American Politics Thread: Orange is the new POTUS (Archive)

[Bagor]

“Have you read the bill? Have you read the reconciliation bill? Have you read the manager’s amendment? Hell no, you haven’t!”That was then-House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) in 2010 in the heat of the debate over ObamaCare.


Seven years later, Democrats could easily turn those words around on Republicans for the strategy they're using to repeal and replace the same law Boehner railed against.

House Republicans are moving forward with a vote Friday on their ObamaCare replacement bill even after making significant changes the night before, and without a Congressional Budget Office analysis of those changes.


“We haven't seen the final bill and won't have a @USCBO score on the latest version before a vote,” Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (Md.) tweeted Thursday night. “This is not regular order, @SpeakerRyan.”
“We must have the opportunity to read and understand the final bill before we vote. It's irresponsible to do otherwise,” added conservative Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) in a tweet Thursday night.


Republicans on Thursday night announced that they would make some significant changes to the bill with the intention of winning over conservatives.
The most prominent of those changes is to repeal ObamaCare’s essential health benefits, which mandate which health services an insurance plan must cover, including areas like mental health, prescription drugs, and maternity care. The GOP will also add $15 billion to a “stability fund” to the bill in order to provide mental health and maternity coverage, which will be paid for by keeping ObamaCare's 0.9 percent Medicare tax on high earners for six years.


Repealing the essential health benefits could have far-reaching consequences for the legislation and for the U.S. healthcare system, but the CBO will not have time to release an analysis of the change before the vote on Friday.


“With these amendments, no,” House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady (R-Texas) told reporters Thursday night when asked if there would be a new CBO report.
He defended moving forward, though.
“We will continue to ask the CBO for a score,” Brady said. “We anticipate that they'll have to look at the coverage issues. The stability fund is pretty straightforward so we don't anticipate major changes that way.”


Asked about releasing changes the night before the vote, Brady pointed to comments from White House budget director Mick Mulvaney, who said President Trump is finished negotiating and is threatening to leave ObamaCare in place if the bill doesn't pass Friday.
“We've been discussing these solutions with members for several days now and so has President Trump,” Brady said. “Mr. Mulvaney made it clear the president is done negotiating, that this is a conservative package that lowers healthcare costs, and so at his request and the leadership's, we're moving forward with the vote tomorrow.”


Some Republicans downplayed the importance of a full nonpartisan analysis of the bill’s effects before voting on it.
“I know this will all make the deficit better,” said Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), a leadership ally.
Pressed on how he knows that if there’s no CBO score, Cole said: “Because it doesn’t take the CBO — because I know the range, what the initial CBO score was, and I know the range of changes that they’re talking about.”

http://thehill.com/homenews/house/32...ealthcare-plan

No need for analysis. They just ... know.

[nfotiu]

Originally Posted by Bagor

So, CBO states that Trump's bill, as is, will result in decreasing deficits by $187bn less (150 v 337) than Obama's over the next 10 years and 24M fewer people insured by 2026.

What exactly is the selling point of it to average Joe American? We got rid of Obamacare?

187b less than the first proposed repeal bill. 150b cheaper than Obamacare.

[ernie]

At least they are being honest about it now. It has nothing to do with actually providing people with healthcare and everything to do with a funding shortfall that prevents them from the important stuff like tax breaks for the rich and more nukes.

[DuffMan]

Best negotiator in the universe

Donald J. Trump‏ @realDonaldTrump
The irony is that the Freedom Caucus, which is very pro-life and against Planned Parenthood, allows P.P. to continue if they stop this plan!

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Does Donald even know what Planned Parenthood does? Or does he think it's just an abortion clinic?

[nfotiu]

Originally Posted by KootenayFlamesFan

Does Donald even know what Planned Parenthood does? Or does he think it's just an abortion clinic?

Does it matter what it actually does in this context? The perception of what it does in the eyes of the freedom caucus and their tea party followers is what he's going for. Although, it is pretty transparent, and will likely just annoy them more.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Another case of "I love the poorly educated"

In the heart of the Midwest, one man facing deportation to Mexico has become a flashpoint for the debate over President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.

Roberto Beristain has lived in Granger, Indiana, for nearly two decades with his wife, Helen Beristain, after illegally entering the country from Mexico. Together they’ve raised three children and run a restaurant, Eddie’s Steak Shed, according to the South Bend Tribune. In 2000, during a trip to Niagara Falls, the Beristains inadvertently crossed the border into Canada, and in doing so alerted federal authorities that he was in the country illegally.

Because of the incident, Beristain was given a voluntary self-deportation order telling him to leave the U.S. within 60 days. Instead, he chose to stay with his pregnant wife, who was also suffering from high blood pressure at the time, according to Indiana Public Media. After that, he received a final order demanding he leave the country, which he also ignored.

