Senator McCain returned to the Senate last week providing the 50th vote allowing debate on Obamacare to begin.
In an ironic twist of fate, shortly after Midnight on Friday, McCain voted against the Obamacare repeal. It failed 51-49.
CNN reports GOP Obamacare Repeal Bill Fails in Dramatic Late-Night Vote.
The Senate has dealt a devastating setback to Republican efforts to repeal Obamacare, defeating a GOP “skinny repeal” bill early Friday morning.
Sens. John McCain, Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins joined with Democrats to oppose the measure. McCain, who had voted for a motion to proceed to the bill Monday after returning to Washington following surgery for a brain tumor, held out all day, including in a press conference where he criticized the partisan process that led to the after-midnight vote.
His surprise no vote came after a prolonged drama on the Senate floor. Multiple Republican colleagues, including Vice President Mike Pence, engaged in animated conversations with the Arizona senator who has long cherished his reputation as a maverick.
Speaking after the vote, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell looked stunned and lamented the vote and the inability of the GOP to fulfill their long-term campaign pledge.
“This is clearly a disappointing moment,” McConnell said. “Our constituents have suffered through an awful lot under Obamacare. We thought they deserved better. It’s why I and many of my colleagues did as we promised and voted to repeal this failed law. We told our constituents we would vote that way. And when the moment came, when the moment came, most of us did.”
“It’s time to move on,” he said, moving the Senate on to the defense authorization bill.
What Happened?
Shortly before 10 p.m. ET, Republican leaders finally unveiled legislation that had been closely guarded from the public — as well as their own colleagues — for days.
Senators John McCain, Lindsey Graham, and Ron Johnson did not like the bill. They wanted assurances that the “skinny bill” would not make it to the Trump’s desk for signing, but would instead go to committee to resolve differences between the House bill and the Senate Bill.
“I’m not going to vote for a bill that is terrible policy and politics just to get something done,” Graham said at a press conference. Joined by McCain, Johnson and Bill Cassidy, Graham said he has grown increasingly concerned that contrary to GOP leaders’ assurances, the bill that the Senate passes would be immediately taken up by the House — rather than going to a House-Senate conference for further negotiations — and end up on Trump’s desk.
Graham and Johnson said they had received the reassurances they needed and would vote yes. McCain did not trust House Speaker Paul Ryan.
Ryan responded that the House would be willing to go to a conference committee but his carefully crafted statement did not include a specific guarantee that the House would not vote on the Senate’s proposal. It appeared aimed at moving the process forward while protecting House Republicans from being blamed if should the entire process collapses.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Ryan’s statement was insufficient. “That is not worth anything,” Schumer, D-New York, said on the Senate floor. “They want to pass this bill, skinny repeal, and send it to the President.”
Trump Tweets
As I said from the beginning …
Excuse me, which beginning is that?
New Definition of Always
The new definition of “always” is 9 hours and 41 Minutes.
Now, what is the definition of beginning?
I just happen to have a musical tribute to beginnings.
Mike “Mish” Shedlock
is mccain even fit to vote?
As fit as anyone.
Which means little, as noone is fit to vote over how to spend other people’s money, and run other people’s lives.
Even if he didn’t vote, it would still fail 50-49.
common core math much? had his no vote been a yes vote, it would have added one to the “yes’ column” and REMOVED one from the “no” column. 50/50 and the pres would have been the tie breaker. get a job. but not in retail. i want correct change.
“If he didn’t vote” means he wouldn’t vote at all; they originally poster is correct.
You might understand math, but you clearly need remedial English.
And LOL at my phone for auto “correcting” my post to make it grammatically incorrect. #karma
Repeal first and replace right away. 🙃
Yea! Now get to work FIXING the ACA like you all should have been doing from the getgo.
Except there is no fixing it.
Global debt to GDP is north of 300%. Economic depressions are when things collapse. It is the trough of a long term cycle. Illinois has not reached bottom and corrected its problem, so it can move on to a brighter tomorrow.
