Tom Cotton: GOP 'Moved A Bit Too Fast' On Repeal, Compared To Dems On ACA

[DonViejo]

Source: Talking Points Memo



By ESME CRIBB Published MARCH 26, 2017, 12:53 PM EDT

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) on Sunday said that the House "moved a bit too fast" on its bill to repeal and replace Obamacare, which he compared unfavorably to the process Democrats used to pass the original health care legislation in 2010.

"I think the House moved a bit too fast. 18 days is simply not enough time for such a major landmark legislation," Cotton said on CBS News' "Face the Nation." He said that Republicans will have to "revisit" the bill, though House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) and the White House both appeared eager to move on to other areas of policy after the legislation was pulled on Friday less than an hour before it was scheduled to go to the House floor.

"We now have the time to do it in a more deliberate and careful fashion," Cotton said. "To release a bill that was written in secret and then expect to pass it in 18 days I just don't think was feasible."

He unfavorably compared Republican efforts to bring the bill to Trump's desk to Democrats' work on health care legislation in 2009. "For 60 years at least they had been pursuing a national health care system, yet they didn't introduce legislation for eight months," Cotton said. "They didn't pass it for over a year of Barack Obama's first term."

Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/tom-cotton-gop-moved-too-fast-on-repeal-compared-to-dems-on-obamacare

[SHRED]

1. He's a master of the obvious

Genius.

[busterbrown]

5. No Explanation needed! n/t

[geek tragedy]

2. it's very belated, but lots of Republicans now expressing respect for the work

Democrats put in when passing the ACA.

Not glamourous or politically advantageous, but the ant lives through winter while the grasshopper tweets that it's hungry.

[pnwmom]

3. The Dems were a bit busy saving the crashing economy when Obama came into office.

So there was a delay before they could turn their attention to healthcare.

Funny how they forget.

[BumRushDaShow]

12. The first ACA meetings/hearings actually occured in

March 2009 while saving the economy! So they were engaged very early on -

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/05/AR2009030501850.html
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/health-jan-june09-healthcare_03-05/

Here is the timeline - http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/28/politics/supreme-court-health-timeline/

Meanwhile the GOP thinks they are somehow so brilliant that they can do it in 2 weeks.

[riversedge]

4. 60 years!! What an idiot! Obama and Dems went for Health Insurance Reform--not

"national health care"

[DK504]

6. Gee what made you think it was too fast Tommy?

!8 days versus 18 months and 18 months and endless meeting with people from the medical industry, even insurance "people" met with President Obama. The idiots in the New Fascist Party had 7 Years Tommy and you cretins still couldn't deliver. WOW!

All you assholes are as incompetent the shitgibbon. WOW!

[NRaleighLiberal]

7. yes, when you screw people and take stuff away, you must be vewy, vewy qwuiet!

[Lotusflower70]

8. Ya think?

Lofl Captain Obvious. But they truly didn't need the extra time, I mean that had years to craft something worthy of the American people. And still went with a steaming pile anyway. Imagine that?

[left-of-center2012]

10. Trump promised it would be done on Day One n/t

[Jonny Appleseed]

11. However Trump's supporters think Obamacare was "shoved thru" in a week.

[EarthFirst]

13. They had 7.5 years to draft their proposal...

They attempted to renegotiate this in 18 days.

This is like a school-aged child turning in a book report on a book they didn't read; although had the assignment for nearly 8 weeks...

[louis-t]

14. Or, being the lazy bastards that they are

watching the movie version instead of reading the book.

[EleanorR]

15. Al Franken wasn't sworn in until July 7th, 2009

Dems had a supermajority for what, 6 months?

[Narraback]

21. Less here is a link...

http://www.ohio.com/blogs/mass-destruction/blog-of-mass-destruction-1.298992/when-obama-had-total-control-of-congress-1.332977

"Total control" of Congress by Democrats lasted all of 4 months. From September 24, 2009 through February 4, 2010...at which point Scott Brown, a Republican, was sworn in to replace Kennedy's Massachusetts seat.

The truth....then....is this: Democrats had "total control" of the House of Representatives from 2009-2011, 2 full years. Democrats, and therefore, Obama, had "total control" of the Senate from September 24, 2009 until February 4, 2010. A grand total of 4 months.

Did President Obama have "total control" of Congress? Yes, for 4 entire months. And it was during that very small time window that Obamacare was passed in the Senate with 60 all-Democratic votes.

Did President Obama have "total control' of Congress during his first two years as president? Absolutely not and any assertions to the contrary.....as you can plainly see in the above chronology....is a lie."

[oberliner]

16. They've had seven years

This argument is so ridiculous.

[still_one]

17. Oh for FFS, the republicans have had the majority in the House for a long time. Not only did they

refuse to participate in the ACA, during that time, instead of offering an alternative, the only thing they did was try to repeal it.

They have had plenty of time to come up with a healthcare plan, like over 10 years, and the only thing they came up with was a half-assed plan that hurt a lot of people.

Would it be asking too much if the media at least call attention to the FACTS?

I am waiting

[Tatiana]

18. "For 60 years at least they had been pursuing a national health care system..."

I can't get past that quote.

It's time. Let's fix the ACA with a real national health care system once we take care of the Party of Russia.

[Chemisse]

19. Considering the spectacle we just witnessed,

with opposing factions within the GOP, I don't know if there will ever be enough time.

And Trump is right. I am smiling.

[cstanleytech]

20. You had 7 plus years to address actual real problems with the ACA but you and your fellow

Repugnants said "Fuck that, we will just use our opposition over it as a political football for our base to rally around".

[BillyBobBrilliant]

22. Now wait a minute.

According to GOP, they have had a replacement plan ready for years, and years. Every time they voted to repeal the ACA, they claimed to have the 'perfect' replacement, locked away in a secret location, just waiting to destroy the lives of millions of us peons.