Obamacare Legislative Process vs Trumpcare Legislative Process

ShoelessRye

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As spelled out by Conservative columnist Philip Klein at the Washingto Examiner - http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/g...-promise-in-political-history/article/2618413

Republicans for years have criticized the process that produced Obamacare, and things certainly got ugly. But after having just witnessed this debacle, I think Paul Ryan owes Nancy Pelosi an apology.

One has to admire the commitment that Democrats and Obama had to delivering something they campaigned on and truly believed in. They spent 13 months getting the bill from an initial concept to final passage, and pressed on during many points when everybody was predicting doom. They had public hearings, multiple drafts of different bills, they kept negotiating, even worked into Christmas. They made significant changes at times, but also never lost sight of their key goals. They didn't back down in the face of angry town halls and after losing their filibuster-proof majority, and many members cast votes that they knew risked their political careers. Obama himself was a leader, who consistently made it clear that he was not going to walk away. He did countless rallies, meetings, speeches — even a "summit" at the Blair House — to try to sell the bill, talking about details, responding to criticisms of the bill to the point that he was mocked by conservatives for talking so much about healthcare.

The contrast between Obama and Democrats on healthcare and what just happened is stunning. House Republicans slapped together a bill in a few weeks (months if we're being generous) behind closed doors with barely any debate. They moved the bill through committees at blazing speed, conducted closed-door negotiations that resulted in relatively minor tweaks to the bill, and within 17 days, Trump decided that he'd had enough, and was ready to walk away if members didn't accept the bill as is.

The Blair House Summit is when Obama stood in front of a room of Republican Congressman and answered any and all questions for hours on the healthcare bill as it was progressing. Imagine Trump doing something like that. Imagine Paul Ryan having the guts to defend his bill like that.

And even after taking 13 MONTHS to craft the eventual bill to vote on - the screaming criticism from the Right was the Democrats were jamming the bill down our throats and moving way too quickly.

Really the whole article is worth the read.

Republicans were always moving the goal posts on voters. That is, during campaign season, they made boasts about repeal, and then once in office, they talked about procedural complications. In 2010, they campaigned on repeal, but by 2011, they said they needed the Senate. In 2014, they won the Senate, but by 2015 they said as long as Obama was in office, nothing would become law. In 2016, they told conservative voters, even reluctant ones, that if they voted for Trump despite any reservations, they'd finally be able to repeal Obamacare. In November, voters gave them unified control of Washington. And yet after just two months on the job, they have thrown in the towel and said they're willing to abandon seven years of promises.
His take on this is really hammered home by remarks by Rep Barton of Texas when asked about the dozens of repeal votes that passed near unanimously over the past seven years -


The Republican opposition in a nutshell - Playing Fantasy Football the last eight years, now have to pad up and get on the field.

 
The Republican opposition in a nutshell - Playing Fantasy Football the last eight years, now have to pad up and get on the field.
I think a more apt comparison is they spent eight years furiously masturbating and now they're facing a pussy and have no clue what to do with it.

Ironically, pussy is not a dig at Trump. Not this time anyway.
 
How on Earth could they have had all that time to come up with a plan and not bother?
That's Democrat levels of incompetence
 
Obamacare was not designed to last. It was designed to fail so that single payer could be implemented.

The people that helped write Obamacare said this in an interview that I can't find anymore.
 
I don't think Trump truly wanted Paul Ryan's healthcare plan.
 
I wouldn't doubt it. It seems way too rushed.

This is true, but also truly sad. I mean they had like what, six years? You'd think they knew by now what they want instead of just knowing what they don't.
 
I could see Trump coming up with his own healthcare plan away from Ryan that is very liberal. He's not a true conservative.
 
This is true, but also truly sad. I mean they had like what, six years? You'd think they knew by now what they want instead of just knowing what they don't.
Well Trump has been 2 months in office. Before that he was trying to win an election.
 
