I've been predicting this as the flash point from the beginning.

I've been predicting this to anyone that will listen (mainly my wife, daughters, and a few like minded friends).

When his back is against the wall he'll start a war--most likely with North Korea.

Nothing will get everyone to rally around the flag better than a war.

He's not smart enough to understand all of the uncontrollable events that could be unleashed. He only understands that attacks distract and will allow him to act as the great and fearless leader.

I, unfortunately, am in complete agreement with you.

They've chained themselves to repeal

The Republicans have shackled themselves to repeal and if you look at the numbers coming out of the CBO that's where this bill would get them. They're not doing so good on replace.

If you look at this paper (http://www.kff.org/uninsured/report/the-uninsured-at-the-starting-line-findings-from-the-2013-kaiser-survey-of-low-income-americans-and-the-aca/) by Kaiser it shows that the number of uninsured was roughly 47 millions pre-ACA.

Both the Senate and the House bill do a dandy job of repealing. But don't do a damned thing to replace. Both will lead to uninsured numbers that are almost an exact match of pre-ACA numbers.

The Republicans a few days ago were pointing out that there are still 28 million uninsured and were trying to use that as a justification for repeal of the ACA. Somehow, in their minds, going back to close to 50 million uninsured is an improvement. I guess we'd be going back to the good old days when the uninsured that weren't poor enough just quietly suffered and died.

I think everyone that is paying attention knows that they are trying to accomplish two long sought after goals with this bill: a large tax cut for the highest earners in the country which they're trying to justify by claiming that these tax cuts will magically result in increased economic growth (supply side redux...because it worked out so well that last two times); and gutting Medicaid by imposing per capita caps AND make it a block grant to the states.

They are just quivering with eagerness. But, as Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell, have complained--all these interest groups keep pointing out how many millions of American citizens this will screw over.

There are only two ways this is going to going to end and neither one of them is all that good for the treasonous opposition. The first outcome is that the the bill makes it to Trump's desk. He'll sign it even though he has no idea what it will actually do. The problem with this is the timing. They'll have the legislative win they want so badly but it comes before 2018. The attack ads almost write themselves.

The other possible outcome is that the bill dies in the Senate and the Republicans will actually have to do their jobs and work with the Democrats to "fix" the ACA. They'll have the embarrassment of a huge (yuuuuuuge) legislative loss hung around their necks. The right wing will start sharpening their knives. Again, the problem is the timing. It is before 2018 and the attack ads almost write themselves.

I don't see any outcome that is going to be a net win for the Republicans. I keep thinking they can't really be this stupid, but at some point the Republicans became a suicide pact. While they've done an incredible job of gerrymandering and making the field of battle really challenging to the Democrats they've had to move so far to the right to avoid being primaried that the current Republican platform is composed of things that are incredibly unpopular. It is getting harder and harder to make the shit smell like roses.

Don Viejo, as always, love your posts.

Spot on as usual.

He doesn't know what's in it

But he would sign it if it reached his desk.

This is what we have for president right now. This is going to cost us our primacy in the world. Probably already has.

Spot on.

Just like healthcare we are doing this wrong

Just like with healthcare, in spite of numerous examples of how to do it right, we've chosen to do it the wrong way.

The reason for that? Are we just populated by stupid people? Is running elections the worst possible way an intrinsic part of the American way? Or might it be that doing it the way we do it gives someone or something an overwhelming advantage.

We've all been asking ourselves for years why do people keep voting against their own interests? What if that hasn't really been happening?

If you poll people on individual Republican positions they are against most of them.

Could it be that a whole series of elections have simply been stolen. Bush v Gore? We know that one was stolen. But what about Bush v Kerry? There was some really weird shit that happened in Ohio where a nakedly partisan Secretary of State ruled the entire voting aparatus.

What if that same party has moved on from just making sure that there aren't enough voting machines to actually just installing vote changing malware onto key state tabulator machines. This would not even require access via the internet.

The idea of conducting our elections with proprietary software from for profit companies that is unauditable is insane. It has been going on for decades. It has to change but most likely won't. Our rulers don't want it to change.

Pelosi knows how to play the game

Pelosi has done a phenomenal job while under phenomenal pressure that has never let up.

Now Democrats want to attack her because Jon Ossoff wasn't able to win in a district that Tom Price won by over 23%? I know Hillary only lost by 1% in that district, but in the same election Tom Price won with no trouble at all.

The Republicans will be so happy if the progressive wing of the party goes to the mats and splinters the party and makes it almost inconceivable that there will be any substantive gains in 2018.

I'm a progressive and Pelosi sometimes frustrates me. But she's a fighter and she picks her battles with care. Yes, she took impeachment off the table during the Bush years. She knew that there was no way Bush would be impeached and didn't want to spend a lot of political capital and time and effort on something that wasn't ever going to happen.

The Republicans will use her name in campaign ads. The people that respond to those ads hate her already and are not Democratic voters. Progressives and centrist need to unite and support the Democratic candidate in every case. If we fracture and stay home or write in candidates because the person running isn't sufficiently pure then we beat ourselves.

Haven't we just done that? How'd that work out?

The Republicans will be chortling with glee if we take our eye off the prize and start attacking one of our most effective leaders in the House.

Both of my grandmothers were on Medicaid when they died

Both of my grandmothers were on Medicaid when they died. We did the spend down for my father's mother Nanny. My mother's mother gave me her last shares of IBM stock (which saved my ass as I had spent my student loan money for that semester on "other" things) and then she was able to get on Medicaid.

This cutting of Medicaid doesn't just affect those nasty, worthless poor people--it affects anyone who isn't very wealthy.

Spread the word. The Republicans are trying to surreptitiously screw over pretty much all of us.

Medicare doesn't pay for nursing home care. The chances are close to 100% that you'll be on Medicaid before your life is done.

Again, spread the word.

(By the way, my two Senators are Cornyn and Cruz and my representative is Crypt Keeper Sam Johnson so I won't be spending a lot of time on the phone. The never respond. Their constituents are the corporations and lobbyists that give them money, buy them dinner, and take them on junkets. The rest of us are the sheep that never seem to figure it out.)

Same level of intelligence as a monkey throwing shit

He is a one trick pony. He has learned that attacking throws people off balance and his attacks require intelligent people to respond. He figured it out as a child and it is still working for him.

Like a monkey throwing shit. Some of it sticks.

Remember the hysteria Sarah Palin generated about "death" panels?

We now see the real Death panel. It's head is McConnell and John Cornyn.

It remains to be seen if we can make this matter...