No, a completely full of shit charlatan running to be the head of their party (and leader of the free world) did not divide them – they have an amazing capacity to rationalize the most irresponsible behavior so long as it’s someone on their team, BUT providing healthcare access to anybody is a bridge too far for many GOPers. One is reminded that their healthcare is paid for by our tax dollars but because they live in an ideological 1917, rather than 2017, they nevertheless believe people without health insurance have to do that pull themselves up by their boot straps thing. Yes, and go west young man!!! Hip Hip! 23 Skidoo! Hey, you can have healthcare if you just give up your fancy phone (no, ya can’t Jason Chaffetz, no ya can’t).
If the early responses are any indication, Republicans may have to make some changes.
Influential conservative groups spent the early part of Tuesday coming out against the bill. Heritage Action’s CEO, Michael Needham, called it “bad politics and, more importantly, bad policy.”
“In many ways, the House Republican proposal released last night not only accepts the flawed progressive premises of Obamacare but expands upon them,” Needham said.
Club for Growth President David McIntosh said that if this “warmed-over substitute for government-run health care” wasn’t changed, the Club for Growth would key vote against it.
And the Koch brothers’ primary political group ― Americans for Prosperity ― blasted the bill and demanded a full repeal of the Affordable Care Act.
For many so-called conservatives, anything more than just repealing the entire ACA is unacceptable and any attempt at Obamacare 2.0 is an abomination. While it was a hoot to point and laugh at Trump, Ryan and the gang that can’t legislate straight as they talked and talked about a nonexistent bill, now that they put on their big boy legislator pants and actually wrote something in crayon on the back of a napkin, it’s even more hilarious. This effort is a participation trophy at best for the people who hate participation trophies.
Of course the bill is a mess, trying to quiet the angry crowds on both sides of the aisle and by necessity failing both groups miserably.
The proposals water down the ACA to the point that it would still force millions off the insurance rolls. FAIL! But without the taxes, mandates and subsidies, all of the things GOPers hate, the whole thing would almost certainly fall apart the way they keep saying ACA is failing, but actually isn’t. FAIL again!
Democrats may not have to lift a finger to kill this piece of shit. Between the no healthcare at all crowd and the GOPers who had the bejeezus scared out of them by their angry ACA loving constituents, we have a real honest-to-God internal schism being cultivated. For six years they said “repeal” while happily lying to their credulous followers about what the ACA did and cultivating a mythology of failure and unpopularity around the law. Then to hedge their bets and put on their responsible human masks and they paid lip service to “replace”.
Well, now they’re between a rock repeal and hard replace and their floundering will be very entertaining.
Not to be too callous about the millions who will actually get screwed by these assholes, but it’s tremendously clear that this will be a massive failure for Ryan and crew for which they should have to do a Cercei Lannister march of shame in 2018.
The Polislice 