I am tired of seeing the Democrats characterized as feckless and weak in reference to the shutdown. They were not. With Trump in the Oval, and a veto-proof majority impossible, they were not going to get an ACA extension out of this Congress. Meanwhile, people were going hungry due to Trump's malicious, hateful suspension of SNAP benefits. The Democrats played this perfectly: they put the ACA/health insurance issue front and center and laid it in the Republicans' laps, they put Trump in a position to characterize himself as cruel and out of touch, and they set the GOP up to take the fall when they fail to extend the subsidies. The Republicans are nowhere on healthcare because the Democrats made it so. Give them due credit.
I wouldn’t characterize their play on the shutdown as perfect, but you’re right about the feckless and weak charge. I was furious when it was first announced, one of the 8 is my senator, but when the dust settled, it was clear that reopening the government was the only responsible course to take. Holding out any longer wouldn’t have accomplished a thing, and knowing the dictator’s cult lies about everything, it was pointless to get all worked up over their “promise” to hold a vote on the subsidies later. The cult is going to get hammered next year because they just can’t help themselves and because the dictator is a demented idiot who doesn’t give a fig about the party.
Like others who have also posted on this site, I was initially livid that 5 Dems and 1 Indy decided to end the shutdown of the government. However, by doing so, they not only provided Dems with ammunition for the midterms regarding healthcare costs but it also forced Little Mikie "Bible Thumper" Johnson to swear in Rep. Adelita Grijalva. Her first official act was to cast the deciding vote to approve the discharge petition to release the Epstein files. Who would have ever believed that one vote would release the tsunami that ensued with the only "no" coming from the embarrassment from LA. So, Tim, I agree with you. The Dems ended up playing this hand like pros.
I totally agree with you comment. Given the circumstances, the Democrats did the best they could do, i.e., they laid a legislative trap for the Republicans and the Republicans gleefully walked into the trap.
It's true that vis a vis the shutdown, and other things recently, the Democrats were in a difficult place. But we have to stop letting the Party off the hook for the state of the country. Yes, this president is an abomination; he makes everyone else look like a brilliant saint. And Congressional Republicans have been craven cowards. But we must start holding the Democrats accountable for much of what is wrong with "the system" and why the current president won in 2016. I fear that we'll be so grateful to get back in power that we'll forget how much change is needed within the Democratic Party too.
True. Democrats have missed too many opportunities and tried to play to the center, continuing neoliberal policies under Clinton and Obama, and allowing “moderates” to block progress in many areas including desperately needed electoral reform. They need to embrace the lesson of Mamdani and put forth a real progressive agenda, including universal healthcare, a robust social safety net, investments in education, research, and green infrastructure, and addressing wealth inequality.
And longterm care. It’s expensive no matter how you spin it. It’s going to get worse. We, as a nation, are going to have to deal with it one way or another. Leaving it to individuals and families isn’t cutting it.
Yes. People use that truism, "The best is the enemy of the good." They forget that the good is also the enemy of the best. Too often we simply settle, out of laziness.
Philip, it's called politics. I've always believed that politics is the art of the *possible*. Compromise is the grease that oils the skids in a successful democracy. The primary reason our democracy is not working very well is because one side is unwilling to compromise. It's not the Democrats.
What they“ need to do is find candidates who can not just play to the center and not just embrace a progressive agenda, but find candidates who can identify with their own constituents because that’s who votes for them. It worked in other places. But that takes somebody getting down into the Weeds with the people in their districts. All the pundits and everybody else who thinks the national program is the answer are wrong. It’s good to have goals but it’s also good to be somewhat flexible so that we can have all kinds of people become elected whether we agree with every single one of their policies or not. Progressive can’t get like neoliberals, and reject people who are perfectly good and electable candidates because they’re not “perfect” on all the issues.
Agree. When the Democrats have the trifecta again, they MUST act on the promises made to regular people, even if that means getting rid of the filibuster, which it will. They must pass Medicare for All and end this health insurance debacle. They must raise taxes on the wealthy and restore the safety net. They must reform the SCOTUS. And so on. The people are speaking now and demanding real change.
Plus, they each had their own reasons. Tim Kaine represents a state with over 150,000 federal employees. He was under immense pressure from federal employee labor leaders. Aren’t Democrats supposed to represent the interests of workers?
Thanks for saying this and to those who’ve made this the topmost comment. Am so sick of the usual whineybutt Democratic purity circular firing squad surfacing every time a major confrontation ensues.
