I had a very busy day yesterday being out of the house from 1130 hours until 2000 hours. I was pooped and as a result, slept in this morning. Now I can't sleep, but I tried! Argh!!!
Short Takes
Washington Post — Republican leaders abruptly pulled their overhaul of the nation’s health-care system from the House floor on Friday, a dramatic defeat for President Trump and House Speaker Paul D. Ryan that leaves a major campaign promise unfulfilled and casts doubt on the Republican Party’s ability to govern.
The decision leaves President Barack Obama’s chief domestic achievement in place and raises questions about the GOP’s ability to advance other high-stakes priorities, including tax reform and infrastructure spending. Ryan (R-Wis.) remains without a signature accomplishment as speaker, and the defeat undermines Trump’s image as a skilled dealmaker willing to strike compromises to push his agenda forward.
In an interview with The Washington Post, Trump deflected any responsibility for the setback and instead blamed Democrats. “We couldn’t get one Democratic vote,” he said. …
But the White House and House leaders both saw the key bloc as the House Freedom Caucus, a group of roughly three dozen hard-line conservatives who made numerous demands of the bill since January — including a flat repeal of the ACA, a major reworking of the GOP bill’s tax incentives and new Medicaid restrictions.
Click through to read about the spin being put on the health care debacle by Republicans. Lyin' Ryan did a little bit of a Republican mea culpa but it rings very hollow. When he says he wants the best for the people, don't believe it.
YouTube — PRESIDENT TRUMP'S FULL STATEMENT AFTER GOP HEALTHCARE BILL IS PULLED 3 24 17
NY Times — Mr. Trump blamed the failure of the G.O.P.’s health care bill on the Democrats.
This is misleading. Democrats have been united in their opposition since the beginning of the fight to repeal and replace the health law. But Republicans did not need Democratic support to pass their legislation.
Republicans needed 215 votes in the House to pass the bill. They have 237 out of the 435 seats, meaning they could afford only 22 party defections. Before the bill was pulled, 33 Republicans were opposed.
The White House did not immediately respond when asked if Mr. Trump ever tried courting Democratic members in the House.
Always fact check Drumpf! But then, we already know that!
YouTube — The Truth Of Trump’s “I Alone Can Fix It” Canard | The Resistance with Keith Olbermann | GQ
It seems that Drumpf was unable to fix the health care bill. So much for his promise for better and cheaper health care for all.
The New Yorker — An able-bodied senior citizen who refuses to do anything but watch television receives three free government meals every day, according to reports.
The senior, who has three piping-hot meals wheeled up to him each day, reportedly has no intention of working and prefers to fill his hours watching cable news.
Even more outrageous, the recipient of the meals spends most weekends in Florida, where the flow of free government food continues without interruption.
Harland Dorrinson, the executive director of the Center for Benefit Reduction, a think tank that focuses on reducing federal benefits, called the individual’s consumption of free government meals “the worst abuse of the system I’ve ever seen.”
Why is it that this buffoon gets "Meals on Wheels" when other seniors won't because the Republicans are cutting Meals on Wheels from their proposed budget?
My Universe — This video is longer than most, but I found it funny. Fortunately, I don't have this problem with my cats!
10 Responses to “Squatch’s Open Thread 24 March 2017”
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Sleeping in is something for the young only, it seems, Lynn. As we get older we're punished more often than not for a lay-in with insomnia the evening after. Well, at least we got another post out of it, thank you.
WP: Drumpf and Ryan both showing their incompetence and complete lack of insight into that incompetence, and the GOP split on voters against it (to little or to much 'repeal') and for it: the Republicans are in complete disarray. They can count themselves lucky Ryan wasn't stupid enough to do what Drumpf forced him to do: force an open vote yesterday so that Drumpf could have the names of those Republicans who dared to oppose him in an open vote. Government aides have leaked that Drumpf has demanded a list of no-voters from them. More incompetence and above all pettiness; all he has to do is read the NYT to get complete insight in who would vote what and why.
NYT: As for blaming the Democrats for the fiasco: ROTFLMAO. The Republicans have the majority in the House and they still cant get this bill passed, so come again? Even his hard core supporters couldn't possibly believe that the Democrats would vote for a plan that repeals "their" Obamacare, demonized by the GOP but bipartisan when it was conceived, and vote for a Draconian new 'plan' that would leave more than 20 million Americans without insurance, reduces healthcare to a minimum for those left, and gives unconscionable tax cuts to the rich. Nobody can be that stupid to think that but the delusional and pathetic Drumpf.
