Is the Republican Party Fit to Govern?
By Thom Hartmann A...
Repeal and replace is dead.
Long live repeal and replace!
Whatever the fate of the Senate GOP's so-called healthcare bill, this chaotic week of Obamacare repeal makes one thing very, very clear: the Republican Party is simply not to fit to govern.
Donald Trump met with Republican senators at the White House yesterday - and said afterwards that they shouldn't leave town without passing a bill to repeal and replace Obamacare:
"Inaction is not an option. And frankly I don't think we should leave town unless we have a health insurance plan, unless we can give our people great health care because we are close, we are very close."
That was fast.
Just the day before, Trump was responding to the collapse of the GOP's so-called healthcare bill by saying that Republicans should just let Obamacare fail and THEN come up with an alternative:
"As I have always said, let ObamaCare fail and then come together and do a great healthcare plan. Stay tuned!"
Meanwhile, Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell says he'll still hold a vote next week on a bill to repeal Obamacare WITHOUT a replacement - a bill that the CBO says would result in 32 million fewer people having health insurance.
Isn't this all the logical end result of what happens when a party that doesn't know how to govern tries to govern?
Comments
#2
Are the republicanTs fit to govern? Have they ever been - perhaps since Eisenhower?
#3
The problem is not Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, Socialists or Greens, etc. The problem is political parties against true democracy. The solution is to replace the system of elections for choosing legislators (from city councils all the way up to the U.S. Congress) with a lottery. Anyone willing to serve would take what amounts to a civil service examination to prove competency. Pass the examination and your name goes into the lottery. Chosen, you serve one term (of, say, four years), after which you return to your private life and someone else is chosen. No campaigning. No elections. No fund-raising. No corporate lobbyists driving legislatiion. Actual participatory democracy by citizens.
#4
before asking whether republicans are fit to govern, why not ask if the democrats are fit and able to take america back from the plutocrats and oligarchs that currently control all three branches of the federal government? a clinton has lost her attempt for office, yet no democrat leader is stepping forward. indeed, america requires at this juncture a lincoln or a roosevelt or a jackson to command the helm in the class war that is being fought in our nation, which is every bit as divisive as the civil war was.
#5
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ABDICATION of DUTY - {a rhyme}
We fret o’er our nation’s commotions
with a yuuge range of negative emotions.
We’ve anger, we’ve fear, we’ve disgust
with Republicans’ breaches of trust.
Their duty they abdicate,
not serving the good of the state.
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#6
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THE Rs BUGGER themSELVES - {a rhyme}
Healthcare the Rs have mugged,
but their very own party they’ve buggered.
Too closely their Rightwing they’ve hugged,
so they’re their own roadkill’s own buzzard.
==================================
#7
Hell, They are not even fit to vote let alone govern. Voting for Trump is nothing short of treason!
#8
Edward: A very similar version of your "solution" was used in Athens 2,500 years ago....the very roots of Democracy! "We the Demos"
#9
Edward Dodson: Great input! Your observations and solutions are obviously the result of much contemplation and a joy to read. Unfortunately, such good ideas would require a rewrite of the Constitution and is simply not possible given the political climate in which we exist. Perhaps someday...
patches 604: Also a great point, but even Eisenhower, a decent man who accomplished many good things, carried a bag of right-wing nuttery, albeit nothing like the insanity of today. Afterall, he elevated Nixon to a position he clearly didn't deserve, and the world suffered for it.
#10
Old_Curmudgeon: Hah! Excellent! Keep 'em coming.
#11
Today, Jeff Sessions revived Federal participation in Civil Asset Forfeiture programs and even made it illegal for states and localities to ban it.
Further proof the Repugnicans are all about screwing the poor in favor of the rich, by any means possible.
#12
What is the recent poll on repeal of the ACA...one out of ten maybe favor it? With this in mind, it takes a lot of arrogant disregard for ones constituents to vote yes on repeal.
I still for the life of me can't wrap my head around the constant right-wing troll drum beat of, "they're all alike," all Corporate shills. I guess we'll have to wait and see how many Democratic Senators vote yes on repeal. LMAO
We already know that only a couple of Senators from the Teabagger Party will vote no......that's a done deal.
We also know that the working class Teabaggers who could get screwed by this vote of yes for repeal, will still vote for many of these same scoundrels again. They can thank Foxaganda for their extreme confusion.
