Anticipating Unanticipated Consequences

These are horrific political times. It’s hard not to be depressed–every day, it seems, we wake up to a new assault on what we thought were American values, new evidence of deplorable behaviors and attitudes we thought we’d left behind, new efforts to roll back hard-won progress.

But.

We need to remind ourselves that the turbulence and upheaval we see around us is not a new phenomenon. Times of social transition are typically unsettled and contentious. (Think of the Sixties, not to mention the Industrial Revolution, the Civil War…). The question is: what comes next? What are we transitioning to? 

My own prediction–based on history and a lot of hope–is that the election of Trump will prove to be a turning point, that the resistance and increased activism we are already seeing will grow more pronounced, and the political pendulum will swing back toward sanity and concern for the common good. The problem is, in the meantime, Trump and the Congressional GOP are doing incalculable damage to the environment, to the rule of law, to the economy and to America’s place in the world.

Yesterday, McConnell finally unveiled the Senate’s Trumpcare bill, and it is even worse than the House version; it proposes to take health care from millions of struggling Americans in order to give a huge tax break to the rich.

Despicable as it is, I’m not the only person who sees potential for eventual progress lurking in short-term disaster. Take Ezra Klein’s recent article for Vox, “Republicans are about to make Medicare-for-All Much More Likely.”

On Friday, McConnell reportedly “delivered a private warning to his Senate Republicans: If they failed to pass legislation unwinding the Affordable Care Act, Democrats could regain power and establish a single-payer health-care system.”

History may record a certain irony if this is the argument McConnell uses to successfully destroy Obamacare. In recent conversations with Democrats and industry observers, I’ve become convinced that just the opposite is true: If Republicans unwind Obamacare and pass their bill, then Democrats are much likelier to establish a single-payer health care system — or at least the beginnings of one — when they regain power.

And if the GOP successfully unwinds Obamacare, the Democrats are far more likely to regain power in 2018. As Klein says,

The political fallout from passing the American Health Care Act — which even Donald Trump is reportedly calling “mean” — will also be immense. In passing a bill that polls at 20 percent even before taking insurance away from anyone, Republicans will give Democrats a driving issue in 2018 and beyond — and next time Democrats have power, they’ll have to deliver on their promises to voters. Much as repeal and replace powered the GOP since 2010 and dominated their agenda as soon as they won back the White House, if the American Health Care Act passes, “Medicare for all” will power the Democratic Party after 2017.

The bubble that Congressional Republicans occupy has become so divorced from the reality of American life and opinion–so in thrall to a (shrinking) base that is itself divorced from reality–that they no longer connect with most Americans. And presumably, the Democrats will have learned some important lessons from their experience with the ACA.

If Republicans wipe out the Affordable Care Act and de-insure tens of millions of people, they will prove a few things to Democrats. First, including private insurers and conservative ideas in a health reform plan doesn’t offer a scintilla of political protection, much less Republican support. Second, sweeping health reform can be passed quickly, with only 51 votes in the Senate, and with no support from major industry actors. Third, it’s easier to defend popular government programs that people already understand and appreciate, like Medicaid and Medicare, than to defend complex public-private partnerships, like Obamacare’s exchanges….

Obamacare was the test of the incrementalist theory, and, politically, at least, it’s failed. Democrats built a law to appeal to moderate Republicans that incorporated key ideas from Mitt Romney’s Massachusetts reforms, and it nevertheless became the single most polarizing initiative of Obama’s presidency. All the work Democrats did to build support from the health care industry has proven to be worth precious little as Republicans push their repeal plan forward. And the complex public-private design of the Affordable Care Act left the system dependent on the business decisions of private insurers and left Democrats trying to explain away premium increases they don’t control. The result is a Democratic Party moving left, and fast, on health care.

“I have been in contact with a lot of Democrats in Congress,” says Yale’s Jacob Hacker, who is influential in liberal health policy circles, “and I am confident that the modal policy approach has shifted pretty strongly toward a more direct, public-option strategy, if not ‘Medicare for all.’”

As bleak as our current political environment is, Klein and others see Ryan, McConnell and our clueless President unwittingly sowing the seeds of fairer and more cost-effective policies.

The accuracy of that prediction, of course, depends upon the strength, savvy and persistence of the Resistance.

35 Comments

  1. Shelia, from your lips to G d’s ears.

    The fall from Empire is not graceful.

  2. Theresa; your comment hit me hard this morning, thank you. It has actually eased my fears; only a tad but that is better than the loss of hope I have been suffering through.

