Tuesday night's speech from popular vote loser Donald Trump was supposed to bring some clarity, some guidance to congressional Republicans still floundering over what to do about Obamacare repeal, guidance that has been sorely lacking thus far. After last night's speech, they say they've got it. The problem is, nobody agrees on what they heard. It's a Rorschach test of policy-making, with each faction claiming Trump endorsed their own vision.
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) confidently said "yes" when asked whether he saw Trump's remarks on health care as an endorsement of the House GOP leadership plan — a proposal panned by conservatives as "Obamacare-lite."
"He said there should be tax credits, he said states should have more flexibility, he says we've got to [deal] with Medicaid and the transition, so what's the Republican plan?" McCarthy said. "He just laid it out." […]
Not so, insisted Rep. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.), a member of the House Freedom Caucus who has crafted a more conservative Obamacare replacement plan with Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.).
"We all hear what we want to hear in life," Sanford said of McCarthy's comments. "What I heard Trump say was something very similar to what Sen. Paul and I introduced. The leader must be hearing something a little different."
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) was equally adamant that Trump did not sign off on the leadership Obamacare proposal.
"No, I did not hear that. I heard repeal and replace, which is what we all campaigned on," Jordan said.
Senate maniac Ted Cruz didn't hear any legislative proposals, just "principles I agree with: that we should honor our word that we should repeal Obamacare; that we should reduce the cost of premiums; that we should expand choice; that we should empower patients." And Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), from a Medicaid expansion state, heard there would be flexibility for governors to "make sure no one is left out" and said "We’re like, yes! Here we go. So that was good." Except for the details of how it's less money and lots of people will be left out.
In other words, Trump last night did nothing to solve the Republican war over whether to screw 32 million people or maybe just 20 million people out of their health insurance.