#13
BTW: Way under the radar....Crooked Donny is ending CIA covert aid for the Syrian Patriots. In other words, Putin indirectly holds the reigns of power over our own CIA....must be extremely humiliating for many CIA employees. A young person working there needs to leak info that will bring down the entire Teapublic, Pence included. Foxaganda and the Koch's are pushing to install Pence.
As I predicted last November, they've waited long enough for citizens not to riot and demand a new election.
#14
2950-10K: Yeah, was wondering when the puppet would cede Syria to the Putinmaster pulling his strings. So much for his much ballyhooed negotiating "skills." What a pushover! Clearly out of his league, although I'm not sure what league that would be -- maybe a drunk at closing time trying to wheedle one last drink out of the barkeep, unsuccessfully.
Sometimes, though, it's hard to tell whose military is slaughtering the most innocent civilians. Certainly, America is drenched in so much blood that we should just take the white stripes out of the flag and quit pretending we're anything other than a ruthless military empire out to make a quick buck on misery and death.
#15
A Republican strategy for decades has been to push a bill, fail, and keep bringing it back until they win.Ever since the Dem Party began its rightward drift with the Reagan Democrats of the 1980s, this strategy has proved to be quite successful.
#16
Clinton winger, right? I urge you to do some online research, including international news media. Since Trump took office in January, there has been a significant buildup of US/NATO troops near the Russian border (esp. in Poland). While the international community sees this as a potential US (Trump) provocation of war against Russia (Putin), the Clinton wing have foolishly rambled on about some kind of Putin/Trump bromance.
#17
No, the poor don't have any property to take. I assume you mean lower waged workers. In real life, not everyone can work (health, etc.), and there aren't jobs available for all. Democrats ended actual welfare aid, and took the first steps to "reform" Social Security, targeting the disabled. In other words, Democrats most royally screwed the poor. In 2015, Dems in Congress voted to virtually end food stamps to the elderly poor and the disabled -- cut from $115 per month down to $10. Since the Clinton administration, as a reasult of the Democrats' policies, the overall life expectancy of the US poor fell below that of every developed nation. What has been the liberal response?
#18
Edward, very well written and very to the point. Another problem: We elected a straight up idiot as president. Why you say? THERE WERE NO CHOICES FOR PRESIDENT. Choice between a turd sandwich and a douchebag. Solution: You have already said it. Do you think Rump could pass a competancey exam, or Hillary? No we made a grave mistake putting a complete idiot in office. Or hillary, a background of very shady business deals like Whitewater. Her emails were way beyound incompetent. Bengazie?
You said it right, but who is listening?
#19
Yes the Republican Party are Fit to Govern; either Somalia or Planet Mars, but not here.
#20
The whole administration and coverage reminds me of a reality TV show. I wonder why that is?
#21
Bollivar, Fox News has programmed you. They repeated lies so many times that you believed it. Hillary is very smart and would pass any test you gave her. Benghazi, White Water and Emails were nothing but hype by Fox and the Republican Party. We would be much better off with her in office than Trump. I was for Bernie but followed his advise and supported Hillary as an anyone that can beat Trump candidate.
#22
When people die before retirement, it's less conspicuous then the outright cutting of social services. These deaths would be a more covert way of reducing the load on these services and other retirement benefits. So, yes.. They do care about what happens to us.
#23
I guess we are still lost on the two sides of the same argument. When we defend Obamacare, we defend the pillage of our public funds by insurance companies. When we back the republican point of view, we defend the pillage of our public funds. The two sides of the same coin. Something that shows that there is no difference between democrats and republicans. It's all just a show, a combination of a soap opera with a wrestling match. Very entertainning but without value.
How about returning to the past? How about a public health system? Health should not be a business that can be controlled by private interests. If it is then it can become a monopoli and we will suffer for it.
#24
It is hard to figure out what you leftie/socialists are whining about. First you complain when the Republicans attempt to repeal and replace obamacare, they you scream louder when they fail to just repeal obamacare. Now, both those options have failed in congress and you scream even louder. Relax, you have done your job. According to the Democrat party and the radio talking heads, obamacare is doing just fine thank you very much. Everyone is insured and the rates are very reasonable.
So, if the healthcontrol issue is dead, maybe time to move on to something else. Surely if you think hard enough you can come up with another reason to hate President Trump or his wife and family.