    Sheila; this copied and pasted comment today was reinforced for me by Theresa’s words.

    “My own prediction–based on history and a lot of hope–is that the election of Trump will prove to be a turning point, that the resistance and increased activism we are already seeing will grow more pronounced, and the political pendulum will swing back toward sanity and concern for the common good.”

    When I worked for a federally funded methadone clinic system here – under Republican city administration – the first thing I learned from the excellent addiction counselors was that all of our patients fell within only two groups which is part of what we are seeing/suffering through as a nation today. There are those who NEED to hit bottom (Trump and his administration and supporters) before they can begin their climb back to clear thinking, stopping their destructive actions and seek life. The other group had the ability to see the bottom coming and, with a lot of “wishful thinking”, begin their climb back up to life. I see this second group on this blog every day.

    The vast majority of us who daily read and comment on this blog, follow news reports with facts; seek to weed out “alternative facts” and “fake news”, we can see the bottom and are seeking ways to climb back up to democracy and life. How do we do that with the current administration in total control, a mentally unstable president allowed to be the national guru, and most of the money in this country and other parts of the world behind them?

    “As bleak as our current political environment is, Klein and others see Ryan, McConnell and our clueless President unwittingly sowing the seeds of fairer and more cost-effective policies.”

    It is up to us and others who recognize the reality of our government, the true source of our problems, and sort out the weeds from the plants we need to nurture. “…fairer and more cost-effective policies.” It is as always, “Follow the money.” Those who survived and thrived after the Sixties, the Industrial Revolution and the Civil War found a way; they sorted the “wheat from the chaff”; many doing it with little actual cash-in-hand. We face a tougher battle, hopefully it will be an internal Cold War of survival and will not be interrupted by Trump’s hoped for nuclear war to end all hopes and “wishful thinking”.

  3. Sorry Sheila, but this statement tells me you’re suffering from the duopoly trap:

    “The bubble that Congressional Republicans occupy has become so divorced from the reality of American life and opinion–so in thrall to a (shrinking) base that is itself divorced from reality–that they no longer connect with most Americans. And presumably, the Democrats will have learned some important lessons from their experience with the ACA.”

    The reason why Trump won the White House was Democrats abandoned the working class to hobnob with the Coastal Elites back in the 90’s.

    As for healthcare, what if the R’s push for a “mean healthcare plan” is nothing more than an industry ruse to get folks to embrace a more desirable option?

    And not single payer health insurance.

    Remember, Big Pharma & Med loses big profits under a single payer system. The last I checked, guess which political party is owned by Big Pharma?

    The Democratic Party.

    Bernie Sanders pushed through a drug importation bill to lower drug costs for Americans, and the Democratic base shut it down. Indiana Senator Joe Donnelly voted against the bill. Joe also received over $260,000 from Eli Lilly. Even the DNC’s darling, Cory Booker voted against the bill. Cory’s vote wasn’t a surprise considering Big Pharma cash greases his palms.

    It’s a racket in Washington, but you’re still falling for the right-left political spectrum duopoly. It doesn’t exist. Both corporate owned capitalist parties are the problem. Capitalism is what’s in decline because it is unsustainable. Infinite growth expectations on a finite planet is a hazardous combination.

    The truth is neither of the capitalistic parties will be the solution for the global unrest we are experiencing. We are struggling to develop the Next System – one that is sustainable, equal and works across the globe. We are inextricably linked and cannot avoid it, even if we resent it. 😉

  4. Every time an American visits a doctor or a hospital and has to fill out form after form regarding his or her insurance and ability to pay deductible expenses, they should think of people like me.

    I am part of a single payer health system–the VA. I never have to pay a deductible. I never have to fill out forms. I never have to deal with a doctor who is in medicine only to make millions. I never have a doctor recommend a procedure, a medicine or an operation in order to get a referral fee or help pay for a piece of equipment. I never have some flunky in an insurance company deny my coverage as an automatic policy of the corporation. I never have to engage a lawyer to force the insurance company to pay. I never have to go to a pharmacy that requires me to fill out forms and/or show proof of insurance.

    And I never have to pay a premium. Month after month year after year, I have a lot more money to spend on other necessities than those who have to pay insurance premiums.

    Now, that is FREEDOM. Freedom from fear of financial disaster as a result of my health needs. Freedom from paper work aggravations. Freedom from fear of the small print. Freedom from delay of care. Freedom from having doctors look at me with dollar signs in their eye. It is a freedom that my Chinese and German friends tell me they enjoy and about which Americans do not even have a clue.