The country has spent the time since the Great Recession, digging a deeper hole, instead of filling one in. Mortgage fraud moved to auto loan fraud. Wells Fargo just got caught in another scandal, related to auto insurance policies tied to their auto loans. Just how big is the general auto loan scandal going to turn out to be and how much damage will it do to the economy when the recession comes?
The California legislature tried to implement a single payer health care system and found out it would cost some 400 billion, twice the size of the current state budget.
The state, the country, the world, are in big financial trouble. The G20 changed the rules for bank depositors, because they know what is coming. They just aren’t telling us.
All good points.
But people STILL need healthcare and they will get it (some of it anyway) as previously, by heading to the hospital ER’s, where they can’t be forced to pay anything.
There seem to be two primary reasons why providing healthcare to normal people is so expensive.
1. Insurance companies and many hospitals are for-profit, instead of being forced to operate as non-profits, which would reduce overhead costs somewhat.
2. Medical costs are are far too high. Or workers aren’t paid enough to afford the premiums, co-pays and deductibles.
So given these 2 major points, can we construct a solution that addresses and solves these points so that we can ensure that EVERY SINGLE PERSON has affordable access to healthcare? It seems doubtful in today’s’ always acrimonious and greedy world.
The only solution I can see is that all medical care will eventually be a combination of nanobots inside of people, fixing problems as they crop up and major medical procedures being administered by robots/AI machines (like in SF books by Niel Asher, Peter F. Hamilton, etc.). Humans cost too much to be workers in our modern world! [lol]
Trump really has entertainment value! He has no standard definition or positions. It all depends on the moment. Lose vote on Obamacare.. Let it fail. It was always a bad deal. Win vote for Obamacare… I told you I make deals and this is a great deal. Similarly on markets, Yellen and everything else. Trump cannot be taken seriously. Right place, right time is why he won. People could not stand an establishment candidate and he was the only guy who could stand up to the establishment irrespective of their throwing everything at him. Only in that he is steadfast.
Always Be Closing.
You sir, have won today.
“Covfefe is for Closers!”
LOL.
McCain is one bitter warmonger…
the lion in winter
The senile imbecile in summer
Right time is why he won. People could not stand an establishment candidate and he was the only guy who could stand up to the establishment irrespective of their throwing everything at him. Only in that he is steadfast
McC could have just called in sick from AZ
Surprised Trump didn’t tweet “McC must have a hole in his head”
Time for The Mooch to call McC “a f-ing psycho who left his gray matter on the OR floor”.
A great example of what happens when you start down a path with no clear objective. Where is the leadership? The video is a nice touch.
why doe noone expose the true story of the pile of shit McCain? the man never was a hero but his daddy was an admiral who figured in the SS Liberty cisgraceful cover up
McCain earned the nickname “Songbird” from his fellow American POWs in the Hanoi Hilton for collaborating with the enemy. How a traitor can become a U.S. Senator is simply indicative of our overall plight.
Yeah and with a cowardly five time draft dodger in the White House!
Although drafted, one must still volunteer by stepping forward to have the oath administered… a trick that hardly no one knows about. If one refused to step forward, i.e., volunteer, they sent you home.
Trump to Sessions, “hey Jeff, the Dems are starting to ignore the Russian thing, how are you going with the FBI on Hillary and the other crims?”
Sessions to Trump, “we need a bit more time can you stall a bit longer?”
Trump to Sessions, “OK I’ll download on you a bit then I’ll download on Bannon. Hey Tony can you give the press a bit to chew on. Throw in a few swear words, then try to backtrack. hopefully that will give them a bit to chew on for a few days”.