It still amazes me that you're all so busy doing some sort of victory dance pointing fingers and laughing that you are missing that many GOP members, in this incredibly partisan environment, actually had the integrity to not vote for a bad bill that was so significant in the realm of the partisan trench warfare between the parties. This is something we need *way* more of in our political environment, but all I'm seeing is "HA HA HA! THEY COULDN'T DO IT! HA HA HA!" - which, in part, represents we need more of this stepping back and judging a shitty bill on its merits rather than just ramming it through because "Our guys wrote it and fuck Obama!"

In an environment where everyone seems to value legislation based on party affiliation rather than merit, this is a good thing - but lord knows no credit will be given for it because there's an opportunity for laughing at the other side... And the cycle of shitty partisan politics is reinforced, with a big smile on our faces. It's rare you get to see a shining example of what's wrong with our political environment but damn it, this forum is delivering right now.
 
It still amazes me that you're all so busy doing some sort of victory dance pointing fingers and laughing that you are missing that many GOP members, in this incredibly partisan environment, actually had the integrity to not vote for a bad bill that was so significant in the realm of the partisan trench warfare between the parties. This is something we need *way* more of in our political environment, but all I'm seeing is "HA HA HA! THEY COULDN'T DO IT! HA HA HA!" - which, in part, represents we need more of this stepping back and judging a shitty bill on its merits rather than just ramming it through because "Our guys wrote it and fuck Obama!"

In an environment where everyone seems to value legislation based on party affiliation rather than merit, this is a good thing - but lord knows no credit will be given for it because there's an opportunity for laughing at the other side... And the cycle of shitty partisan politics is reinforced, with a big smile on our faces. It's rare you get to see a shining example of what's wrong with our political environment but damn it, this forum is delivering right now.
Lol you want to give credit to people for coming up with a bill so bad they them selves didn't want to pass it?

That's like wanting credit for turning my self if for murder.
 
Lol you want to give credit to people for coming up with a bill so bad they them selves didn't want to pass it?

That's like wanting credit for turning my self if for murder.

I cannot stress this enough, but ABSOLUTELY YES. We have a political environment which is so ridden with outright garbage bills loaded with ideological trash that make no attempt to actually pursue the good of the country, countless poison pill bills, and countless bills which are done, it seems, with the largest intent being to spite the other side and/or ignore their interests - and these bills get passed. So yes, when another one of any number of utter garbage bills hits the floor and it doesn't get passed because the side that could easily pass it steps back and says "hey guys, I know this is our bill, and I know 'fuck Obama,' but this bill sucks... Let's not vote for it." THAT is worthy of applause.

You people spent most of the last presidency complaining that Obama was being blocked at every turn and now that he's gone the greatest legacy of his presidency was on the block - and the other side, rather than axing it just because "fuck Obama!" looked at their own bill, found it wanting, and voted it down - and now all you can do and laugh at how incompetent they are rather than applaud them for not voting along party lines. The ACA isn't gone because they proved to be less partisan than you people are proving to be - simple as that... And all you can do is laugh at people who took a step beyond what you seem capable of doing - for the good of America, rather than their party.

You people are truly showing yourselves to be part and parcel to the partisan tumor that's rotting our political process every way you look at it. If you take this opportunity to do nothing but mock the other side along the lines you are, and don't applaud an act of non-partisan voting that we *desperately* need, then you are an utter hypocrite if you complain about partisanship in politics in months to come. You're making this bed, partisan hacks. Own it.
 
Obamacare was not designed to last. It was designed to fail so that single payer could be implemented.

The people that helped write Obamacare said this in an interview that I can't find anymore.
This is true...give people first taste cheapee healthcare when yoy know they gonna want more and the republicans will say lets go to how it was before. The people behind obamacare seem to be far smarter than the republicans imo
 
This is true...give people first taste cheapee healthcare when yoy know they gonna want more and the republicans will say lets go to how it was before. The people behind obamacare seem to be far smarter than the republicans imo
I agree Obama is very intelligent. But he had to lie about Obamacare to get it sold.

"I'll save the average American family $2500 a year on health insurance."
"If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor."
"If you like your plan, you can keep your plan period."

It was dishonest of Obama, but he was smart.
 