    I suggest that paying a few more dollars in taxes to enable a single payer health system would be a monumental bargain, a greater deal for Americans than anything Trump has ever imagined.

  5. Historically, you have a good case, I think. The left organized, taught, and fought for decades for better wages, social security, an 8 hour workdasy, etc. Only when Republicans and Wall St. completely crashed the economy in 1929 and it became impossible to claim “the poor” deserved their lot did enough Americans wake up and go to the polls to support real social reform. It was still fiercely resisted by the right, who have never given up the fight, but most people have come to see the benefit. Hanging on to it will depend on the truth of Sheila’s last line “the strength, savvy, and persistence of the resistance.” Including the old fashioned job of organizing – of reaching out to those most affected in language they understand and offering a way forward in language they understand. ” Medicare for all! ” is a good start.

  6. Does Kansas provide help? Dems didn’t gain ground. The GOP rebelled, but for how long? I concur with Theresa. I appreciate JoAnn’s vast experience, but don’t see established Democrat leadership able to change. Did you see the attack on McConnell’s office yesterday by the disabled, wheelchair bound, and the police response? Where was Minority Leader Durbin, also hiding? Where was Joe Donnelly? That was a disgrace. If AHCA passes next week which is very likely, will people take to the streets? I very much doubt anyone will, with any great effect, except being arrested.

  7. HR 676 sponsored by John Conyers Enhanced Medicare for all – health care that includes all medically necessary care, such as primary care and prevention, dietary and nutritional therapies, prescription drugs, emergency care, long-term care, mental health services, dental services, and vision care. HR 676 now has 112 Co-Sponsors, all Democrats.

    There are according to WIKI 194 Democrats in the House, which means a substantial minority of Democrats have not signed on to be Co-Sponsors to HR 676. As Amy Goodman has said:
    “Canada’s Medicare system, which covers all residents, started in the rural province of Saskatchewan and then went national. As Trumpcare versus Obamacare dominates the cable news channels, the unreported movement for single-payer health care grows. As with all great shifts in history, when the people lead, the leaders follow”.

    Nancy Pelosi has not signed on to be a Co-Sponsor to HR 676. Pelosi is a failure as leader on Health Care.

    Noam Chomsky said, “The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum.”

    Debate in the McMega-Media is allowed to demonstrate that we follow the idea of a Free Press, but the rule book strictly limits the parameters. Trump-Ryan Care vs Obama Care are within the parameters of what can be “debated” anything outside this parameter like a Single Payer Medicare is not posed as viable option.

  8. I started telling friends two years ago that if the Rs are successful at destroying the ACA this will serve to propel us even more rapidly towards a single payer system.

    Before the ACA was enacted hospitals were closing due to financial pressures from treating the uninsured. In Indiana Pence was backed into a corner by hospital execs to back Medicaid expansion. He did not want to expand and in order to appease his financial supporters he demanded and fought for a waiver to create “his” form of expansion.

    If the Rs are successful at eliminating the Medicaid expansion and the subsidies for coverage on the exchanges, it will be financially devastating for millions of people and also for hospitals. In addition, the ACA created thousands of jobs that will also be eliminated. Those are jobs that have increased the taxes that governments receive that has helped pay for the additional coverage.

  9. Resistance? More like McResistance.

    The Mission Statement of The McResistance: We’ll just keep typing away like keyboard warriors and continue to vote for rotten Democrats such as Joe Donnelly.

    Where was Donnelly during yesterday’s confrontation at McConnell’s office? Probably having an expensive lunch with a pharmaceutical lobbyist.

    Btw,Todd Smekens is spot on wrt his comments.

  10. William –

    You can accuse us of being keyboard warriors, but I can assure you that I and others where I live are very active in doing whatever we can to bring about changes locally. Our goal is to educate citizens and encourage people to think critically.

    We are rising up in this rural area and will continue to work towards positive change. I am guessing that this is going on all over our state and our country. Far too many people have been pushed too far and it is now past the point of returning to the same old ways.

  11. I wrote my former doctor in Switzerland last week asking if she could provide me with a prescription for the thyroid medicine while I’m visiting Europe next week. I explained that the thyroid medicine I take is made in Switzerland and I’ve been taking it for four years. I could get a prescription for it here but would like to pick up a box of 100 while I’m there. You see a box of 100 in Switzerland costs 26.10 francs/dollars. (francs vs dollar = 1:1). I’ve had terrible allergic reactions to the thyroid medicines I’ve tried besides this one.

