Posted on 03/28/2017 5:12:49 AM PDT by Pinkbell
The truth of the matter is that this healthcare rollout was botched from the beginning. What they should have done, in my opinion, was the following:
1) Get everyone together from the various conservative groups, the various caucuses in the House, and representatives from the Trump Administration. Have each of the caucuses beforehand write down exactly what they expect out of this bill. Have the Trump Administration set guidelines as to what they want out of this bill. Also have Senators there for an idea as to what will pass the Senate. Invite doctors and people from the private sector who offer solutions for great, free market health care at a lower cost. Hammer it out.
2) Write the bill and get everyone together again to go over it. Don't release the bill to the public until you are confident in it.
3) Promote the bill to the American public so they really understand it. Now that you have the various conservative factions involved, have them running ads, sending out updates, and encouraging supporters to contact their representatives. Have these representatives and Trump out there doing town halls and rallies promoting this. At the same time, Trump and said representatives and groups need to be feeding a daily stream of news and stories to the public of the negative affects of Obamacare to counter the media narrative.
4) Now vote on the bill, and hopefully it will pass and go through the Senate.
This is going to take longer than 3 weeks, and that is okay. This is a change, and you want people to be comfortable with it.
Now obviously none of this occurred with the bill presented before the House. They did it backwards. Paul Ryan wrote the bill secretly enough where Rand Paul took reporters on a treasure hunt searching for it, and they fought over what should be in it after it was written. It was rushed to the point that no one knew what was in it. A lot of people were confused about the three phases and how a lot of the things people wanted were in phase 3. No one promoted the bill except for Ryan and Price - that includes Trump who seemed lukewarm on the whole thing until he tried to get representatives to sign on for the vote. It was to the point that people questioned whether or not Trump liked the bill. He didn't do any rallies specifically for it. I think that Trump is new to this, and he counted on Paul Ryan who has been wanting this for seven years and his team to know how to do this. Paul Ryan did not.
As far as the Freedom Caucus goes, if you read articles in the media, Trump offered them concessions such as getting rid of the essential benefits (shifting them to states) which caused moderates to pull away from the bill and outrage among the media which was pumping said outrage out over the airways and into their newspapers. The Freedom Caucus felt that they weren't getting enough of what they wanted, although I read a quote by one member who remarked it was better than Obamacare - just not good enough.
The thinking with the bill is that it would be a three stage approach. A full repeal would be filibustered in the Senate, so this part would go through reconciliation and would be filibuster proof, but a lot of what excited conservatives, like purchasing across state lines, would come in the third stage - which some were skeptical they would ever be able to get through. Because of that, the CBO only scored phase one, and without the entirety of everything taken into account, the CBO numbers were terrible. The media blasted them out consistently. This plus the absolute disaster of a rollout gave the bill a dismal 17% approval rating. The left hated it for the obvious reason that it undid Obamacare. The moderate wing thought it went too far and many on the right thought it didn't go far enough - some wanting a plain repeal and other wanted a repeal and replace with a bill similar to that of Rand Paul's.
Ultimately, the Freedom Caucus tanked the bill, but some moderates aided in their efforts:
After all, it wasn’t just conservatives who sank the AHCA. The Freedom Caucus remains a stubborn problem for GOP leadership, but blaming—or crediting—its members for Friday’s defeat ignores the fact that some two dozen moderate and centrist members were also opposed. "There's no natural constituency for this bill," Raul Labrador, a Freedom Caucus co-founder, said throughout the week. He was right. Members care about policy and process, and between the two, there was no clear upside for many of Ryan's members: It left too many people without coverage and failed to drive down premiums; it also was re-written hastily to accommodate changes and felt rushed for no good reason. Ultimately, every concession made to win conservatives, like the amendment that left regulating essential health benefits up to states, was destined to result in the loss of moderates.
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/03/obamacare-vote-paul-ryan-health-care-ahca-replacement-failure-trump-214947
The Freedom Caucus made a wager that they weren't getting enough of what they wanted and in effect ended up with Obamacare in the end.
