This is it. The vote to proceed on… No one knows the exact details – other than people will lose their health care. Remember that. Republicans may not know the details, but they DO KNOW that people will lose their health care.
Do they have the votes? God, I hope not.
They had the votes with Pence breaking the tie. At least to advance the bill. The NYT graphic is instructive.
It was 50/50 and Pence cast the deciding vote, it’s being cast as a “huge victory” for McConnell, I see it as a huge defeat for poor, sick and old Americans. McCain made it back to vote aye, in true “heroic” fashion he then turned around and blasted the bill. Nice. But it’s not done yet, emphasis on yet.
After reading the TPM analysis, I feel just a tad bit better about this.
Several skeptical Senators only voted to proceed because they want a chance to debate their own pet amendment on the floor. None of those amendments appears to have the votes to pass. “Skinny Repeal” is opposed by Ron Johnson and probably Rand Paul and the rest of the Tea Party wing. Repeal and delay is opposed by several moderate Rs. Several amendments, including Cruz’s abomination, need 60 votes because they haven’t been scored by the CBO. Etc.
This is still going to be a mess. I don’t think the Rs have actually gotten anywhere (yet?)
If the Democrats didn’t put such a piece of junk healthcare bill out there in the first place, wasting a great deal of money, we wouldn’t be in this mess!
Right, ’cause we had “the greatest healthcare system in the world” that left millions uninsured and cost double what the rest of the world pays.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/senate-parliamentarian-rules-out-even-more-republican-obamacare-repeal-portions
BCRA is dead, by a combination of its own shittiness and the parliamentarian’s fiat. That leaves “skinny repeal” as the only possible route.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/senate-gops-trumpcare-bill-fails-spectacularly-with-new-defections
Well, that was even worse than I thought it would be. 43-57, BCRA fails.