Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price speaks outside the West Wing of the White House in Washington, Monday, March 13, 2017, after Congress’ nonpartisan budget analysts reported that millions people would lose coverage next year under the House bill dismantling former President Barack Obama’s health care law. (AP/Andrew Harnik)
(ANTIMEDIA) Remember when Nancy Pelosi famously declared, “We have to pass the bill so that you can find out what’s in it?” She was, of course, referring to the Affordable Care Act, AKA Obamacare, and was justly skewered by “conservatives” at the time for the outlandish statement. Fast forward seven years, and now it’s the Republicans doing the exact same thing.
The third-ranking Republican in the House, Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA) is responsible for running a team that counts votes for Ryan and McCarthy. When Ryan releases a trial balloon-- like, say, the Obamacare replacement plan he "leaked" last week-- it's up to Scalise to find out if there are enough votes inside the Republican conference for them to introduce it without having to go make deals with pesky New Dems and Blue Dogs.
President Trump’s first speech to Congress was filled with optimism for the future, a genuine sense of destiny for what Trump describes as America’s internal greatness, a few but generally well chosen words on America’s role in engaging with the world and a tough line on protectionism as well as law and order.
Unlike many of Trump’s one-dimensional critics, Trump knows the difference between clarifying false stories on Twitter, attacking the fake news media who constantly attack and lie about him, and a dignified speech to the nation from Congress.
Back in Congress following February recess’s raucous town meetings, Republicans are shuddering. Instead of nearly empty auditoriums, where legislators’ staff often outnumber voters in attendance, meetings were packed with citizens determined to block the “take away” agenda of the Trump Republicans.
When it came to health insurance I was very lucky. I was the president of a large company, a division of Time Warner that gave it's top executives platinum-plated best-that-money-could-buy insurance. I was bullet-proof. Then I got even luckier; I turned 65 and got Medicare. Medicare is better. And I was just in time.
The lies weren't the worst part of Señor Trumpanzee's CPAC speech yesterday. It was the fascist tone, eagerly devoured by his collaborators, that got to me.
Yesterday CNN interviewed John Kasich, who was in Munich for a security conference. Among other things, they asked him about Paul Ryan's and the House Republicans' plans to take away health care from millions of Americans by "phasing out" the Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act. You can listen to Kasich's response in the short video above. In short, he's appalled.
