CNN = Fake News, squawk - Whelly wanna cracker? :D

22 million people losing their insurance = freedom for Republicans.

"Eight years ago this week, then-President Barack Obama hosted a 90-minute public forum exclusively on health care policy, fielding questions from doctors, reporters, and the public at large. Can anyone imagine Donald J. Trump doing something similar? Does anyone seriously believe he’d want to try?"

No, Trump clearly doesn't possess the mental capacity of even Obama's small left toe.

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-s...l-consequences

This is actually funny. What's a shitgibbon?

What's really happening is that the shoe is on the other foot, and the Dems are now the "Party of No" / resistance / obstruction / pick your favorite term for political obstinance. And of course, there you go again with the "tax break to the 1% meme."

Also, the Dems and Obama spent much more than political capital to hammer the ACA through. You might recall, for example, the "Cornhusker Kickback" and the "Louisiana Purchase". That said, McConnell has some funny money in the Senate bill to play with as well, so we might see some Republican political horsetrading before this is over.

So, you're OK with Republicans employing the very same tactics that they vehemently criticized when Dems did it, as long as it deprives 22 million of health care while guaranteeing a tax break for the wealthy? Brilliant (but hypocritical).

Hey, if the shoe fits....

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-w...administration

As senior news executives reviewed the story's evolution, they found red flags that appeared to have been ignored, according to a person with direct knowledge of the events at CNN. Officials within CNN's standards and practices unit had raised concerns about several elements of the story, including the reliance on a single source, and others at the network were surprised to see it had been posted anyway. The network did not conclude the report was conclusively wrong, according to the person with knowledge of the incident, but said executives believed it was not solid enough for publication.

...and...

Earlier this month, CNN had to correct another story in which Lichtblau was involved; it claimed that former FBI Director James Comey's congressional testimony would contradict Trump's claims that Comey told him several times that he was not under federal investigation. CNN's Gloria Borger went on the air and said Comey would testify that it would not have been proper to do so.

Neither contention proved to be true. Comey testified instead that he had given Trump assurances that he was not personally under FBI investigation.

Did I say that? No. Are you using your time honored and asinine tactic of putting words in other people's mouths? Yes.

Also, your stat of "deprives 22 million of health care" that is bandied about by you and others is BULL SHIT.

First, that number stretches all the way out to 2026, yet compares the effects to "current law". It doesn't deal with the fact that Obamacare enrollments consistently fell short of forecasts, nor the fact that the availability of insurance carriers under currently law would continue to decline.

Other items that call your characterization of the CBO numbers into question:

- you say that 22 MM would be "deprived of coverage". However "The CBO estimates that 7 million fewer people would enroll in individual coverage in 2018, 9 million fewer in 2020, and 7 million fewer in 2026. The decline would be attributable to the end of the individual mandate and to the substantial decrease in the average subsidy for lower-income enrollees, as well as to the fact that some people would lose subsidy assistance altogether." So, yeah, some folks might choose not to buy coverage that they don't want, because there's no longer the threat of a tax penalty. Does this fit your definition of "deprived". :rolleyes:

- "The CBO estimates that enrollment in Medicaid would decrease by 15 million in 2026, about 4 million of whom would be new enrollees who would have been enrolled by states that would have expanded Medicaid had the current law remained in effect. The CBO believes that the repeal of the individual mandate would reduce Medicaid enrollment because people would be less likely to seek out coverage or recertify eligibility (not because they would drop coverage)." Translated, if folks aren't threatened with a tax penalty, they might not enroll or re-enroll in coverage, even if its free. But I guess their lack of motivation and initiative to enroll in Medicaid would "deprive" these folks of coverage.

But if you find it more enjoyable to use partially true information to feed your angst - which I guess makes you the ideal WaPo reader - then you go right ahead.

That "your" wins you the 'blatant projection of the month award.' If Finn owned such tactic, you would owe him at least $1,000,000 in use royalties.

....yawn!!

I asked you a question. The question remains - Are you OK with McConnell's tactics and the resulting plan?

No.

Leaving the ACA in place as is - not an option. Even the Dems acknowledge that.

"Fixing the ACA" - I don't think its an option, not without pouring billions into it. ACA never attacked the underlying issue of cost of care anyway, so it was as flawed from the outset. I'm also not aware of any credible plans that Dems have put forward to "fix" the ACA. The Dems are right where the Repubs were a couple years ago, without a substantive answer to the question: Where's your plan?

Repealing the ACA - if we believe what we're told, the votes "aren't there". But I'd rather have this fight first, have that vote, and let the chips fall where they may. That would flush out both sides of the argument, and particularly put the Dems in the position of having to defend the ACA, warts and all, and possibly force them to provide a concrete plan with costs for "fixing" the ACA....if they can.

So...what's a shitgibbon?

Jonesin' for votes...

https://www.propublica.org/article/i...lth-care-votes

Bob's word, not mine. Here's a gibbon though.

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/...n_2317792k.jpg

It does have a striking resemblance to your Dear Leader.

