Friday, December 4, 2015

My Cynical Prediction on ObamaCare "Repeal"



The Senate on Thursday passed legislation repealing the core pillars of ObamaCare, taking a major step toward sending such a bill to the president’s desk for the first time.

Republicans hailed it as a political messaging victory...

* AND THAT RIGHT THERE IS THE PROBLEM, FOLKS; IT'S AS PHONY A SCAM AS YOU CAN IMAGINE. THE TEST IS WHETHER OR NOT THEY'RE READY AND WILLING TO INSIST ON THE ACTUAL SPENDING CUTS. (WHICH I DOUBT THEY WILL BE...)

The measure guts the law by repealing authority for the federal government to run healthcare exchanges, and scrapping subsidies to help people afford plans bought through those exchanges. It zeros out the penalties on individuals who do not buy insurance and employers who do not offer health insurance.

* THE BILL WILL BE VETOED. AND THEN IT'LL BE UP TO THE REPUBLICANS TO PUT UP OR SHUT UP IN THE SENSE OF REFUSING TO FUND OBAMACARE OR... KNUCKLING UNDER... AGAIN... AS THEY ALWAYS DO.

Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), balked at it for including language defunding Planned Parenthood.

* PLANNED PARENTHOOD SHOULD LOSE THEIR FEDERAL TAXPAYER SUBSIDIES... BUT... THIS SHOULD BE DONE VIA A STAND-ALONE BILL.

Cruz and Rubio signaled to GOP leaders earlier in the week that they would vote for the package but Cruz held out, keeping his colleagues guessing.

The GOP leadership braced itself for the possibility that Cruz might attempt to force the Senate to vote on a one-sentence provision repealing the entire bill, which the Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough had ruled out of order.

Cruz could have attempted to overturn the ruling of the presiding chair, who almost always follows the advice of the parliamentarian, with a simple-majority vote. But he decided not to, a pragmatic move since he colleagues were unlikely to back him.

* SEE WHAT I MEAN ABOUT CRUZ, FOLKS? HE MAY NOT BE PERFECT... BUT HE'S PRETTY DAMN GOOD!

(*WINK*)

Collins and Kirk voted against the repeal package...

* WITH "REPUBLICANS" LIKE COLLINS AND KIRK WE DON'T NEED DEMOCRATS!

(*SPITTING ON THE GROUND*)

Democrats sought to score political points by offering an amendment sponsored by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) to bar suspected terrorists from buying guns. It failed by a vote of 45-54.

* SO... 45 SCUMBAGS VOTED TO OVERTURN THE DOCTRINE OF "INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY" AND TO REINSTATE THE RULE OF ARBITRARY PRIOR RESTRAINT. NICE. REAL FRIGGIN' NICE...

(*SPITTING ON THE GROUND AGAIN*)

An amendment sponsored by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), another presidential candidate, to loosen restrictions on concealed weapons permits fell six votes short of the 60 it needed as a non-germane proposal.

* SOMETIMES I JUST WANNA BEAT RAND PAUL WITH A BASEBALL BAT...

* WTF DOES A CONCEALED WEAPONS PERMIT HAVE TO DO WITH OBAMACARE?! STOP USING YOUR POSITION TO ADVANCE YOUR CAMPAIGN, ASSHAT!

Senators passed by a vote of 90-10 an amendment sponsored by Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) to repeal the "Cadillac tax" on expensive health plans. The provision was included in the House bill but had to be sunset to pass parliamentary muster in the upper chamber. Heller’s amendment removed the time-limiting language.

* HERE'S WHAT I PREDICT WILL HAPPEN, FOLKS: DEMPUBLICANS AND REPUBLICRATS WILL GET TOGETHER TO "LOWER TAXES" WHILE KEEPING SPENDING AT THE SAME LEVEL... OR PERHAPS EVEN INCREASING SPENDING. IN ANY CASE, THE GAP BETWEEN INCOME AND OUTFLOW FOR OBAMACARE WILL CONTINUE TO GROW. THAT'S MY CYNICAL PREDICTION.


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