Yeah, that’s probably where I would have looked first for instructions, but thanks for clearing up any doubt…
A few things to cogitate upon:
- Senate GOP to try again today to give America the shaft — Here’s hoping that when John McCain gets there, he votes against it. We’ll know soon.
- North Korea advances rapidly in its ability to strike U.S., experts warn — And look who we have in charge of our national security. Feel safe, anyone?
- Forget Trustworthy, Loyal and Helpful. It’s now Petty, Delusional and Vulgar — The President of the United States displays to Scouts exactly how they should never behave.
- This is not okay — That headline on an editorial in the Post kind of says it all. Another take on the same thing: Trump White House Tests a Nation’s Capacity for Outrage
- 111 N.F.L. Brains. All but One Had Brain Damage. — Y’all still want to be fans of this? You sure?
- Mark Lett to retire as executive editor/VP of The State — I wish my longtime colleague well in his retirement.
Boys climb timbers of Surfside Beach pier, wrecked in last year’s storm. In distance, dredging equipment poised to pump new sand onto beach.
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Senator McCain will be giving the opportunity to be the final yes vote to begin the repeal process. Let’s see if he’s a maverick or a partisan politician.
And we have our answer. Partisan politician.
McCain is getting crucified on Twitter. This is typical (aside from the ones wishing he was dead already):
“John McCain left hospital stay paid by taxes on flight paid by taxes to remove health insurance from taxpayers. And we paid him to do it.”
Nate Silver (538.com) says this:
“NATE SILVER 3:40 PM
McCain Punditry Mini-Rant
Part of why McCain does what he does: There’s a generational and philosophical divide in how he’s covered by the press.
Among younger and less traditional reporters on Twitter — especially on the left but by no means exclusively so — a lot of people are pointing out McCain’s inconsistency in scolding McConnell’s process but nevertheless voting for the motion to proceed.
On CNN, however, the commentary about McCain’s speech was glowing. And the commentary has also been very warm in Twitter comments we’ve seen from older reporters at the major news networks and at newspapers like The Washington Post.
Longtime readers of FiveThirtyEight know that I have a lot of beefs with the establishment media. Moments like these, where they elevate style over substance, are a big part of why.”
I have no idea what your point is.
But a publication whose name is a number holds little appeal to me. 🙂
Not sure if you are just being sarcastic, but Nate silver is likely more relevant than David Brooks today. But then that’s probably his point…
Interesting factoid – most tie votes broken by a sitting VP:
John Adams 1789 29
John C. Calhoun 1825 28
Things were just as screwed up back then.
Ah, but fewer states—and senators—then, so mathematically more likely to have ties.
Breaking ties is only necessary if there is a wide chasm between the two parties.
24-24 is no different than 50-50.
McCain stated that he would vote against the measures offered, claims that they would fail, and says they will start over in the open with a bipartisan approach. They could have done that a lot quicker with a kill vote on the motion to proceed. The scary thing is the likelihood pf McConnell wheeling and dealing to get some tweaked version of one of the bills to pass by a thread. The only bipartisan part of the process will be McConnell buying enough partisan support to pass a bill that shifts taxes from the wealthy, burdens lower-income working people, empowers insurance companies, undermines Medicare’s future (a main goal), and emboldens the Republicans to move on to tax, social safety net, military, state-supported religion, and voter suppression projects.
McCain ran on a platform last year that included repealing Obamacare. If he doesn’t continue to pursue that as the people who voted for him would expect him to, then he would (like most politicians) be someone who would say anything just to get elected.
In principle, I agree with you. But on the practical side, maybe it is a good idea to get the thing on the floor for debate and watch the attempt be torn to shreds by Democrats and Republicans alike. The problem is that when ACA was passed, it was already assured to pass.
Here is a link to a WaPo article about how Reid maneuvered his way around a true debate. I will let the article speak for itself.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2017/06/22/history-lesson-how-the-democrats-pushed-obamacare-through-the-senate/?utm_term=.f34767d97ed4.
In the end, it is all about partisan politics, voters be damned until time for re-election.
