Fox Business Host Elizabeth MacDonald’s blatant attempt to strong-arm Republican Congressman Justin Amash into supporting the TrumpWealthCare bill that repeals Obamacare did not work out as planned.
Just as Donald Trump threatened House Republicans to support Trumpcare or else, MacDonald did her part with the same strategy on Fox Business today. Or at least, she tried. This is how she teased an upcoming segment.
MACDONALD: We’ve got an angry voter whose conservative congressman – he says he’ll vote him out of office if his guy does not vote to get rid of Obamacare tomorrow. Angry voter Ken Thompson joins me next. He’s pretty mad. Don’t go away.
The only problem? Not only was Thompson not angry, he was a vision of serene support.
MACDONALD: Do other people, do your colleagues agree with you that if he [Amash] votes against it that maybe, would you vote against Justin, your congressman, rather, and not get him re-elected?
THOMPSON: No, I’ve supported Justin on all his stands over the years. I would support … him even if he disagrees with me on this vote. I believe he should change his mind but Justin’s a very principled gentleman and he’s gonna stand on his philosophies. I disagreed with him on this specific piece of legislation and I believe he should move forward with the leadership for once, though I’ve appreciated when he’s not stood with the leadership in the past.
Watch MacDonald’s best-laid plan go awry below, from the March 22, 2017 Risk & Reward with Deirdre Bolton show below, via NewsHound Richard.
Listening to NPR’s “Morning Edition” it’s clear the Republicans are all about ‘winning’ – defined as getting any #Trumpcare bill passed. They held a late night meeting that’s being compared to “Remember The Titans”. You know, the cliche coach giving the motivational speech drama we can ‘win’ this one.
NPR also reported outside of the Beltway #Trumpcare has little to no support. NPR didn’t directly mention any polls but the ones I’ve seen are devastating against #Trumpcare.
The final proof is man-child Trump has put the House on notice his legendary short attention span has passed. He’s done. Pass something – anything – or he’s going to throw in the towel and keep Obamacare. Which is #ArtOfTheDeal grifter Trump playing his final trump card with a threat guaranteed to embarrass and scare team sports Republicans who know they have to deliver on a repeal after making it the center of all their tantrums over the last 8 years.
In the event that either Thomas or Kennedy steps down in 2018, I’d really love to see the Dems raise the notion that perhaps we should wait for the midterms “to allow the American People to decide this important question”. I wonder if the GOP would like that approach, since they inaugurated it to their shame last year…
The first thought is that Eyes is correct that these guys are rushing to get this mess through the Congress so that Trump can tweet that he got “a win”. Except that the result of trashing the ACA and tossing Medicaid out the window will mean that it achieves the reverse of what Trump just tried to bully GOP congresspeople into thinking. He’s telling them that the GOP could lose a lot of seats if they don’t pass this thing. But the actual ramifications appear to be that they will lose even MORE seats if they do pass it.
The second thought is that Joseph is right to point out that the GOP is looking at severe troubles next year, for all their cockiness and gloating this year. (Remember what Year this is…) And you’re correct that the fallout from HAHA could be catastrophic for the GOP not only in 2018 but in 2020. The simplest answer here is that THEY DON’T CARE. This is the same mentality that allows them to deny climate change as well as the basic reality that they no longer hold the majority in the country or at the polls. So yes, they’re going to discard the filibuster in short order, and yes, they’re going to find a way to destroy the ACA. Not because it makes sense or helps them in any way – but because it feels good to them. And that’s what this group has been about from the beginning.
Trump is rampaging around Capitol Hill bellowing like a bull to ram #Trumpcare down America’s throat. Ryan is so busy porking up #Trumpcare to appease swing Republicans they’re going to vote on #Trumpcare blind before CBO has a chance to re-score it. Though judging on what a stink bomb the previous CBO scoring was it’s a deliberate act of making a critical decision in the absence of facts.
It’s obvious legendary narcissist Trump is looking upon the #Trumpcare vote as affirmation of his power and popularity, not in terms of what the bill contains. His support for it has been reflexive and his demagoguery pimping #Trumpcare factless mere smears of #Obamacare and empty boasts #Trumpcare will be great. Our Liar-in-Chief made ridiculous boasts it’ll cover everyone even as his own internal estimates are 26 million Americans will lose coverage, even worse than the 24 million the CBO predicts.
Has Trump even read the #Trumpcare bill? There’s no evidence he has. Knowledge isn’t his thing. He’s a grifter salesman only interested in the end result: Closing the deal.
What could go wrong?
ANY time there’s been talk of getting rid of the filibuster by the party in power, calmer heads (even in the majority party) have prevailed simply because the majority won’t always stay the majority and when it becomes the minority, without the filibuster, the minority is completely useless.
McConnell will have his job after the 2018 elections (his job as Senator, that is; he won’t have to deal with another election till 2020) but many of his fellow Senators will have to face an election in 2018 and if Chump’s popularity sinks any lower, even with just needing to defend 8 seats, a loss of just 3 will switch the balance of power (and two GOP Senators won election or re-election with less than 50% of the vote).
When GOP candidates are forced to explain why their constituents’ healthcare costs have gone through the roof or simply gone POOF, we could see a rebellion among the “disappointed” Chump voters who decide to just stay home (similar to 2010’s disappointed Obama voters). And the folks who get kicked off Medicaid? Whoo, boy. I would NOT want to be a GOP candidate for any position.
I find it extremely unlikely that any self-respecting Democrat will vote for this attack on healthcare as we know it. Which means the Right needs to bully its own in order to get the votes. And it looks like they are ignoring their own moderates and going all the way to the Far Right, which has made clear that their goal is to really stick it to the people who had the temerity to think a universal healthcare system would ever be possible in the USA.
Similarly, I find it extremely unlikely that any Democrat is going to vote for Gorsuch in the Senate, so we’re now waiting for the other shoe to drop over there – in terms of how quickly McConnell will muster the votes he needs to eliminate the filibuster and ram Gorsuch through on a party line vote. My expectation is that we will see such action in about 2 weeks, when it becomes clear to the GOP that they do not have the votes to get Gorsuch onto the bench any other way.