Scaramucci to Trump, “no sweat boss”
In fairness to Trump, he has been saying they should let Obamacare fail for months:
http://cdn.newsday.com/polopoly_fs/1.13316162.1490546158!/httpImage/image.png_gen/derivatives/display_960/image.png
http://cdn.newsday.com/polopoly_fs/1.13329924.1490768299!/httpImage/image.png_gen/derivatives/display_960/image.png
Trump should get any congressman or woman (don’t care which party) to sponsor a bill that solely says they have to have the same healthcare plan as the rest of us, and see who has the balls to vote against that and run for reelection.
Mccain doesn’t care because he will live longer than any other American with a massive glioblastoma, due to his healthcare plan and connections although I am not sure we will be able to tell. 🙂
Jimmy Carter is still alive, I see.
Agreed. If McCain had Obamacare, he’d would have wanted it gone too, else he’d not have been able to afford his cancer treatments.
Obamacare should be mandatory for everybody in the swamp.
+1000
Obamacare must be mandatory for everybody in the swamp — if it was, they would have repealed it years ago, even over ghetto-president’s veto.
15 MILLION AMERICANS WANT TO OPT OUT OF OBAMACARE … MORE THAN THE NUMBER SUPPOSEDLY GETTING SUBSIDIZED INSURANCE
Where in Article 1 do we find authorization for federal meddling in healthcare? Without it, this is nothing more than communist inspired usurpation.
even democrats can’t believe how dumb McCain is:
Collins voted no first, then Murkowski, followed by McCain, who came to the well of the Senate and gave a thumbs down, dooming the repeal bill to loud gasps, mostly from the Democratic side of the aisle.
The Maverick.
the gelding.
FIFU.
I am no fan of McCain, but I think it is naive to believe he killed this bill single handedly. If there is one thing these guys care about, it is how their votes “appear” to the public.
Let’s send the guy with brain cancer out as point man. He cannot run again anyhow. He’s voter proof. I imagine something like that went on in the back room.
yup – the swamp wins one
Read in one of the articles this morning that a number of Republicans wanted this thing to fail, but wanted to be seen as voting for this. So McCain took the fall so they could vote yes.
Exactly. Best case, he’s memorialized as saving 30M Amur’cans from Trump-don’t-care. Worst case, it’s the tumor’s fault.
– Repealing Obamacare is meant tp pay for the upcoming taxcuts for the ultra rich here in the US.
– I assume the Healthcare indusry fought tooth and nail to keep Obamacare.
“Repealing Obamacare is meant tp pay for the upcoming taxcuts for the ultra rich here in the US.”
Tax cuts are not paid for. Taxes are paid. It is the tax payers money that the government is spending.
“Frontrunning: July 28
‘Skinny’ Repeal of Obamacare Fails (WSJ)
Bad News If You Make $150,000 to $300,000: Higher Taxes for Many (WSJ)”
“Welcome To New York City’s Taxpayer-Funded $2 Million Bathroom”
“Total Government And Personal Debt In The U.S. Has Hit 41 Trillion Dollars ($329,961.34 Per Household)”
The idea that the country is “deeply divided” is sold to us as a horrible thing. The reality is this is actually what normally happens, except that for some reason our grandparents decided that “one nation under God” was more important than political discord. It lasted from about World War 1 until the 1960s and the central authority has been fighting to hold on to power since. Interesting that the “great” national accomplishments all peaked in the ’60s: The highways (sold as a way for the military to quickly traverse the countryside), the bomb/cold war, and the space race all were the penultimate indicator of highly centralized government. Since then it’s been a struggle to pull back and decentralize.
The average American was incredibly poor prior to WWII. By the 1960s, the average American had the highest standard of living in the world. And as you point out, much of that standard of living was the result of big government.
Now we’re struggling with how to reduce the size of government and maintain that standard of living. So far, we’re doing a terrible job. Taxes are lower. Standard do living is lower. But government isn’t getting much smaller.
Comparatively, the period between the Civil War and WW1, was when America became the wealthiest nation. And also the healthiest, as put on display by the “Tall Handsome” GIs that swooned half starved Euro lasses during WW1.
