do we have when a bill poling in the teens among Americans gets ushered forward by this Senate? Who do they think they are they representing here?

The billionaires that fund the campaigns and line their pockets?

[El Guapo]

Note that it's still an open question about what (if anything) can actually get 50 votes to pass. Straight repeal almost certainly can't, repeal and delay almost certainly can't, the BRCA *probably* can't (albeit less clear).

Word is that McConnell will ultimately probably try to pass "skinny repeal" - essentially a bill that just eliminates the least politically popular parts of the ACA (individual mandate, employer mandate, some taxes). Then they'll work out a monstrosity bill in conference with the House and try to ram that through with as little transparency and as much speed as possible.

It's far from a lock to work. But the problem is that as long as Ryan and McConnell are determined to pass a horrible bill in some form, they have a lot of options and a lot of time, and only need to get it right once.

[pr0ner]

That covers the low information part of the low teens portion. The small fraction talks via dollars.

Considering pretty much everything else she posts about is retweets of people calling everything in the current economy a "bubble", that's surprisingly accurate.

[Kraken]

What kind of system do we have when a bill poling in the teens among Americans gets ushered forward by this Senate? Who do they think they are they representing here?

The donors who finance their campaigns. They're getting the tax cuts they paid for.

[pr0ner]

What kind of system do we have when a bill poling in the teens among Americans gets ushered forward by this Senate? Who do they think they are they representing here?

The donors who finance their campaigns. They're getting the tax cuts they paid for.

Apparently Steve Wynn harrassed Sen. Heller daily to get him to change his vote to yes.

[malchior]

The skinny repeal as described is pure insanity. It'll break the system in completely unpredictable ways. Healthcare is just too big a part of the economy to gamble this way. It is playing with hand grenades in a fireworks factory.

[El Guapo]

The skinny repeal as described is pure insanity. It'll break the system in completely unpredictable ways. Healthcare is just too big a part of the economy to gamble this way. It is playing with hand grenades in a fireworks factory.

Well, the idea is that skinny repeal wouldn't become law. It's just a way to get GOP senators on the fence to vote yes to advance repeal in essentially a TBD form - the law would be whatever comes out of conference that they think they can get a majority on. The goal is to avoid putting substance on the bill until as close to the final vote as they can.

[Octavious]

What are you all worried about? Trump just said again that it will be "Really, Really great healthcare"

Whew glad that drama is over.

[malchior]

Kristol and Todd are both on twitter saying that McCain is setting himself up as a No vote eventually. I can't stop laughing. It is possible but ...it...almost certainly...will...not happen. The man pretends to have integrity but he is a party man and he will serve the party until the end.

Edit: This is a bit too harsh. He clearly has integrity. But he has incredible loyalty to his party that often trumps other considerations.

[Defiant]

I still don't get why Republicans are so intent on russian this instead of moving more slowly and cautiously.

[Brian]

Because Trump has to be able to tout how much they are winning and doing everything he promised.

[gilraen]

I still don't get why Republicans are so intent on russian this instead of moving more slowly and cautiously.

Now...was that a Freudian auto correct slip?

He clearly has integrity. But he has incredible loyalty to his party that often trumps other considerations.

Those 2 sentences are in direct contradiction to each other. I'll go with the latter.

[Rip]

I still don't get why Republicans are so intent on russian this instead of moving more slowly and cautiously.

If they don't act now they could get caught out in the ukraine.

[Combustible Lemur]

I think people tend to give McCain too much credit on policy just because he occasionally says 'mavericky' things before mostly reliably voting with GOP leadership. What's the evidence that he's bothered by ending health coverage for millions?

This. After his fancy speech this afternoon where he swore he wouldn't for for the bill as is. He just voted yes on the BCRA.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

[Captain Caveman]

WTF McCain. You can't live up to your words made just hours earlier? I mean, I know it's a symbolic vote since this version wasn't going to pass, but I really don't get his thinking here.

[Defiant]

I still don't get why Republicans are so intent on russian this instead of moving more slowly and cautiously.

Now...was that a Freudian auto correct slip?

No, that was a pun.

[El Guapo]

WTF McCain. You can't live up to your words made just hours earlier? I mean, I know it's a symbolic vote since this version wasn't going to pass, but I really don't get his thinking here.

