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Senate healthcare repeal bill fails - Collins, Murkowski, and McCain voted no

Serious question: Does Trump have the insanity to launch a nasty Tweet storm at McCain?

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/mccain-robert-mercer-kelli-ward-donor-227365

He's already done it and so has Trump's donor:

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — A billionaire supporting Sen. John McCain’s underdog primary opponent may be doing so as payback, McCain said Wednesday.

Robert Mercer, co-CEO of hedge fund Renaissance Technologies, gave $200,000 to a super PAC supporting Kelli Ward, McCain’s conservative challenger in next week's GOP primary. The money helped fuel a $600,000 ad campaign that alleges McCain “betrayed us on amnesty” and boosts Ward.

Two years ago, McCain and former Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) issued a report that named Mercer's company as among more than a dozen firms that dodged billions in tax payments through a complicated financial product known as basket offerings. McCain said at the time that companies including Renaissance Technologies played "by a different set of rules" and secured an "unfair tax advantage over ordinary citizens.”

On Wednesday, McCain suggested there’s a connection between Mercer's financial help for Ward and the scrutiny his company's trading practices received. The senator predicted that there will be "scandals in the future" regarding campaign finance due to these shadowy connections.

I imagine there's no love lost between the two.

Trump probably threatened him lol.
 
Trump should go beyond partisan lines. The man is a threat to the foundation of our society. We made "grab 'em by the pussy" our highest leader.

If they actually understood what he was and what he represented and what he revealed about their party, they'd abandon supporting most Republicans en masse.

So the fact that they're still onboard for the GOP after Trump says far more than whatever else they say.

Who said they're on board with the GOP? I said they didn't want a Democratic Congress. That's not the same thing.
 
Meanwhile on Fox News right now they are showing miniature landmarks made with 3D printers. Hahaha

I really hope someone out there is keeping track of shit like this, so when the movie gets made we can get montages of how all the different news stations reported events.

Getting to the part where this really tense healthcare vote happens and then seeing all the stations reporting on it then cutting to Fox News and showing miniature landmarks would be a goddamn riot
 

Meowster

Member
Lmao well fucking thank you McCain! But why did you vote yes earlier lmao. Was it so you could throw the Turtle off balance?
 

Chococat

Member
I mean show me what good things these people are actually doing for this country other than just not killing millions of people. Then they can get some praise. I'm not applying a "Democrat purity test," I'm looking for basic human decency and not seeing it.

Welcome to the reality of America- most of the country isn't decent.

Wins like this are what little we can muster in this country right now.
 

Lamel

Banned
Nfs8LeK.gif

Holy shit, that pause to stare at McConnell lmao.
 
Lmao well fucking thank you McCain! But why did you vote yes earlier lmao. Was it so you could throw the Turtle off balance?

Because he did it means they have no time to try this tactic again.

Edit: This is my understanding, anyway. Due to the rushed nature of the vote, only by allowing it to get as far as it did could he be sure that now voting no effectively killed it.
 

sflufan

Banned
I can imagine that there are more than a few deeply disappointed Democratic campaign strategists right about now.

The practical matter is that the Administration is going to do all it can to ensure that the ACA collapses through the funding mechanisms. The law will still exist, but it will be a legislative empty shell.
 
I can imagine that there are more than a few deeply disappointed Democratic campaign strategists right about now.

The practical matter is that the Administration is going to do all it can to ensure that the ACA collapses through the funding mechanisms. The law will still exist, but it will be a legislative empty shell.

The Republicans are in power, they take the blame regardless.
 

Chococat

Member
Yes, and that sucks. Really really bad. And is nothing worth celebrating.

I'm celebrating cause my aunt and uncle won't die this year.

It should have never gotten this far. But what can one do when Republicans are in power and progressive refuse to acknowledge how legislating works and pins all their hopes on unicorn candidates and platforms?
 

Sulik2

Member
McCain did the right thing for one of the few times in his life. Props to him thousands will sleep easier tonight because the rare member of the GOP did the right thing.
 

_Ryo_

Member
I mean, good on Mccain for doing the right this this time but it doesnt forgive him or any other GOPer for voting for it all the other times. Praising people for not being monsters is silly. It is the bare minimum of expectations.

Anyway, I hope this is finally put to bed. I have a feeling its gonna be like some nightmare monster phoenix and rise up from the ashes by this time tomorrow though. Still, for now this is a victory and should be celebrated.
 

Beartruck

Member
Lmao well fucking thank you McCain! But why did you vote yes earlier lmao. Was it so you could throw the Turtle off balance?
He voted yes earlier but warned that unless they changed some things, he would vote no in the future. They changed nothing, so he voted no.
 
Bloody hell and just days after I condemned McCain and suggested no one should give him the benefit of the doubt anymore. Drove me and plenty of other people to to the point of cynicism that we didn't think you had it in you. Good show of backbone at last, McCain, though it would have been grander also if you had found it sooner.
 