Then, starting around 1900, progressivism started to make inroads. Resulting in the Fed, Income taxes and the rest of the insults that has once again resulted in the leech empire that early American’s sought to escape, having successfully struck back.
In absolute terms; given that technology tends to move forward, and also that America’s massive success in those halcyon years, plus two world wars, resulted in other countries emulating America hence becoming wealthier trading partners, and particularly that new oil fields kept getting added; the absolute peak in median wealth came much later. Probably somewhere around 1970. But the trend away from faster growth, towards stagnation, was already in place by WW1.
Had you chose the word communism where you used progressivism, you’d have nailed it.
Having a central bank and a progressive income tax are two keystone requirements of the Communist Manifesto that is now entirely in place in America.
Government seeded the internet. It’s not that the Government doesn’t produce, it’s that it doesn’t produce as a value proposition. The more of your economy you stick in the ‘government’ bucket vs the ‘private sector’ bucket the lower your potential growth.
The military seeded the internet. Because it was a military. Not because it was a government. War, or the threat of it, always brings out the best, and worst, in people. Giving “government” in abstract credit, solely because noone but government is anymore allowed to field a military, is no more than yet another newspekian sleight of hand. No different from the rest of the petty lies that serve to underpin progressivism.
The Internet was inevitable. The fact that IP was used instead of ATM or other protocols was more to do with the fact that it was for the most part license free where ATM and the other protocols were hampered by license fees. Same thing with Ethernet, where Xerox basically gave it away and Bob Metcalfe published most of the protocol.
A good case can be made, that all things that are, are because they are inevitable. Star struck “hero” worshipers, and patent trolls, may not be on board. But then again, who of any substance would bother listening to those uncritical species of clowns.
I feel sorry for all Americans in this Health Care debacle. Lack of certainty about what is coming next must be very stressful for people who are currently covered (especially if they are ill).
Will they lose their coverage? Will their premiums dramatically increase to the point where they can’t afford them? Very sad.
America will eventually get to a single payer system, but not until they try everything else in the meantime and cause horrible suffering for many American citizens.
“America will eventually get to a single payer system, but not until they try everything else in the meantime and cause horrible suffering for many American citizens.”
Single payer will fail, too. That’s the part you leave out. The state rationing of health care isn’t going to end horrible suffering.
Economic depressions are when things collapse. Single payer is just as likely to collapse, as anything else. As Martin Armstrong has noted, socialism is in the process of failing. Government is in the process of failing. We can readily see the failure that is happening in Europe.
If that’s failure then let’s fail! By every measure of quality of life, European nations surpass us. The US is declining into a Third World country filled with drug users and the unemployed.
Single payer isn’t perfect (nothing is perfect), but it works very well in many countries, at a cost of 10-11% of GDP vs 17+% in the US. And the US doesn’t even cover everyone at that price. I know which choice makes more sense to me.
And I see no reason why single payer should “fail”. If it starts to chew up more resources, then you can reduce the overall level of benefits. Like many things in life you compare costs with benefits. Then you make a choice about how much you are willing to pay.
I find it odd that you seem to be cheering for things to fail (the economy, health care, government, Europe). Any reason why you want to see people suffer?
“…then you can reduce the overall level of benefits.”
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL !!!
good luck getting govt. to reduce spending/benefits… it would never happen, which is why americans DON’T want singlePayer – govt. can’t be trusted & will only spend more $$$ than they have.
I wonder it the electorate has now had enough of signaling that the status quo was unacceptable. That was why Trump was elected. It remains to be seen whether the people are satisfied that they made their point. I don’t know whether to shudder or explode with laughter at the thought of a second term for Trump.
I know, it’s a long time off, but, assuming that Trump makes it through his term, I don’t see him not running for relection when the time comes.
_aleph_
The members of his cult would still approve of him even if he started murdering them on Fifth Avenue. I think Trump should test their fervor.