Going into 2026, I would much rather be a Democrat going on the offense than a shabby little Republican explaining to his/her angry constituents why s/he hates them so much.
The Cave-In Caucus were hardly 'perfect' in their handling of the shutdown. The public was turning against Trump and the republicans in ever-increasing numbers the longer the shutdown continued - and republicans knew it. The Democrats had just shown incredible strength in winning elections across the board in every corner of the country, and with that wind at their backs, senate dems had enormous leverage to push republicans to cut a deal on ACA subsidies. Instead, the Cave-Ins crapped out and settled for the promise of a vote instead real action. It was a stupid and irresponsible mistake, and people will literally be paying for it once the ACA subsidies expire. Feckless, weak, and I would add criminally naive, are precisely the right descriptions for their actions.
I understand their reasons for doing what they did. I agree that name calling isn't helpful. But, I still think it was the wrong decision for the long term. By caving this time they make it difficult, if not impossible, to stand their ground in the future. I'm afraid that come the end of January if the Democrats let another shutdown happen, they'll take the blame. People will see the inevitable pain that's going to happen with no reason to believe that the Democrats will ultimately achieve anything to show for it. That puts the Republicans in a 'take it or leave it' position with no reason to give an inch on their demands. Hopefully those demands will be tempered by the realities of public opinion, but that hasn't been the case so far.
I disagree. The Republicans were crumbling and were at the point of opening up a yawning chasm in their ranks. The vote coming up in the Senate is worth little. Either Republican senators will put up almost enough votes from those whose re-election campaigns are years away. Or they might even pass the legislation. I could see the House doing so too. Let Trump veto the bill. He is becoming a liability anyway. Most importantly though are 1) the cavers put themselves on the record as supporters of the BBBA, and even more importantly; 2) this fight was never simply about health care. It was about the Democrats finally standing their ground on a winning issue against a President, a Republican-controlled Congess, and a Supreme Court working in concert to establish that unitary executive illiberal democracy. This was perhaps our only chance to throw a monkey wrench in the works. Or do we believe in free and fair elections in 2026?
They stood their ground. But real people were being hurt. Also, yes, there will be free and fair elections in 2026—not without Trump trying to corrupt them, but that's where we are now. The whole "It's sweet that you still believe there will be elections in 2026" line is lazy cynicism.
Real people are still getting hurt, with no prospect of relief. We did not win anything on that score by ending the impasse. "Lazy cynicism" is, if I may say so, a bit of a cheap shot. Let's not forget how the red states are stacking up the potential new Republican Representatives on Trump's orders, nor the potential of a clean sweep in the South if the Supreme Court finishes gutting the Voting Rights Act - potentially 12 more red Representatives. Also, there is all sorts of quiet interference and trickery being practiced at the federal, state, and local levels, and let us not forget the Administration's attempt to get the voter registration roles from every state...
Ya know, I actually like this argument. I've heard the feckless dismissal often but this sounds more likely. I think it was a good strategy. Maybe they could have rolled it out to the public a little slower but the damage we inflicted was massive.
The shutdown hit the stage of diminishing returns, but the POINT had been made. And, sadly, until "certain voters" feel the painful consequences of THEIR OWN VOTES, they will NOT wake up to reality. Millions have to suffer the consequences alongside them, but the Democratic minority had run out of road to effect change *in the moment* with the hand that VOTERS HAVE DEALT THEM.
I think this is the best point. Voters are already feeling the "painful consequences" of the Big Ugly Bill and it's going to get a lot worse very soon, when they start to find out what their 2026 health insurance premiums are going to be. But I'll be surprised if there is actually a vote on health care this month. After all, it's a Republican promise, and we all know what those are worth.
It did work. The Democrat outperformed Trump in that district by 13 points. It's a very red district and she was probably not the right candidate for it, given her past talk about being a radical and campaigning with AOC, who's just this side of the Devil to many conservatives. If we want to win those districts in 2026, we need to run sensible moderates who talk about affordability and kitchen table issues, not the left-wing bomb throwers who can win in SF, Boston, and NY.
Well seen and said, Jen! On top of affordability and healthcare chaos, there is the general lack of competence among cabinet leaders and their flunkies, which may be the scariest part of it all.
