The one thing that you know about the Republican Party is that there has never been an organization in the history of the world filled with so many hypocrites. The sheer density of hypocrisy is extraordinary. Sure there are some real duds in the Democratic Party, but nothing matches the stinking, seething, sticky, swampy ooze of hypocritical humanity that is the Republican Party. Louisiana Senator John Kennedy is interested in making sure that if this repeal (and not really replace) Graham-Cassidy bill gets some voting on, it’ll be sure to squash the state’s rights that it claims to be created to protect.
On Tuesday, asked by The Intercept about the status of his legislation, he said that the bill’s cosponsors, Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Bill Cassidy, R-La., told him that the measure already bans single payer, but that he was welcome to offer his amendment either way.
“I don’t think states should have the authority to take money from the American taxpayer and set up a single-payer system,” he said. “Now some people think that that’s inconsistent with the idea of flexibility. But that’s what the United States Congress is for. I very much believe in flexibility. And I know the governors want flexibility. But it’s our job to make sure that that money is properly spent.”
As the Intercept points out, these ad-ons in bills are conservative think-tank-created ways of destroying the federal government’s ability to fund social programs, while taking away states’ rights to make any decisions that these conservative ideologues don’t agree with. It’s a real travesty. Even as right-wing pundits continue to lie and attack single payer systems because their own ideas have already proven out to be morally, socially, and economically bankrupt, they continue to try to rig the already rigged deck.