T
Transhuman
Unconfirmed Member
McCain is a shit, but even he didn't want this on his conscience.
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Senate healthcare repeal bill fails - Collins, Murkowski, and McCain voted no
- Thread starter GK86
- Start date
dragonchild
Banned
Party? This whole parade of losses has been just as terrifying for Republicans. They've been voting yes to bills with approval ratings in the teens. I don't expect reason or empathy from politicians at my age, but I do expect self-preservation, and this makes little sense on a political level. The base loves it but they were going to crawl through an Indiana Jones dungeon to vote R anyway. The GOP doesn't pander to their base; they get their base to approve of whatever they're doing.
I've always strongly disagreed with GOP policies for the most part, but that changed over the last few years, not because I've been reading Ayn Rand and see the wisdom behind the glorification of selfishness. No, it's because right now the GOP doesn't stand for anything for me to disagree with. The word closest to whatever the hell they're advocating is chaos. Bills and policies everyone hates, from Republicans to Democrats to businesses to voters, barely failing with razor-thin margins? This is Heath Ledger's Joker's Congress.
It's a bit odd that Ryan and McConnell have been doing Trump's bidding. I have no evidence other than a lack of a pattern going any other way, but I'm starting to seriously suspect that they're compromised by foreign interests. Repealing Obamacare only to see it vetoed 60 times was pure theatre, but this is going way too far for partisan theatrics. I have a sneaking suspicion that they're literally on the take to ruin America's global hegemony -- not from Russia, per se, but from China and possibly other trade "partners". Bear in mind Trump was NOT the GOP's hand-picked President-to-be; he advocated things that the GOP and Midwestern base loved to hear, but Republicans were never serious about building a border wall (businesses love exploiting immigrants too much) and in one of those rare moments I agreed with him, he slammed the establishment's "spinelessness" on trade. That had to have terrified them, before he turned out to be a putz, because it's been a bipartisan effort up to this point for Congress to facilitate the offshoring of our economy. It's been kind of a feint to undermine the ACA because to us it's real lives on the line, but to them -- Congress has their own healthcare -- it's just a distraction.
Again, pure speculation, but McConnell hasn't been good for the Republican party either. Far from a power grab, this puts the GOP in serious risk of losing their majorities, and not even their traditional sponsors on Wall Street are thrilled. Outside of McConnell and Ryan and a few others, they seem happy this failed. So who the hell is McConnell working for?
Arrogant Bastard
Banned
Saw this on deadspin and it sums up my feelings on McCain,
To be fair, I think this was almost literally the GOP's healthcare plan. Instead of the ACA you get "health savings accounts". So you or an employer get set one up, and you deposit into it.
TheCochese
Banned
I just said I understood. Half the things I deal with on a daily basis are seeing patients with one horrible disease or another. I have sympathy for them, and sympathy for those who were in the most perilous position leading up to this.
I also have sympathy for McCain (in some small fashion) and his family. Family doesn't ask for someone to have shitty opinions or to die of cancer. One of the last memories I have of my grandfather is hospice about to change his diaper because he was pretty much incapacitated from cancer. The last interaction I ever had with him, or really what was left. Cancer doesn't fucking care.
I can say fuck McCain and his record, and his propensity to hem and haw and ultimately do the right thing only for the worst people. But fuck me if I'm going to ever root for cancer. If you want to know where my line is, that's it.
Crimson_Gold
Member
I don't care about purity anymore. Right now is the time to build alliances on issues. Why? Because everyone isn't going to be on the same page on everything. Start building wins with people once you get used to winning with people, you're more likely to find ways to win on issues that you weren't able to work together on before.
But the current landscape makes that type of thinking nigh impossible.
This doesn't absolve anyone of anything but it's time to build. People know when they ain't shit. So...fuck it
But the current landscape makes that type of thinking nigh impossible.
This doesn't absolve anyone of anything but it's time to build. People know when they ain't shit. So...fuck it
Disheveled_Zen
Member
Neither does shaming an entire community for rightfully being angry at McCain.
But no, let's tone police everyone into acting nice no matter what happens. Our screams are too bothersome to passersby. Can't we just die silently instead?
Well that's fine for you but ultimately meaningless if you would be okay with wishing harm on him in some other fashion. Not to mention again it's people venting from anger. It's doesn't make the cancer more aggressive or change anything about his condition.
Maiden Voyage
Gold™ Member
These are not valid responses:
It's abhorrent.
Gnome Scat
Member
Thank you for coming to your senses on this, McCain.
The Turtle is trying to retreat into his shell.
Wolfgunblood Garopa
Member
Yeah, if one wants to get really real about McCain, it's very doable.
TheCochese
Banned
No fucking shit?
Well apparently it needs to be spelled out for you since you're so concerned about thread tone from people who are angry about their lives being in the balance.
McCain could have just stayed at home and had the same effect. He could have put out a statement about why he wouldn't be involved in the vote.
Instead he had to act like Charlie and scream "Wild Card!" and everyone whose lives are in the balance were terrified.
At least if he died we would have been 100% certain he wouldn't resurrect it.
Instead he had to act like Charlie and scream "Wild Card!" and everyone whose lives are in the balance were terrified.
At least if he died we would have been 100% certain he wouldn't resurrect it.
TomWaitsForNoMan
Banned
Over here we threw street parties when Margaret Thatcher died. Dunno why everyone's all "uwu life is precious 
" over some republican piece of shit
" over some republican piece of shitRead his explanation. He is tired if bills bring drafted by only one side.
