By Michael Woyton
Pres. George W. Bush once said, “There’s an old saying in Tennessee — I know it’s in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can’t get fooled again.”
Obvious, Shrub hasn’t met the current Democratic Party.
If I were a generous person, I might think that caving in the middle of a government shutdown — over healthcare for millions of Americans and food stamps for millions of Americans — could be a strategy to show the voters that one political party really cares for their constituents and the other only cares for the uber wealthy.
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However, I have no such confidence that there’s a bigger plot ahead and that Senate Minority Leader Charles “Time to Go” Schumer allowed a few members of his caucus to fall on their well-financed swords and vote with the GOPmagas on a bill that would reopen the government.
My gracious, what a sorry situation those of us who lined the streets of the United States in the millions for the recent No Kings protests are seeing for our efforts.
Does anyone think that the party of Trump sycophants was serious in agreeing to a vote on subsidizing the Affordable Care Act?
Did the Democrats really think that THIS was the best deal for which to give in as the government shutdown reached its 40th day, considering all the hardships it has brought?
Sunday night, seven Democratic senators and one independent joined all Republicans except one to advance a bill that would fund the government through January 30 — in exchange for a vote on subsidies for health insurance premiums for Obamacare, the BBC reported.
To emphasize: “in exchange for a vote on” not a “vote for” said subsidies.
And WTF! The government will only be funded through the end of January? Can we assume we’ll have to go through all this BS again at that time?
“A vote on the deal would only be the first procedural step in the new funding agreement,” the BBC reported, “and it would still need to be approved by the US House of Representatives where it is likely to see its own challenges.”
Yeah. One of those challenges is that the House of Representatives isn’t even in session.
The other challenge is that Speaker of still-not-in-session House Mike Johnson has not said whether he will even bother to bring a bill on healthcare subsidies to a vote.
Johnson did, however, suggest House members begin returning to the scene of the crime Washington, D.C. immediately, per ABC News.
He said he will give a 36-hour notice “so that we can vote as soon as possible to pass the amended [continuing resolution] bill and get it to the president’s desk.”
Good luck to all the far-flung Congress members getting back quickly, thanks to the problems with air travel cancellations lately.
Of course, the GOPmagas are all thankful the Dems have come to their senses.
On the other hand, critics of the Democrats’ decision to cave feel the party has lost its mind.
“Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) called it a mistake,” Politico reported. “Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) called it ‘a very bad night’.”
But Rep. Ro Khanna, D-California, was more blunt.
“Senator Schumer is no longer effective and should be replaced,” he posted on social media. “If you can’t lead the fight to stop healthcare premiums from skyrocketing for Americans, what will you fight for?”
In case you are wondering, Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky voted against advancing the bill, while independent Sen. Angus King and Democratic senators Dick Durbin, Jacky Rosen, John Fetterman, Catherine Cortez Masto, Jeanne Shaheen, Maggie Hassan and Tim Kaine voted in favor of the bill.
If King and the Dems listed above are your senators, you know what to do.
For the rest of us, it’s time to start getting in touch with our representatives.
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Lead art: Screen grab from ABC News via YouTube.
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