Walking toward the tunnel that connects the House office buildings to the Capitol itself, I ran into Mark Walker, the chairman of the Republican Study Committee, a large caucus that was once home to the conservative movement in Congress before being eclipsed in recent years by the more ideologically pure Freedom Caucus. Walker had initially been against the bill, but came on board quickly after some changes, and in doing so validated the critiques of his group by those further to the right. A former minister, Walker is by nature relaxed and genteel, but his face was burning red and his voice trembled as we discussed the bill's defeat.
“I’m very bothered. I'm disappointed,” he said, measuring his words. “This was a chance to repeal all the Obamacare taxes. It was a chance to take off the burdensome mandate we've stuck on our employers and individuals who have begged for help. It [has] additional pro-life provisions. It destroys the chance to do the biggest Medicaid revision that we've had in what, 51, 52 years? Yeah, I'm bothered by it.”
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/03/obamacare-vote-paul-ryan-health-care-ahca-replacement-failure-trump-214947
A full repeal would not be possible, but at least they would have gotten some of what they wanted as opposed to none. Trump has now suggested he will work with the Democrats and won't need the Freedom Caucus. The Freedom Caucus will get even less then and have less power to negotiation. Trump himself called out the Freedom Caucus on Twitter.
March 26
Democrats are smiling in D.C. that the Freedom Caucus, with the help of Club For Growth and Heritage, have saved Planned Parenthood & Ocare!
March 27
The Republican House Freedom Caucus was able to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. After so many bad years they were ready for a win!
From Bob Costa of The Washington Post:
“I think they made a mistake, but that’s okay,” Trump said of the Freedom Caucus.
I asked: Would working on a bipartisan health-care deal a year from now be something he would find more agreeable than whipping the hard right?
“A lot of people might say that,” Trump said, laughing. “We’ll end up with a better health-care plan. A great plan. And you wouldn’t need the Freedom Caucus.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/president-trump-called-my-cellphone-to-say-that-the-health-care-bill-was-dead/2017/03/24/8282c3f6-10ce-11e7-9b0d-d27c98455440_story.html?utm_term=.aa30fd7b1f20
He Tweeted about this as well.
March 25
ObamaCare will explode and we will all get together and piece together a great healthcare plan for THE PEOPLE. Do not worry!
March 27
The Democrats will make a deal with me on healthcare as soon as ObamaCare folds - not long. Do not worry, we are in very good shape!
Reince Priebus and Sean Spicer also talked of working with the Democrats.
Now, I realize that among many conservatives, they were hoping that Trump would repeal Obamacare completely. If Trump does that sans a good replacement, he will be a one term President, and the Democrats will come in next term and give you something more intrusive than Obamacare - socialized medicine. He made a promise to the people he would repeal and replace, keep preexisting conditions, the 26 rule, and take care of those who can't afford it. He said so in September 2015 long before the first primary:
Scott Pelley: What's your plan for Obamacare?
Donald Trump: Obamacare's going to be repealed and replaced. Obamacare is a disaster if you look at what's going on with premiums where they're up 45, 50, 55 percent.
Scott Pelley: How do you fix it?
Donald Trump: There's many different ways, by the way. Everybody's got to be covered. This is an un-Republican thing for me to say because a lot of times they say, "No, no, the lower 25 percent that can't afford private." But--
Scott Pelley: Universal health care?
Donald Trump: I am going to take care of everybody. I don't care if it costs me votes or not. Everybody's going to be taken care of much better than they're taken care of now.
Scott Pelley: The uninsured person is going to be taken care of how?
Donald Trump: They're going to be taken care of. I would make a deal with existing hospitals to take care of people. And, you know what, if this is probably--
Scott Pelley: Make a deal? Who pays for it?
