Ricochet is the best place on the internet to discuss the issues of the day, either through commenting on posts or writing your own for our active and dynamic community in a fully moderated environment. In addition, the Ricochet Audio Network offers over 50 original podcasts with new episodes released every day.
Repeal Fails
The Republicans have failed once more to keep their long-made promise to repeal Obamacare.
Published in Domestic PolicyUpdated 3:10 a.m. | In a dramatic early Friday morning vote, the Senate voted down the Republican effort to overhaul the U.S. health insurance system, 49-51, with GOP Sen. John McCain of Arizona’s dramatic “no” — to gasps in the chamber — providing the key vote to send the bill to defeat. Lobbying from top GOP leaders, McCain’s colleague from Arizona Jeff Flake, Vice President Mike Pence and a swath of Republicans were not enough to sway McCain. Pence himself spent more than 20 minutes trying to get McCain to change his mind.GOP Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine were expected to vote “no,” but Republicans were confident shortly before the vote they could get to a 50-50 tie, and bring in Pence to break it. Before he cast his “no” vote, McCain had gathered with a sizable group of jovial Democrats on the other side of the Senate chamber. He returned to the Republican side, walking right past Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.
What planet do I have to move to now to avoid government interference in healthcare?
Well I guess that is that.
Not much glory to be found in this whole sorry saga.
McCain makes me sick.
Oh, come on, don’t be like that. McCain deserves opprobrium for his vote last night (and other votes over the years, for sure!) but, really? Seriously?
Yes, you’re right. I’ve edited my comment.
John McCain ad, 2016.
via Jim Geraghty.
Didn’t this bill repeal the mandate but still require coverage for pre-existing conditions? Excuse the non pc language, but that’s retarded. It should have been voted down. And all these Senators saying they wanted assurances that it wouldn’t be passed by the House? The whole thing makes no sense. But McCain still deserves scorn for his little dramatic show as the last vote. How did he manage to be the last vote after all?
Word is that McCain voted no to allow other Senators cover to vote yes.
Also, this:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/daily-202/2017/07/28/daily-202-trump-s-hardball-tactics-backfire-as-skinny-repeal-goes-down/597a7cf630fb045fdaef0fd5/?utm_term=.1019ea895d2a
“To this day, Trump has never apologized for saying that the former fighter pilot was not a war hero because he got captured in Vietnam. It gets less attention, but the president also besmirched the Arizona senator’s character by repeatedly accusing him of not taking care of other veterans. McCain has never forgotten.”
You have to admit, it makes for interesting counterfactual speculation: Would America be better off had John McCain not survived the Vietnam War?
Of course, in the end it’s always Trump’s fault.
So he voted no out of spite? Is that what I’m hearing? Screw over the American people out of spite for one man?
Look, the skinny repeal wasn’t going to survive a conference. There was no way it was making it to the President’s desk.
Most of the people voting in this hadn’t read it. It isn’t super clear, especially to those voting, what was in it. So this was about trying to get a win and some good news for a failing President.
It was about theatrics, not a serious reform effort.
This tit-for-tat sort of pique is horrifically bad. McCain should have left a legacy of leadership and instead he gets to go to his reward as a goat.
As Hugh Hewitt said: American Hero, Terrible Senator.
Keep beating that drum. You’ve been doing so since the moment of Trump’s victory on November 9.
So are you saying that McCain is a mean, petty, and spiteful man who puts his personal grudges over the health and well-being of the American people?
And that is Trump’s fault?
This wasn’t about screwing over the American people. This vote was all theatrics. This wasn’t a serious reform effort.
I’m saying that if you attack people every day, it’s unreasonable to expect them to help give you symbolic victories.
He can’t leave the Senate soon enough for me.
He’s a major reason I quit the GOP in 2006.
The result is that the American people continue to be screwed over by Obamacare. You might see it as “theatrics” if you’re in a position where it doesn’t really affect you. For the millions who are affected, it’s the difference between paying the mortgage or paying the medical bills when you can’t afford do both.
Which itself is a failure that can only be laid at the feet of congressional Republicans.
So now that all the chicanery has failed can we get on with repealing Obamacare (or at least reforming the darn thing) by the normal, orderly process?
So increasing the amount taxpayers are to contribute to HSA’s is merely symbolic?
Or are you against Health Saving Accounts?
Repealing both the individual and employer mandates is merely symbolic?
Or do you favor those burdensome government mandates?
I can’t wait till I start to get the begging letters from the GOP for my support. I have a few words for them. Most of them consist of 4 letters.
Apparently not.
On the positive side, it appears that all the important battles now in Washington are between two factions of the GOP. The Democrats have sidelined themselves with their flight to cloud cuckoo land, and are now essentially a third party, only barely more influential than the Libertarian Party.
So John McCain was taking a principled stand against theatrics?
John McCain?
That’s not accurate. What was required here was national leadership. We don’t have that.
The President would rather obsess over his own election and pick pointless public fights with tv hosts than be a leader.
Anyone tired of winning yet?
Yes. And it’s really crappy. I wish that weren’t the case.
Hopefully the next president won’t be a feckless failure like this one is.
I guess when you see the world through Trump-hating lenses, everything is Trump’s fault. Senate Republicans have no agency.
How could anyone be surprised that you would find a way to blame this on Trump. McCain is a weasel, forsakes his own campaign promises to his constituents, and stabs his “fellow” Republicans in the back. But, according to your post, he did all this for revenge against Trump. Actually I think McCain proved Trump correct.