Since then, he has checked in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents every year, maintaining a clear criminal record and even getting a driver’s license, work permit and social security card with permission from ICE agents, per the South Bend Tribune.

Meanwhile, the 2016 election came. Helen Beristain told Indiana Public Media that she voted for Trump, in part because of his harsh stance on illegal immigration.

“We don’t want to have cartels here, you don’t want to have drugs in your high schools, you don’t want killers next to you,” Helen said. “You want to feel safe when you leave your house. I truly believe that. And, this is why I voted for Mr. Trump.”

In Indiana, Helen was hardly alone. Trump stormed to a nearly 20-percentage point victory in the state. Even in the more liberal St. Joseph County, where Granger is located, Trump only lost by 0.2 points. Later, pundits would point to Trump’s overall success in the Midwest as pivotal to his surprising victory.

But what Helen did not expect was that the Trump administration’s sweeping efforts to curb undocumented immigrants would result in her husband getting arrested by ICE agents when he arrived in Indianapolis on Feb. 6 for his annual check-in, per BuzzFeed News.

“[Trump] did say the good people would not be deported, the good people would be checked,” Helen told Indiana Public Media.

Since his arrest, Roberto has been taken to a facility in Wisconsin, and he is scheduled to be deported by as early as Friday, per the South Bend Tribune. Meanwhile, the Beristain family has filed an appeal in court in hopes of delaying such an action, according to a family lawyer.

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/new...#storylink=cpy

[DuffMan]

Originally Posted by KootenayFlamesFan

Does Donald even know what Planned Parenthood does? Or does he think it's just an abortion clinic?

I just love that his awesome negotiating is using the guilt card.

[Street Pharmacist]

But mommy I want to drive the big truck! What do you mean I missed calling for votes?

But Thursday’s reality check came with a Trumpian dose of the surreal.

Mr. Trump appeared almost oblivious to the dire situation unfolding in the hours after he hosted a meeting with members of the House Freedom Caucus at the White House, where he made the case Mr. Winston pointed to — that not passing the health bill risks the rest of the Republican agenda.

In the midafternoon, a beaming Mr. Trump climbed into the rig of a black tractor-trailer, which had been driven to the White House for an event with trucking industry executives, honking the horn and posing for a series of tough-guy photos — one with his fists held aloft, another staring straight ahead, hands gripping the large wheel, his face compressed into an excited scream.

At a meeting inside shortly afterward, Mr. Trump announced that he was pressed for time and needed to go make calls for more votes.

A reporter informed him that the vote had already been called off

https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/03/2...ww.google.com/

[Bagor]

Originally Posted by nfotiu

187b less than the first proposed repeal bill. 150b cheaper than Obamacare.

That's not the way I'm reading it.

Obama care estimated to reduce the deficit by 337bn over the next 10 years. Trump care by 150bn

[Regorium]

Originally Posted by Bagor

That's not the way I'm reading it.

Obama care estimated to reduce the deficit by 337bn over the next 10 years. Trump care by 150bn

The original Republicare was cheaper than Obamacare by 337bn (easy to be cheap when you drop 25 million people from coverage). This revised Republicare is only 150 billion cheaper.

[Bagor]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

Another case of "I love the poorly educated"
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/new...#storylink=cpy

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

Another case of "I love the poorly educated"



http://www.charlotteobserver.com/new...#storylink=cpy

No sympathy.

[Bagor]

Originally Posted by Regorium

The original Republicare was cheaper than Obamacare by 337bn (easy to be cheap when you drop 25 million people from coverage). This revised Republicare is only 150 billion cheaper.

My bad. Misinterpreted the nos. Thanks to yourself and nfotiu for the clarification.

[mustache ride]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

Another case of "I love the poorly educated"



http://www.charlotteobserver.com/new...#storylink=cpy

I don't understand this story. If he was married for 20 years to a US citizen, wouldn't he be eligible for some type of green card, PR, visa?

[nik-]

This picture from politico is so fantastic

[nfotiu]

Originally Posted by mustache ride

I don't understand this story. If he was married for 20 years to a US citizen, wouldn't he be eligible for some type of green card, PR, visa?

The only thing I could think of is that if he was found to have been in the country illegally, he would get denied for a green card.

[ah123]

Originally Posted by nik-

This picture from politico is so fantastic

I can see this picture being used to create mischief; replace the background in the picture with a congregation of Muslims praying, and sub-title the picture "Trump leading Friday prayers"

[ResAlien]

I'll be shocked if it doesn't pass. These theatrics are meaningless since the Republican party cares more about power than governance. Pass it, change the narrative, profit.

[Senator Clay Davis]

This picture might be better. His whole photo op with the truckers was meme heaven