SUBJECT. >>> MITCH McCONNELL KNEW THIS
DAY WAS COMING. SINCE ELECTION NIGHT WHEN DONALD
TRUMP WAS DECLARED THE WINNER OF THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE AND THE
LOSER OF THE PEOPLE'S VOTE, MITCH McCONNELL KNEW THIS DAY
WAS COMING, HE JUST DIDN'T KNOW IT WOULD BE THIS BAD.
MITCH McCONNELL KNEW THAT WITH A REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT, THE
REPUBLICAN SENATE WAS ACTUALLY GOING TO HAVE TO TRY TO DELIVER
A BILL THAT WOULD REPEAL AND REPLACE OBAMACARE.
REPUBLICANS IN THE SENATE HAD PUSHED BILLS LIKE THAT UNDER
PRESIDENT OBAMA WHEN THEY KNEW IT WASN'T A REAL LEGISLATIVE
THING. THEY KNEW THE DEMOCRATS WOULD
FILIBUSTER THE SENATE AND THE SENATE WOULD VETO JUST WHATEVER
THEY PASSED. OF COURSE THE PRESIDENT WOULD
VETO IT. MITCH McCONNELL KNEW AND HAS
KNOWN FOR YEARS THAT IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE TO WRITE A BILL THAT
REPEALS AND REPLACES OBAMACARE THAT WOULD NOT BE DESCRIBED AS
MEAN BY ANY REASONABLE PERSON OR EVEN AN UNREASONABLE PERSON.
MITCH McCONNELL HAD EVERY RIGHT TO BELIEVE THAT HE DODGED THIS
DISASTER IN MARCH WHEN PAUL RYAN WOULD NOT LET HIS HEALTH CARE
BILL GO TO THE FLOOR OF THE HOUSE FOR A VOTE BECAUSE HE
DIDN'T HAVE THE VOTES. THAT WAS WHEN PAUL RYAN AND
DONALD TRUMP DID THE MOST UNPROFESSIONAL THING THAT ANY
HOUSE SPEAKER OR PRESIDENT HAS EVER DONE IN A LEGISLATIVE
EXERCISE. THEY BOTH PUBLICLY GAVE UP ON
THEIR BIG PROMISE TO REPEAL AND REPLACE OBAMACARE.
>> I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO SAY OTHER THAN OBAMACARE IS THE LAW
OF THE LAND.D. IT'S GOING TO REMAIN THE LAW OF
THE LAND UNTIL IT'S REPLACED. WE DID NOT HAVE QUITE THE VOTES
TO REPLACE THIS LAW, AND SO, YEAH, WE'RE GOING TO BE LIVING
WITH OBAMACARE FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE.
>> I THINK WE HAVE TO LET OBAMACARE GO ITS WAY A LITTLE
BIT OVERALL AND WE'LL HAVE TO LET THINGS GO.
I'D LOVE TO SEE IT DO WELL, BUT I CAN'T.
>> HIS FANS WERE NOT HAPPY WITH THAT SURRENDER.
WHEN PAUL RYAN GAVE UP THAT TIME AROUND, ALL HE HAD TO SAY WAS HE
WAS GOING TO CONTINUE TO WORK ON THE BILL AND WORK ON GETTING
VOTES. THAT'S ALL HE REALLY HAD TO SAY.
WHICH IS ACTUALLY WHAT PAUL RYAN ENDED UP HAVING TO DO, MUCH TO
MITCH McCONNELL'S SURPRISE AND PERHAPS HORROR, BECAUSE THEN
MITCH McCONNELL KNEW HIS DAY WAS COMING.
AFTER IT GOT THROUGH THE HOUSE, MITCH McCONNELL ALWAYS KNEW THAT
THE MEAN IDEA OF THROWING 22 OR 23 MILLION PEOPLE OFF THEIR
HEALTH CARE COVERAGE WAS GOING TO BE DIFFICULT FOR SOME OF HIS
REPUBLICAN SENATORS, HE JUST WASN'T SURE HOW MANY.
HE COULD AFFORD TO LOSE ONLY TWO OF THEM.
THREE OF THEM. HE COULD FIRST LOSE ONLY TWO OF
THEM, AND THAT'S WHY MITCH McCONNELL NEVER ONCE EXPRESSED
ANY CONFIDENCE IN ACTUALLY PASSING A BILL.
IN THE SENATE, McCONNELL SIMPLY ANNOUNCED THAT HE WOULD DEAL
WITH THE BILL ONE WAY OR ANOTHER BEFORE THE 4th OF JULY RECESS.
McCONNELL ALWAYS PUBLICLY ALLOWED FOR THE POSSIBILITY THAT
HE COULD LOSE THAT VOTE ON THE SENATE FLOOR, AND HE ALWAYS MADE
IT CLEAR THAT IF HE DID, HE WAS GOING TO MOVE ON TO THE NEXT
REPUBLICAN AGENDA ITEM WHICH WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A MASSIVE TAX
CUT. THE ONE THING MITCH McCONNELL
AND ALL THE REPUBLICANS KNOW HOW TO DO, A MASSIVE TAX CUT.
