OK, we’re now officially fighting for our lives. And this isn’t hyperbole.

OK, so the vote to advance Trumpcare in the Senate didn’t got our way today. It was close, but we lost, and now the limited period of meaningless discussion masquerading as ‘debate’ begins. As I mentioned yesterday, both sides can propose amendments during this 20-hour period, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is under no obligation to include any of them in the final bill which he brings to the floor for a vote, which could happen as early as Thursday… So, we’ve got a fight on our hands. The Republicans have started the countdown clock, and a vote is eminent – a vote which, in violation of Senate protocol, will happen without a Congressional Budget Office score telling us how this proposed health care legislation will likely impact our economy, our families, etc.

Last night, I shared some links to sample scripts and the like – things that you can refer to when you’re calling your Senators. Please, if you haven’t had a chance already, take a look at them, and make a few calls tomorrow. Urge your Democratic Senators to slow down the process as much as humanly possible, as every additional minute we have will allow more people to learn about what’s going on, and demand that your Republican Senators vote “no” when McConnell eventually brings whatever he’s created to a vote.

I know, like me, you’re probably feeling pretty defeated right now, but we’ve still got a shot at this. While the big money donors are threatening Republican Senators with primary challengers, if they don’t vote for McConnell’s bill (which, by the way, will put hundreds of millions of dollars back into their pockets), we’ve also got leverage. These Republicans know that, if they vote yes on this bill, which will likely rob over 20 million Americans of the health care they currently have, they probably won’t hold elected office again. Republicans like Dean Heller of Nevada, know full well that this could be the end of the road, regardless of how they vote. We just need to make it clear to them that, they’ve got a better chance of surviving if they do the right thing for the American people. Or, at the very least, we have to try to convince them that, if they’re going to die anyway, they might as well die with dignity.

I could say more about McCaine, McConnell, or any number of other things, but, really, all you need to know right now is that this isn’t over yet, millions of lives hang in the balance, and we still have an opportunity to stop this from happening. All the Republicans are obligated to give us, though, is 20 hours of debate, so we have to make it count. We have to tell everyone we know to start paying attention, showing up at the offices of their Senators, calling and tweeting. We need to make ourselves into a human landslide, blocking roads and crashing phone lines… We need to make them see us. We need to make them know that we’re out here. We need to make them appreciate just how much we value our lives, and those of our loved ones, and how doggedly tenacious we intend to be. We cannot just allow this to happen.

The good news is, we know that they can hear us. They may be hiding in D.C., avoiding their home district offices, but they know we’re out here. And we’ve got proof… Capital Hill police were apparently making journalists delete videos from the phones showing the protests at the Capital, but, thanks to C-SPAN, we have audio of what our elected officials heard in the Senate chamber this afternoon. And it’s up to us to make sure that it doesn’t stop. While the Trumpcare train may have left the station, we still have it within us to knock it off the track.

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13 Comments

  1. stupid hick
    Posted July 25, 2017 at 10:30 pm | Permalink

    “These Republicans know that, if they vote yes on this bill, which will likely rob over 20 million Americans of their health care, that they probably won’t hold elected office again.”

    No, it’s incumbent Democrats who know that if they vote yes they will never hold office again. For nearly all Republicans, it’s the opposite.

  2. Lynne
    Posted July 26, 2017 at 12:09 am | Permalink

    Yeah. Part of the problem is that they will delay any implementation of whatever they pass.

    Conservatives often don’t care about having insurance until they are sick. But more importantly, the vast majority of people either have employer sponsored healthcare or the have Medicare or can afford private plans under the old system. Plus they have very puritanical values about work that might lead them to conclude that people who don’t work don’t deserve health insurance. I don’t see them punishing politicians too much over this unless you get a situation where a minority gets impassioned enough to turn out en masse in primary races.

    It could happen is states like KY which have seen the greatest benefits except that a lot of people are really concrete in their thinking and wont get motivated for change until a lack of Obamacare kills someone they know. So delaying the effects of the repeal will insulate them from too much voter rage

  3. Kat
    Posted July 26, 2017 at 7:44 am | Permalink

    McCain delivered a great speech about protecting the venerable institutions of the Senate and promising not to vote for a repeal bill, and then turned around and voted to repeal Obamacare.

  4. Sad
    Posted July 26, 2017 at 7:46 am | Permalink

    We deserve – A Better Deal – smh.