Looks like McCain lied this morning. He voted for the monstrosity he spoke against after the procedural vote. ” I – will – not – vote – for – this – bill – as – it – stands – today.” Did he forget, or just cave.
C’mon, give me a break. Did you expect anything else from McCain? Yes, I know all about his reputation as a “rebel” and going against the Republican positions at times but in the end, he is a “politician”, end of story. Yes, I admire and respect his service to this country and his time as a POW in the “Hanoi Hilton” but that does not change one aspect of his being a politician.
As far as service during Vietnam goes, I have as much if not more empathy and sympathy for the guys who had jobs that were just as dangerous, perhaps even more so than McCain’s. One of my best friends was a “door gunner” or “The Man in the Door” on a Huey during Vietnam. Mack was one of the greatest guys I have ever known before he went to Vietnam. We were close and at one time planned to go to Australia to “seek our fortune”. Mack went into the military and trained to be a door gunner on a Huey. He survived all of the missions during his time in Vietnam, sitting on his helmet “pot” to reduce the chance of a bullet hitting him in the backside, and at the end of his tour, he wore his Bass Wejuns, madras shirt, and khaki slacks instead of the normal military fare. He knew close to the end of his rotation that every time he went up, his chances of survival were lessened. He told about bullets coming through the Huey, barely missing him and how he was open and exposed during a mission. When he returned home, for a while he was okay but eventually he and his wife divorced. Mack suffered from severe PTSD and soon, he just disappeared. Another friend was a Huey pilot and he was killed coming home from a mission. So, while I respect McCain, he is no more of a hero than my two friends plus a few others I was close to.
Who stands up and affords them a standing ovation?
This is a tricky thing to judge. If the Senators voted alphabetically, by the time McCain was called to vote the matter would have already been decided. If this was a throw-away vote at that point, I wouldn’t hold it against him (this wouldn’t be any different than the party loyalty he displayed on the first vote); if however the proposal was still “live” when he voted then he was a total hypocrite on the second vote.
I don’t agree with his first vote, but I understand it and what he was trying to do for the Senate. I’m curious, however, about the second vote’s dynamics now.
Once three Republicans voted against it was all over anyway; so any other Republican votes were just insider political posturing.
Either way, he didn’t do what he claimed. He gets too much credit for being “maverick” in my view. Did he show guts or not?
Not
Actually, I am going to hold my judgment on this; McCain gave a stirring speech. A grand and eloquent plea for fair play and civic duty. The way this Senate disaster is now unfolding, it may have been that McCain voted for a bill that he thought could be opened to amendments which would give the Senate a path forward. Now it appears all they have is the option of abdicating to the House their leadership responsibilities. As a guy who clearly believes in the Senate as an institution, it may have been McCain doing what he could in an impossible situation.
Still, the “right” path forward is for the moderates of both parties in the Senate to put together a package of sensible reforms to the ACA that will make it stronger and better for all Americans. It would be heartening to see McCain working for that kind of “repeal” of ObamaCare. That’s the kind of promise to America the GOP ought to be making, but they seem too blind to see it is what their voters really want.
The “skinny repeal” may seem innocuous to many, but it still undermines the system. Allowing people to go uninsured pushes up the cost of insurance to the insured, no matter who pays the premium. Uncompensated care costs are shifted into billing rates and push up premiums. It also undermines hospital and other providers’ solvency – one big reason so many rural hospitals have closed (at least 4 in SC). If auto insurance weren’t mandatory in SC, what would happen to your rate for uninsured and underinsured coverage? If you’re hit by an uninsured driver, they still have the financial responsibility, but you’ll never see the money. Much like the unpaid medical claims, the costs are passed on to those who pay for coverage (or care).
The only thing about Mccain’s second vote is he actually liked it. He’s not running again so he’s free to vote his conscience. What is most puzzling is his lecture the night before calling for a bi-partisan solution.
Well, he voted NO on the skinny repeal this afternoon. So did 6 other Republicans.
The vote this afternoon was on the Repeal and Don’t Replace “option.”
Every time the Senate is confronted with the insanity of the choice before them I grow more concerned that they are going to lash out and approve something, just to approve anything they can call an Obamacare “repeal.”
