eric a blair wrote:
In the end, the Repubs were sick of being mocked for not being able to do anyything about o'care...all they cared about was being able to say they voted down o'care. They had a fun day, it was team building, it was a big party rally. None of them thinks the bill they passed is any good, none of them thinks the senate will pass it as is.
It was meant to be a big rally for the GOP - that's it.
I hate to say this, but it actually has huge consequences. It didn't really matter what was in the bill. They needed a vehicle that they could send to the senate for 51-vote passage under reconciliation. That's what they were really voting for.
The senate will gut the bill. It will be up to them to pass the thing that will go to conference and become law.
But without yesterday's bill, none of it happens. They needed to slash medicare in order to pay for their upcoming tax cuts for the rich. Some of the tax cuts are included in yesterday's bill, but most of it will come in the "tax reform" legislation to follow. Without yesterday's bill, Trump's entire legislative agenda dies.
Yesterday had huge consequences.