Donald Trump: --the government's gonna pay for it. But we're going to save so much money on the other side. But for the most it's going to be a private plan and people are going to be able to go out and negotiate great plans with lots of different competition with lots of competitors with great companies and they can have their doctors, they can have plans, they can have everything.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-60-minutes-scott-pelley/
He said who he was, and he didn't apologize. He made himself clear throughout the campaign. In doing so, he was not only able to win the Republican nomination, but he also won the election by cracking the blue wall and winning with working class voters, poor voters, and rural voters. Some of these voters are dependent on Obamacare. If you wanted a candidate who was going to do a straight repeal or repeal and replace with something that did not include a safety net, Donald Trump was not the candidate to vote for. You would have wanted Ted Cruz or Rand Paul.
He even reiterated again in an interview with The Washington Post right before he took office:
We’re going to have insurance for everybody,” Trump said.
There was a philosophy in some circles that if you can’t pay for it, you don’t get it. That’s not going to happen with us.” People covered under the law “can expect to have great health care. It will be in a much simplified form. Much less expensive and much better.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-vows-insurance-for-everybody-in-obamacare-replacement-plan/2017/01/15/5f2b1e18-db5d-11e6-ad42-f3375f271c9c_story.html?postshare=1231484529419268&tid=ss_tw&utm_term=.4e23ce91c858
Just some basic stats and polls:
Obamacare has a positive approval rating at this point (although not amongst most Trump voters I'm sure) - with 49% to 44%:
http://kff.org/interactive/kaiser-health-tracking-poll-the-publics-views-on-the-aca/#?response=Favorable--Unfavorable&aRange=twoYear
Overall, only 19% of Republicans approve and a slight majority of Independents disapprove with 47% - 46%. Obamacare's approval rating actually went up when people heard it might be taken away. The media still wields some power.
A Rasmussen poll showed the following:
The Rasmussen survey ahead of the failed bill found that while a majority of voters wanted health care reform, 52 percent were concerned Trump and the GOP would change too much. Thirty-six percent worried they would change too little.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trumps-approval-rating-falls-as-trumpcare-flops/ar-BByT8jM
Of course the group worried they would change too little is obviously the conservative wing.
While there are conservative voters who want it all repealed, there are others who want some replacement like Rand Paul, but others yet who want to keep things in place like Trump promised. If Trump violates his campaign promise and drops Obamacare with no replacement, he's in trouble. The media will run story after story of not only how he's a conman and liar but of people negatively affected. The people who voted for him and trusted him that are currently now using Obamacare and expect either a better system or the ability to get help if they are ill, will look elsewhere. Trump barely won in Democrat states with a total of 70,000 people COMBINED. These people did not vote for Trump to repeal and not replace Obamacare. They voted for him for a better healthcare system. In order for Trump to win the next election, he will need to maintain his voter base, and some the portion that helped put him over the top will be voting Democrat if Obamacare is not replaced with a better system for them. Also, exclude those voters for a minute and think how it will motivate Democrat voters to come out who otherwise stayed at home as they weren't motivated.
They should work to open up the markets and lower costs - making the system as free market as possible, but at the same time, he made a promise to help those who can't afford it. If they are successful and prices go down, perhaps less people will need help as time goes on, and the goalposts can be moved as less people will need government healthcare (although the reality is that some always will). The Democrats are aware of the fact that you can't get what you want right away, so they settle. The far left settled for Obamacare because it was a step towards their goal of socialized medicine. They didn't get everything they wanted then, but they knew it wasn't the endgame.
My point is that people who are looking to flat repeal or repeal and replace without adhering to Trump's campaign promise will win the short term battle on this, but they will lose the war because the Democrats will come in and give you something to the left of Obamacare. Republicans won't get a shot again. Not only that, but then you will lose having a President who is pro-life, pro 2nd Amendment, who is willing to put conservatives on SCOTUS, enforce immigration laws, wants tougher vetting, helps business by easing regulations and lowering taxes, wants fair trade, eases climate regulations, is tough on ISIS, expects our NATO members to meet commitments, is pro-Israel, etc. You'll lose all that and lose on healthcare too in the end.