I think he dugged down deep, asked himself, "Am I a piece of shit?" and realized the answer was "yes".

[Vorret]

Hang in there guys you have less than 3 and a half years left!

Well unless you elect him again

[stessier]

Can anyone explain the Senate parliamentarian? I get what the role is, but how is the job filled? It seems incredibly important that it somehow be independent from the parties, but that in itself seems difficult.

[Fitzy]

Can anyone explain the Senate parliamentarian? I get what the role is, but how is the job filled? It seems incredibly important that it somehow be independent from the parties, but that in itself seems difficult.

Gather round children, bring your drinks and your food, for this story is long, yet maybe one of the most important.

2500 years ago, in Athens, a family agreed to a very special role. In exchange for giving up their voting rights, they would become the Parliamentarian. One person was chosen from this family every 10 years to fulfill this role. Their sole job was to interrupt the rules and traditions of the Athenian Democracy and thereby maintain this honorable form of government at the highest of standards. It was a role in which their family's near legendary ability to remember the most obscure of fact, made them the perfect choice. The family would swear allegiance only to the rules and traditions and never favor one faction over another.

Without this family, the Democratic experiment would have fallen far earlier in Greece. The family kept the traditions alive. Even as the family itself, settled into near obscurity, in order to hide the important role they played.

This family should have died out when Greece was conquered by Rome, but after a secret meeting with a small handful of Roman Senators, the family was smuggled into Rome and the tradition begun again.

After the fall of Rome, the family, which had never abused its position in 800 years, should have again fallen. They were reliant on the state for their very survival. However, Pope Zósimos, an otherwise unremarkable Pope, realized that someday, a nation would arise in which the Parliamentarians would be needed again. He sponsored the family's move to Britain, where they were hidden among the rotting remains of the Roman Empire. Unfortunately, he died before he could pass on this knowledge. The family's very existence was forgotten by the most powerful of people.

But the family never forgot their role.

The family survived, though never thrived. They were a simple merchant family, keeping a low profile, but never forgetting their ancient calling. Still, as the years passed and no country arose to match the glory and equality of the Greek and Roman democracies, some in the family despaired. They wanted to join the British Empire and forge a new Parliamentarian tradition. Others fought, refusing to give their knowledge to a monarchy, they remembered the fall of Rome. The rise of Empire. That was not democracy! Not the democracy they would serve. That faction of the family won and so the British were never honored with the vast wisdom the family had collected nor the still remarkable skill of the family to pick up on the tiniest of details, while remaining wholly and singularly devoted only to the rules and traditions, never the factions. Perhaps that would have been the end of their story, but history interceded.

One day in 1776, a document was brought home by Edgar Watkins. That document, The unanimous Declaration of the united States of America stirred in the breasts of the family a hope they had long since forgotten. The Watkin's family smuggled themselves to the US.

But war dragged on.

Even once the United States was victorious, the Articles of Confederation were far from the glorious beginnings of a new Republic the Watkin's had hoped for.

The family despaired.

Yet it was not the end.

The Americans, as they were coming to be called, realized the Articles were inadequate, and while attempting to fix them decided to go a step further. Why not create a whole new country? One based on a strong Constitution.

And thus, the United States of America was truly born.

And the Watkin's family hope soared to heights not seen since the Visigoth sacked Rome.

There was one problem. This new country was based on the idea that all men are created equal. They tossed out the idea of heredity as a chooser of role.

So the family sent Marcus Watkin's in secret to meet with John Langdon, president pro tempore of the US Senate and Frederick Muhlenberg, Speaker of the House. He explained his family's long role in the preservation of Democracy in western civilization. Both men immediately saw the benefits of such a role. But they despaired, for the country was rabidly against inherited positions of power.

Meeting with other leaders they decided to forge ahead and created two secret positions. Parliamentarian of the Senate and Parliamentarian of the House.

Both positions were secret until in 1927, the House Parliamentarian stepped forward and acknowledged his rightful place on the American political stage. Eight years later, his Senate compatriot also revealed himself.

To this day, the position's hereditary roots are virtually unknown, but the Watkin's family never forgets their role in the preservation of democracy and the rise of the American Superpower.

And that, my friends, is the true story of how one of the most obscure families, became one of the most powerful forces in democracy.

The Parliamentarians.