Previous Story
Standing in the Way: The Republicans Blocking Obamacare Repeal
Posted On 16 Jul 2017
Republicans have very little room for error if they want to put an Obamacare repeal and replace bill on President Trump’s desk in the next week or two. And while it’s clear that both the White House and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell are working overtime to get at least 50 Republicans on board with the newest iteration of the legislation, they are walking an extremely fine line between the concerns of the moderates and the despair of the conservatives. As perhaps the best illustration of that balancing act, the two Republicans who have thus far come out against the new bill are libertarian Rand Paul of Kentucky and centrist Susan Collins of Maine.
There may be nothing short of another “redo it from scratch” effort that will get either Paul or Collins on board, so McConnell is now focusing his attention on several moderate Republicans who remain on the fence. The most prominent of those moderates include Dean Heller of Nevada, Rob Portman of Ohio, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, John Hoeven of North Dakota, and Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia. They met with the Senate majority leader on Friday, hoping to convince him to rework some of the proposed changes the new bill makes in regards to Medicaid.
The senators, who want to tie Medicaid spending growth to the inflation rate, will ostensibly vote for the new bill if their concerns are met.
Thanks to an unforeseen leave of absence by Sen. John McCain, McConnell will have at least another week with which to work with Republican moderates on a plan that can earn their votes. McCain is recovering from blood clot surgery; assuming everything goes well with his convalescence, he should be back in the saddle the week after next. At that point, McConnell is expected to take a procedural vote on the bill. He needs 50 votes, and he has to get them from Republicans. Democrats, to say the least, are not on board. Vice President Mike Pence would cast the tie-breaking vote if it comes to that.
In the meantime, however, McConnell has to make sure that any changes he promises to Heller, et al., do not throw the conservatives off the bus. Already there has been some quiet bristling about an extra $70 billion McConnell threw into the bill to satisfy the moderates, to say nothing of the additional $45 billion he implemented towards solving the opioid crisis. With conservatives like Ted Cruz and Rand Paul arguing that the bill already retains far too much of Obamacare’s expensive taxes, he could meet with some resistance on the right if he gives Republican moderates any more money for their concerns.
want to fix it , trump should start writing e/o’s changing the aca , like oboma did, and when they start complaining about it , nail them to the wall for their double standard, come sept. if trump signs another spending bill like the last one , he will never get anything done, because congress will know they can stop his agenda and get what they want
Yeh,Right !!Every time he tries to do something ,both sides screw him . Not like King Oblamo !!And that wag isn’t done yet!!
i’d be writing a 100 e/o a day , they won’t be able to keep up, instead of wasting time trying to get them to coperate , there is more then one way to skin a democrat or rino
rand Paul is an asshole just like his lunatic father. vote him out he’s a RINO and as for McShame maybe with a little luck he dies. Obama care will die on it’s own and then millions will be without insurance just like it’s always been Obama care was a scam designed by the democrats to have the government take over health care and control the people. I have my own health insurance don’t need Obama care never will but it’s presence has caused my cost to go up so I for one hope it’s gone soon.
Repeal the monster! Don’t tinker around on the edges, slap a “repeal and reform” label on it and fool the simple minded! You can either repeal, or reform, but not both! You ran on repeal for three elections, now either deliver, or retire immediately. The hole that its repeal “will create” will be able to replace it with no problem. Voters didn’t want Obamacare lite when you received your mandate to repeal, not Obamacare with a fresh coat of Ryan-Mcconnell paint, not just some provisions and the penalty fines taken out, which can be added back in by the next Penny Annie Democrat dictator in training. Voters want government to start living by the document they have sworn to uphold and defend and get out of health care once and for all, since the Constitution has no provision for federal government to be involved. Only those who are mentally incompetent need the government to intercede, and intervene in every facet of their lives since they are incapable to handle life. The average American is legally competent and has no need to have government insult their intelligence and attempt to take over every aspect of their lives by treating them as if they needed a legal guardian; or as if they were a child who needs the constant supervision of a disciplinary nanny, who knows everything better, and curbs their freedom at every turn. A country turning to big government, is like a child that has willingly run away from a loving home to a Dickens novel type orphanage where it will eventually be abused, and enslaved.