If that happens, all the GOP is going to have to show for their efforts is the glaring clarity for the nation that the Obamacare bill was better all around, even in it’s still-flawed state. Once the GOP starts tossing tens of millions of people out of coverage the 2018 and 2020 election seasons will rip apart the GOP. That’s already happening; but it is only going to get much worse.
I don’t get it. Why can’t the GOP leadership craft a reasonable bill with tort reform, buying across state lines, health savings accounts along with a few minor reforms to the ACA exchanges to make them work better. They get a few things they’ve wanted for decades. Some Democrats would come on board. This would likely get a good CBO score. Insurance companies would see consistencies and stay the course. Trump would sign it therefore keeping the alt-right in the camp of those who support this bill. The GOP would come across as statesmen. Voters would approve. The only losers would be the ideologues like Rand Paul and Ted Cruz. Heck this approach would annoy liberals like me which would be a bonus for them. I just don’t get what they’re trying to accomplish.
They don’t either. They are all an embarrassment to America. This virulent strain of despicableness has been spreading without counterbalance for too many years; angling to arouse people’s basest fears with devisiveness. The GOP needs some statesmanship. Real leadership. What an opportunity for someone with an appreciation for history, for our Constitution and for principaled governance. Will someone rise to the occasion?
And then there is Pence… oh nevermind.
Cult 45.
The “across state lines” mantra is a useless gimmick that has been thoroughly discredited by organizations who actually know insurance (Republican politicians obviously don’t). It could be somewhat disruptive, but among the states that allow it, there have been no takers among insurance companies. If standards were abandoned, some hucksters might sell crappy policies that had no real coverage or provider networks, but face it, insurance rates are mainly set by the market costs in a particular area. Did tort reform lower costs in the states that have passed it? No. Another ruse – as much as I dislike the dirty paws, TV ad lawyers, it hasn’t lowered costs or premiums. HSA’s are a plus for folks with enough disposable income to fund them, but they are a tax shelter whose expansion would only benefit a few.
Basically, they want to declare Obamacare dead, undermine Medicare and Medicaid, and set the citizenry up for a deadly privatization.
Harry you described the reasons why liberals like me would be annoyed by this approach. But I think it could pass, maybe even get 60 votes in the senate.
If Awesomest Health insurance won’t write policies in South Carolina, but will in Georgia… what good would buying across state lines be for someone living in South Carolina? Health savings accounts are a joke, state employees have this option and how far do you think your $4000/year that you have saved rather than buying an insurance policy will go in an emergency?
#5 Is bad sampling. It’s a bit like saying 109 out of 110 of gay club goers are HIV positive when everyone who gave a blood sample were already certain they were HIV positive. Don’t get me wrong, the game should change because those O line guys shouldn’t be cracking helmets like that, but this is a horrible example.
I don’t agree with Trump’s ban on transgender people serving in the military. But I bet he wouldn’t have done it without the support of the generals in the Pentagon. Those Neanderthals don’t really want women in the military either. So this was an easy one for Trump.
It appears you are wrong on this. The “generals” Trump appears to have consulted were Bannon and Pence. We know what this is all about already…
So you’ve seen support for transgender military from the Joint Chiefs and Mattis?
Yes. The generals really don’t like change.
It doesn’t seem to be an issue. It was smooth sailing it appears until the “Christians” decided seeking discrimination through budgetary manipulation was a good little game they could play out of sight – until they were rebuffed. Then Trump and his White House minions saw an opportunity to play social pyromaniac and blew the napalm.
This looks like it is shaping up to be another self-inflicted loss for the President; just like beating up on Sessions is going to do him more harm than good. Personally, I think Trump did this in reaction to the very negative comments he was catching for his grossly inappropriate – and I mean gross – extemporaneous speaking at the Boy Scout Jamboree Monday. He realized he had opened the kind of wedge issue that could separate himself from his base – and so he hastily threw a bomb he thought would fire up his base.
