LindsayGraham just called "skinny repeal" HALF-ASSED, and McCain Agreed.

[MADem]

Last edited Fri Jul 28, 2017, 12:03 PM - Edit history (1)

Source: MSNBC (Live TV)

You can't put in an excerpt when it's live TV, but I'll look for a link.


For archival purposes, I've put a link to the conclusion of this story in the LINK box.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/07/28/how-john-mccains-no-vote-on-health-care-played-out-on-the-senate-floor/?utm_term=.b2405363e125

---

Holy shit...!

[Vinca]

1. But they said they'll vote for it if they get "assurances" from Paul Ryan that it will

go to conference. Can you imagine . . . trusting Paul Ryan?

[karynnj]

13. Not to mention, going to conference does not mean they won't return to it

When the conference bill fails.

This is a terrible vote that all but three Republicans will have to justify.

[mpcamb]

23. I fear they'll return to it when McCain isn't around.

Hopefully someone else will come across the aisle then, but I don't see any takers yet.

Before leaving Obamacare (and let's keep calling it that), somebody on our side needs to seek an amendment that would make Medicare drugs subject to bidding and save us all billions. Let the R's vote it down and go back home and try to explain why.

[trueblue2007]

2. IT IS ON MSNBC ..... these GOP's are hating the GOP health insurance plans

[mobeau69]

3. Aso "A disaster, a fraud".

Just like President Pig.

[diva77]

11. "President Pig"

hope you won't mind if I steal that one!

[MADem]

21. President Pig--we really ARE living in a 21st Century Animal Farm....

And given what the Mooch suggested that Bannon was doing with his nether regions...woof, woof!

I mean, don't you say "Now Fido, STOP THAT! Here, have a biscuit!" when Fido starts doing that among your assembled guests at the family pic-a-nic???

[cilla4progress]

4. Don't understand what is happening.

Just turned it on. Are they saying they won't pass without Dems?

[procon]

5. Its becoming increasingly obvious, Republicans do not fear Trump.

He's been burning his bridges behind him for the past 7 months. They think he's crazy. They aren't paying any attention to his threats, rants, tweets, or his evil minions.

[volstork]

7. They fear Putin.

THAT'S the problem.

[MADem]

22. THEY handed Putin sanctions. They're not afraid of him.

Only two Senators did the wrong thing on that vote. The rest voted to impose sanctions. http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/senate-sends-russia-sanctions-bill-white-house-forcing/story?id=48897035

[Eliot Rosewater]

26. Who voted for treason? Two of them? It drives me crazy when reading

these articles it never says it seems.

I will try and find out.

Rand Paul and BERNIE SANDERS

[MADem]

30. Yep. Those two peas in a pod.

I don't spend a lot of time here anymore, mainly b/c I think Sanders is a Russian agent, and I've no patience for the Bros who insist that he has our best interests at heart. I've had it with his bullshit. He's a self-aggrandizing con-artist, "In My View." I think his efforts fomenting dissent from the left earned him a ten million dollar payday from Putin. I also think Julian Assange is a Putin prisoner on the Russian payroll, and Glen Greenwald is a Putin tool as well.

I'm not interested in fighting with people about these views, because they're firm and I won't be persuaded otherwise. But hell, there's lots to do in the real world to combat the Orange Menace, so I'm not bored!

[volstork]

6. I am TIRED

of these ass-clowns making noise and then capitulating. Put up, or SHUT the FUCK UP!

[flying-skeleton]

8. You just sit back and

Watch them BOTH LIARS .... vote for it.

[OnDoutside]

10. EXACTLY. They just want the headlines to say they fought it. Those bastards have a long history of

being snakes.

[MADem]

18. You get 50% on that quiz. Graham yes, McCain no. nt

[MADem]

19. Here's how it went down, w/video of the dramatic ending, too....

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/07/28/how-john-mccains-no-vote-on-health-care-played-out-on-the-senate-floor/?utm_term=.b2405363e125

[geek tragedy]

9. "but I'm still open to voting for it" nt

[MADem]

17. Graham did, McCain didn't. It was quite dramatic. McCain did the "thumbs down" thing.

Of course, the real heroes are the two GOP women who have been getting insults and death threats ever since they said "Fuck y'all, I'm voting for what my CONSTITUENTS want, not what the GOP 'rich get richer' pigs want"--I really think they should, if they can't cross the aisle, should sit in the middle as independents. How they were treated was disgraceful.

