Did anyone watch the CNN - Paul Ryan Townhall Trainwreck?

[ecstatic]

The very first question:

An entrepreneur and former life-long Republican explained to House Speaker Paul Ryan that he was against Obamacare and then he got diagnosed with a terminal, but curable cancer. "I want to thank President Obama from the bottom of my heart"

Video: https://www.facebook.com/cnn/videos/10155901808376509/

I think Jake Tapper was just as disgusted with Paul Ryan as I was.

[50 Shades Of Blue]

1. Paul Ryan: "From of the bottom of your... your what?"

[uponit7771]

5. +1

[True Dough]

30. Rhymes with "fart," Paul

I got a chuckle out of this!

[Freethinker65]

2. Just saw it on FB. Thanks Obama!

Hope that guy was telling the truth because the keyboard warriors will be giving him the Kahn parent treatment shortly.

[mreilly]

3. Good for him, but...

... if not for his cancer he'd still be fighting ACA tooth and nail, kicking and screaming.

It's great that Repubs repudiate their shit like this, but it's always once they realize their own asses are on the line. Is that really what it will take to make the rest of them wake up? Really?

I dunno. glad someone woke up once his own interests were at stake but it's sad it has to come to that before they get their heads out of their asses.

[ecstatic]

4. I know, it sickens me that they can't empathize until they're personally

affected. That's their pattern.

[jknudsen]

9. You got it

[Alice11111]

15. No ability to empathize equals Republican

I saw PR on, but instead switched it. I can't stand to look at the creep. I figured I would read it later, so this is good. I wish they wouldn't give him airtime, especially a Town Hall air, like he is a special person. Isn't that what Fox is for.

[Rural_Progressive]

37. Stupid,Smart,or Wise

Stupid people don't learn from their own experiences

Smart people do learn from their own experiences

Wise people learn from other people's experiences

Seems it's pretty tough to be a wise and a republican

[Alice11111]

43. Thanks for your post

I'll remember that.

[hunter]

13. Ain't that the truth...

They hate homosexuals until their kid comes out.

They hate birth control and abortion until their daughters have impossible or dangerous pregnancies.

The hate healthcare for all, especially for people with preexisting conditions, until they suffer something that makes them uninsurable.

Still, that's better than the people who throw their homosexual kids or unwed pregnant daughters out onto the streets, or leave their gravely ill spouses to the wolves.

[Alice11111]

22. Yeah, the only thing I ever respected Cheney for was supporting

His daughter, when the winds of change were still blowing the wrong way. even though GWB did not support the policy.

I have an Aunt who is a Republican. Her great grandson by her deceased son's ex wife, duh, was sent to prison, at a young age. Before that, I am certain that she never felt empathy for inmates... basically, it shouldn't be a picnic, was her attitude. After her estranged relative was sent to prison, she is saying, please write (I didn't know him), the libraries are outdated, there is NO rehabilitation (that is a lie that we are being told), they get beaten up, his parole officers dont return phone calls, sometimes I drive hours and they won't let me see him, he doesn't get all of his mail. I was very glad she started caring and that she woke up to that fact, but it would never have happened without someone near her being there.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

36. There is such a huge gap between

life as so many of us live it, and the life of so many others. Especially those who find themselves on the wrong side of the law. Your aunt is a sad and typical example of those who have zero compassion until it hits home.

Okay, so I'm willing to agree that prisons shouldn't be a picnic. But prisons in this country are far, far from a picnic. They are punishment, pure and simple.

I have a close friend who has been involved with inmates for about 20 years now. If he were more religious, I'd call what he does a ministry. That's not the word he'd use, but it fits. He corresponds with inmates. He has provided a place for some of them to live when they've been released. One inmate in particular feels to him like the son he never had. And here's the important part: he treats them as human beings deserving of respect. Their crimes aren't the important part. The people they are now are.

My only connection to inmates has been through this friend, and I'm blown away by his compassion. I cannot begin to help these people as he does. I can only (at best) follow his example and realize that we are all imperfect, and we need to help each other.

So often we get lost in judgement. I'm good, you're bad. The black and white morality that doesn't begin to encompass the reality of life.

It is beyond frustrating to me that so many conservative Christians only finally understand homosexuality when they have a son or daughter who comes out as gay. And even then, many of them don't dare admit this to their neighbors of church members. As has been pointed out all too often the religious right/conservative Republicans are opposed to whatever (abortion, gay rights, trans gender issues) only when they are personally affected. And even then, all too often they take the stance of "My situation is special, and has no connection to anyone else".