    I explained that here in AZ, a box of 84 pills (back in 2014 paid by my insurance) was 275.00 dollars. I called my current health insurance last week and they refused to cover it. The doctor in Switzerland was kind enough to say, sure, no problem and sent it to my spouse who picked it up yesterday and will continue to as long as he lives there. Phew, that’s a relief.

    This is what is wrong with our healthcare.
    #1 Costs are too freaking high.
    #2 Insurance determines what they pay for with no leeway from patients’ needs.
    #3 Insurance won’t pay for the blood work I need so I had to pay out of pocket $280 last month
    #4 I can’t go to a Naturopathic MD and get it covered by insurance even though she is a MD!
    #5 I’m on my own with vitamin supplements that I need because my thyroid condition depletes them.
    #6 really, should I continue?

    We have all been had.
    My spouse calls all insurance companies “daylight robbers.”

  12. William; one sentence in that site says it all. “Some people would rather have 1st Class seats on the Titanic than change the course of the ship.” Trump sends Sean Spicer and Sarah Huckabee Sanders out daily to “rearrange deck chairs on the Titanic” then claim when asked, “President Trump’s Tweets speak for themselves” after they announce “alternative facts” as news of the day from the White House.

    If you think about it in depth; all issues we are confronting and the damage done by Trump’s Executive Orders undoing the aid and protection of Americans and America on all levels; everything connects to the health care issue. Without health care we will become a dying breed; then who will support the expensive, expansive health care system and Big Pharma?

    The shame of the treatment of disabled protesters at McConnell’s office yesterday needs to go viral nationally and on to the international level to show the lengths to which Trump and his minions have gone thus far, unchecked, by the Constitution, laws or humanity in the current administration.

  13. McConnell and Ryan are willing to die with their hands on the throttle of the train wreck that is becoming health care because they already have their parachutes which will protect them after they are out of office – if ever. Every time I see McConnell, it becomes more obvious that he not only doesn’t care about the hundred of millions of Americans he is supposed to represent, he makes no effort to conceal his disdain. Ryan tries unsuccessfully to be slicker in his deception, but it doesn’t work. There is little hope that the shrinking minority of public servants in congress have any power to effect anything meaningful wrt health care or anything else.

    As the news from around the world shows, this is also the trend in Europe, Asia and Africa. Corruption is what drives criminals to seek public office, not the desire to serve the public. And they are all owned by commercial interests.

  14. AgingLGrl: “We have all been had.
    My spouse calls all insurance companies “daylight robbers.”

    I agree,but when we hold political prostitutes such as Joe Donnelly accountable,we are accused of unreasonably demanding political purity. Joe Donnelly and those like him couldn’t care less about the hoi poloi!

    As far as Donnelly and Pelosi are concerned, The Lives Of Insurance Executives Matter!

  15. AgingLGrl –

    For over 12 years I have taken thyroid medicine that is compounded to match my needs based upon blood tests. It has worked so much better than the pharmaceuticals. You just need to find a physician that understands and prescribes compounded meds and find a reputable compounding pharmacy.

    The compounded meds have always been less expensive than the pharmaceuticals, yet I have always had to pay for them out of pocket. They are less expensive because there is no pharmaceutical company gutting the patients for excessive profits to reward stock holders and the C Suite.

    Recently, the compounding prices kept increasing so I checked into going back on the pharmaceuticals and was shocked to find out just how much more expensive they have become and the pharmacist said that many insurance companies are refusing coverage. Your husband is exactly correct – it is daylight robbery.

    I am glad that you will be able to get your meds from Switzerland for the time being. You may want to check into what I have mentioned though. I currently pay approximately $24/month for a combo T3/T4 med.

  16. Todd and William great comments. This idea that somehow the “Resistance” will be rescued by the Corporate Establishment Democratic Party is bogus. A few years ago the Corporate Democratic Establishment failed to support the Occupy movement. The Corporate Democratic Establishment did all they could to sand bag Bernie Sanders.

  17. Check out what Senator Claire McCaskill suggested, now that is a true turning from what many of us have been calling for for years!

    https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/exactly-what-youd-expect-when-the-future-of-healthcare_gets-negotiated-in-a-secret-backroom-dealmccaskill

    If this idea goes viral, wonder what all those seated in Congress might have to say to their folks back home in response! This could even the playing-field!