Tennesseans may regret not voting for Behn very soon. But it strikes me as so obvious that the Republicans have no interest in governing when they can’t come up with something in 20 years. Except negative ideas. There was a joke in my company that the legal department was the department of the “no”. I believe that’s what this Republican party has now become, the party of “no”, no ideas no clue and no interest in giving voters what they want.
It's been that way for a long time. Republicans only issues are cultural and have no answers.
It might be a long time before Democrats control Congress and the Presidency, but I'm all in favor of getting rid of the filibuster. Republicans don't govern so they won't pass anything. At least then the Democrats could get through some legislation to get the country moving and a lot of needed reforms and constraints on the Executive and courts.
It's old news now, but the Democrats should remind people that as Republicans sat home during the shutdown, Trump had a blowout feast and party, while SNAP recipients contemplated losing their benefits. That should tell you everything you need to know about Republicans.
The healthcare fiasco is a clear indication that we desperately need to kick the for-profit insurance companies out of the loop and institute a single-payer approach. Insurance companies are an expensive doorkeeper to accessing healthcare professionals. They create obscene amounts of paperwork for doctors, clinics, pharmacies and hospitals while piffling over who is in-network and who isn't. Especially in times of emergency care, the patient has no idea which one of the providers is in their network until the bills roll in. Both Medicare and the VA show that administrative costs are far below the private system. Legislators need to recognize that healthcare is a human right, and to deny it is criminal negligence.
Affordability must stay front and center. Affordability of healthcare, of food, of housing, of education. And affordability will only be achieved through massive tax reform.
The American contradictions are so numerous it’s a wonder the US functions at all under a two party system. But, we still consider it a democracy. When 75% of the population wants publicly funded healthcare, including reproductive health rights, why don’t we have both? I thought 51% was the tipping point for majority rule. Money and the power it conveys must be controlled or stop saying “democracy”, “the American people”, or “Americans” in speeches. “We the people” certainly is emphasized in the Constitution and in our hearts but has been an empty phrase for too long and from our beginning. More honestly, “Me and mine” states the reality and is at the core of our government’s disfunction.
Ever since the Citizens United decision (and even somewhat before that) the financial interests of the wealthy (both individual and corporate) have been actively directing the actions of the government. 'We the people' have had less and less influence over the legislation that affects all of our lives. Major reforms are needed in campaign and legislators' finance practices.
"“Republicans have not put forth a single credible proposal to address the affordability crisis. Instead, life in America is more expensive,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries"
To be fair, republicans have not put forth a single bill about anything - with the exception of finessing the continued support of low or no taxes for the uber-rich. Selling against this sorry situation should not be the struggle it appears to be.
Democrats have been trying to get some form of nationalized health insurance ever since the Truman Administration. Every time they tried, the GOP would circle the horror wagons with tales of bullshit.
Then Barack Obama got the brilliant idea of ramping up Mitt Romney’s existing program in Massachusetts for the whole country. Since that time, Republicans have never forgiven him for outsmarting them at their own game.
True, but remember that Obama first campaigned on a single-payer healthcare program. He was for it before he was against it. Like many Democrats before him, he caved on this because of pressure from special-interest groups.
He found a way of winning, is what you mean. If you set your purity tests on the smallest aperture possible, nothing bigger than a micron will ever get through. Real politics is about getting real deals done. Nancy Pelosi worked her tail off to get this one through. Millions are grateful, accordingly.
“Unless political reality dawns on Republicans, they will have no cogent response.” That is a fair point. And one that advantages us. However the GOP still has an ace in the hole: their so-far pretty successful efforts to cheat in the midterms in various ways. We must remember that every morning and every evening.
A friend's daughter-in-law needs to get medical insurance through the ACA because her husband's job does not provide insurance for spouses. So a well-educated middle-class couple is about to face a massive increase in premiums, and they don't have any reasonable alternatives. I wish more people who are directly affected would speak out on how the loss of subsidies affects millions of families.
What are the disabled supposed to do for health care when they can't work and have to rely on SSI to go through in order to pay rent? One has to be disabled for 2 years, 6 months to be able to get on Medicare. And you have to have enough work history or the Medicare costs more. We need national health.
Republicans have never been anywhere on healthcare. They’ve had years to figure this out even before the ACA
was passed. They have still had time since then. They don’t care nor do they care how much more expensive it gets. They’re only interested in giving their billionaire friends and donors a huge tax credit at our expense.