The above said about the need to compromise, while I state I think the Freedom Caucus will have to make concessions, I think it's likely good for Trump that this bill fell flat. Complaints and disputes I read from both sides of the political spectrum is that this could negatively affect vets, seniors, debate over some losing Medicaid who need it, debate over essential health benefits, illegals could sneak in and get care (cause it was done under reconciliation), the 30% surcharge for lapsed coverage, whether or not the age based tax credits is a good system, and of course the horrific CBO numbers of those losing insurance.
The bottom line is that it had a 17% approval rating. That is absolutely dismal, and Obamacare currently has a slight positive approval rating aided by media promotion. If this bill went through and tanked, they would own it. It would be a dire setback electorally. Trump mentioned the best thing they could do politically is let Obamacare explode. Once it does, the American people will be clamoring for a better plan.
I actually think Trump looked a bit relieved that it failed. I think now he has lashed out a bit at the Freedom Caucus because Trump is a counterpuncher, and right now the narrative out there is that the dealmaker failed - was beaten by the Freedom Caucus who will now have power over him and have weakened him, that his loss is devastating to his Presidency, etc. He sees the media and Dems celebrating, and from that stand point, he wants the win, but he could be better off without it.
Yes, there is a risk that if they move forward onto other things this session, save it for next session, and lose seats they've lost their chance to repeal Obamacare - meaning this is their best and only chance, but unless they get something done (and that would be risky without sufficient promotion and with Obamacare's rating) it's a risk they will have to take. The Freedom Caucus also have taken a risk that if/when Obamacare explodes, Trump works with the Democrats and they are marginalized.
It will be a gamble to see if people will blame the Republicans for Obamacare blowing up for not getting this healthcare bill done. People will either blame the Republicans because they are in charge, it happened under their watch, and they failed to get something done, or they will blame the Democrats who passed and fought to keep it. The Democrats did their victory laps in the short term but not necessarily in the long term will they be celebrating I believe. The one thing the Republicans could have done, knowing they couldn't get 60 votes due to a filibuster in the Senate, is load a bill up with absolutely everything they wanted, let the Dems filibuster, and then the Dems really would have owned it. They took a larger risk of blame by letting this thing flop miserably, but it its what it is.
The bill put forward in the future should have full backing, support, and promotion from conservative groups and isn't promoted by Trump and Congress so the American people understand it in the future - especially if they are going the non-bipartisan route. If they are going the bipartisan route, Trump has to remember he and the Republicans are in the majority and can't give the Democrats too much leeway. I would prefer to see the Republicans get something good done themselves if/when Obamacare explodes.
To conclude, I realize my opinion may not be popular among some conservatives, but reading what Trump has said, his comments were not comments that would make the conservative base completely happy. Ironically, that is probably what helped him win. I see some conservatives turning on Trump for this, and I don't think it's wise. He's somebody who is willing to fight to give you most of what you want and is willing to stand up to the press. Don't give up on him over this because I think adhering to his campaign promise will keep him in office to do all the other things we want.
Bottom Line:
They are all liars.
They promised REPEAL.
But kept themselves, their families,
and their staff ...EXEMPT.
LIARS !
If Trump keeps slamming the conservatives who opposed this stupid Ryancare bill he’s going to be talking to himself at his next rally.
Mr. President it is conservatives who are your most numerous and committed supporters. Go all John Kasich on us and your Presidency crashes and burns.
Trump does a lot more conservative stuff outside of health care. His supporters won’t abandon him.
It’s not as though he is reneging on anything, though. He ran on a more liberal platform on healthcare than other Republicans and won on it. It didn’t prevent him from getting the nomination and winning the Presidency - in fact it probably helped with blue state voters.
Polls show his supporters are still with him at this point. I hope to see him get a win with a big bill somewhere - perhaps tax reform if they are done trying with healthcare. It’s sad how badly this healthcare thing was botched.
Ryan is J.Wellington wimpy. The hamburger quote
I reject the idea of phase 2 & 3 nonsense. No trust
People on FR need to realize that he didn’t win this election by promising to adhere to 100% of what talk radio conservatives wanted ONLY.