    In reading what many of you had to say, I noticed that many of you are not in recovery from addiction. As Joann said, an addict has to reach “their bottom” before they may reach out for recovery. Anne Wilson-Schaef wrote a book several years ago about Society becoming an addict. It sure seems that way to me in this world we are living in. So many are supporting each others addictive thinking that it is truly amazing, and somewhat crazy to me at least, after over 36 years in recovery from alcohol addiction. They all thought I was just a social drinker/drunk. I knew better, later.

    Have a peaceful weekend…..

  18. Nancy,
    My doctor is great. She too has Hashi’s and I am so lucky to have found her.

    I take the generic T3 but while I lived in Switzerland, our insurance there wouldn’t cover it. But this AZ insurance does. I flew back once a year and my doctor would fax the prescription where ever I asked her to send it. I use compounded HRT from an AZ pharmacy and will ask them next time I need a refill (next month) if they can compound T4 and T3 for me. That might work. Thanks for the tip.

    Flying back and forth from Europe to get medication filled is expensive but for now, this will save me money for the T4. I had the trip planned anyway and thought of contacting the doctor after I called about the T4. I’m glad she (the doctor in Switzerland) understands our situation.

  19. One terrible consequence of the passage of oligarchycare would be that the Congressional Republicans will have to focus on something else after investing 8 years doing nothing other than trying to kill ACA for no other reason than that they named it Obamacare. Who knows what that might be? Trickle-down?

    Meanwhile the kids in the Whitehouse are totally unsupervised.

    And yet people here say that there is no alternative. We must hate Democrats as Republican media has propagandized endlessly for decades. We must follow Reagan reason that taught us that government is always a problem, never the solution.

    Or we could unite.

  20. The article, the references, the comments from thoughtful, intelligent American people for this June 23, 2017 article by Sheila Kennedy are perhaps the most useful and enlightening of anything so far assembled on U.S. Healthcare.

    A suggestion for one of many necessary next steps:
    One thing that makes me sad, angry and depressed is that there seems to be no major news TV outlet that brings intelligent and non-screaming political, academic and industry experts together to discuss and debate the health care issues at least once a week for at least one or two hours so that the usual rhetoric, cliches, and talking points are repealed and replaced by logical and articulate views from all sides of the healthcare topic. Even NPR doesn’t seem to be able to do it enough. (KQED-FM, “Forum” hosted by Michael Krasny does it darn well on RADIO.) Does it not happen because of the duopoly (two capitalist parties) system in the U.S.? How can we make some major TV news outlet get Robert Reich, Noam Chomsky vs. George Will and a pharmaceutical CEO, and Paul Ryan (for example) all obligated to debate, somehow in a productive, honest way for all to see?

  21. Some Democrats who are endlessly arguing among themselves demanding political purity of their representatives while allowing Republicans to loot the treasury are acting as Republican lite. The good news is that they will not occupy a place in our political future. Sheila is right. Trump is the best campaigner we have with his organic idiocy on public display and I predict that we will skip a step by step move from a Romney-designed start in Massachusetts to a single payer form of healthcare when we Democrats come back into power (and we will). Republican (and even Democratic) attacks on Democrats are designed to deflect attention from the chaos of the current Republican administration and may safely be ignored. So Donnelly is in Lilly’s pocket? Tell me how many and in whose pockets are Ryan and McConnell, and give me that answer free of deflection, such as the one Trump has perfected when confronted with his sexual predation and answered “Look what Bill Clinton did” as though that answered the question when it was clearly diversionary and not responsive. Republicans are in control now and are responsible for what is and is not going on. As such, we should demand answers to questions asked without reference to someone else’s sex life, Benghazi, and other such diversionary tactics designed to avoid answering the questions, which is just another Goebbles exercise in the propaganda negation via diversion and Lakoffian reframing.

  22. I in my zeal mistakenly wrote Goebbles in my response to Sheila’s blog when it should have been Goebbels. Mea culpa

  23. You made a point which bears repeating. You can’t out-Republican a Republican. I think Harry Truman said it.

    Obama didn’t adopt the Heritage Foundation healthcare plan because he thought it was the best plan. He thought it was a path to gaining GOP support to enact – finally – health care reforms. As you’ve also noted before, partisanship trumps everything, including in this case the resolve to deal with the private sector health care and health insurance businesses which were pricing themselves out of existence and leaving sickness, disability, bankruptcy, and death in their wake.

    People don’t appreciate government programs until they are in jeopardy. The GOP is doing for Obamacare what Democrats never did – highlighting what we’re about to lose. I hope various journalists are right that the end result will be a single-payer program. I also hope it’ll happen in my lifetime.