  5. Arika
    Posted July 26, 2017 at 7:57 am | Permalink

    Hi fam,

    Yesterday’s vote on Healthcare was disappointing- that’s a huge understatement, it’s just the best word I have right now, besides maybe, “epic failure to serve the American people”. I had hoped in my heart that John McCain, who I respect and think is a decent person, would come back after this serious health diagnosis and have a change of heart or mind- Nope. There are Republicans DID vote NO yesterday. Please take 10 minutes today and call the following folks. Thank them for voting with their conscience, against “party lines” and on the side of actual human people who need their support. I’ve looked up their DC phone numbers so it’s really dang easy!

    Republicans who voted NO yesterday (which is good in this case):

    Bob Corker (R, TN) 202-224-3344
    Lindsey Graham (R, SC) 202-224-5972
    Susan Collins (R, Maine) 202-224-2523
    Lisa Murkowski (R, Alaska) 202-224-6665
    Dean Hller (R, Nevada) 202-224-6244
    Mike Lee (R, Utah) 202-224-5444
    Rand Paul (R, KY) 202-224-4343
    Jerry Moran (R, KS) 202-224-6521
    Tom Cotton (R, AR) 202-224-2353

  6. Lynne
    Posted July 26, 2017 at 9:51 am | Permalink

    The good news is that they didn’t actually vote to repeal AHA. They voted to discuss it. And McCain, to his credit, seems to want to actually find something worthwhile to replace it. His speech was about adopting the usual procedure of having experts speak to committees and getting CBO reports and what not. I think he actually wants to improve things. He still should have voted NO yesterday, IMHO, but now that I know what they were actually voting on, he seems a bit less crazy.

  7. Kat
    Posted July 26, 2017 at 10:17 am | Permalink

    I was referring to the second vote, Lynne, in which McCain voted for the bill, after saying he wouldn’t.

    “SIX HOURS LATER HE VOTED FOR THE DAMN BILL! (Note, the bill did fail and debate will continue this week.)”

    Source: http://www.gq.com/story/john-mccain-voted-for-the-bill-he-said-he-would-not-vote-for

  8. Lynne
    Posted July 26, 2017 at 10:55 am | Permalink

    Oh dang. I missed that. I know it is by design but they are making it difficult to keep track of things for people who don’t have hours of time every day to constantly monitor C-Span. Dang it!

  9. M
    Posted July 26, 2017 at 11:29 am | Permalink

    Russell Berman‏ from the Atlantic.

    “Update: McCain spokeswoman says his vote for BCRA last night “was procedural” & he remains opposed to current bill”

    https://twitter.com/russellberman/status/890221767045914631

    So he remains opposed to it even though he voted for it.

    Got it?

  10. Tommy
    Posted July 26, 2017 at 11:35 am | Permalink

    First off, John McCain is not a decent person. Read about him during his career in the Navy and his treatment of his first wife, for starters.

    Second, Dems, instead of bitching and moaning how about coming up with a viable alternative, not just talking points on how many people are going to lose coverage. Healthcare is something that needs a comprehensive overhaul. The ACA did some good things (pre-existing conditions, Mental Health care, preventive coverage, staying on a plan until age 26, etc.), but it was by and large written by (and endorsed by)Big Insurance and Big Pharma as it was a freaking gold mine (subsidized coverage without any risk – housing crisis anyone???).

    Both sides of the aisle need to man up and work on something better. Unfortunately I don’t see this happening anytime soon as no politician will commit political suicide for something that lines their pocket so well.

    I offer the following as a must read – https://www.counterpunch.org/2017/06/09/single-payer-is-not-a-priority-even-for-democrats-who-say-they-support-single-payer/

  11. Posted July 27, 2017 at 9:56 pm | Permalink

    Here’s the so-called “skinny” bill they’ll be voting on tonight. It was written over lunch and only consists of 8 pages.

  12. Posted July 27, 2017 at 9:57 pm | Permalink

    The bill will impact 1/6th of our entire economy, and it’s only 8 pages long… What could possibly go wrong? Surely they haven’t overlooked anything, right?

  13. Posted July 27, 2017 at 10:00 pm | Permalink

    A new headline from the Washington Post: “The hard-to-answer question at the core of the health-care fight: How many more people might die?”

    The answer: 20,000.

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2017/06/27/the-hard-to-answer-question-at-the-core-of-the-health-care-fight-how-many-more-people-might-die

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