#resistblockprotesteverything
#25
Willie W,
Haha, you got it! Suuure they care about us ...just not very much.
Let us pray,
As long as the smelly peasants are slaving away in the fields for low wages, providing the fodder and the taxes to make the rich richer, they are tolerated (barely); that is just their lot in life as ordained by GOD the FATHER (not mother). Once they are too sick, old, and useless to contribute, well then, they become the "takers" -- let nature take its course.
See, GOD has blessed the wealthy for their righteousness and "good genes," and cursed the wretched -- GOD damned the poor! Far be it for HIS holy vessel the Orange King to interfere with the will of GOOD GOD ALMIGHTY.
So when the poor heathens become a burden on the precious resources of the "givers," they, like all beasts of the land, must simply die and fertilize the soil for the good of all. It is the way of life and death that GOD in HEAVEN has chosen for his earthly flock. No worky no eaty -- the free market in action, baby.
AMEN BROTHERS (and sisters).
Now pass over that goddamn bucket of fried chicken!
#26
We can track them now!
The apparent willingness of most of our Republicans Senators, Donald Trump, and Mike Pence to literally KILL over half a million US citizens in order to please their corporate sponsors is SHOCKING! This is a MASSIVE CRIMINAL OFFENSE (conspiracy to commit mass murder, negligent homicide, manslaughter, etc.) Unlike the massively deadly consequences of the highly dishonest Republican squelching of Hillary Clinton’s healthcare plan in the 1990s, we NOW have various means to actually track how many people they are killing as a direct result of such morally depraved conduct!
Do they REALLY think the US Supreme Court will sit back and allow Donald Trump and most of our Republicans in Congress to literally KILL over half a million US citizens in order to please their corporate sponsors?
Feel free to publish this or to use these points in your own articles
Christopher C. Currie, 161 Lake Shore Drive, Pascoag, RI 02850 401-568-8266
#27
5 to 4 the Supreme Court will allow it.
#28
Yup, the ol' 5-4 split -- 5 empty robes and 4 fully evolved human beings.
#30
No #24, try stating the facts. The Republicans attempted to repeal and replace Romneycare passed into law under President Obama. Even though it is a republican plan, the republican party has to get rid of it because they A) want a tax break for those who earn more than a quarter of a million dollars in capital gains only, and B) they detest Obama having legacy to such an admired program. After seven years of trying to repeal and replace it under President Obama's term perhaps you and your party should get a life and move into the 21st century. The health control issue is far from dead, we will not move away from it, and we will push for single payer Medicare for all.
It was your party who never seems to be able to moveon. At least the Dems didn't need to have a caucus room strategy meeting (thank you Newt) where they conspired to to undermine the policies of the POTUS sparing no expense, not every the lives of dying citizens, children and adults , needing healthcare treatment, essentially sabotaging everything to fail where Obama would not succeed further. According to Newt that is the duty of the opposing political party.
#31
Thanks changeX!
You were direct and to the point. I was tempted to respond to mamó, but you said it perfectly.
Can't add a thing except to say that Medicare for all is the only endgame, like you said -- just common sense in the modern world, and commonplace most everywhere except in the good 'ol USA.
When every other greed-based, private/public hybrid, American system finally fails, as is happening now, most people will come to their senses, even the slow ones, and simply expand the easiest, cheapest, most effective, and most successful healthcare program, which Democrats not Republicans, ever devised to cover every citizen, and everyone pays according to their ability. Problem solved!
Even if the hopelessly stubborn, right-wing partisans, and willfully ignorant dummies never face reality, they will soon die off anyway, and their children will figure it out.
#32
Trump and many others are trying to subvert and destroy our democratic republic - for various reasons. Democrats must grow more support for saving our united states under the Constitution and a strong federal governement.
Thanks for all you do.
#33
Is Medicare the answer? I am on Medicare. I pay $121 per month. The regular plan covers 80% of a procedure. But the procedure costs about 5 times what it would in another country. Which means you pay 100%. What a benefit. For 2 to 300 more you can get supplemental insurance from a for profit insurance company. The older that you get the more that you pay. I went the Medicare Advantage way which makes more sense to me. Plus it is with a not for profit company.
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Now the Republicans will do all they can to defund every aspect of our health care. They are really unhappy as the Koch Brothers have closed their piggy banks until the reform is passed.