How can a family's kitchen-table budget, already stressed to the breaking point pour money into a health savings account? Where is this mythical money going to come from? This idea reinforces the cruel reality that those who propose it are totally out of touch.
I just had the thought that because the GOP—famously—has no agenda but tax cuts and confirming conservative judges, their senators and congresspeople never develop any subject matter expertise. It’s no wonder someone thought up the entirely useless (for health insurance) solution of an HSA, or voted for work requirements for Medicaid despite the fact that it’s the provider who receives the payment, not the poor or elderly patient.
Let's get real here for a minute: The current contribution limits on federal health savings accounts are $4,300 for self-only coverage and $8,550 for family coverage. After the ACA premium credits expire, those contribution limits won't cover even a junk healthcare policy with exorbitant deductibles.
Republicans have been talking about 'repealing and replacing Obamacare' for 15 years and have yet to come up with a plan. Meanwhile, the ACA has proved to be both effective and popular with the American public. But republicans don't give a damn about the public. They're happy to find all the money in the world - AND blow the national debt sky high - to fund tax cuts for their donor class, but when it comes to helping average Americans every proposal is 'too expensive' or they suddenly get religion about the national debt.
The priorities of both parties are stark and clear: Democrats want to take care of average Americans; republicans want to make sure the well-off are even more comfy.
Decades ago the Hill-Burton Act built hospitals throughout America. These hospitals had an obligation for a certain amount of charity care. Most of these hospitals now have closed or have been purchased by conglomerates. Charity write-offs now are difficult to get. Expect bankruptcies due to medical debt to skyrocket.
It's just a no-brainer for Rs. D'uh, you wanna have a chance to retain your seat, then vote to extend the subsidies. But then again they are so out of practice at doing what the people want. Jess Piper wrote the other day that when she was at her hair salon, the subject everyone was talking about was health insurance.
I am tired of seeing the Democrats characterized as feckless and weak in reference to the shutdown. They were not. With Trump in the Oval, and a veto-proof majority impossible, they were not going to get an ACA extension out of this Congress. Meanwhile, people were going hungry due to Trump's malicious, hateful suspension of SNAP benefits. The Democrats played this perfectly: they put the ACA/health insurance issue front and center and laid it in the Republicans' laps, they put Trump in a position to characterize himself as cruel and out of touch, and they set the GOP up to take the fall when they fail to extend the subsidies. The Republicans are nowhere on healthcare because the Democrats made it so. Give them due credit.
I wouldn’t characterize their play on the shutdown as perfect, but you’re right about the feckless and weak charge. I was furious when it was first announced, one of the 8 is my senator, but when the dust settled, it was clear that reopening the government was the only responsible course to take. Holding out any longer wouldn’t have accomplished a thing, and knowing the dictator’s cult lies about everything, it was pointless to get all worked up over their “promise” to hold a vote on the subsidies later. The cult is going to get hammered next year because they just can’t help themselves and because the dictator is a demented idiot who doesn’t give a fig about the party.
John, more to it...he doesn't care about the people who litteraly adore him, and they will become voters scorned and then...trump will fall.
That's my plan anyway !!
And that is a good plan Patricia.
Same here.
I hope people remember this come mid-terms.
Like others who have also posted on this site, I was initially livid that 5 Dems and 1 Indy decided to end the shutdown of the government. However, by doing so, they not only provided Dems with ammunition for the midterms regarding healthcare costs but it also forced Little Mikie "Bible Thumper" Johnson to swear in Rep. Adelita Grijalva. Her first official act was to cast the deciding vote to approve the discharge petition to release the Epstein files. Who would have ever believed that one vote would release the tsunami that ensued with the only "no" coming from the embarrassment from LA. So, Tim, I agree with you. The Dems ended up playing this hand like pros.
Yep. That was obviously part of the strategy.
I totally agree with you comment. Given the circumstances, the Democrats did the best they could do, i.e., they laid a legislative trap for the Republicans and the Republicans gleefully walked into the trap.
It's true that vis a vis the shutdown, and other things recently, the Democrats were in a difficult place. But we have to stop letting the Party off the hook for the state of the country. Yes, this president is an abomination; he makes everyone else look like a brilliant saint. And Congressional Republicans have been craven cowards. But we must start holding the Democrats accountable for much of what is wrong with "the system" and why the current president won in 2016. I fear that we'll be so grateful to get back in power that we'll forget how much change is needed within the Democratic Party too.