Mccain wasn’t elected in Arizona, but was put back in by the party. He votes with the democrats more often then not. Don’t know anyone here that likes or respects him.
Lots of defense and aerospace in AZ.
You said, “He votes with the democrats more often then not.” Total BS. https://projects.propublica.org/represent/members/M000303-john-mccain/votes-against-party/115
They probably like him in Manchuria- metaphorically speaking.
This whole repeal thing is just -SO- much BS:
A One-Sentence Bill To Force The Health-Care Issue
https://market-ticker.org/akcs-www?post=232164
Excerpt:
Here it is:
“Notwithstanding any other provision in state or federal law, a person who presents themselves while uninsured to any provider of a medical good or service shall not be charged a price greater than that which Medicare pays for the same drug, device, service or combination thereof.”
That’s it.
One sentence.
If you want to add a penalty clause with it I propose the following:
“Any bill rendered to a person in excess of said amounts shall (1) be deemed void, with all services and goods provided as a gift without charge or taxable consequence to said consumer but not deductible by said physician or facility from any income or occupational tax and (2) is immediately due to the customer in the exact amount presented as liquidated damages for the fraud so-attempted.”
It ends the “Chargemaster” ripoff game.
It ends the $150,000 snake bite or the $80,000 scorpion sting.
It ends the $500,000 cancer treatment.
It ends all of that, immediately and instantly.
I remind you that Medicare is required to set pay rates by law at a level that in fact are profitable — that is, above cost by a modest amount — for everything it covers. Further, those pay rates are audited regularly to prove that they in fact are above cost.
That will lower some costs, but the VAST majority of people cannot afford to pay even Medicare reimbursement rates for medical care, hence the importance of mandated insurance (or refusal of care).
I like it!
So why aren’t we seeing the talking heads of CNN & MSNBC discuss SOLUTIONS like this, instead of the totally boring day-to-day insanity of the Trump presidency?
The 4th estate needs to get away from fake “BREAKING NEWS!!!!!!” and “National Enquirer” style gotcha reporting and instead start digging into the issues at hand.
That’s about the dumbest idea I’ve heard in a long time. Medicaid and Medicare fees are below the cost to deliver the care in almost all instances. It’s the fee for service and insured people’s fees that cover the shortfall from these terrible big government programs
If you made all fees the same , how the hell is the hospital going to afford its operational expenses? And wages for its employees???? There is a difference in wages, lease, transportation etc in New York versus nowhere Kentucky .
You would see healthcare become almost impossible to find as hospitals lost staff and suppliers
Government has never and will never be able to set the price of anything effectively without causing shortages and major disruption.
Your proposal and the people who cheere you on are tbe the foundation of the arguement against democracy. Your idea is full of ignorance, self pity, arrogance , and greed
The reason costs are lower for single payer at due to rationing and cost control, and the reason those society’s can afford it is due to a much much higher cost of living caused by taxes.
Remember – they pay multiples of our tax rate, live in smaller houses, have fewer and smaller cars etc and their government isn’t policing the planet . In fact , we through our military subsidize their healthcare . If they had to field their own military their taxes would consume them entirely
Americans aren’t ready for the huge step down in consumerism that would have to go with single laws, and the deep reduction in defense spending would be a nightmare across the country
You morons never think anything through – it’s always about you getting something cheaper damn the consequences
Given your apparent disdain for the rest of the world with regard to the role your military play, there is a simple solution. Get TFO of other countries. there are not many who want you there anyway. Nothing wrong with having agreements with others to help in the event of an aggressor giving undue attention to another nation but as the US has no real opposition militarily in the world, just keep out of other countries until asked. Even then only give moral support in the first instance, kind of like a big brother standing beside you when bullies are near in the playground. This works both ways for real friends anyway. Even the furphy that is North Korea at the moment is total BS. If the US couldn’t send a message by downing one stupid low tech (by your standards) missile from one of the many ships that are needlessly in the area anyway, the US has no hope of containing a real threat.