He’s given the right a hell of a lot for their support, and he also made an “appeal to nation” to the old constituencies of the rest-belt that the Dems had abandoned, as well as people that are no longer comfortable with the BS from either party.
In essence: Trump won as a 3rd party candidate by defeating the GOP nominee and then the Democrat one.
His supports are not the “GOP’s supporters” nor are they ideologues looking to him to get orders from Mark Levin before he gets out of bed.
My advice is for the right to cultivate a lot of good will he has shown us and dont try to be to cute by half thinking that you are the ones that made him only, thinking that his supporters are taking cues from Levin or Beck.
They aren’t, and they will maul the establishment right as much as they have the left.
Agreed.
Pres. Trump’s ONLY supporters are those whom
he promised to help by repealing ObamaCARE/RomneyCARE.
Pres. Trump came up fast, a
nd will go down very, very fast
if he is shown to be a liar to his base.
Repeal ObamaCARE Now, Pres. Trump.
You cannot keep the requirements on pre-existing conditions and kill the subsidies and individual mandates. Premiums would go through the roof - 100 times more than they are now. The premiums would essentially have to be set at the same cost of the medical bills or every insurance company would go out of business. You cannot repeal the law of economic gravity with an act of congress.
I’ve been saying for months that Trump is a moderate on health care. Conservative on most other issues, but he has been openly and consistently moderate on health care. He said many times everyone would be covered and no one would die because they are poor.
, would come in the third stage - “””
Just reading these words makes me literally want to punch someone in the face for their asinine credulity.
"Effective as of Dec. 31, 2017, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is repealed, and the provisions of law amended or repealed by such Act are restored or revived as if such Act had not been enacted," the bill states.
Mo Brooks is a member of The House Freedom Caucus!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ask your Congress Critter to sign the discharge petition for US Representative Mo Brooks's bill titled, "Obamacare Repeal Act"!!!!!!!!!!!
I’m not a one note Johnny.
Donald Trump’s promise to repeal Obamacare was one of MANY reasons I voted for him. It sure as hell was not the only one.
Other reasons....doing something to stop the illegal alien invasion....building the Wall.....getting the economy going again....reining in the environmentalist wackos and cutting overbearing regulations....support for the Second Amendment....rebuilding the military....fighting the PC nonsense....cutting taxes, etc.
To remind ouselves who Donald Trump actually is when it comes to health care, go about half way down this article to the Scott Pelley/Donald Trump interview.
Bottom line is the Patient or end user was left out and taxpayers still holding the bag. Ryan was the reason RYANCARE FAILED.
Study: Senate Can Repeal Obamacare’s Regulations through Reconciliation, with Only 51 Votes
https://www.cato.org/publications/commentary/study-senate-can-repeal-obamacares-regulations-through-reconciliation-only
The Real Repeal Obamacare Bill has been Languishing in Committee since February 10 (links)
http://thewashingtonstandard.com/real-repeal-obamacare-bill-languishing-committee-since-february-10/
Sherman Antitrust Act Break UP MONOPOLIES, Big Pharma, INS and Congressional Lobbyist
https://www.britannica.com/event/Sherman-Antitrust-Act
The Big Money Behind Paul Ryan’s Political Career
Ryan’s 20 biggest backers are in the financial, insurance, or health sectors
https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2012/08/14/the-big-money-behind-paul-ryans-political-career
Paul Ryan: Bankrolled by the Banksters, the Privatizers, and the Kochs
http://www.prwatch.org/news/2012/08/11704/paul-ryan-bankrolled-banksters-privatizers-and-kochs
House Budget Robs Social Security for Welfare Payments
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/10/29/house-budget-robs-social-security-welfare-payments/
How the AARP Made $2.8 Billion By Supporting Obamacare’s Cuts to Medicare
https://www.forbes.com/sites/theapothecary/2012/09/22/the-aarps-2-8-billion-reasons-for-supporting-obamacares-cuts-to-medicare/#5d182c745935
How Money From Pharmaceutical Companies Sways Doctors’ Prescriptions
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/04/13/doctors-receiving-pharmaceutical-money.aspx
How Much of Big Pharma’s Massive Profits Are Used to Influence ...