[Alice11111]

42. Agree, lost in judgment of what seems black or white. Well said

Read it twice.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

44. I sent you a PM.

But I also want to suggest to all who read this, the book "The Good Wife" by Stewart O'Nan.

It has NOTHING to do with the TV series by that name. Nothing. Nada. Rien. Trust me. But do read the book. It is simply one of the best I've ever read.

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

34. Thanks. You saved me from typing all that out.

Selfish bastards.

[0rganism]

48. they'll need to feel the pain themselves

not until they or their favorite neighbors or church co-congregants are a month away from begging in the streets will they begin to reflect on how badly they fucked up.

and even then, they'll try to blame Democrats first and claim inevitability second before they cast shade on the GOP paradigm third.

the pain has to be real to them for them to even begin to go through the process.

then someone will have to step up to be the next FDR so we can re-do an entire 20th century worth of social, regulatory, and physical infrastructure they're planning on destroying over the next 2 years. hopefully we get it right this time, so it's a lot harder for them to take away the next time they "forget".

[central scrutinizer]

49. My wife is in hospice care now

Inoperable pancreatic cancer. While I was working, we always had complete coverage and she had coverage through her union plan when she was working. Probably contributed well over $300,000 to the insurance industry over the last 20 years. Fortunately, we were healthy and used very little. Then I retired once I became eligible for Medicare. We could have used COBRA at $1600 per month to keep her covered but we were sure she would go back to work soon and accrue enough hours to qualify for the union plan again. To fill in the few months, we signed up for a silver ACA plan. She was never without coverage.

Then the diagnosis. And no chance of going back to work again. Chemo and radiation did little so we are waiting for the end.

My sister, a born again tea partier, who lives on the other side of the country, gave us the useless support of "if I was there, I would be glad to help out with care."

My response: "one thing you can do to help is write your congressional reps and urge them not to repeal ACA". Crickets. Except more useless shit about using hospice services and downloading books for the iPad. I wish I believed in Hell because there must be a special place for bible thumping hypocrites who knowingly kill poor children.

[flamingdem]

6. Oh I wish I'd seen that

how did Ryan spin?

[GeoWilliam750]

7. Possibly only from the neck up.....

[flamingdem]

8. LOL!

[Alice11111]

23. ...

[flamingdem]

31. I responded to your story

What a story! Agree with everything

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

35. Lol, good one.

[ecstatic]

24. Someone uploaded the whole thing to youtube:

fast forward to 4 mins in

[flamingdem]

29. Thanks!

[flamingdem]

33. What a freakin liar

He knows high risk pools will fail. That guy would be dead waiting to get in.

[lambchopp59]

39. Regardless, he's toying with the idea of basically... a public option

the very poison pill they placed in to the ACA to make it fail: OTW he's talking about replacing Obamacare, with...
um.... Obamacare... but of course with a new screw-the-sick plan. As another poster below said it well: "They had seven years to work on improving the ACA but the Repubicans didn't bother doing their job." Flirted with voucher plans, but all that's been broadcast is "It's a failure! Repeal! Repeal! Repeal! Uh, replace... er, um, duh... yeah, we'll get around to it.

[Qutzupalotl]

46. There wasn't a public option in the ACA, but should have been. It would have increased competition

and kept prices down. If Ryan wants to add a public option, that would be an improvement and I'd support it. But it will likely lead to private insurers exiting the market because they can't compete with a nonprofit model, so you'd be left with something similar to medicare for all. I'm good with that.

[ecstatic]

41. His response was so heartless. I don't like to use the H word

but I'm very close to it with Mr. Ryan.

[LittleBlue]

10. Always amazed me how far Ryan has risen

A man of absolutely no substance whatsoever, whose every line looks rehearsed to death, like a robot reading from a cue card. He makes Robot Rubio look feisty by comparison.

[eleny]

11. Ryan's response was that of a heartless tool - He read off premium increases for several states

They had seven years to work on improving the ACA but the Repubicans didn't bother doing their job. And now they twist the truth about the premiums.

Trump can't break out of Primary mode and the Republicans in Congress don't know what to do with themselves if they aren't bashing Obama.

[lambchopp59]

40. "They had seven years to work on improving the ACA but the Repubicans didn't bother doing their job.

Ding ding ding ding! You win the dishwasher! Or, you can trade it all for what's behind curtain number 3. Careful, could be a Zonk!!!!
Flirted with voucher plans, but all that's been broadcast is "It's a failure! Repeal! Repeal! Repeal! Uh, replace... er, um, duh... yeah, we'll get around to it.

[flamingdem]

12. The comments at that link are making me cry!

So many people have been saved from cancer with ACA.