[janx]

25. Collins got it too?

I read/heard about Murkowski, but not Collins.

[Sunlei]

12. IMO, both Rs are tired of R deceptions not just /w trump admin. decades of selfish c(R)ap decisions.

Now, hopefully they will help force insurance corps to list plans on the exchanges if they list/offer ANY plans on TV ads & internet sources.

1) Allow insurance plans to cross state & county lines so Insurance corps can't claim tiny networks any more.

2)All GP-Doctors across America should be able to accept any insurance. Free our American Doctors!

[maveric]

14. BTW how did Lindsay vote?

Yea or nay?

[MADem]

15. After all that McCain glomming, the chickenshit voted YEA.

To be fair to him, though, I would not be surprised that he was the "designated spare" in case Pence managed to arm twist a Dem.

But yay Dems-they lockstepped it this time and brought the two independents who caucus with them along with them.

[janx]

24. That's what I find so hard to swallow.

The grandstanding, going so far as to call it "half-assed" -- and then he votes for it? He has no concept of shame.

[bluestarone]

29. exactually why the

hell vote yes for something so bad? what an idiot he is!

[MADem]

33. So he doesn't look like a "Trumphater" when he goes with members of the House

to tell Trump to resign...he'll be able to say he voted for Trump's shitty agenda. And he probably will be a member of the delegation that trudges to the WH and tells Donald it's time to go.

(Think back to Nixon....)


So long as the end result is not affected (and most GOP Senators did not want this to pass, but couldn't admit it b/c they all RAN on repeal/replace) it's fine that it was shot down by just ONE vote. There was no need for them to vote in a principled manner. In fact, the rest of them can go home and say "Well, we tried to lower your costs, but THOSE OTHER TRAITORS got in our way," or better still, they can say nothing at all because even though they PROMISED something "better" they couldn't deliver it.

Obamacare is a huge albatross for them--no one liked it until they thought it would be gone forever. If we're going to be honest, we saw this shit right here, on this board. I remember one infamous member calling Obama a "Piece of shit used car salesman" because Obamacare was so horrible (in reality, he didn't read up on the rules and his issues were a consequence of his failure to follow procedures, not the fault of the plan). Only it wasn't horrible, and it isn't. It could be better, sure, and it will be, in time-- with a cooperative legislature. The alternative, though, is a dogshit sandwich, with a side order of early death.

[dalton99a]

16. And Graham voted for it.

[MADem]

20. Yes, they weren't going to give one more vote than needed.

I suspect if a weak Democrat (or independent) voted Aye, Graham would have flipped his vote to Nay. But he wasn't going to go out of his way to be a pointless profile in courage. He's holding his powder so when the day comes that he goes to the WH to urge Trump to resign, he'll be able to say "Look, I voted for most of your crap...I was loyal, but you need to GO."

I think the reason they appeared together at that presser was to basically TELL McConnell "It's not just those brave women, Murkowski and Collins, it's US too--give it up. Pence ain't enough."

Trump was so stupid that he thought McCain--the man he mocked for being "captured" -- was flying back to DC to HELP him. In fact, McCain's purpose was to exhort the Senate to return to regular order, not pull this backroom deal crap, and stop this bill. He also wants to weigh in on the Defense Authorization.

What's astounding to me is that McConnell, no doubt KNOWING the outcome, let the charade proceed ANYWAY. Pence bullied McCain, even dragged him off the floor and forced him to talk to Trump on the phone. That's probably why McCain did the THUMBS DOWN thing--he wanted even a moron watching on tv to understand that hand gesture!

The best part of the night, though, was McConnell's teary, pouting, petulant speech at the end. What a little shit. I enjoyed his obvious misery.

[CTyankee]

35. trump is so crazy, he'd probably throw them out of the White House...

the closer he gets to realizing there is a kind of coup d'etat going on, who knows how he will react.

[WhiteTara]

27. Didn't he vote for the bill?

[MADem]

31. Yes. I suspect, as I mentioned upthread, that he was the Designated Spare. nt

[MFM008]

28. Well

History will still say...
Like Uma Thurman in the movie,
McCain killed Bill.

[MADem]

32. Yep! nt

[Hieronymus]

34. Proof of the sorry state of congress ..

that they'd vote for something if guaranteed in wouldn't pass.

[MADem]

36. That's a sorry truth, right there. nt