Republicans released their ACA “repeal and replace” plan, and it’s crap, but we knew that. Tell me how this isn’t going to deprive millions of people of health insurance. I’m sure there will be more analysis tomorrow.
However, some Republicans are objecting. They’re going to be in for a fight to pass this thing in the Senate. I haven’t yet heard if the House Freedom Caucus is on board.
Trump put out his new travel ban today. Paul Waldman writes,
…the terrorism that would be stopped by this new ban is virtually nonexistent. That’s for two reasons. First, experts have noted that there have been no fatal terrorist attacks on U.S. soil perpetrated since 9/11 by anyone from those six countries. Second, as an assessment from Trump’s own DHS has concluded, most foreign-born, U.S.-based violent extremists probably were radicalized years after getting here, rendering screening procedures of limited value in preventing the entry of such potential terror plotters.
See also: Hayden: Trump ‘Forgot That He Was President,’ Could See Wiretapping Proof. If only the rest of us could forget he is president. Seriously, this is ridiculous.
I’m not a lawyer, but the new travel ban seems pretty unconvincing. I doubt the judiciary will fall for it.
Trump did not forget that he was President. He doesn’t actually care about the truth. He cares about being able to express outrage and go on the attack. It’s all for show, folks, alpha male posturing.
I think t-RUMPLE-Thin-SKin will un-do his own Presidency by chasing after the constant leaks.
It appears there are some real patriots, risking their jobs, who want to keep us informed of now nutsy this mal-administration is.
Eventually, t-RUMP will think that he can get away with tapping phones, and we’ll be able to play “Taps” to his ‘Rain (sic) of Error!’
The one thing that surprised me is that thru reconciliation the GOP will be able to remove the standards for what ‘real’ insurance is to pave the way for junk policies that cost less but cover nothing. I didn’t think they could do that under reconciliation but it’s not the last time I will be mistaken. The GOP is hoping that the flight from real insurance to junk insurance will allow them to keep the ‘insured’ statistic up. The GOP will want to claim the free market fixed it. The Freedom Caucus does not like tax credits or Medicaid being extended until 2020. (Gee, I wonder why they picked 2020?)
From what I hear, Ryan wants a vote before the bill is scored but I see little chance that the final product can get a vote from both chambers before the cat is out of the bag about what this bill will do to the market.The big question is – will rank-and-file voters who voted republican because they believed the GOP could deliver on health care notice when they are served a sh*t sandwich instead?
PS There’s an old joke told by the instructors of ‘jump schools’ who teach skydiving. When asked what you do if your main parachute fails, they remind you of the emergency chute. Invariably some one in the class will ask, “What happens if the emergency chute also fails?” The answer is as old as parachutes – “If that happens, you get your money back.”
This is the GOP strategy that the only voters who get killed by the new plan, won’t be around to protest the inadequacy.
In alternative reality or alt-world if you might, the wiretapping story arose almost overnight. According to a number of reports it was first disseminated by talk radio and was picked up by Breitbart. Louise Mensch, was mentioned in this blog’s previous post and today in the WP as the “source” for the “allegation”. Mensch has quite the history, and has left quite a wake behind her, and she seems quite the interesting story in her own right.Â
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/the-former-british-lawmaker-at-the-heart-of-the-trump-wiretap-allegations/2017/03/06/9d8c6b94-027c-11e7-9d14-9724d48f5666_story.html?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-main_heatstreet-710pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.60a5ba0f97c7
A double down on  “immigration ban” resulting from no clear evidence of threat or history of threat seems more Islamophobia acted out that prudent policy. It too, has major support in the alt-world. We have “activist judges” who are not openly criticized by the chief executive, but the big fear, the main boogie-man, the long time arch-enemy and the heresy that must be quashed by those living in the alt-word is sharia law.Â
Leakers are also risking jail time. Trump going after Obama is very banana republic and 1984.
Doug, your old buddy made some news on his health care funding initiative:
“Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) is proposing a quick fix for low-income Americans unable to afford coverage under President Donald Trump’s newly proposed health care law: Don’t buy an iPhone.” Huffington Post
I guess he does not own Apple stock.
And I guess my dream of winning the lottery is going to be squashed…damn you Ryan!
But at least the tax breaks for insurance CEO’s will finally be realized. After all these years…