For God's sake, start calling this the “sabotage bill.” When will Democrats learn?
Republicans have now come up with their new option which they call a “skinny repeal” or the “skinny bill.” This bill option is not fully known yet, but seems certain to include a repeal of the individual mandate, the employer mandate and some of the medical device taxes. Again, millions will be hurt:
Without the mandate, they will just return to their previous uninsured status, frequently turning into emergency-room patients and bad debts for hospitals and doctors. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that, in a decade, about 15 million people would be hurt, including independent professionals and small-business employees.
The CBO further predicts a 20% increase in premiums, and there is well founded fear that removing the mandates would undermine all pre-existing conditions coverage. Plus, the whole thing is just a ruse to get into a House-Senate conference where any other damaging idea can be brought back in.
So, with all that damage in mind, how in the world do the Democrats allow Republicans to control the messaging by calling this a “skinny repeal”? FFS, call it a “sabotage repeal” or a “suicide repeal.”
As J.B. Silvers explains in the NYT:
Skinny is often read as good today. We like skinny jeans, skinny models and, apparently, skinny health reform. It is likely that the Senate, which has just rejected repeal-and-replace and repeal-without-replace bills, will vote on a “skinny repeal” of the Affordable Care Act. What does this actually mean, and what would it produce?
It would produce sabotage, so call it that. Just this morning I have watched or read this bill referred to as the “skinny repeal” by MSNBC, CNN, the Washington Post, the NYT and Huffington. Why in the world do we allow Republicans to control the terms of the debate? Shouldn’t the headline read “SENATOR X UNSURE WHETHER TO VOTE FOR SABOTAGE BILL”?
And this isn't limited to this issue; it happens over and over again.
It is so f*cking infuriating to watch the Democrats continually get their asses handed to them by being so incompetent on such a basic task of politics.
