16th November 2017, 7:24 PM
So, there's a lot I could discuss right now, but here's the most important question:
Has the Republican Party gone too fast, again, and dumped too much random stuff into a bill, again, that they will actually manage to fail to pass what should be the easiest thing in the world for that party to pass, a giant tax cut for the rich? By again using reconciliation they one again irritate John McCain, first. They did this because Democrats would not support anything remotely like the kind of bill they want, and maybe he'll end up voting for it, but given how health care went it is dangerous. And then by tossing Obamacare mandate repeal into the bill they must also threaten Collins and Murkowski's votes, yes? Again, neither is opposed yet and they could vote for it because I mean it's mostly a massive tax cut for the rich and what Republican actually opposes such an awesome idea? Never mind that many lower and middle class people w/ill get tax hikes, trickle-down economics will work this time, really! (It won't.) ... Oh, and by making it a bill that adds a lot of money to the deficit, they threaten a few other votes too, if any of them (Corker?) are actually serious about that and not just lying for political reasons as usual.
So, that's the big, high-stakes question: will this bill pass the Senate? It's close and could go either way right now. I thought all along that these Republican passing health care reform was unlikely, but at the same time I thought that they could get a tax cut through. That is still very possible, but this Republican congress is still unbelievably incompetent, so maybe we will be saved form this horrendous bill... we'll see.
Has the Republican Party gone too fast, again, and dumped too much random stuff into a bill, again, that they will actually manage to fail to pass what should be the easiest thing in the world for that party to pass, a giant tax cut for the rich? By again using reconciliation they one again irritate John McCain, first. They did this because Democrats would not support anything remotely like the kind of bill they want, and maybe he'll end up voting for it, but given how health care went it is dangerous. And then by tossing Obamacare mandate repeal into the bill they must also threaten Collins and Murkowski's votes, yes? Again, neither is opposed yet and they could vote for it because I mean it's mostly a massive tax cut for the rich and what Republican actually opposes such an awesome idea? Never mind that many lower and middle class people w/ill get tax hikes, trickle-down economics will work this time, really! (It won't.) ... Oh, and by making it a bill that adds a lot of money to the deficit, they threaten a few other votes too, if any of them (Corker?) are actually serious about that and not just lying for political reasons as usual.
So, that's the big, high-stakes question: will this bill pass the Senate? It's close and could go either way right now. I thought all along that these Republican passing health care reform was unlikely, but at the same time I thought that they could get a tax cut through. That is still very possible, but this Republican congress is still unbelievably incompetent, so maybe we will be saved form this horrendous bill... we'll see.