Don’t use the “policeman of the world” excuse for your revolting healthcare, FIX YOUR OWN PROBLEMS FIRST.
In case you think I am being hard on you (the US) it is just that we want you as friends, not masters.
Just before the Civil War, America became dysfunctional. We have now become dysfunctional again. Curious where this is all heading. Nothing good I can assure you.
Comment from another blog:
McCain’s Arizona election campaign ad – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IE48mGZbsUo&feature=youtu.be&app=desktop
“Obamacare is failing Arizonans. First, a massive rate hike more than twice the national average. Then, America’s largest health insurer abandoned Arizona’s failing Obamacare exchange. That’s devastating – especially to rural counties. Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick bragged about her Obamacare vote, saying “it’s also the one I’m most proud about..” While Kirkpatrick’s “proud” of putting us at risk, John McCain is leading the fight to stop Obamacare.”
Sickening
Gov. Mike HuckabeeVerified account @GovMikeHuckabee 6m6 minutes ago
CNN reports Dems will give Lifetime Achievement Award to Murkowski Collins and McCain. Schumer so happy he cried.
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2017/07/28/john-mccain-casts-legacy-vote-against-american-people-votes-to-continue-obamacare/
“Additionally, it should be noted for an accurate record that Nevada Republican Senator Dean Heller delayed his own roll call vote, skipped his name when called, until he was able to see that McCain cast the vote against America.”
Senator John McCain, Democrat, Arizona…
RINOs need the Obamacare penalty tax.
I thought the new definition of always came with recession predictions.
Trump will have 3 opinions on every issue and tweets to support it so he’ll always be right. Not sure if he really believes that or not but it doesn’t really matter much. We saw this with his position on the Iraq war
I guess this is his economics lesson for us? By eliminating choice for Americans healthcare, the govt will create a better and lower priced system by also eliminating competition and creativity of marketplace. Repeal Mc Cain!
the sad part is, if all reform fails, the weakest and poorest will suffer, and they are the people who now support this eventual transitional to one payer government healthcare, When has eliminating competition ever been good for anyone?
There will be waits, and the weak will not last. That is the plan, of course.
Getting healthcare costs to a reasonable level so more people have access and can be treated is not an option for our reps, who love their own gold-plated healthcare plans. McCain will live longer than any person on Obamacare with the same condition because he will have more options, although he has a very invasive cancer. I guess options are only good for our elected representatives.
“His surprise no vote…”
No surprise to me. McCain, who ‘represents’ me in the Senate, has had his claws out for Trump since before the election. Giving Trump a success just won’t do.
Reaching out from the grave like some demon.
McCain probably only has months to live. What does he care if his Republican constituents hate him for voting against repeal after he campaigned strongly to repeal Obamacare during his last election run?
McCain’s vote was pure vote of vengeance against Trump – not a vote in the best interests of America.
Brain cancer is a miserable way to check out.
McCain needs to go play checkers with Teddy. Post Haste.
I can’t wait for McCain to be gone. The guy has never been a team player. I say repeal Obamacare and forget about it. The thought of D.C. bureaucrats running healthcare is truly scary.
Well there you have it. Basically all you saw was some great acting on the parts of McConnell , McCain Graham and Ryan who want obama care to die a brutal prolonged death. Some real beautiful people those four. Oddly enough it’s the Democrats that reallly screwed their constituents and also blew a chance to save Obummer’s legacy. It’s now particilarly obvious to me that the Democrats want the same end for Obutthead care; that’s a long painful death for the plan or anyone using it. Now all they need to do is sit and wait for the spring. Rates will double at the very least and deductibles,,,,,,? Those using AHC will be greatful if they only double.
Of course that end will never happen to those in Congress and Senate . Nope nothing but the best health care coverage for those guys.