These “republicans” standing in the way are not republicans but RINOS that support the democraps idea of taxing the people to death over a dead horse! It is insane to keep trying the same failed methods and expecting a different result. A bunch like Moe, Larry and Curley, better known as McConnell, Ryan and McCain (with Lindsey Graham in the background as a limp wristed cheerleader.)
what’s wrong with these rep. senators??… either shit or get off the pot… these people are just as bad as the democrats, they only label themselves republicans but they must be democrats. it is a shame Trump wants to fix our country, but they are standing on the way, for what????… just to be on the way?????…. democrats doesn’t have an agenda, a leader, they are all playing by ear, in the meantime the people and the country suffer the consequences of these ineptness, lazy, stupid, immoral senators that are just one election away to be put to rest. what a disgrace!!!!!!!!!!!!… Hillary and her murderers are waiting whom to kill next.
They might as well come out and ADMIT…BOTH “parties” LOVE that MONEY that is coming in from the FINES that people HAVE to pay if they don’t buy the “insurance”. All you have to do is follow the dollars… THAT is the answer WHY these idiots keep “fighting” to keep those DOLLARS.
Could the underlying cause be that puppet master Soros wants single payer, government run “healthcare” so therefore the congressional stooges on his payroll support it too?
Terry Rushing,
I think you just hit the proverbial nail on the head. THAT is exactly why the “swamp” needs MORE draining of ALL the SOROS-PAID, OSCUMBAG “stooges” still INFESTING the “government”.
Including MANY “rinos” that are doing everything to STOP PRESIDENT TRUMP’S agenda to M.A.G.A., for fear of LOSING all that CONTROL,POWER, and those all-precious TAXPAYER DOLLARS that fund their cushy lifestyles, and return the STOLEN POWER,and CONTROL back to “We the People” where it should be in the first place.
Obamacare was designed to fail so it would usher in “single payer, government run healthcare.”
This is where the lobbyists are getting a LOT of their money!
It’s to bad that Pres.Trump can’t issue a “hit” on George Soros (aka: Seal Team 6).
The e/GOP RINO’s and Democrats already spent the bribes, er, I mean the large Insurance Company campaign contributions, soooo…
Don’t forget all the money from insurance lobbyists and those for Big Pharma! I am in favor of doing away with lobbyists – period! That’s how you get people to run for office who are there ONLY to do the bidding of the American voter, not someone putting money in their pockets against the will of the people!
Agreed! All you have to do is follow the BRIBES (“contributions”) that are taking place to figure out WHY the swamp needs to be DRAINED completely before PRESIDENT TRUMP can even START to MAGA! (Otherwise the fighting WILL continue from BOTH parties, terrified that they will LOSE the CONTROL, POWER, and those precious TAXPAYER DOLLARS that fund their cushy lifestyles, and the CONTROL will AGAIN be returned to “We the People”. like PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS PROMISED)
Pappy 450, can you imagine If there wasn’t so much obstructionism HOW FAST this country would be roaring back from the damage Obama did? It is already doing pretty well, but think of how fast it would turn around without the RINOS and DEMORATS. I hope Trump voters and others who are just waking up realize how important it is to get out in 2018 and vote to get rid of as many of these as we can. We have one more job to do and this time, we have to do it for Mr. Trump. We can’t let him down. He is trying his best not to let us down. It is as frustrating for him as it is for us. He is used to getting things done “on time and under budget.” Get rid of all those standing in his way to MAGA!
The whole reason government took over healthcare was to make slaves of us. It has got to be repealed. Government out of healthcare!!!
The whole reason government took over healthcare was to make slaves of us. It has got to be repealed. Government out of healthcare!!!
The whole reason government took over healthcare was to make slaves of us. It has got to be repealed. Government out of healthcare!!!
It is time to drain the swamp of these Republican RINOS. Vote them out! Get some new blood in the senate! Trump is doing what we voted for him to do! Some of the RINOS want him to fail!