It seems clear that we will have an impeachment. When the GOP wakes up to the fact that Trump’s antics don’t give them cover to indulge in their wildest political porn fantasies but instead thwart their every attempt to do so, then they will gather the resolve to send Trump packing. The tell to look for is the chatter that Trump isn’t a “real” Republican – isn’t a “conservative.” The tell will be when members of the GOP start talking about Trump’s Boy Scout speech. He is his own third rail…
I dunno. Seems like his base is what staves off impeachment. Currently his RealClear approval rating sits at 39.4, little changed since mid May. His base will only desert him if faced with an economic crisis that directly affects them personally. Eventually we’ll have a couple of bad job reports. When that happens his presidency unravels quickly and he’ll be lucky to get a few dozen people to come to one of his rallies. Until then about all we can do is wring our hands and speculate that this new terrible thing he says is the thing that will be his undoing. But it won’t happen without the economic nudge.
… or the opposite happens and we continue to see reports of new jobs coming to places in the heartland and the Rust Belt. As California slips into an economic tailspin due to the lethal combination of high taxes, increasing income inequality, and soaring housing costs… and as big cities like Chicago and New York face a variety of issues related to unfunded pensions, poor schools, violence, and deteriorating public transportation.. we’re going to see a shift of population to Middle America and to the South. People are going to Texas and Florida, not Illinois and New York.
“a couple of bad job reports.”
Facts don’t phase Trump’s supporters. He would be given a pass for even a mild downturn and blame it on the press or Democrats. It would take something big – but big things either exist or are in the works (his finances, military mis-steps, diplomatic blunders, firing the wrong person).
It would take something big – that directly affects his supporters – and a way for his supporters to be informed of it without spin or misdirection – because he will just blame Hillary Clinton, the press, the democrats, or any random thought he has and they will believe him.
I think there are things that could happen, but it would really take the perfect storm of circumstances for his supporters to be in a position to realize that what he saying is bogus because of their direct personal experiences.
It also will take his supporters having the mental discipline to compare what they are told to actual events they experience and know how to perceive and process discrepancies. They are not batting a thousand with this skill thus far.
We shall see.
A friend (Trump supporter) asked me what I thought of Trump about 5 months ago. I said I thought he is a narcissistic, uninformed huckster, who may just get a lot of people killed. That’s still my biggest worry. My own situation is solid, and could, but shouldn’t improve under a Trump/Republican greed-fest. It’s the working poor and future generations that I see real danger threatening. As we hurdle toward a third-world oligarchy, will our children have any sense of community or even a common good?
” Eventually we’ll have a couple of bad job reports.”
Yeah, well it hasn’t happened yet, I’m sure every president has good reports and bad reports. Did you hear Amazon is hiring 50,000 workers?
I agree that the government shouldn’t be paying for gender changing surgery no more than it should pay for cosmetic surgery. My personal view is that these people suffer from a mental disorder which would disqualify them from military service in the first place.
The press secretary’s briefing had the phrase “Obama-era policy” over and over. I still say this administration is little more than a vendetta against anything associated with Obama.
This is straight up nuts.
http://www.newyorker.com/news/ryan-lizza/anthony-scaramucci-called-me-to-unload-about-white-house-leakers-reince-priebus-and-steve-bannon
From Huffpost story.
“But now several senators fear the House could skip the conference committee and simply vote on the bill put forward by the Senate, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said he’s “very worried about it.” Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) acted shocked over the idea.”
“Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said he’d vote for the skinny bill only so it could advance to conference committee with the House.”
Talk about playing Russian Roulette with people’s lives…
Hubris sinks most ships…
Which of them are going to call BS on this nonsense?
It looks like McCain was the final member with the kill vote on the “skinny” repeal. Thanks to him, because for all his talk, Graham never showed up – then appeared with McCain talking as though he helped defeat it. We will have to see if we get any “start over” with a bipartisan push. I’ll bet Trump is fuming at McCain, but may be timid about tweeting this time. He’ll certainly go after Collins and Murkowski. The thought is that other Repubs were able to protect their right flank by voting “yes” – so a possibly dying. and most definitely not running again Senator can cover their behinds. Where’s the courage, boys?