http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/33010-how-much-of-big-pharma-s-massive-profits-are-used-to-influence-politicians
New drugstore lobby mandate would increase prescription drug costs in Medicare
http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/healthcare/325777-new-drugstore-lobby-mandate-would-increase-prescription-drug
Big Pharma and Big Profits: The Multibillion Dollar Vaccine Market
http://www.globalresearch.ca/big-pharma-and-big-profits-the-multibillion-dollar-vaccine-market/5503945
Big Pharma’s big donations to 2016 presidential candidates
http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/11/health/big-pharma-presidential-politics/
True Cost of Healthcare
http://truecostofhealthcare.net/
Why Pharma Faces So Many Corruption Allegations - Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jwebb/2016/02/23/why-pharma-faces-so-many-corruption-allegations/#4f672b771bd3
New Harvard study reveals Institutional Corruption of Pharmaceuticals and how FDA cannot be trusted with public safety
http://seattleorganicrestaurants.com/vegan-whole-food/institutional-corruption-of-pharmaceuticals-how-FDA-cannot-be-trusted-with-public-safety.php#sthash.etRtisFQ.dpuf
Medicare Funds Totaling $60 Billion Improperly Paid, Report Finds
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/medicare-funds-totaling-60-billion-improperly-paid-report/story?id=32604330
VA’s record of waste, fraud and abuse keeps piling up
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/sep/3/golden-hammer-vas-record-of-waste-fraud-abuse-keep/
The Secretary of The Dept. of Veteran Affairs & How He Is Wasting Our Tax Payer Money
https://sofrep.com/29130/the-department-of-veterans-affairs-fraud-waste-abuse-eric-shinseki/
Because Of Obamacare, Illegal Immigrants Get Taxpayer-Financed Care
https://www.forbes.com/sites/theapothecary/2016/03/25/because-of-federal-health-law-illegal-immigrants-get-care/#2139b2082139
Here’s how hospitals mark up saline solution by 1,000%
http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/blog/mass_roundup/2013/08/hospital-overcharging.html
Sen. Feinstein’s Husband’s Company to Bag $1 Billion for Government Deal
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/01/17/sen-feinsteins-husbands-company-to-bag-1-billion-for-government-deal/
Pelosi’s husband benefits too BILLIONS of $$.
Until you get Big Pharma, health ins, FDA from being donor pacs you won’t get reform.
VA, MEDICARE, Military Healthcare and MEDICAID all need fixing. They are out dated, no options, FIXED, RATIONED, AND FULL OF FRAUD AND WASTE NO ONE IS ROOTING OUT. As Seniors on Medicare/Tricare Life, hubby is 20 yr career Ret. SCPO, we have the regs of Medicare and DoD that MANDATE every aspect of our medical care right down to where we can get scripts. Military base or FRAUD prone Express Scripts. Only 1 time ER scripts are allowed for private pharmacy, if you have to do a after hours or ER trip to a Minor Med or ER. Daily meds come from the Base. Or you pay full Retail. He does not qualify for VA care, with 2 SS and Navy Pension the $38K cap is exceeded. As a spouse I’m not qualified for that part. Our Naval base is not huge so meds are limited, all refills come out of a automated system from Pensacola for our region, takes 5 days for a refill. ES is 2 weeks. All automated refills and they take 2 weeks. Just shoved in your mail box UN ID signed for.
Here’s what I think is going on:
I think the subject of wealth redistribution has become so politically “weaponized” that it is almost impossible to have an honest and constructive dialogue.
At root of this “bad blood” is Marxism itself, which seeks to divide the populace into classes in order to sow anger, discontent and jealousy among those with less, and justify legal plunder by an overreaching government from those with more.
How can the two sides ever agree on “a healthcare plan” which one side sees as redistributive property theft and the other side sees as redistributive social justice?