The bottom line is that any GOP plan will be a employer-provided fee-for-service plan, as Obamacare was forced to be because of resistance at the time to single-payer. Anything else (complete repeal of Obamacare or single-payer) is a bridge too far for the GOP.

The only party with a viable plan that represents true change to the system is the Dems with single-payer, but its enactment would represent an existential threat for many in the health-care industry (e.g., insurance, pharamaceuticals) and would thereby require huge bipartisan support, something it's not going to get in the near future. So, we're essentially stuck with tweaked Obamacare for the time being. The quicker the GOP recognizes and admits this, the better.

"Sen. Mitch McConnell has called off a vote this week on the Senate Republican health-care bill. That’s a good thing. Because if Republicans want to confirm every liberal caricature of conservatism in a single piece of legislation, they could do no better than vote on the GOP bill in its current form.
Here is the summary of the bill that Democrats will take to the American people in 2018: Republicans voted to cut $701 billion in taxes for corporations and the wealthy, and pay for it with $772 billion taken from Medicaid for the poor — all while pushing 22 million Americans off health care.
And Senate Republicans are writing the script for them. Have they lost their minds?" WP

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opini...=.250fc8585b90

Far right speech writer for Gee Dubya chimes in.

When you see Thiessen saying that, you know you're in deep shit. He's a loyal boy scout with little imagination.

The Repubs are caught in their own rhetoric.

Obamacare has become a working option to so many that to untie involves big political cost which sufficient Repubs are not prepared to pay.

What will unfold is a retreat full of spin. :D

But will the hyper-conservative funders let them get by with that? Look for new wave of well funded primary attacks from the hyper right if this is how it goes down.

Marc Thiessen - "Paying for a massive tax cut for the wealthy with cuts to health care for the most vulnerable Americans is morally reprehensible."

No shit, Sherlock.

The hyper right will encounter a different matrix this time...too many are energized around the survival of Obamacare.

It's stunning how many hard right pundits are sounding the alarm while McConnell and Ryan are pressing this idiotic legislation that guts Medicaid to give a big tax break to the well to do and corps.

The Democrats had better capitalize on this in '18. I think they will.

If only Obama could have ran for a third term. :mad:

McConnell exposes the Orange idiot's big healthcare lie, admits they will be forced to work with Dems to repair ACA when their hateful bill fails.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...-biggest-lies/

If "tweaked Obamacare" kicks the mandates and tax penalties to the curb, doesn't lock folks into health plan choices that they either don't want or can't afford, and allows them more control over how their health care dollars are spent, doesn't require thousands of pages of IRS regulations to enforce, and doesn't require businesses large and small to spend millions of extra dollars to support compliance, it'll be an improvement.

Which is why we got the ACA when they got control of both houses and the Oval Office in 08. :rolleyes:

I don't recall single payer being part of Clinton's 2016 campaign.

Obama and Clinton are both moderates.

And when was the last time we had a liberal Democrat as President? :rolleyes:

FWIW, the Democratic Party is moderate/conservative, as shown by their 2016 primary.

I agree. Neither Obama nor Clinton would lead the charge for a single payer system, but I expect either one of them would sign off on legislation creating one. And I also have a good guess about how many angels can dance on the head of a pin.

Captain Obvious strikes again. :rolleyes:

And getting a legislature liberal enough to pass single payer will happen when Hell freezes over, which isn't going to happen anytime soon thanks to Global Clensing.

Beats going through life as Private Oblivious. :D

Trump is completely unhinged. Sure, Donny, just shut down healthcare completely until the repubes can figure out a replacement. Never mind that thousands will die, no big deal, am I right? :rolleyes:

Yet we have people right here on this forum who still support this idiot. Unbelievable.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/trump...104921559.html

Never mind.

That 'repeal now replace later' idea was mooted before. Then they said the ACA would be 'repealed,' but continued in operation until the replacement came along at a later date.

Whether Trump has such a scheme in 'mind' now is anyone's guess....

TrumpCare undergoes revisions with the 'Cruz Amendment'. Bare bones shit policies, women's healthcare provisions gutted and HHS Sec. Tom Price given vast new czar like powers. Let's call it what it is, the fuck off and die plan for the middle class and the poor and a gigantic tax break for Trump and his donors. :mad:

http://www.latimes.com/business/hilt...714-story.html

Yeah get everyone excited about a wall then rape the safety net while no one is looking. Can't believe this sh@t.

Yep. It's all a sickening game with these assholes/alleged christians.

I am still in shock people voted for this clown.

Go out and find the average American, and peer into their brain bucket to see what information they take in on an average day.

Less than five minutes reading a newspaper.
Over two hours listening to a radio.
Over three hours watching TV.
Over four hours surfing on a computer/smartphone.
Hasn't read a book in over a year.

This means the below average person hasn't read a book in close to five years, gets all their news in snippets while eating dinner, and considers an intellectual conversation to be complaining about what illegal immigrants get, while ignoring what their handouts are.

Votes from the lower end of the gene pool count just as much as college educated, job creating votes.

No comment. :D