ABSOLUTELY!!! I emailed Sen. Cruz yesterday and told him that the voters who put Pres.Trump in office are getting very PO’d at the RINOs in the Senate who are standing against Pres. Trump and they would feel the “wrath” in 2018. I told him to share it with his colleagues. Everyone needs to contact their Senators and let them know we are still here and we CAN & WILL “PRIMARY” their butts in 2018 if they don’t get in line.
Ted Cruz and Rand Paul are exactly right – they need to oppose any proposal that leaves ANYTHING in place in the ACA. NO to the RHINOS, NO to the mandate, NO to the taxes, most importantly – NO to the lobbyists!
William, you are right – we need to “CANTOR” these guys, just like they did to Eric Cantor. Set a few people back on their heels when that happened. We need to do it EVERYWHERE in 2018! We have one more job to do as Americans to help our President Trump MAGA! Super Majority coning right up . . .
check the convention of states. We do not have to wait for an election. But I do not know if there is time to get it done before 2018.
I have signed on to The Convention of the States movement. That is the one thing that scares the sh*t out of D.C. It is the most powerful political mechanism (short of a full blown revolution) “the people” have. It is also the most dangerous. If a Convention of States is called then “anything and everything” in The Constitution is up for grabs. The ENTIRE THING could be scraped and a new one all together could be put in place. The power and authority of a Convention of States is limitless and unbounded. It is NOT restricted to the specific reason for calling it. If the movement catches momentum then watch to see the MSM and D.C. go into panic mode.
it may be the best shot we have to get our country back. All we can pray for at that time is that folks with brains and love for our country could bring it back to greatness.
Trump should start listening to his daughter Ivanka and leave McConnell and Paul Ryan in the swamp; may be they can clean their brains there. Did I tell you that Trump should also avoid. Did I confide with you that Mitch has been trying to do so for the last 6 years and failed. Mitch thinks he is in kindergarten where he can make mistakes and the teacher will correct them. I have advised Mitch to grow-up and start thinking like an adult. Look what he is doing with his so called health care bill – a trial and error like kids who make mistake and expect the teacher to show them the correct one. Normal and educated people will think first before throwing in a bill so important to people. And what is the hurry anyway to flip Obamacare which it is working for 22 mi. Americans. I know there are racists and bigots there who do not want to see poor people in their rich people’s hospitals and clinics. Mitch should start listening to and sleeping with his wife to give him some advice. He is now out of touch with Americans. And I have been wondering how people in his district vote for him. In fact how do people like Paul Ryan, Ted Cruz, Allen West, FoxNews people like Hannity, Bill O, Gov. Sanford view him. Nuts! Mitch must be from a district of high school drop-outs to behave so; otherwise regular people will never vote for such a guy who thinks he is still in kindergarten to make such mistakes. If I were Trump I would ban Mitch coming to the WH.
I think it is time we have a national debat concerning the type of medical care the citizens want, how much or how little are they willing to pay in taxes. Have town hall meetings all over the US to discus taxes and medical care. It would then be important that Congress use that same medical care that the citizens have. Currently, Congress has the Cadillac of medical coverage basically free and the citizens the insurance they can afford. Just an aside….who ever heard of being able to retire after 6 years at full salary and benefits? There should be no retirement from Congress; this, I believe, would help in term limits.
Not only that, but they are actively working against Trump.
I can’t wait for Nov. 2018 mid trems when the swamp people loose their “job” sucking the blood out of this country and, the tax payers money.People who vote are sitll mad and, we will never stop taking names and kicking ass.
I hope that you are right!
Kill the Bill Repeal Obamacare Let us get our own healthcare going across state lines I pay twice the amount now, Just help the ones that really need it.
Another obstructionist ploy. Pimple on the ass syndrome. Any excuse to not get the job done and support Trump in the policies that we elected him to get done. While Obama violates the Logan act, and DEEP STATE anonymous sources threaten to massacre President Trump and his family with detailed maps. None of these can do anything to resolve any issues. We must get new blood with term limits. Our nation depends on it .