UberTag

Member
I wonder which of Collins or Murkowski would have voted the other way if they had known what McCain was going to do. It's only easy for them to stake out their "moderate" positions because it's been politically safe to do so when they could rely on all other 50 to stay in line.
I'm sure this has been raised before but did McCain intentionally delay his vote until after Murkowski to effectively force her hand?
I mean, she was being swarmed by other Republican senators after McCain and Pence had their little pow-wow so she had to have some idea but he waited until after her vote for a reason.
 

Jabronium

Member
Woke up, checked twitter, and the first tweet I saw was "MCCAIN VOTES NO". Happy Friday y'all. Enjoy the small victories but don't forget this is a marathon, not a sprint. Who knows what awfulness they'll brew up next.
 

MisterR

Member
You are missing the forest for the trees. A Republican senator breaking ranks to stand up for civic norms and bipartisanship on his platform's most sacred plank of the last 8 years is exactly what we need at a time when America is more polarized than ever. Yes I'm fully aware that the tribalism running rampant in America is far and away the fault of Republicans. No I don't think we should surrender to it.

I don't care that McCain voted for the BCRA amendment - that shit had no chance of passing. I care about what vote he cast when it mattered. Look at who our bloody damn President is and take stock of how thankful we should be that Senators like Collins, Murkoswky, and yes, McCain hold office. Republicans are not all the same and it's more than proper to celebrate as much when appropriate instead of tarring them all with the same brush or applying Democratic purity tests to their voting records.

Thank you. Extremely well said. This wasn't an easy vote for the 3 senators who voted no.
 

Easy_D

never left the stone age
I'm glad y'all get to live a little longer US-GAF, what with all the carcinogens in your water and what not.

Real talk though, I'm happy for you guys
 

br3wnor

Member
The Republicans are in power, they take the blame regardless.

Exactly. Trump’s belief that the public will blame Dems as the market starts to fail is a fantasy. Ultimately to fix it they’ll need 60 votes so they’ll have to compromise and the foundation of Obamacare will stay in place.
 
Thank fuck. I didn't want to check before I went to bed.

McCain fucked up and voted yes on the previous one.... What the fuck is his play here?

He's all over the map; Surprised Trump didn't tweet about McCain needing to step down already.
 
McCain, you finally did something worthy of the moniker Maverick. You can have your moment now. You deserve it.

Sometimes it takes death looming in men's eyes to see the truth: we all bleed the same, rich or poor.
 

BigBeauford

Member
Is it tin-foil hatted of me to think this was all engineered by the republicans? There was so much smoke around several who did not want this to pass because of the backlash that would ensue. Now they can go back home and say "look at my voting record, at least I tried!" and McCain now gets to ride off into the sunset with his legacy, all while waiting to see if it implodes on its own.
 
Thank fuck. I didn't want to check before I went to bed.

McCain fucked up and voted yes on the previous one.... What the fuck is his play here?

He's all over the map; Surprised Trump didn't tweet about McCain needing to step down already.

Ask yourself what happened after the previous vote. What events occurred as a result of that vote?
 
This is now the second time McConnell's fast and loose use of senate procedure has bitten him this process

The way he's handled this entire process has been shameful and amateur.

In his effort to move fast and keep the bill a secret for as long as possible, he's doomed it.

He should resign immediately. This is an embarrassing loss for him, and it's obvious he's in no position to lead the senate anymore
 

Cheezus

Member
It's scary to think that if McCain hadn't voted against this the entire health care landscape would fundamentally change for the worse. I want to believe that the other senators who voted for it voted knowing it wouldn't go through and simply did so to shield themselves from blame but who knows with the insane GOP.
 

Ishan

Junior Member
I wonder which of Collins or Murkowski would have voted the other way if they had known what McCain was going to do. It's only easy for them to stake out their "moderate" positions because it's been politically safe to do so when they could rely on all other 50 to stay in line.

let me get this straight collins a republican from a blue state whos been solid no throughout. Murkowski whos been bucking the party line cause of her constituency are now being doubted. Jesus. Not all republicans are evil incarnate. Fucking partisanship gone out of control....
 

Beartruck

Member
Another thing to keep in mind: Considering the whole debilitating brain cancer thing, McCain was probably a little testy at being kept up until 1am to try to ram in some backdoor shenanigans.
 
So what's next?

They're not going to give up on this.

They have to give up on this for the time being, at least a month or two, to work on taxes and budget and they sure as shit don't want this being a debate for 2018. We'll see if McConnell really does compromise with Dems now.
 

jph139

Member
I like to think McCain thought to himself "Oh shit, I don't want 'Trump bootlicker' on everyone's mind when I'm dead six months from now." Breaking that lazy, party-line routine now that there's absolutely nothing on the line for him but legacy and pride.

Or maybe it was all calculated or whatever. Who cares, it lost, suck it McConnell.
 
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