True. Democrats have missed too many opportunities and tried to play to the center, continuing neoliberal policies under Clinton and Obama, and allowing “moderates” to block progress in many areas including desperately needed electoral reform. They need to embrace the lesson of Mamdani and put forth a real progressive agenda, including universal healthcare, a robust social safety net, investments in education, research, and green infrastructure, and addressing wealth inequality.
And longterm care. It’s expensive no matter how you spin it. It’s going to get worse. We, as a nation, are going to have to deal with it one way or another. Leaving it to individuals and families isn’t cutting it.
Yes. People use that truism, "The best is the enemy of the good." They forget that the good is also the enemy of the best. Too often we simply settle, out of laziness.
Philip, it's called politics. I've always believed that politics is the art of the *possible*. Compromise is the grease that oils the skids in a successful democracy. The primary reason our democracy is not working very well is because one side is unwilling to compromise. It's not the Democrats.
What they“ need to do is find candidates who can not just play to the center and not just embrace a progressive agenda, but find candidates who can identify with their own constituents because that’s who votes for them. It worked in other places. But that takes somebody getting down into the Weeds with the people in their districts. All the pundits and everybody else who thinks the national program is the answer are wrong. It’s good to have goals but it’s also good to be somewhat flexible so that we can have all kinds of people become elected whether we agree with every single one of their policies or not. Progressive can’t get like neoliberals, and reject people who are perfectly good and electable candidates because they’re not “perfect” on all the issues.
Agree. When the Democrats have the trifecta again, they MUST act on the promises made to regular people, even if that means getting rid of the filibuster, which it will. They must pass Medicare for All and end this health insurance debacle. They must raise taxes on the wealthy and restore the safety net. They must reform the SCOTUS. And so on. The people are speaking now and demanding real change.
Plus, they each had their own reasons. Tim Kaine represents a state with over 150,000 federal employees. He was under immense pressure from federal employee labor leaders. Aren’t Democrats supposed to represent the interests of workers?
Thanks for saying this and to those who’ve made this the topmost comment. Am so sick of the usual whineybutt Democratic purity circular firing squad surfacing every time a major confrontation ensues.
Going into 2026, I would much rather be a Democrat going on the offense than a shabby little Republican explaining to his/her angry constituents why s/he hates them so much.
The Cave-In Caucus were hardly 'perfect' in their handling of the shutdown. The public was turning against Trump and the republicans in ever-increasing numbers the longer the shutdown continued - and republicans knew it. The Democrats had just shown incredible strength in winning elections across the board in every corner of the country, and with that wind at their backs, senate dems had enormous leverage to push republicans to cut a deal on ACA subsidies. Instead, the Cave-Ins crapped out and settled for the promise of a vote instead real action. It was a stupid and irresponsible mistake, and people will literally be paying for it once the ACA subsidies expire. Feckless, weak, and I would add criminally naive, are precisely the right descriptions for their actions.
I understand their reasons for doing what they did. I agree that name calling isn't helpful. But, I still think it was the wrong decision for the long term. By caving this time they make it difficult, if not impossible, to stand their ground in the future. I'm afraid that come the end of January if the Democrats let another shutdown happen, they'll take the blame. People will see the inevitable pain that's going to happen with no reason to believe that the Democrats will ultimately achieve anything to show for it. That puts the Republicans in a 'take it or leave it' position with no reason to give an inch on their demands. Hopefully those demands will be tempered by the realities of public opinion, but that hasn't been the case so far.
I disagree. The Republicans were crumbling and were at the point of opening up a yawning chasm in their ranks. The vote coming up in the Senate is worth little. Either Republican senators will put up almost enough votes from those whose re-election campaigns are years away. Or they might even pass the legislation. I could see the House doing so too. Let Trump veto the bill. He is becoming a liability anyway. Most importantly though are 1) the cavers put themselves on the record as supporters of the BBBA, and even more importantly; 2) this fight was never simply about health care. It was about the Democrats finally standing their ground on a winning issue against a President, a Republican-controlled Congess, and a Supreme Court working in concert to establish that unitary executive illiberal democracy. This was perhaps our only chance to throw a monkey wrench in the works. Or do we believe in free and fair elections in 2026?
They stood their ground. But real people were being hurt. Also, yes, there will be free and fair elections in 2026—not without Trump trying to corrupt them, but that's where we are now. The whole "It's sweet that you still believe there will be elections in 2026" line is lazy cynicism.
