Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa) reveals why GOP has problems getting healthcare-bill forward.

[DetlefK]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/pat-toomey-health-care-donald-trump_us_595f22e3e4b0615b9e9078df?7&ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009

Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) offered an explanation on Wednesday night as to why congressional Republicans haven’t been able to pass health care reform since President Donald Trump took office in January, despite promising for years that repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act was a top priority.

“I didn’t expect Donald Trump to win,” Toomey said during a town hall hosted by the ABC27 News station in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. “I think most of my colleagues didn’t. So we didn’t expect to be in this situation.”




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For 7 years they have called for repeal and replace, but they didn't expect they would actually have to repeal and replace one day.

[leftstreet]

1. LOL so it was all bullshit

They used it when and if they saw political advantages, but now that they're expected to make good on their lies...

fucking morons

[Wounded Bear]

2. It was always political theater for them...

never was any reason for it other than feeding the rabid dogs back home the red meat they love.

Surprised they actually admitted it.

[wasupaloopa]

3. They don't want a health care bill

They want to lower taxes for the one percent and kill Medicaid,

They call it health care to get the backing of the brain dead.

[Chasstev365]

4. Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan knew Trump would win!

Know what I'm sayin, 😉

[BeyondGeography]

5. They had a plan for tormenting HRC for four years

Governing, not so much.

[magicarpet]

14. And tormenting Obama for eight solid years....

[AgadorSparticus]

6. Oh BULLSHIT!!! They have tried for 25 years and couldn't agree.

It has nothing to do with 45 winning. They played it up for political fodder and now they can't produce what they never COULD produce. Charlatans!!!

[Caliman73]

15. It isn't necessarily about Trump, but it isn't really bullshit either.

The Republicans can't govern because they actually hate government. They like power and authority, but hate the idea of government providing services. It was good for them to be in opposition to a Democratic president, and even as a minority party that could obstruct the Democrats when we held the House, Senate and Presidency in the first 2 years of President Obama's first term.

They have always been in agreement that they do not care AT ALL about healthcare. They want to repeal the ACA with no replacement. They want to cut out all the funding and give it back over to the private sector. That has always been the Republican strategy. The problem with the Republican strategy is that it is actually highly unpopular because government actually provides a great deal of service to a large proportion of the citizens. So, Republicans have gone about poking small holes in programs and then screaming about how horrible "government" makes things.

Republicans also realize that to fully implement their plans to redistribute wealth more fully and securely to the most wealthy, that they have to be in power. This is their dilemma. If they are in power, then they have to govern, which means that they have to eventually produce something of value to the voters and general public but they do not want to. They just want to gut the commons and "be in power".

I think that Toomey is trying to make an excuse, but the truth is that they didn't expect and probably did not really want to be in complete control of the government because now they own whatever happens. They know that if they kill the ACA and people suffer, they are going to be responsible which is why they tried to extend the death of the ACA out past the midterm and 2020 election.

Republicans plans and ideology are not in line with most people in the US. They have a very vocal, very motivated, 25% to 35% in their ranks. People they can count on to voter Republican no matter what. What they need to do is keep the percentage of people who typically do not vote, which is unfortunately between 35% and 45% of the population, sufficiently docile, so that they can "be in power" but not really govern. Taking away healthcare is not the way to do that, so they are really worried right now.

[AgadorSparticus]

21. Call a spade a spade. It is pure BULLSHIT. NO they don't want to govern.

They want to rape and pillage. Thing is, what they want to do will kill people. A LOT of people. And granted, people are pretty damn stupid. Mind numbingly stupid, actually. But they aren't stupid enough to not know that if they have a condition and they don't take their meds, they can die. So what the pukes are asking these dumbfucks is essentially, "do you mind dying for the party?" The majority will say no. They will be very angry about it and the gop has to decide whether they want to "seize the day" or lose the war.

At the end of the day, it is about self preservation. And gop moc want to keep their cushy little jobs more than they care about party loyalty.

[meow2u3]

7. That's a crock of BS!!

Next excuse, Paddy?

[lindysalsagal]

8. So, the congress was only kidding, 45 was only kiding...but the voters think it's all very real

But they'll never be able to throw millions off of healthcare now. Call it what you want, tweak it however you want, healthcare is here to stay in one form or another.

[Freddie]

9. Toomey is the biggest asswipe that walks the planet

And we're stuck with him for 5.5 more years. He doesn't give a flying fig about what the people of PA need, just his corporate donors.

[aggiesal]

19. Let me introduce you to Darrell Issa ...

his last name spelled backwards is literally ASS-I
So he has an ass pedigree.

[gratuitous]

10. We should be sure to bring this up quite a lot

Every time President Trump yammers on about his yuge victory in the Electoral College, and how nobody nowhere in liberal la-la land saw it coming or gave him a chance, we should be sure to bring up Senator Toomey's comment.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

11. It's not too late to stop and 'fess up to their base that they can't do it

or that it was a morally bankrupt/bad idea to begin with and that there is no good way to do it without harming lots of people. Of course, that would require courage and, despite their ability to savage and smear their opponents, they don't have the kind of spines necessary to stand up to their idiot, rabid, rabble-rousing base that they've spent the last 8 years playing to.

[Ace Rothstein]

12. The Republicans are the dog that caught the car.

[displacedtexan]

13. Exactly! They've raised many, many millions from idiots...

...based on promises they now find themselves in a position to make good on those promises. They know that, if they actually do away with the ACA or Planned Parenthood, the results would mean no more fundraising on those issues.

Never mind that the repercussions from losing such programs would cost their states dearly and kill lots and lots of people. Grrrrr!

[Caliman73]

17. Yes they are.

They do not want to govern because that means delivering goods and services to the populace and they do not want to do that unless someone they know can make profit from it which is not governing.

Government is messy and inefficient at times, but it is the only entity that can most equitably distribute those goods and services which are essential to people, which should not be left to for profit entities. Republicans have staked their claim to opposing this system and now they are painted into a corner. Their voters are expecting goods and services but they simply do not want to do anything for the average citizen.

[IronLionZion]

16. Like dogs chasing a car

what are they going to do if they ever caught it?

[Bernardo de La Paz]

18. Republicons: It's Hillary's fault because she let the Russians win the Electoral College.

They were looking forward to beating her up over health care for another 8 years.

[keithbvadu2]

20. It's not Obamacare anymore, it's Trumpcare... Now they own it.

[american_ideals]

22. Toomey is bought by the Kochs. At least PA voters get this. -Screenshot from Toomey facebook:

[Barack_America]

23. Reminds me of when a squirrel fell out of a tree in front of my dog...

Years of dreaming, plotting, chasing, and he had not a clue what the fuck he would do if he ever got one.