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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsBernie Sanders: Dems should get credit for killing AHCA
Sen. Bernie Sanders and President Donald Trump seem to agree on one thing when it comes to the failure of the GOP health care bill: Blame the Democrats.
"Democrats should take credit for killing a really, really bad piece of legislation," the Independent senator from Vermont told CNN's Anderson Cooper on Friday night.
...
"We defeated it because we heard the American people, we fought for them and today we won for them," Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell told CNN's Kate Bolduan on "Outfront." "And what we can do next is work with Republicans to improve the Affordable Care Act."
http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/24/politics/bernie-sanders-donald-trump-health-care/index.html
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It is now clear to everyone that Democrats are not "weak" and "unable to fight back." We fight for the American people.
ismnotwasm
(41,916 posts)We are in for one hell of a ride, still.
SunSeeker
(51,367 posts)This has even clearer since the Women's march!
SunSeeker
(51,367 posts)People had already filled up the entire march route and all the side streets by the time it was supposed to start. I was in awe as we all stood there shoulder to shoulder that beautiful Saturday morning, 750,000 of us in Los Angeles alone.
NastyRiffraff
(12,448 posts)Same thing happened in DC; there were so many there for awhile we could only stand there, until finally the organizers figured out a way to get going! I'll never, ever forget it; it was the most inspiring event I've ever been to. I made friends there, two of which I had lunch with today.
dixiegrrrrl
(60,010 posts)JTFrog
(14,274 posts)There is hope.
SunSeeker
(51,367 posts)comradebillyboy
(10,119 posts)not anything that the Democrats did.
ismnotwasm
(41,916 posts)SunSeeker
(51,367 posts)Dems stood in unison in Congress to defend the ACA and got the word out about how many would lose coverage under AHCA. If the Dems did not pass a good healthcare law that Americans were willing to storm town halls to save, we would be living under Trumpcare.
synergie
(1,901 posts)Open your eyes to what actually went on.
Cha
(295,899 posts)KittyWampus
(55,894 posts)vi5
(13,305 posts)Trump/Ryan: "Pass this sadistic healthcare bill!!"
Republicans: "No! It's not sadistic enough!"
Democrats: "We did it!!!"
I mean I'm glad there were no defectors. But that was a big gamble to take. It seemed to me to be just more of the approach of "sit back and wait for the GOP to implode." Problem is that while it worked this time it's not going to always work (as we've saw with November's election) and they have to come up with a more aggressive and pro-active approach or the problem is they WON'T get credit for it.
The narrative on this healthcare failure is that it was Republicans who killed bad legislation because they were the ones out there talking about how bad it was. It's only when people dig down into the details (which few people bother to do) that you find out that it was because the bill wasn't cruel enough.
They are doing great on the Gorsuch nomination, and the AHCA going down is a good thing. But I didn't actually see the Dems doing much to take credit for defeat other than getting out of it's way.
dsc
(52,129 posts)they publicized the bad aspects of the bill, had no defections or even talks of defections whatsoever, and reponded to grass roots campaigning
vi5
(13,305 posts)....I saw facebook and twitter posts by some of them. But compare it to the amount of times during the ACA debate and votes that we saw McConnells and Boehners mugs on tv and it was a stark contrast.
The fact is that there was a chance this could have passed, and that was a gamble. And the other fact is that now the narrative is that "Republicans killed the bad healthcare bill." Nevermind that the Republicans killed it because it wasn't draconian and sadistic ENOUGH for them.
And yeah, maybe there was no other approach to take other than letting the Republicans implode. Which I'm open minded enough to think is a possibility on this one. Problem is that seems to be the only approach our leadership is able to take on most things, and every time it's a gamble. It was essentially what they bet the November election on. Lay low, let the Republicans hang themselves with their own rope, and we'll hopefully win. Well it didn't work out that way and there will be plenty of issues that it won't work out that way on.
And if all you did was sit back and do nothing and let the Republicans implode and it works then great......but then you don't get to take victory laps and you don't get credit for actually doing anything other than rolling the political dice.
synergie
(1,901 posts)See, it is not him hogging credit, it's his followers wresting credit from the people and bestowing it upon him. No need to bash dems or the party. We win this fight when we stand together and fight our mutual enemy.
asuhornets
(2,405 posts)Cha
(295,899 posts)"feeble" and "can't fight back".. they are just the damn Opposite.
So happy that is CLEAR NOW!
Mahalo!
NurseJackie
(42,862 posts)... if I'll ever be able to forgive that. I mean, seriously now... can you IMAGINE the outcry if Donald Trump had said such nasty things about our beloved Democratic Party and its leadership?
Would Donald Trump get the same "kudos" and praise and atta-boys and fist-pumping cheers for being so "honest" and "telling it like it is" ... I think not!
The whole thing is just so unseemly and unnecessary. Why would anyone want to cause these divisions and amplify the distrust that many are feeling?
LOL Loveya, Cha...
Cha
(295,899 posts).. it would be how strong and what a brilliant fighters our Dems are!
We're in the fight for our very lives.. all hands on deck. Someone with a megaphone doesn't need to be sending the wrong, inaccurate message for whatever reason.
Mahalo, Jackie!
My leader..
Link to tweet
NurseJackie
(42,862 posts)... and I'm not sure why everyone is "singing his praises" simply because he stated the obvious. (LOL)
LOL
NastyRiffraff
(12,448 posts)Nancy Pelosi UNITED them; there was not one defection. Ryan, who had a MAJORITY, lost to our Democrats. Thanks, Sanders, for pointing out the obvious.
And kudos to the House Democrats!
SunSeeker
(51,367 posts)Rachel showed a clip of this Dem Representative in the House who would take to the floor after each Republican blowhard would speak in favor of the AHCA and he would state into the record the CBO's estimate for that Republican's district of how many of his constituents would lose coverage if AHCA passed. It was brilliant.
NastyRiffraff
(12,448 posts)But that was a brilliant move!
SMC22307
(8,088 posts)Someone(s) could turn that into excellent campaign ads.
SunSeeker
(51,367 posts)It was not someone I had heard of before.
SMC22307
(8,088 posts)cuz I like his approach. Not all Republican voters are impervious to facts... Democrats just need to keep drilling into them how damaging Trump/Republican policies are!
SunSeeker
(51,367 posts)I guess if all else fails, we can always rewatch the Rachel episodes on her website. It had to be either the Wednesday, Thursday or Friday show.
SMC22307
(8,088 posts)including Indies with whom he has a high favorability rating, those in poor, deep red West Virginia, and, I imagine, the Trump Troubadour who's already turned on Drumpf over healthcare. Preach it, Bernie, connect the dots for those who need the dots connected!
still_one
(91,937 posts)town halls telling those representatives how essential healthcare was to them, and how the republican plan was going to take away things from their healthcare, not improve it