True Things 6 - A Two-fer

On Wednesday, at a roundtable on "Antifa," Donald Trump said "Uh, we took the freedom of speech away.”

The context was flag-burning, but really, do we care what the context was?

Today is a two-fer, because on Tuesday Senator Ted Cruz said "How 'bout we all come together and say, 'Let's stop attacking pedophiles?'"

No, He Won't (True Things 5)

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said today, "The president would like to overhaul Obamacare, and give people health insurance that is higher quality and more affordable."

From January, 2017 through January 2019, 'the president' had a majority in both houses of Congress, and couldn't get enough Republicans to vote for their own version of a system of affordable healthcare for America, and it failed.

From January, 2019 through January 2021, the Democratic majority in the House passed several pieces of legislation focused on providing affordable healthcare to more Americans at lower costs (for example, H.R. 3 and H.R. 987).  The Republican majority in the Senate voted not to advance any of this legislation to the President for signature.

From January, 2025 through today, 'the president' has had a majority in both houses of Congress, and has not made any attempt to write legislation that would create a system of affordable healthcare in America, no less one that was better and cheaper than Obamacare.

Those are the true things.  As I've said, this is where I write the truth, plus things I believe.  

This is what I believe, knowing those true things:  Neither Donald Trump nor the Republican Party is interested in making the effort to create a system of affordable healthcare in America. If they were, they would have done it long ago.

I believe that John Thune is lying to us.

What do you believe?

Shutdown Blues

How's your shutdown going?  Yecch.

Republicans are acting as if they've got a high-value hostage, and are cutting off fingers (mass layoffs, no back pay) because Democrats won't  hand over the ransom.  Mike Johnson is actually using a hostage negotiation tactic - "The problem can be dealt with later, after the government reopens;" in other words, "Come out with your hands up and then we'll discuss your demands."  Yeah, sure you will.  Do I look like an idiot?  And what, I wonder, do Johnson and Thune think is "the problem:"  the elimination of Affordable Care Act insurance subsidies that expire at the end of the year, or the fact that they're not getting what they want?  If the former, they're acknowledging that what they themselves did is a problem; if the latter, yecch.

This seems a good place to put down a pet peeve marker.  A recent picture of Hakeem Jeffries shows him behind a sign that says "Save Healthcare."  "Saving Healthcare" is not what this is about.  There is still, and will be, healthcare.  Any issue in that realm we can lay at the door of RFK Jr., but that's a different story.  There is still healthcare available, if you can afford it, meaning if you're rich or, like Abbey and I, incredibly lucky enough to have employment-based insurance that continues after retirement.  This issue is "Affordable Healthcare."  I know that's an awkward phrase that doesn't play well in the media, but it's the accurate truth.  Sticking to the "Save Healthcare" trope opens Democrats to criticisms about being inaccurate ("Of course there's healthcare!  What's wrong with you?"), and about downplaying the needs of the majority of Americans who put off healthcare because it's too expensive.

Republican lawmakers and their high-dollar constituents can, apparently, afford all the healthcare they need.  We need to focus on the inhuman greed represented by their refusal to let all of us help everyone be healthy.

Showing Up

A thought about the outrage that is greeting the Administration's use of ICE to terrorize people of color, and their illegal use of National Guard troops to police cities that vote blue:  the outrage is the whole point.  Once you're outraged - mission accomplished.

There is a significant proportion of right-wing Republicans who need this and only this:  overweight, heavily-armed white men in fatigues swaggering through cities they've never been to.  That's all they need:  show them that on the TV, and they've got the wish-fulfillment fantasy that they need.  In their minds, they're on it, striding with their buds, guns ready, chests out, masks on, ready to rumble.  At least in their fantasies.  In reality, they're slumped on their couches in Middle America, not doing much of anything except complaining about things they don't understand.

They don't care about crime in Chicago or Portland or LA.  They don't care about any of the complexities of immigration policy, and they don't care that American citizens are being victimized just because of the color of their skin.  They just want to piss off liberals; to show them what it's like to be a real man.  They are products of Fox News, country music, the internet, and generations of toxic masculinity, and once those righteous bros start scaring those other people, no more need be done.  It's never been about accomplishing anything; it's about showing up.  That's all they need.