Real people are still getting hurt, with no prospect of relief. We did not win anything on that score by ending the impasse. "Lazy cynicism" is, if I may say so, a bit of a cheap shot. Let's not forget how the red states are stacking up the potential new Republican Representatives on Trump's orders, nor the potential of a clean sweep in the South if the Supreme Court finishes gutting the Voting Rights Act - potentially 12 more red Representatives. Also, there is all sorts of quiet interference and trickery being practiced at the federal, state, and local levels, and let us not forget the Administration's attempt to get the voter registration roles from every state...
Ya know, I actually like this argument. I've heard the feckless dismissal often but this sounds more likely. I think it was a good strategy. Maybe they could have rolled it out to the public a little slower but the damage we inflicted was massive.
💯
The shutdown hit the stage of diminishing returns, but the POINT had been made. And, sadly, until "certain voters" feel the painful consequences of THEIR OWN VOTES, they will NOT wake up to reality. Millions have to suffer the consequences alongside them, but the Democratic minority had run out of road to effect change *in the moment* with the hand that VOTERS HAVE DEALT THEM.
I think this is the best point. Voters are already feeling the "painful consequences" of the Big Ugly Bill and it's going to get a lot worse very soon, when they start to find out what their 2026 health insurance premiums are going to be. But I'll be surprised if there is actually a vote on health care this month. After all, it's a Republican promise, and we all know what those are worth.
Sounds good, Tim. Why it did not work in the special election in TN?
It did work. The Democrat outperformed Trump in that district by 13 points. It's a very red district and she was probably not the right candidate for it, given her past talk about being a radical and campaigning with AOC, who's just this side of the Devil to many conservatives. If we want to win those districts in 2026, we need to run sensible moderates who talk about affordability and kitchen table issues, not the left-wing bomb throwers who can win in SF, Boston, and NY.
I quite liked what I saw of Aftyn, but yeah, maybe in TN that stuff don't play so good.
It's clear that a lot of folks in TN are starting to understand that their GQP Uber Alles approach is hurting them just as much as those darn libs.
Well seen and said, Jen! On top of affordability and healthcare chaos, there is the general lack of competence among cabinet leaders and their flunkies, which may be the scariest part of it all.
Spot on!!!
Tennesseans may regret not voting for Behn very soon. But it strikes me as so obvious that the Republicans have no interest in governing when they can’t come up with something in 20 years. Except negative ideas. There was a joke in my company that the legal department was the department of the “no”. I believe that’s what this Republican party has now become, the party of “no”, no ideas no clue and no interest in giving voters what they want.
It's been that way for a long time. Republicans only issues are cultural and have no answers.
It might be a long time before Democrats control Congress and the Presidency, but I'm all in favor of getting rid of the filibuster. Republicans don't govern so they won't pass anything. At least then the Democrats could get through some legislation to get the country moving and a lot of needed reforms and constraints on the Executive and courts.
It's old news now, but the Democrats should remind people that as Republicans sat home during the shutdown, Trump had a blowout feast and party, while SNAP recipients contemplated losing their benefits. That should tell you everything you need to know about Republicans.
Yes, put photos of this on billboards. Contrasted with "No SNAP for you!"
The healthcare fiasco is a clear indication that we desperately need to kick the for-profit insurance companies out of the loop and institute a single-payer approach. Insurance companies are an expensive doorkeeper to accessing healthcare professionals. They create obscene amounts of paperwork for doctors, clinics, pharmacies and hospitals while piffling over who is in-network and who isn't. Especially in times of emergency care, the patient has no idea which one of the providers is in their network until the bills roll in. Both Medicare and the VA show that administrative costs are far below the private system. Legislators need to recognize that healthcare is a human right, and to deny it is criminal negligence.
Affordability must stay front and center. Affordability of healthcare, of food, of housing, of education. And affordability will only be achieved through massive tax reform.
The American contradictions are so numerous it’s a wonder the US functions at all under a two party system. But, we still consider it a democracy. When 75% of the population wants publicly funded healthcare, including reproductive health rights, why don’t we have both? I thought 51% was the tipping point for majority rule. Money and the power it conveys must be controlled or stop saying “democracy”, “the American people”, or “Americans” in speeches. “We the people” certainly is emphasized in the Constitution and in our hearts but has been an empty phrase for too long and from our beginning. More honestly, “Me and mine” states the reality and is at the core of our government’s disfunction.