I hope McConnell’s legislation to save Obamacare never sees the light of day. Obamacare dressed in a “republican” hat is still Obamacare. The “Republicans” ran on REPEAL and then began to slip in the word “replace” signaling their deep seated love of government control and meddling in the lives of citizens. REPEAL is the only acceptable legislation and after that leave it alone and get government out of healthcare. I’m asking my senators to vote “no” to anything beyond simple repeal.
In the beginning, America was shocked at the idea of a forced “health” plan with monetary fines to the IRS for failure to participate. The document contains much more than Health insurance such as taking your guns if you are ever a patient of a counselor. We nor Congress have any idea what it all is about. In my opinion it is simply a control devise and has little to do with health. Deductibles, co-pays and etc make it near impossible to use the plan unless you are a medicaid patient. One can assume the plan may be useful only in case of a catastrophic illness and then it may be for the purpose of protecting the hospital’s form unpaid debts.
WE voted for REPEAL not socialized medicine and not for the control language that has nothing to do with health. Rand and Ron Paul are fighting for the promise we voted for. They are true to the law of the land.
Great! Maybe they will mature, renew their commitment to the Constitution and become Democrats.
It’s time for a brand new party, Democrats ,Republicans, there is no difference anymore. The so called leaders of our country in DC are nothing but one BIG CLUB and WE THE PEOPLE ARE NOT MEMBERS. Many of them enter office with ten dollars in their pockets but leave multi millionaires with lifetime retirements, do you have to be a rocket scientist to figure what goes on in Washington. While i’m at it how about the big shows they put on FOR THE PEOPLE, investigation after investigation for criminal activities and violation of oath and office, DOES ANYONE EVER GO TO JAIL.President Trump please DRAIN THE SWAMP and give America back to the people.
I am in full agreement with you. The Democrats and Republicans are simply two sides of the same coin, working their personal, sweet deals behind closed doors while putting on the Cake and Circus shows in public. The corruption runs deep and I feel the only way to put an end to it is to start a “Citizens’ Tribunal”, start hauling these pieces of trash out by their heels. Hanging one or two of them in public will start the process of ending the collusion among the So Called Elites!
D.C. attracts the worst of the worst and very few of the best! George Carlin said it best – It’s a big club and we aren’t in it!
Denny, Thank you for your reply, I put my hope for the betterment of our country in people like you who could see beyond all the BS as to why the USA in in deep trouble. At 89 years old I am pretty much over the hill. but to see where my country is today is very painful. I believe that if given a chance Trump can do great things for our country. Bless you Sir. Mario
They should let OC run it self out then start from fresh with NO OC of any kind in it!! I do not care if it takes 2 years to do it !
Obozocare doesn’t effect the RINO’S and the rest of the pond scum in Washington they are exempt it’s only for the low life people they supposedly represent. Throw them out next election and make them find real jobs.
I have a solution. Tomorrow we’re going to put 49 seats in the Senate chambers, turn out the lights for two minutes, then turn them back on. Whoever doesn’t find a seat goes home. Next day another one, then another. Stop at about 30, then off to the House!
I say they should Lead, Follow, or get out of the Way, “We The People” are watching these Bonehead Spineless Wimpy Bozos, that would rather goof around than Work as they Promised “We The People”. Get to work, Get’er Done! Or in 2018! “We The People” Veto, The Spineless Jellyfish, by Voting their rumps out of Office!!!! No more free O.P.M. for ya’all Bye Bye, Now!!!!
Just what in the Hell is the matter with them. The American people gave them control of both houses and they still can’t get anything done.
Democrats wouldn’t do that, they vote en mass, they are scary as Hell, would ruin America, but they would do it together.
Repeal Obamacare……..like you promised. No fix, no replacement!
Get the Government OUT of Healthcare.
Just open competition across state lines and stay the hell away!
Well, if I were up for re-election in 2018, I’d be thinking long and hard about how to vote on this one.
McConnell and Ryan’s RINO’s never thought Trump would be elected.
That’s why nothing else was ready after 7 years of RINO BS!