I think we lovers of economic liberty are ensnared in a political trap where we can’t make the case for small government, the constitution, individual rights, property rights, etc. without “confirming” the false belief that we are simply selfish and uncaring. This fallacy has been purposefully and successfully woven into the social consciousness by the Marxists and any words used to articulate the idea of individual liberty are automatically redirected in the gullible leftist brain toward an idea of social injustice.
The gullible left really does see us as the bad guys - the federal government is the giver of social justice and anyone who opposes the federal government is selfish and evil. They see our victories as dark foreshadows of the end of the world.
I believe Trump is exploring new ways of starting a conversation about what true social justice should look like - not the fake social justice imparted by Washington DC. The message can’t be direct. It has to be unfamiliar.
Above all, the message must be totally unrecognizable to the left as constitutional conservatism. As soon as the left believes Trump really wants to drain the swamp and shrink the federal government, they will have his number and be able to pit him against the common working man and he will be finished.
In the specific context of health care, Trump must be allowed by conservatives to say things like “we can’t have people dying in the streets” and “everyone will be covered and the government will pay for it”, etc.
After all, we small government constitutional conservatives do want that don’t we? Do we want people dying in the streets? Don’t we believe that an economy based on individual liberty, private property, and free enterprise is the best and only way to lift people out of poverty? Don’t we believe that there will always be some people in need of a helping hand and that we are morally obligated to offer it? Aren’t we, not the left, the ones that give to the poor, and start charitable organizations (although the government’s propaganda arm hides this fact)?
I constantly have to remind myself that Trump did not get elected by convincing enough voters that the federal government had to be dismantled. There aren’t nearly enough voters who understand that. He won by convincing enough voters that it is OK to want to keep more of what you earn, it is ok to put America first, it is ok to protect your family, property and defend yourself. It’s ok to be proud of what you are, even if (God forbid) you are a Christian, white, straight, carnivorous, deplorable, pro-life bitter clinger?
I have to believe that Trump’s vast and successful business experience has instilled in him a keen sense of when he’s being ripped off. He can smell a bad deal a mile away - the federal government’s redistributive “social justice” is nothing but a bad deal - a vast and corrupt protection racket that uses fear and anger of class division to justify government programs which siphon wealth off into the bank accounts of the billionaires who own the politicians.
Trump knows exactly what’s going on and has been going on for many decades. He knows that the most powerful people in the world dearly want to keep things exactly the way they are and the actual purpose of the oversized federal government is to do just that. If Trump is what I think he is, we are so lucky he came along.
I just hope that we constitutional conservatives will keep reminding ourselves that Trump can’t always be direct about what needs to be done - he can’t always say the words we want to hear and do the things we want him to do.
I think he has the left a little bit confused and that’s a good thing. I think in order to keep them confused, he has to be confusing even to us at times.
For example, I found it confusing when ge tweeted against the freedom caucus the other day. I wanted him to say what a bad deal Ryncare was and thank the freedom caucus for blocking it.
But I’m hoping he is keeping his eye on the prize: turning the government back over to the people like he promised - but I don’t expect to like every word or even every action. I think many of his words and actions are tailored for an audience other than me.
He has to charm the snake
The country will suffer big league if conservatives act like sunshine soldiers and summer patriots, deserting Trump at the drop of a pin over a single issue (or even a few issues), regardless of how much he’s accomplished to advance the conservative cause overall. I find a lot of the reactions to Trump lately on Free Republic (usually by people with very unrealistic goals) troubling.
Also Trump always said he wanted to keep the ‘preexisting conditions’ which was the obvious sign that he wasn’t really repealing it.
From above:
Scott Pelley: Universal health care?
Donald Trump: I am going to take care of everybody. I don’t care if it costs me votes or not. Everybody’s going to be taken care of much better than they’re taken care of now.
Scott Pelley: The uninsured person is going to be taken care of how?
Donald Trump: They’re going to be taken care of. I would make a deal with existing hospitals to take care of people. And, you know what, if this is probably—
Scott Pelley: Make a deal? Who pays for it?
Donald Trump: —the government’s gonna pay for it.
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