Ever since the Citizens United decision (and even somewhat before that) the financial interests of the wealthy (both individual and corporate) have been actively directing the actions of the government. 'We the people' have had less and less influence over the legislation that affects all of our lives. Major reforms are needed in campaign and legislators' finance practices.
"“Republicans have not put forth a single credible proposal to address the affordability crisis. Instead, life in America is more expensive,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries"
To be fair, republicans have not put forth a single bill about anything - with the exception of finessing the continued support of low or no taxes for the uber-rich. Selling against this sorry situation should not be the struggle it appears to be.
Democrats have been trying to get some form of nationalized health insurance ever since the Truman Administration. Every time they tried, the GOP would circle the horror wagons with tales of bullshit.
Then Barack Obama got the brilliant idea of ramping up Mitt Romney’s existing program in Massachusetts for the whole country. Since that time, Republicans have never forgiven him for outsmarting them at their own game.
Edward Kennedy also fought for single-payer.
True, but remember that Obama first campaigned on a single-payer healthcare program. He was for it before he was against it. Like many Democrats before him, he caved on this because of pressure from special-interest groups.
He found a way of winning, is what you mean. If you set your purity tests on the smallest aperture possible, nothing bigger than a micron will ever get through. Real politics is about getting real deals done. Nancy Pelosi worked her tail off to get this one through. Millions are grateful, accordingly.
“Unless political reality dawns on Republicans, they will have no cogent response.” That is a fair point. And one that advantages us. However the GOP still has an ace in the hole: their so-far pretty successful efforts to cheat in the midterms in various ways. We must remember that every morning and every evening.
A friend's daughter-in-law needs to get medical insurance through the ACA because her husband's job does not provide insurance for spouses. So a well-educated middle-class couple is about to face a massive increase in premiums, and they don't have any reasonable alternatives. I wish more people who are directly affected would speak out on how the loss of subsidies affects millions of families.
What are the disabled supposed to do for health care when they can't work and have to rely on SSI to go through in order to pay rent? One has to be disabled for 2 years, 6 months to be able to get on Medicare. And you have to have enough work history or the Medicare costs more. We need national health.
Absolutely agree with you!
Republicans have never been anywhere on healthcare. They’ve had years to figure this out even before the ACA
was passed. They have still had time since then. They don’t care nor do they care how much more expensive it gets. They’re only interested in giving their billionaire friends and donors a huge tax credit at our expense.
They are a disgraceful bunch.
HSA’s can be used for medications, co-pays, but not premiums. Consequently, they are not a solution to the unaffordability problem
How can a family's kitchen-table budget, already stressed to the breaking point pour money into a health savings account? Where is this mythical money going to come from? This idea reinforces the cruel reality that those who propose it are totally out of touch.
I just had the thought that because the GOP—famously—has no agenda but tax cuts and confirming conservative judges, their senators and congresspeople never develop any subject matter expertise. It’s no wonder someone thought up the entirely useless (for health insurance) solution of an HSA, or voted for work requirements for Medicaid despite the fact that it’s the provider who receives the payment, not the poor or elderly patient.
Let's get real here for a minute: The current contribution limits on federal health savings accounts are $4,300 for self-only coverage and $8,550 for family coverage. After the ACA premium credits expire, those contribution limits won't cover even a junk healthcare policy with exorbitant deductibles.
Republicans have been talking about 'repealing and replacing Obamacare' for 15 years and have yet to come up with a plan. Meanwhile, the ACA has proved to be both effective and popular with the American public. But republicans don't give a damn about the public. They're happy to find all the money in the world - AND blow the national debt sky high - to fund tax cuts for their donor class, but when it comes to helping average Americans every proposal is 'too expensive' or they suddenly get religion about the national debt.
The priorities of both parties are stark and clear: Democrats want to take care of average Americans; republicans want to make sure the well-off are even more comfy.
Decades ago the Hill-Burton Act built hospitals throughout America. These hospitals had an obligation for a certain amount of charity care. Most of these hospitals now have closed or have been purchased by conglomerates. Charity write-offs now are difficult to get. Expect bankruptcies due to medical debt to skyrocket.
It's just a no-brainer for Rs. D'uh, you wanna have a chance to retain your seat, then vote to extend the subsidies. But then again they are so out of practice at doing what the people want. Jess Piper wrote the other day that when she was at her hair salon, the subject everyone was talking about was health insurance.