Hell, most of them voted for Hillary!
The e/GOP RINO’s and Democrats already spent the bribes, er, I mean the large Insurance Company campaign contributions, soooooo…
We need to get McConnell and the rest of the rino’s off negotiations on healthcare. Let Paul and Cruz put forth a new deal.
JUST REPEAL! We never asked nor wanted replacement.
Some Republicans prefer to call themselves moderates I call them RINO’S. Many of these RINO’S in the Senate are from states like Michigan, Colorado, Virginia and other largely Democrat states. That is the reason why they are trying to keep much of Obama Care in the health care bill. It’s not Soros or some other conspiracy it’s all about getting their asses re-elected. They need to be voted out in the Republican Primaries.
I can’t wait for the repeal vote to end this ill-conceived socialist mistake. It will be fun watching the CNN talking heads explode.
Has anyone considered taking a look at the OLD heath care we had in this country before Obamacare? It was a very good system, that just needed tweaking and better oversight – get a handle on the abuse and massive fraud,( which just increased under Obamacare) for one thing. Repeal ACA completely, bring out the old health care system, dust it off, FIX IT – it’s a good starting point. And, it is an insurance plan, not an entitlement, not a tax. Make appropriate amendments to it to allow people WHO WANT insurance and with pre-existing conditions to get it. Open it up to across state lines purchasing. This competition will help keep prices more reasonable. Stop penalizing employers and taxing them so more can afford to offer some medical benefits to their employees. Taxes and penalties don’t encourage people to do anything except submit to the government. That’s why Obama wanted it. This is about control and the take over of 1/5 of our economy and always has been about just that!
Ezekiel Emanual is the modern day Josef Megele. He is Doctor Death. He would definitely have no problem whatsoever with what judges in the UK are trying to do to that poor baby – stopping his parents. From trying whatever it takes to help their child.
The government has no business being involved in this and making money off insurance care for people. Oversight can be handled by Health & Human Services and the states. Get rid of this terrible ACA. Stop trying to save it. We had one of the best health care systems in the world before ACA. It needed some tweaking and oversight, but Obamacare designed to morph into single payer health care was not the answer. The only thing it did was put the fist step in place to moving this country toward socialism and government control of everything.
Saul Alinsky – First rule in Rules for Radicals: Get control of the nation’s health care. When you have control of health care, you have control of the people. Then move to implement the rest of the rules, one by one.
WAKE UP PEOPLE! Keeping any part of the ACA is very bad news and it is too easy for some other Marxist, single payer proponent bozo like Obama to win the presidency again and then it starts all over again – the fight for control. The path to socialism, marxism. This cannot stand in this country !!!!!!! TO HELL WITH THE RINOS AND THE HELL WITH THE LOBBYISTS!!!
All the Republican senators who are blocking the Obamacare repeal bill must be voted out of Congress when their time are expired. We the people is the voice, not the senators. We voted them to do the job as promised and these bunch of phonies negate their promises and just want to enrich themselves in Congress. American citizens must vote them out when the time comes. Exercise our power !!!!!
If the Rep really wanted to repeal obambo care they would not have been funding it They funded it for obambo and now all they really want to do is patch it
The problem is that it is not Obamacare repeal, so those senators standing in the way of the bill are not blocking Obamacare repeal.
Isn’t it amazing that at a time when it’s critical for Republicans to unite and vote in support of our President, McCain has “eye surgery”? This surgery couldn’t wait, or could have been done sooner…. doesn’t anyone wonder? Now everything is on hold until he “recovers”. This traitor is part of the swamp. I pray Arizonians will vote him out, or perhaps he’s too old to run, or perhaps he’s too sick to run. This guy’s got to go!
Constituents of these representatives take note and let them know what you want. These are people with their on agenda and will not work or stand
Where the hell are all the Reps. who ran on the “repeal obamacare” ticket and why didn’t they have a bill ready to put on the President’s desk on day one? We have the same people running the Republican party that have won and lost the White House, and both houses of Congress twice already because they couldn’t find their butt with both hands and a flashlight. Vote those old bastards out that have been there more than two terms and lets see if we can have a party that can get something done. Right now I don’t claim Rep or Dem because they are all corrupt in their own self-importance and running for the next election.
