Power to the People, we won this one. Obamacare is the law, Baby! (for now)
On Saturday July 29, 2017 several activist groups came together to acknowledge an amazing accomplishment by the People. That accomplishment was stopping the Repub repeal of the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. The rally was held at Federal Plaza in Chicago. The mood was undeniably festive and it felt like a victory celebration. Indeed a major upset victory for the People occurred the day before when Senator McCain (AZ) voted to break the tie to kill the skinny repeal of Obamacare on the Senate floor at 2:00 am Friday, July 28, 2017.
To say that stopping the Repub repeal of Obamacare was an upset victory is a gross understatement. For 7-1/2 years the Repubs vowed to kill the health care law and indeed voted 63 times to repeal that law. They have tried and failed in court, including the US Supreme court to block vital components of the law. A massive uprising by the People was able to overcome strong counter Repub forces and stop this ugly replace/repeal and hand a devastating loss to Trump and the Repubs.
NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE RAW POWER OF THE PEOPLE. A SLEEPING GIANT WAS AWAKENED!
Although we all took the moment to celebrate, the crowd was very aware that this is not the end of the Repubs and Trump's effort to repeal and try to replace the ACA. Trump's ego is just way too big to allow this loss to stand. He can not appear to be a loser and weak to his base. Repeal and replace ACA was such a major part of Trump's campaign rhetoric that he can not allow his base to perceive a loss. So Trump will ramp up attacks on the Senate, media and try to subvert the ACA through sabotage. This fight is clearly not over and full attention must be directed at Trump and the Repub majority to continue to try and repeal the ACA.
The Repub Majority
The Repubs took the majority in the House, Senate, and White House in the election of November 2017, repeal and replace of the ACA was item #1 on their hit list. Trump campaigned incessantly to repeal the ACA and replace it with 'something better'. But as time went on it became increasing clear that neither the House or Senate had a clue on how to replace the ACA. Every repeal and replace plan that the Repubs concocted was met with enormous popular push back. It became obvious that their only objective was for straight up repeal.
The US House Vote to Repeal Obamacare
On May 4, 2017 the US House without help from a single Democrat passed a partial repeal and replace bill by 217 to 213. It was passed before the CBO could score the effect of the bill. But then later the bill was scored by the CBO as taking health care away from 23M people. After the House voted to throw 23M people out of health care, Trump met the House Repubs on a party bus to celebrate in the Rose Garden. It was a devastating loss to people who rely upon the ACA to get life saving health care. It was even more disgusting to see white Repub Representatives celebrating their act of taking away health care from millions of people.
On June 14, some House Repubs were in Alexandria, VA practicing for their annual softball game against the Democrats when a lone gunman opened fire and wounding several Repub house representatives. Steve Scalise, R-LA majority whip leader was wounded in the melee. He was rushed to the hospital in serious condition. Mr. Scalise received the best healthcare in the country to save his life. Unfortunately Mr. Scalise lead the charge to repeal and replace Obamacare on the May 4 house vote. The irony of this event did not escape anyone that was paying attention. If the House bill is passed by the Senate many people would lose their health care. If those unfortunate folks were ever in the same position as Mr. Scalise they would have no health care.
The Senate Vote to Repeal Obamacare
Once the House bill arrived at the Senate it was generally believed that it would not pass in it's original version. On Wednesday July 26, the Senate voted to proceed with debate on the ACA. Earlier the Senate was unable to get enough votes to pass a version of repeal and replace that would strip 16M people of health care. This set up the motion to advance debate on straight repeal that passed 51 to 50 with the tie breaker by VP Pence.
Senator John McCain R-AZ, flew into DC and voted to proceed with debate on ACA repeal. McCain was diagnosed earlier with brain cancer and of course receives the best health care in the country. Once again the irony was not missed on those paying attention. Here again McCain was voting to take health care away from millions of people, while receiving the best care in the country. If he would have voted not to proceed the bill would have died and the ACA would not have been repealed. But instead with the vote to proceed the chance of a repeal and replace was still very much alive.
Any plan the Repubs put forth to replace the ACA was a total disaster, anywhere from 16M to 32M would lose health care depending upon the plan. So the the fact that even a chance still existed of a replace passing was horrifying. Also, the Repubs were trapped by an ideological commitment to repeal, Trump's enormous ego and campaign promises.
After the motion to proceed was barely passed several amendments were moved and voted upon, with the skinny repeal being the final amendment for voting. The skinny repeal put a bill-less motion on the floor that repealed some of ACA provisions with no replacement. The whole process was extremely un-precedented and was a desperate attempt to get something across the finish line. Millions of people would still lose their health care non-the-less.