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-brief...-he-voted-to-kill-obamacare-skinny-repeal?amp
Hes trying to avoid the same mistakes that was made with obamacare
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-brief...-he-voted-to-kill-obamacare-skinny-repeal?amp
Hes trying to avoid the same mistakes that was made with obamacare
On the other hand, because of the reconciliation vote, they won't be able to pull this stunt for another year.
Version 3.0
Member
McCain voted No and Heller voted Yes? Wow, what a shitshow. We dodge a bullet on the back of, what, McCain wanting attention? A last minute attack of conscience? Fear of the rumors about the House auto-passing this?
I don't know what to think, but at least it's over for now.
I don't know what to think, but at least it's over for now.
The logic is simple here. He dies, and millions of people will get to live. He stays, and there is a chance that millions will lose their health care and could die.
The silver lining is that everybody's votes are on record, black and white, and that matters more in the long term. People can lose their seats over this.
TheCochese
Banned
A Republican would be appointed by the governor.
http://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/vacancies-in-the-united-states-senate.aspx
McCain dying would likely not improve the situation.
except that
a) mccain has repeatedly been guilty of extremely partisan, down-party-lines votes on this issue and countless others
b) the ACA had plenty of republicans involved in its creation and they - including mccain - voted against it entirely out of petty posturing bullshit
Fortunately, Arizona's Governor was against this BS from the beginning so whoever he picks will likely oppose this clusterfuck.
BrutishMrFish
Member
His explanation doesn't hold water when he voted in favor of the BCRA. Also, Obamacare was drafted with plenty of Republican feedback, it was only the vote that was partisan.
Ziltoidia 9
Member
This is pretty much how I thought his reasoning was. He wants his legacy to be more about getting the two sides to begin to work again. While he doesn't like the ACA, he wants to do everything he can to get the parties working up legislation again.
A Republican does one decent thing and suddenly he's a hero who should be absolved of his sins.
A Democrat isn't a "pure progressive" or just accidentally burps and suddenly he should be tarred and feathered.
Here's an idea: How about we hold both parties to the same fucking standard. Don't praise McCain for this when it's his fault in the first place and when 50 other people also took a damn stand against the bill long before him.
A Democrat isn't a "pure progressive" or just accidentally burps and suddenly he should be tarred and feathered.
Here's an idea: How about we hold both parties to the same fucking standard. Don't praise McCain for this when it's his fault in the first place and when 50 other people also took a damn stand against the bill long before him.
*shrug* He had no reason at all for people to believe in him since he voted for the worst version of the bill.
Maiden Voyage
Gold™ Member
The Republican platform has been about repealing and replacing ACA. People voted Republican. The Republicans are trying to repeal ACA. It's not exactly surprising.
No. But they are running on the idea that the ACA is bad, and they will give people something better.
At no point in any of their bills did they do so. This act has just been one of pure harm in all sorts of ways, to people, to the economy. Should people be cheering for dipshits that so blithely want to jump off a cliff and take millions of people with them?
And this is not even getting into the procedure with which they approached the problem. There was no discussion, public input into implementation, nothing.
Exactly, which is why it shouldn't surprise you when people who believe these people are trying to kill millions of people express vehement hate against them.
I like how in the background of the original image, Sanders is tapping the shoulder of his colleague as if to say "watch this." If Democrats knew before McConnell did...
DerangedHermit
Member
Because to these 'concern citizens', it's a game to them. As long as their team wins or they can feel superior to others, everything's fine.
It's not surprising they couldn't get it done without needing the other partie's help? I think it's ultimately a major fail and surprising they couldn't do it in the end. Ya'll still need to move on from that thread.
I mean really. There were two other republicans who took a good stance.
BronsonLee
Member
Why is some flop from a JRPG trying to shame quote me
Super Fun Edit: So this thing is kaput right? The skinny repeal got stabbed
Super Fun Edit: So this thing is kaput right? The skinny repeal got stabbed
i think people have to reconcile the fact that
if a person knows something bad is going to fail, and that person votes for it
but also
if that same person knows something bad might succeed, and that person votes against it
those are not equal actions, not equal votes. politics is a shitty, dirty, complicated game
if a person knows something bad is going to fail, and that person votes for it
but also
if that same person knows something bad might succeed, and that person votes against it
those are not equal actions, not equal votes. politics is a shitty, dirty, complicated game
Maiden Voyage
Gold™ Member
I'm okay with people being upset and criticising the guy. I don't agree with him myself.
I agree that it's somewhat surprising they couldn't get it done. I knew they would have trouble but I always sort of anticipated that they would get it through.
Which sucks because I think the average voter never cared about repealing Obamacare. Everything was about not having Hilary in the WhiteHouse.
The GOP keep playing the "this is what ALL our constituents want" card.
TheRagnCajun
Member
Part of me wonders if he had made his intentions known, would republicans have tried to disqualify McCain on account of him not having the capacity to understand the bill and vote on it. The surprise vote seems theatrical but it could have also been strategic.
Arguably the vote for the BCRA was just for optics, either for the benefit of the Trump base or purposefully giving McConnell a false sense of gratification that he will ultimately push the 'skinny' to vote.
Hard to say if his ultimate plan was to condemn his party to an official vote on the record(thus playing the villain to get the final result). But that is a rather risky proposition given Murkowsky could have been a scary unknown herself(not as much a lock as Collins). The dramatics can take multiple perspectives, and McCain isn't going public on it, so we speculate.
Either way, it sucks that half our senate required these sorts of games to be played at all with such unfathomable consequences to lives and money at stake. But ultimately, the fear and frustration we all felt should never be toyed with by our elected representatives again in such a brazen and unethical manner. It's shameful.
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