I regret that Collins is from Maine and that I use to vote for her. Collins is not a centrist. she may want people to think she is, but she is even worse than that. Collins is a Global Collectivist Left leaning career piece of Progressive, political, pig poop!!!
Ayuh!
The republicans passed a health care bill a few years ago that is perfectly good to pass now… why not revitalize it now … because they did not want it to pass…it was for show… Obama would veto it back then but and Trump would pass it now.
It is not that they can’t work with President Trump. The “anti-Trump” operatives, politicians and legislators either have an ill founded anti-American passion or have been bought through massive bribes, [donations, gifts, campaign funding…], extortion [entrapment by evidence of sexual or other character destructive exploits] or some psychological indebtedness to their perceived benefactors.
. These benefactors (via lobbyists) are of the establishment which is the shadow government directed by a cartel of international and big bankers who control us (our country) as a legal corporation. This cartel also controls the NWO via the UN, One World Bank, IMF and their international laws which emanate from the headquarters in Brussels and foreign based banks.
. I cannot think of any agency or department recently established or expanded that benefits “We the People”. These entities use our taxpayer funds for their corporate research/studies to only benefit themselves or create barriers for competition [E.G. limit new medicine or product approvals while hiding proof to continue their use of harmful but profitable ones].
. Within Establishment leadership, many are secretly entrapped by or members to Skull and Bones, Bilderberg, Illuminati, Bohemian Grove, … and I cannot identify one with a Biblical world view within the hundreds of names I searched. In 2012 the DNC eliminated and denounced all mention of or references to God.
. I believe President Trump is fulfilling his promises (our “Election Prayers”) and often is in direct opposition to the Anti-God control and beliefs of the Establishment. As a result, the Establishment’s well-funded ‘anti-trump’ effort creates, distorts, embellishes and fabricates every form of disruption, slander, scandal and lie to destroy this presidency and uses their willing media to shamelessly and repeatedly promote them. Being anti-God, they do not see the risk of those following the Koran which is Satan’s counterfeit and antitheses of God’s Bible.
. Yet, with hundreds of hired investigators & reporters, not even one accusation has substantiated, presented with verified evidence or proven valid. Now most people are awakening to the Establishment’s corruption and are becoming very aware of what is happening.
Now it’s time for our President to issue another executive order making sure both house and senate must have our insurance. No more perks and term limits should be next.
We need to replace these Rinos with new talent. If they can’t go along then they need to get along. We can do that with our votes, let’s do it.
If they cant repeal then why vote for a rep They really wanted that health care bill is why they funded it for obambo Now they want to patch it and then tell us how hard they worked to get the job done but this was the best they could do . All these rinos lie just as well as there dem conrades
We were not promised that they would FIX Obamacare. We were promised that they would repeal it by the roots. All this is is water and fertilizer to help it grow.
If these Rino’s pass they fake repeal the GOP will lose the Senate in 2018. I will have a hard time to find a reason to vote for any of them agin.
They will once agin prove that their promises mean NOTHING.
I believe that it was Khrushchev that said “Promises are made to be broken”
Khrushchev also said this.
“When you are skinning your customers, you should leave some skin on to heal, so that you can skin them again.”
The GOP is skinning us that have voted for them.
“Fool us once, shame on you. Fool us twice, shame on us”
There is NOTHING that will fix Obamacare. Fixing Obamacare would be like repairing “Galloping Gertie” https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/3d043354beb58972f8984f2c77e563db8b95f4fcc1c3e66dee450d9c8250ee87.jpg
What is the point on being a Republican if you can’t do the job. The republicans have the golden opportunity to shut the democrats up but they side with them. Its seems the republicans don’t even want one of their own to have a republican president.. Both parties need to keep their hands out of our healthcare.
Please remember who the turn coats( Republican) are on Election Day and tell all your friends also, maybe we can Repeal their dirty asses on that day