Oh god we were lucky with Obama, so so so lucky

It was a BFD

[Stonepounder]

14. I've been very, very lucky in my life. My father taught me about insurance and the

need for it. I haven't had an auto claim in 50 years. I haven't had a homeowners or renter's claim ever. By the time I retired I was paying about $1200/month for health insurance for me and my spouse. (Note, that included the actual insurance premium plus a contribution to my HSA that covered the entire deductible for the year.) Sounds like a lot. Right up till the day I needed emergency open heart surgery. The bill, just from my week in the hospital, was $135,000. That didn't count the 3x/week lab visits for 6 months and the 6 month of 3X/week cardio PT. Never got a bill for that. Then a couple of years after that I slipped and fell and broke my ankle. No bill. Cataract surgery. No bill. Gall bladder out. No bill. Two surgeries for my spouse. No bill.

Kinda made up for all the years I never saw a doctor except for my annual check-up. What would I have done if I didn't have medical insurance? Repealing the ACA is just mean spirited typical 'I've got mine so screw-you GOP rat-fu*king'.

[Alice11111]

25. I had a similar experience

I was a lawyer, basically a small business too, paying $1200 mo insurance. I got hit by a car , whose driver ran a stop sign. Tragic, violent accident. He died. My deltoids were detached, wrists broken, and I Lost the use of my hands, CRPS, and couldn't work, couldn't write, couldn't type, couldn't drive, nada. My insurance premiums went up to $1600, plus you were supposed to work full time to qualify. Fortunately, the ACÁ just became available. It was good insurance! Very same plan I had with BCBS, but cheaper. My medicals were way over $100,000, even just my out of pocket, probably total about $800,000. I might have killed myself. It was bad enough anyway. I had never been in the hospital before or had a major claim, but I had paid high premiums forever, plus Deductibles, etc.

I always find the people who HATE it so much have very little experience with it. I hear so many things that are absolutely false, lies, propaganda. There was an article today that 1 in 5 people who had Obamacare were small business owners, who couldn't afford private premiums. The Republicans are always screaming about protecting "small businesses, the backbone of the economy. " They don't care a whit about small businesses. They care about BIG corporate donors, BIGLY.

Also, yeah, premiums went up on the ACA. However, they went up MUCH MORE for those still buying insurance on the private market or small business group insurance. They never mention that.

[flamingdem]

26. Oh Alica I think they are looking for stories like yours

Very important to share, perhaps get in touch with Bernie's organizing effort.

Through this web site:

https://berniesanders.com/ourfirststand/

So glad you've made it through!

[Alice11111]

38. Really? There are so many similar stories.

I'll think about it. Thank you for the link and your empathy.
I really was just telling it to ditto the similar story; it is so tragic to appeal Obamacare. Repubs know the stories. People like PR, Turtleman would walk right over someone sick in the street to have the glory of repealing the ACA, especially so fast, as a final insult to our President.

[mobeau69]

16. It's collapsing, it's collapsing!

Oh my God, it's collapsing! Run for your lives, it's collapsing. It's a death spiral. A collapsing death spiral. Oh the humanity.

[flamingdem]

27. Ryan is such

an assclown

Who can't see that?

[yortsed snacilbuper]

17. pual, when he thinks someone lost their health insurance.

[smirkymonkey]

19. I can't decide who I hate more. Paul Ryan or Donald Trump.

It's a toss up for sure. I despise them both more than I thought I could ever despise a human being in my life.

[ecstatic]

28. After tonight, it's Paul Ryan. He's truly deplorable. nt

[elmac]

20. I don't watch

corporate canned entertainment.

[ProudProgressiveNow]

21. K&R nt

[Thinkingabout]

32. On a few answers I thought he was pushing for everyone to have insurance and it was a good thing

to have insurance. They have sat on making improvements for six years and now they are probably going to give the same program back and call it their plan. There are a lot of people like the gentleman at the first who was very happy to have ACA, they complain about the high deductibles but how much money would a person pay if they went without insurance for the same condition, they would pay more than the deductible. I do hope they make some improvements but it will almost require everyone to purchase insurance in order to drop the premium, no different than ACA was designed to have everyone have insurance.

[susanna]

45. I've gone out to watch it - got busy tonight earlier.

Last edited Fri Jan 13, 2017, 04:54 AM - Edit history (1)

Currently, error message on every video I click on. They might not even exist.

But hey, it's a trending story....maybe they're overloaded? 3:11 EST here.

On edit: Finally got in: 3:53 am ET.

[jodymarie aimee]

47. now you see what our Wisconsin pigs are like

6 years for us now. Welcome to Wisconsin.