Politico reports here www.politico.com/… that Senate Majority Leader McConnell has the GOP caucus whipped back in line on “repealing and replacing” the ACA, a/k/a Obamacare. While tens of millions progressives and liberals (myself included) have been fixating on the Russian-Hacking-and-Trump-Campaign-Complicity scandal (“what will Comey say” or “was Jared offering Russians to lift sanctions in exchange for a cheap loan to bail out his shitty building”), McConnell is planning to exploit our distraction to sucker-punch 24 million Americans out of their health care. We cannot let that happen.
The #1 goal domestic goal of Democrats, liberals, progressives, and even the non-political that just want a fair deal, has to be to protect and indeed expand the safety net — Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, and Obamacare. Trump delivered the first sucker-punch by promising in his campaign not to touch the first three — and once in office, he ravaged them.
Remember what happened in the House. First, we defeated efforts at “repeal and replace.” Then, that total fraud Paul Ryan delivered the second sucker-punch —after his first defeat when he tried to “repeal and replace,” he played possum — “sure, we can’t revisit this for a long time, blah, blah.” Then when we were all consumed with the Russian scandal, Ryan and Trump quickly introduced something worse, twisted some arms, and rushed a vote “repeal-and-replace,” which won by four votes before the CBO even had a chance to score the new bill and before GOP members had a chance to read it.
Now McConnell is planning to deliver the third sucker-punch. We cannot let that happen.
All the GOP cares about is cutting taxes for the rich, and the House bill is mainly a tax cut for the rich in disguise. They certainly do not care if some people of lesser means live in fear of losing their healthcare or die off for want of medical care. “They are mostly Democrats anyway,” I can imagine them saying.
Yes, the long-range goal must be Medicare for All. But in the meantime, we must defend ACA. Lets make every GOP senator’s head reel with phone calls, letters, emails, more phone calls, if possible personal calls at the senator’s home-state headquarters; and let’s show up and be heard at events wherever possible. Let’s get this issue back to the top of our priorities — it is an issue we can win if we stay active and united.
Remember, even if Trump is driven out of office (as he should be), any effort at “repeal and replace” will have the full support of the new president, “Pious Liar, Pence on Fire.”
Sorry, but I think “general rallies” like, say, a “march for truth,” while making us feel really good, are not of long-term value unless there is an actionable goal. Good heavens, here — protect the ACA — there is, and is an achievable goal.
This diary is is rushed, as I will be incommunicado and will not be able to post for the next 48 hours, but please let there be a call to action. To the barricades!