Keith Olbermann: "I alone can fix it. After so many of you never noticed that I alone broke it" The gospel according to Drumpf and believed by his hard core followers. Amen to that, Keith.
TNY: Ouch, Andy, that whole column was pretty hash, but the sting in the tail was really painful: " But, according to a source familiar with the senior, those calling for him to work for his meals are, at best, ill-informed. “You can’t expect someone to do a job when he’s completely unqualified,” the source said. " Painful because I had to laugh so hard. 😀
MY: Thanks, Lynn.
WPo/YT: It was a debacle from the start. DT will blame everyone, and everything that happens on his watch. He's such an A–Hat!! That goes for Lyin' Ryan too.
NYT: Drumpf will probably get those 33 Repugs who opposed it, will get a talking to. lol. At the 5:00 mark "It seems that both sides like Trump, and that's good'. W.T.H? The Dems are doing their job, what are you doing for the people??
KO: Boy, the list goes on and on re: this potus and his blame games. Keep 'em comin', KO!!!
NYer: Shame we can't throw him out on the street, Andy. lol.
MU: I put two bowls out in the morning, one for the cat, and one for the dog. Then in the evening. They, like these kitties, don't share their food. It's a no nonsense thing, and they get along wonderfully.
I used to think that after I retired, I'd sleep in. Nope. Haven't done that in years now. Usually up an hour before dawn, and sleep is in patches now. Even when I'm really tired, it comes in doses. Weird, isn't it?
Thanks, Lynn for post.
… AND for their next trick, rethuglicans are going to pull a 2,000-mile long, 30-foot tall wall out of their hat – AND make Mexico pay for it!
So Twitler wants to blame Democrats for HIS EPIC FAIL because NOT ONE would vote for it?
Fine. In a true spirit of biparisanship I think Democrats should promise to
double triple quadruplequintuple the number of Democratic votes for the next new & revised Trumpcare bill as the number of GOP senators who voted for PPACA (ObamaCare).Brilliant!
Fabulous visual! That man has a wonderful smile — very infectious!
That is soooo beautiful!
Great job Squatch.
I have bo doubt that Trpublicans lack the ability to9 govern.
Great minds again. To keep this from happwning, would you wait a couple days an Keith and Bill Maher vids, as I do on Oliver vids?
I'd like to know the same thing!
Stay away from my birdie!!
So sorry you couldn't sleep. It's going around. I slept in today, not on purpose, after two nights of short sleep.
WaPo, YouTube, NYT – I very much liked this http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/03/25/1647070/-Today-was-NOT-a-defeat-for-Trump which explains the difference betweeen a defeat and a failure, why donTcare is a failure not a defeat, and why this matters.
Keith #50 – I don't know why Keith says they all act stoned. It appears to me they all act drunk. Stoners aren't generally as belligerent. But that's a small thing. The big thing here is that it isn't just the Salmon Stalin's people who believe false facts. ALL of us who oppose and resist him have at one time or another bought into the falsehood that his supporters are capable of rational thought, or at least capable of hearing any facts at all, or of making any kind of change. They aren't. Oh, maybe one in a thousand , ot ten thousand, or a hundred thousand, might be able to see that they have been screwed, but there are still all the rest of them, and what about that. We can't send everyone who voted for him to prison for treason, satisfying though that might be. It just isn't possible.
See this http://forsetti.tumblr.com/post/153181757500/on-rural-america-understanding-isnt-the-problem – and then see this followup. http://forsetti.tumblr.com/post/153775718520/on-rural-america-understanding-the-backlash
TNY – Damn, Andy, more straight news! Well, straight anyway – not exactly news!
All the Dems need to say when Trump "blames" them for the defeat of Trumpcare is thank you for giving us the credit. Just call us anytime you need help controlling your fellow republicans.
WaPo- Rump can't make a deal, literally, to save himself. But, he can push the blame onto someone else! This seem to be one of his most polished skills.
Borowitz- So, is Rumpy the "Welfare Queen" Reagan lied about?
Keith is great.