In a dramatic conclusion at 2:00 am EST Senator John McCain voted against the skinny repeal that killed the Repub effort to repeal or repeal and replace the ACA, for now.
The People Won!
The following are pictures from the guarded celebration of the People's Victory!
To say that stopping the Repub repeal of Obamacare was an upset victory is a gross understatement. For 7-1/2 years the Repubs vowed to kill the health care law and indeed voted 63 times to repeal that law. They have tried and failed in court, including the US Supreme court to block vital components of the law. A massive uprising by the People was able to overcome strong counter Repub forces and stop this ugly replace/repeal and hand a devastating loss to Trump and the Repubs.
NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE RAW POWER OF THE PEOPLE. A SLEEPING GIANT WAS AWAKENED!
Although we all took the moment to celebrate, the crowd was very aware that this is not the end of the Repubs and Trump's effort to repeal and try to replace the ACA. Trump's ego is just way too big to allow this loss to stand. He can not appear to be a loser and weak to his base. Repeal and replace ACA was such a major part of Trump's campaign rhetoric that he can not allow his base to perceive a loss. So Trump will ramp up attacks on the Senate, media and try to subvert the ACA through sabotage. This fight is clearly not over and full attention must be directed at Trump and the Repub majority to continue to try and repeal the ACA.
The Repub Majority
The Repubs took the majority in the House, Senate, and White House in the election of November 2017, repeal and replace of the ACA was item #1 on their hit list. Trump campaigned incessantly to repeal the ACA and replace it with 'something better'. But as time went on it became increasing clear that neither the House or Senate had a clue on how to replace the ACA. Every repeal and replace plan that the Repubs concocted was met with enormous popular push back. It became obvious that their only objective was for straight up repeal.
The US House Vote to Repeal Obamacare
On May 4, 2017 the US House without help from a single Democrat passed a partial repeal and replace bill by 217 to 213. It was passed before the CBO could score the effect of the bill. But then later the bill was scored by the CBO as taking health care away from 23M people. After the House voted to throw 23M people out of health care, Trump met the House Repubs on a party bus to celebrate in the Rose Garden. It was a devastating loss to people who rely upon the ACA to get life saving health care. It was even more disgusting to see white Repub Representatives celebrating their act of taking away health care from millions of people.
On June 14, some House Repubs were in Alexandria, VA practicing for their annual softball game against the Democrats when a lone gunman opened fire and wounding several Repub house representatives. Steve Scalise, R-LA majority whip leader was wounded in the melee. He was rushed to the hospital in serious condition. Mr. Scalise received the best healthcare in the country to save his life. Unfortunately Mr. Scalise lead the charge to repeal and replace Obamacare on the May 4 house vote. The irony of this event did not escape anyone that was paying attention. If the House bill is passed by the Senate many people would lose their health care. If those unfortunate folks were ever in the same position as Mr. Scalise they would have no health care.
The Senate Vote to Repeal Obamacare
Once the House bill arrived at the Senate it was generally believed that it would not pass in it's original version. On Wednesday July 26, the Senate voted to proceed with debate on the ACA. Earlier the Senate was unable to get enough votes to pass a version of repeal and replace that would strip 16M people of health care. This set up the motion to advance debate on straight repeal that passed 51 to 50 with the tie breaker by VP Pence.
Senator John McCain R-AZ, flew into DC and voted to proceed with debate on ACA repeal. McCain was diagnosed earlier with brain cancer and of course receives the best health care in the country. Once again the irony was not missed on those paying attention. Here again McCain was voting to take health care away from millions of people, while receiving the best care in the country. If he would have voted not to proceed the bill would have died and the ACA would not have been repealed. But instead with the vote to proceed the chance of a repeal and replace was still very much alive.
Any plan the Repubs put forth to replace the ACA was a total disaster, anywhere from 16M to 32M would lose health care depending upon the plan. So the the fact that even a chance still existed of a replace passing was horrifying. Also, the Repubs were trapped by an ideological commitment to repeal, Trump's enormous ego and campaign promises.
After the motion to proceed was barely passed several amendments were moved and voted upon, with the skinny repeal being the final amendment for voting. The skinny repeal put a bill-less motion on the floor that repealed some of ACA provisions with no replacement. The whole process was extremely un-precedented and was a desperate attempt to get something across the finish line. Millions of people would still lose their health care non-the-less.
In a dramatic conclusion at 2:00 am EST Senator John McCain voted against the skinny repeal that killed the Repub effort to repeal or repeal and replace the ACA, for now.
The People Won!
The following are pictures from the guarded celebration of the People's Victory!