Senate Democrats may let TRUMPCARE slide through without a fight...

[bagelsforbreakfast]

http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/6/13/1671395/-Senate-Democrats-not-so-sure-it-makes-sense-to-fight-Trumpcare-let-s-convince-them#read-more

Can someone explain why this is good strategy?

[elleng]

1. No, can't, it is NOT a 'good strategy,'

especially if Dems want to change from minority to majority in Senate (AND House.)

[ciaobaby]

2. Oh yes - The Dems are so very great at being weak.

So tired of this.

[athena]

5. If you want the Democrats to be strong,

attacking them is not the way to achieve that.

[ciaobaby]

7. Great -so what is?

Your comment is what is wrong with the democrats. It is akin to what they are doing by not aggressively fighting Mitch McConnell.
If I can't express my outrage what am I to do, sit back the dems do and just let things happen?

[awesomerwb1]

11. It's not "attacking" them.

It's simply voicing our frustration at their total lack of a spine.

But hey, if you have a better suggestion please share.

[Orsino]

20. Attack them as a step toward replacing them...

...with senators willing to work for us.

[stonecutter357]

3. looks like Schumer is fighting .

Republicans Are Hiding Health Care Plan Because They’re ‘So Ashamed,’ Schumer Says

[marybourg]

4. So that they have no ownership

of it whatsoever - although the GOPers will try to blame them anyway - when it inevitably fails.

[tazkcmo]

6. Don't know

Maybe because they know w/e the Senate passes won't be to the House's liking and has no chance of passage, thus keeping their powder dry for when it comes out of reconciliation? According to the limited info in the article, they are weighing their options and don't want to cut off their nose in spite of their face.

I think Sen Schumer is the one to have address this rather than a tweeter that has 140 characters to communicate all the nuances to this.

[ciaobaby]

10. So it's all on Senator Schumer? I want to hear from my senator and all the others,

and I want to hear them often and I want them to be more aggressive. If the current sorry group of democratic senators continue down the path of least resistance it should at least indicate we, the democratic party, needs to make some big changes.

[tazkcmo]

13. As the Democratic leader in the Senate

Yes, of course I would turn to Schumer to get the complete reasoning behind any tactics employed in any given situation. I personally would like more information, there's not much of that in this article, and I tend to look to leadership for that info.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

8. Is witholding consent (delaying by 1 or 2 weeks) all they have to fight this?

The Republicans are trying to ram this through via reconciliation, so filibustering isn't even an option.

[Eliot Rosewater]

9. Call, write your Senators.

If they do repeal many of us will die, many many more will lose our current living situation.

They are coming after Medicare next, then SS.

For real.

[Demit]

12. But what specifically would they be fighting against? Senate R's are doing it all in secret.

I'd like to hear DUers' suggestions on what specifically Dem senators should be doing right now. What actions should they be taking, now, before the vote?

[leftstreet]

14. Are they all over the news, stirring up citizens?

I don't know, I don't watch much of it

[ciaobaby]

15. That would be a big fat NO - they are not.

they are behind closed doors. I called both my senators and got the same answer to my question - basically nothing, nada, zip.
Really pathetic.

[Demit]

19. What, specifically, should they be all over the news saying, in your opinion?

[leftstreet]

21. Well, uh, there's this thing called a press conference

You get attention for the upcoming press announcement

You send out Democratic party leaders and they inform citizens that the GOPer controlled Senate is about to pass something horrible. You encourage them to call their representatives, make noise, fight back.

The press reports the necessary soundbites from the conference and more people get informed



The Democrats had no problem doing this when they wanted to motivate us against Bush's Iraq war

[Demit]

23. They're "going to pass something horrible"? LOL

"We don't know what it is, but they ARE."

The Press: What a great soundbite!

Citizen: OMG! I, as a citizen, have now been informed! I will now fight back!


Don't quit your day job.

[Horse with no Name]

16. Chris Hayes interviewed a Senator last night

She said they are going to fight it with everything they have.

[genxlib]

17. I'm going to get creamed for this but here goes

If Obamacare was actually in play, it would be worth fighting for.

But let's be honest, Obamacare (as envisioned) is not one of the choices we have. Remember we signed on to this effort with the hope that it could get better with tweaks. That is the opposite of what has happened.

Our best available choice is for an Obamacare that has been, and will continue to be, undermined by the fuckery of the GOP. Medicaid expansion, cutting payments to insurers, threats of changing the taxes all have damaged the ability of O-care to deliver what it could. Insurance works on stability and predictability. With the power structure in place right now, Insurance companies are very reluctant to even offer plans, especially cost effective ones.

My fear is that if it survives, it will be so severely damaged that it won't last. Regardless of all the nuance of what fuckery was perpetrated, that will be blamed on us. I'm not sure that would be considered a victory.

There is a political argument to be made that the GOP needs to own whatever they do. Have it be their plan, voted on by only them and let them sink or swim with the consequences.

Of course, that is a purely political analysis and does not account for all the suffering that goes with it. The moral argument is much more complicated because even a damaged O-care will serve more people than whatever the GOP come up with.

I am not really saying I agree with it entirely but that is the political argument

[leftstreet]

22. It's too bad the GOPers aren't trying to drop the Public Option

You make good points, and you see it from the perspective of politicians AND the people who'll suffer

The harshest reality is that the original program didn't go far enough. But we were told it had to be the way it was to pass with the GOPers and prevent their trying to dismantle it in the future

oops

[WhiteTara]

18. Well, there is NOTHING the Democrats can do.

They can fight behind the scenes and try to stop some Republicons from voting FOR the bill, but the have NO power to stop it. The Turtle stripped us of any ammunition to use by using the Reconciliation Process. 51 votes. That's it. Democrats will all vote NO.

[Txbluedog]

24. Except Manchin and Heitkamp

The Democrats have 46 seats in the Senate, Schumer probably thinks he can manage the caucus better it there were 18-20 less Democratic Senators