  24. Barbara George: Congratulations on your recovery!

    A segment of America is addicted to Donald Trump. He and his hangers-on need to get into recovery before they get us all killed. The world is watching.

  25. The problem with our health care system is that too many people who don’t actually provide health care are getting rich. From the CEOs of the big insurers, big pharmacy chains and hospital systems, to the “investors” in Big Pharma, and the ever-enlarging physician practice groups who banded together to fight to keep the big money rolling in and to fight cuts, all are in it for money only, pure and simple. The father of a good friend of mine was a GP in Ohio, and he used to fill his patients’ prescriptions in the office. His fees, for both the office visit and prescription, were ridiculously modest by today’s standards. The need for greed has almost eliminated all small private practices, including small specialty practices, such as urology and cardiology. Try finding a small, independent urologist or cardiologist these days in a major city.

    The Republicans are fighting to keep the money flowing to these people, but the biggest feature of both versions of their health care bills is a tax cut to the wealthiest and elimination of the tax on medical devices. In the process, Medicaid will take a severe hit, and we’ll go back to the days when the poor will use the ER for primary care, thus increasing costs for everyone. How does Chump reconcile these facts with his campaign promises? He can’t, so he ignores the disconnect between his rhetoric and reality and instead spends our tax dollars traveling to Iowa to get his fix for praise and personal adulation. He is no leader. He is seriously mentally ill. I don’t understand how his followers don’t see this. BTW: look carefully at those chosen to be in the camera shot behind him: tell me they aren’t being paid. I observed 3 young, bleached blondes, wearing “Make America Great” bill caps, holding “Women For Trump” signs, but looking bored.

  26. This is not our first rodeo. We’ve been Republicaned before.

    Those keeping track remember that. Those out for more power have been seduced by the promise of it.

    The problem is not Democrats.

  27. “Anticipating Unanticipated Consequences”

    Per Gerald, another on target comment; “Some Democrats who are endlessly arguing among themselves demanding political purity of their representatives while allowing Republicans to loot the treasury are acting as Republican lite.”

    My BFF since 1953 at Tech High School; has been a political activist in the San Francisco area for more than 50 years. Today in the mail I received from her an article from Rolling Stone, February 9, 2017, issue: “The Radical Crusade Of MIKE PENCE”. We are all aware Trump might be/could be/it is a good possibility that he will be ousted as president and we will be stuck with Pence. We must begin preparing to seriously consider “Anticipating Unanticipated Consequences” of a different sort…or be ready to move into a new realm of the Twilight Zone and be prepared with applicable Bible verses. His use of campaign funds to pay personal living expenses was somehow allowed; is that mode of looting the federal treasury allowed? Pence’s type of War on Women’s Health is a factor in other Republican states at this time; he fully intends to take his Indiana laws to the federal level…we must anticipate a new set of consequences forced on us with full support from the far-right religious faction. Betsy DeVos is already ensconced in the Department of Education; a strong and very dangerous foothold to educate our youth to creationism and we will become the sacrificial lambs. Take a lesson from the American Boy Scouts: “Be Prepared”

  28. To: Todd, at 8:19am
    “The reason why Trump won the White House was Democrats abandoned the working class to hobnob with the Coastal Elites back in the 90’s.”
    Gee, Todd, I thought the reason was that Dirty Pool Trump, with such sound bites as “Crooked Hillary” and “Drain the Swamp” the handful of GOP Electors ignored the nearly 3 million more popular votes than the Orange Ogre.
    For he didn’t say anything worthwhile, did he? But it’s all his “friends” needed to hear.
    My friends heard me say “Hillary is the candidate most prepared in the history of the U.S.”

  29. To: Pete at 12:18pm
    Lest we forget, their constituents REQUIRED of them that they kill Obamacare on threat of losing their jobs. And they couldn’t fix it; they HAD to kill it. There would be too many poison pills (as there are now in the Trumpcare bill) and no amendments allowed. How else could they kill Planned Parenthood? How else could they cover a certain provision (abortion)? How else could they screw the poor and disabled? These factors and more opened the White House Doors to these craven billionaires while their dickin’ with tax structure has us approaching a mind-boggling national debt. Thank Ronald Reagan and followers of “trickle down” who made “no new taxes” the motto for decades when new taxes were needed instead of selling Treasury Bonds.
    Now how can they possibly start World War Three? It’s the only way they can get re-elected this time. We’ll need a Roosevelt or Kennedy to get us out of this. Fear, fear when “all we need to fear is fear itself”.

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