I cannot stress this enough, but ABSOLUTELY YES. We have a political environment which is so ridden with outright garbage bills loaded with ideological trash that make no attempt to actually pursue the good of the country, countless poison pill bills, and countless bills which are done, it seems, with the largest intent being to spite the other side and/or ignore their interests - and these bills get passed. So yes, when another one of any number of utter garbage bills hits the floor and it doesn't get passed because the side that could easily pass it steps back and says "hey guys, I know this is our bill, and I know 'fuck Obama,' but this bill sucks... Let's not vote for it." THAT is worthy of applause.

Exactly. Perhaps if Obama and the Democrats had the discipline to NOT vote for shitty bills they haven't read then this wouldn't even be an issue.

You people spent most of the last presidency complaining that Obama was being blocked at every turn and now that he's gone the greatest legacy of his presidency was on the block - and the other side, rather than axing it just because "fuck Obama!" looked at their own bill, found it wanting, and voted it down - and now all you can do and laugh at how incompetent they are rather than applaud them for not voting along party lines. The ACA isn't gone because they proved to be less partisan than you people are proving to be - simple as that... And all you can do is laugh at people who took a step beyond what you seem capable of doing - for the good of America, rather than their party.

You people are truly showing yourselves to be part and parcel to the partisan tumor that's rotting our political process every way you look at it. If you take this opportunity to do nothing but mock the other side along the lines you are, and don't applaud an act of non-partisan voting that we *desperately* need, then you are an utter hypocrite if you complain about partisanship in politics in months to come. You're making this bed, partisan hacks. Own it.

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Ehthiest just truth bombed the shit out of you guys
 
It was defeated because it wasn't bad enough. House Freedom Caucus sunk the bill from the Right. If they would have voted for the original bill before the Manager's Amendment and other goodies offered to placate them, than this would have passed the House. And this was the bill Paul Ryan, the supposed policy wonk, could best come up with when he had seven years to work on it.

You want to give House Reps credit - I give them none. The moderates were going to vote for the initial shitty offering, but the Freedom Caucus held out because they wanted it more shitty. And only then did that start to shake loose moderates, all the while the HFC still held out for more movement to their demands.

You have Rep Barton comparing the last seven years to "fantasy football" where the GOP voted for bills because they knew Obama would veto them. You have Sen. Flake comparing the Obama years to now by saying "now they're firing with live rounds" the connotation of course much the same as Barton.

Obamacare from soup to nuts was a 13 month process of hearings, meetings, votes, re-writes and any Democrat will tell you INFURIATING attempts to win any Republican support. Trump and Ryan attempted to force Trumpcare through in mere weeks. GOP successfully demagogued against it for big congressional wins since it passed but that has been totally exposed given the Trumpcare offering.
 
obamacare took months to pass and all they were doing was giving shit away for votes, now the republicans are task with taking away some of that same shit and it won't be a pretty process

most importantly democrats got killed in the next couple election cycles because they forced obamacare through

now the chicken little media is going to try and convince everyone that the republicans are killing people trying to clean up the unsustainable disaster that is obamacare

the only fix is to scrap the entire mess and start over, they won't do it though because they're scared of bad press. Trump is the only one that doesn't fall for their constant intimidation tactics
 
It still amazes me that you're all so busy doing some sort of victory dance pointing fingers and laughing that you are missing that many GOP members, in this incredibly partisan environment, actually had the integrity to not vote for a bad bill that was so significant in the realm of the partisan trench warfare between the parties. This is something we need *way* more of in our political environment, but all I'm seeing is "HA HA HA! THEY COULDN'T DO IT! HA HA HA!" - which, in part, represents we need more of this stepping back and judging a shitty bill on its merits rather than just ramming it through because "Our guys wrote it and fuck Obama!"

In an environment where everyone seems to value legislation based on party affiliation rather than merit, this is a good thing - but lord knows no credit will be given for it because there's an opportunity for laughing at the other side... And the cycle of shitty partisan politics is reinforced, with a big smile on our faces. It's rare you get to see a shining example of what's wrong with our political environment but damn it, this forum is delivering right now.

Actually the votes they couldnt get was because a lot of them actually wanted a full repeal, not because they cared about healthcare being affordable.
 
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