I am angry that they are doing this to us, and I am angry that it is not over — because even if their half-assed legislation continues to fail and fail and fail, they will endeavor to ruin the Affordable Care Act to "prove" it was never any good. They will kill people for spite.
I am angry and I am sad. So profoundly grief-stricken that this is what the United States has become. It was never a perfect place, far from it, but this desperate, seething bile among the governing party to harm the nation's citizens in massive numbers, as directly as possible... It hurts. If it hurts you, too, know that you are not alone in this pain.
* * *
So, last night, at 1:30 in the morning, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called a vote on the latest iteration of Republican's healthcare bill, the "skinny" Obamacare repeal, and it failed.
It failed because two female senators, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, opposed it, and because John McCain also opposed it — and because every single Democratic Senator and both Independents opposed it.
A couple of observations about McCain's vote:
1. Again, McCain is being hailed undeservedly as a hero. Because he chronologically cast the final of the third Republican opposition votes, his is being called the "decisive" vote, which elides his two Republican female colleagues' opposition and the opposition of the entire Democratic caucus.
The New York Times' headline is "Senate Rejects Slimmed-Down Obamacare Repeal as McCain Votes No" and this is an actual paragraph from the coverage of the paper of record: "Senator John McCain of Arizona, who just this week returned to the Senate after receiving a diagnosis of brain cancer, cast the decisive vote to defeat the proposal, joining two other Republicans, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, in opposing it."
That's a bit of a simplification. But sure. Giving white men credit they don't deserve has never had any bad consequences for this country, so why not?
2. Framing McCain as the hero of the hour also elides that he didn't cast his vote because he's had a change of heart on healthcare.
Skinny repeal fell short because it fell short of our promise to repeal & replace Obamacare w/ meaningful reform https://t.co/tZISIvccOO
— John McCain (@SenJohnMcCain) July 28, 2017
McCain on why he voted no: "From the beginning, I have believed Obamacare should be repealed and replaced." The bill wasn't awful enough.
— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) July 28, 2017
One thing to note about McCain's vote is that he doesn't like Mike Pence (who was whipping votes) but does love publicly fucking people over
— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) July 28, 2017
Reason to note is b/c that's another indication this still isn't over. There's a bill, a terrible one, McCain would vote for at some point.
— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) July 28, 2017
My advice is not to feel too safe just b/c we got a glimpse of McCain's infamously vengeful temperament. It only happened to work *for* us.
— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) July 28, 2017
It likely won't the next time.
— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) July 28, 2017
To underline the point: This still isn't over, and we still can't trust McCain.
Donald Trump is doubling down on his vow to undermine Obamacare. Mike Pence will be on the warpath. We are being governed by men of breathtaking malice, so whatever relief this brings will be short-lived. That's the reality.
And I wish I had better news than that.
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