The Town Hall Movement worked.
The Trump Administration is seriously incompetent. Trump admitted it: “Nobody knew that health care could be so complicated” He had a 40 vote margin in the House and he couldn’t get a vote on it. Trump probably really thought that he could just bully, schmooze and bluff his way through it - as if he were a refinancing a loan.
What Just Happened ?
In the final analysis, TrumpCare was simply a mess that was aborted by politicians that honored their campaign promises. Don’t overlook that, and don’t forget it. Nancy Pelosi did not stop TrumpCare, nor did “fake news” nor the CBO - it was blocked by politicians that, when, ignored, bullied and threatened, stood their ground. You may not like their political views, but you have to admire their political courage. They were not cowed by a buffoon. Bravo.
Now What ?
Now Trump goes off to play golf. Ryan limps back to his home state. And both will disavow their roles in the whole misbegotten TrumpRyanCare train wreck. They have no one else to blame but themselves - yet they will blame everyone but themselves. They will then try to forget about it and change the subject.
Success has many fathers, failure is an orphan, but TrumpCare was a complete fracking abortion.
TrumpCare was Exhibit B-17 that Trump really is seriously out of his depth on “complicated” matters. And that former Speaker Ryan has proven conclusively that he has mastered the legislative art of doing nothing while looking smarmy.
TrumpCare was never more than a half-baked attempt to appear to repeal the ACA. When the obvious course was to recruit the Democrats to amend it.
Forfeit the Match, Then Blame Nancy Pelosi
After 8 years of hollow rhetoric, TrumpCare was transparently a compromised hack job done in haste. It was effectively authored by the two largest alligators in the swamp - the insurance lobby and the pharmaceutical lobby. They were its primary beneficiaries - particularly after coverage requirements were gutted in the final draft.
This grotesque mess was finally mercy killed by honest politicians who promised to abolish ObamaCare - not amend it. What was left - TrumpCare - was a stillborn farce that no Republican wanted anything to do with, much less register a vote on. So they punted and blamed the Democrats - whose fingerprints were nowhere to be found on the bill.
What happens next ?
For anything to happen to the ACA, the Republicans are going to have to cooperate with the Democrats. For that to happen, Trump will have to admit that he has to cooperate with Democrats - for the good of the country - or nothing will get done.
The Trump Administration now officially owns ObamaCare - they are wholly responsible for administering the ACA. Not the Democrats, not Nancy Pelosi, not Bernie, not Ryan.
Let’s see how that works out for the poor, the old, and the hospitals.
Leave a Reply