Thomas Edsall, the best and most analytic of current journalists, writing in the NYT tells us how Donald Dubious plans to spin the collapse of Obamacare. He will claim it was doomed all along and nobody could save it.
This war, often operating below the radar, entails the use of a quintessentially conservative strategy, and the cooperation of Congressional Republicans. In a way, it’s pretty simple: You cut the budget, impose debilitating regulations, track the subsequent missteps and then attack the program as a failure
--Thomas Edsall , NYT
What Edsall details is how Trump and his accomplices are actually killing it with a thousand cuts--very much the chutzpah of the man who murders both his parents and asks the judge for mercy on the grounds he is now an orphan. In this case, you've got the Snowflake who is the captain of the ship watching the ship he has torpedoed going down, all the while shaking his head, shouting, "Ships should avoid torpedoes!"
Healthcare is a winner for the Democrats.
After all the machinations about complexities of this Rube Goldberg creation we call Obamacare, patched together to satisfy the health insurance industry and various other constituencies, the country may now be willing to go for single payer, or Medicare -for-all option. This will happen if the Democrats let the Republicans fail spectacularly enough--once West Virginia, Kentucky and other dependent, low functioning states see the loss of health insurance for 30-40% of their people.
What is not a winner for Democrats is this whole issue of transgender rights. Trump is canny enough to know where he can stick a fork into the body politic of his base and get a yelp. Ask any group of people what a transgender is and they cannot tell you; they just know these people are weird and they know they don't want these people showering in the locker rooms of public high schools with their daughters.
Way too complicated for the Democrats, who look like the panderers of old when they rise indignantly to the defense of transgenders. Most people are not transgender. Most people will turn away from you--at least for now--if you look absurd defending "transgender rights."
Just move on, Democrats. Go where the citizens are. They can understand health care.
This war, often operating below the radar, entails the use of a quintessentially conservative strategy, and the cooperation of Congressional Republicans. In a way, it’s pretty simple: You cut the budget, impose debilitating regulations, track the subsequent missteps and then attack the program as a failure
--Thomas Edsall , NYT
What Edsall details is how Trump and his accomplices are actually killing it with a thousand cuts--very much the chutzpah of the man who murders both his parents and asks the judge for mercy on the grounds he is now an orphan. In this case, you've got the Snowflake who is the captain of the ship watching the ship he has torpedoed going down, all the while shaking his head, shouting, "Ships should avoid torpedoes!"
Healthcare is a winner for the Democrats.
After all the machinations about complexities of this Rube Goldberg creation we call Obamacare, patched together to satisfy the health insurance industry and various other constituencies, the country may now be willing to go for single payer, or Medicare -for-all option. This will happen if the Democrats let the Republicans fail spectacularly enough--once West Virginia, Kentucky and other dependent, low functioning states see the loss of health insurance for 30-40% of their people.
What is not a winner for Democrats is this whole issue of transgender rights. Trump is canny enough to know where he can stick a fork into the body politic of his base and get a yelp. Ask any group of people what a transgender is and they cannot tell you; they just know these people are weird and they know they don't want these people showering in the locker rooms of public high schools with their daughters.
Way too complicated for the Democrats, who look like the panderers of old when they rise indignantly to the defense of transgenders. Most people are not transgender. Most people will turn away from you--at least for now--if you look absurd defending "transgender rights."
Just move on, Democrats. Go where the citizens are. They can understand health care.
Mad Dog,
ReplyDeleteLast night a humiliating defeat for the GOP...now they'll go for the more covert slaughter of Obamacare as you describe-by cuts and repeated moves to force it's failure..Would be nice if McCain's plea to all "work together" had some legs-but I'm not holding my breath-look at the players. Bravo to McCain, Collins and Murkowski for standing their ground..
As for the transgender issue, agree-it's merely a distraction tool by the chump in charge-one more pitifully obvious, lead footed maneuver. But c'mon Mad Dog, we should look the other way at blatant discrimination because it might not play well in the heartland and there aren't "that many" folks effected anyway..What?? Have we sunk so low that there is a cut off point on number of victims before one moves to assist or object?
I readily acknowledge transgender is not totally understood by a majority of Americans and I would be in that majority. I read a cover story several months ago in Time on the subject and have to say I had no idea there were so many subcategories under transgender. Complicated. What is not complicated, however, is that blanket discrimination based on race, gender, or sexual identification is wrong. If a person is deemed mentally and physically fit to serve, that should be the only deciding factor on whether they are allowed to do so.
Maud
Ms. Maud,
ReplyDeleteWell, as always, you bring me back to an essential core of decency. You and I may disagree about the nature of transgender but you always remind me no matter what a transgender is, he or she is always a human being and there is no reason to make anyone miserable for being what they are. You are the central planetary magnetic core, which guides the compass.
I do wish Bernie or someone would stand up and say clearly: Look, Obamacare was the best we could do when the insurance companies still ruled but the nation can change its mind--as it did with gay marriage--and not it's ready for Medicare-for-all or a government option. We have learned, even in Kentucky and West Virginia, health care is good and government can make that good possible.
Mad Dog