THE ONE BIG PROBLEM FOR MITCH McCONNELL WAS REPUBLICAN VOTERS,
ESPECIALLY TRUMP VOTERS, WERE LED TO BELIEVE THIS WAS GOING TO
BE VERY EASY. >> YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE SUCH
GREAT HEALTH CARE AT A TINY FRACTION OF THE COST, AND IT'S
GOING TO BE SO EASY. >> WE'RE GOING TO COME UP WITH
HEALTH CARE PLANS THAT WILL BE SO GOOD AND SO MUCH LESS
EXPENSIVE BOTH FOR THE COUNTRY AND FOR THE PEOPLE, AND SO MUCH
BETTER. >> I'M GOING TO TAKE CARE OF
EVERYBODY. I DON'T CARE IF IT COSTS ME
VOTES OR NOT. EVERYBODY WILL BE TAKEN CARE OF
BETTER THAN THEY'RE TAKEN CARE OF NOW.
>> WHILE CAMPAIGN TRUMP WAS SAYING ALL THAT, ANOTHER
CANDIDATE WAS SAYING THINGS REPUBLICAN AUDIENCES DID NOT
WANT TO HEAR. >> I HAVE NOT SET UP AN
EXCHANGE. HE KNOWS I'M NOT FOR OBAMACARE
AND NEVER HAVE BEEN. BUT DO YOU KNOW WHO EXPANDED
MEDICAID FIVE TIMES TO TRY TO HELP THE FOLKS AND GIVE THEM
OPPORTUNITY SO THEY COULD RISE AND GET A JOB?
PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN. THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS WE
EXPANDED TO GET PEOPLE ON THEIR FEET, AND ONCE THEY'RE ON THEIR
FEET, WE'RE GIVING THEM THE TRAINING AND EFFORTS THEY NEED
TO GET WORK AND PULL OUT OF THAT SITUATION.
>> JOHN KASICH WON TODAY. AND DONALD TRUMP LOST.
JOHN KASICH, THE REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR OF THE ALL-IMPORTANT
ELECTORAL COLLEGE STATE OF OHIO OPPOSED MITCH McCONNELL AND
DONALD TRUMP'S BILL. GOVERNOR KASICH MADE IT
IMPOSSIBLE FOR OHIO SENATOR ROB PORTMAN TO VOTE FOR THE
McCONNELL BILL, BUT ROB PORTMAN, IN A TYPICAL DELAY OF SENATORIAL
COURAGE, DID NOT ANNOUNCE HIS OPPOSITION TO THE BILL UNTIL
MITCH McCONNELL ANNOUNCED HE WAS GIVING UP AND THAT HE WOULD NOT
EVEN BRING THE BILL TO A VOTE. MITCH McCONNELL ANNOUNCED THAT
WHEN ENOUGH REPUBLICAN SENATORS ANNOUNCED CLEAR ENOUGH
OPPOSITION THAT WOULD LEAD MITCH McCONNELL ONE OR TWO VOTES SHORT
OF PASSING THE BILL IN THE SENATE, THAT'S WHEN HE PULLED
THE BILL. SOME OF THE SENATORS LEFT ENOUGH
VAGUENESS IN THEIR WILLINGNESS TO NEGOTIATE WITH MITCH
McCONNELL THAT WASN'T REALLY COMPLETELY CLEAR HOW MANY OF
THEM REALLY WOULD VOTE AGAINST IT IF MITCH McCONNELL BROUGHT
THE BILL TO THE FLOOR. BUT NOW T THAT HE'S PULLED THE
BILL, WE HAVE REPUBLICAN SENATORS ON THE FLOOR TONIGHT.
THAT MEANS HE WOULD HAVE GOTTEN 20% OF THE SENATE FLOOR.
NO ONE FELT ASHAMED OR HUMILIATED BY THAT.
IT WOULD BE A CLEAR LOSS, BUT NOT AN OUTRIGHT HUMILIATION.
BUT THE TRUTH OF THE SENATE IS MITCH McCONNELL WASN'T GOING TO
COME CLOSE TO 41 VOTES. AND HE KNEW THAT, AND THAT IS
WHY HE PULLED THE BILL. MITCH McCONNELL WAS WILLING TO
LOSE AND MOVE ON ON A ROLL CALL VOTE.
HE SAID SO VERY CLEARLY AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS PROCESS.
THAT WAS BOTH A THREAT AND A PROMISE TO REPUBLICAN MEMBERS.
HIS WILLINGNESS TO HAVE A VOTE AND LOSE AND MOVE ON.
THE THREAT OF THAT BEING, YOU WILL HAVE ONE CHANCE TO VOTE ON
YOUR PROMISE TO REPEAL AND REPLACE OBAMACARE.
THE PROMISE OF THAT WAS THAT THE SENATE WOULD MOVE ON TO OTHER
BUSINESS NO MATTER HOW THAT VOTE TURNED OUT.
MITCH McCONNELL PROMISED REPUBLICANS IN THE SENATE THAT
THEY WOULDN'T HAVE TO LIVE WITH ENDLESS WRANGLING ABOUT A HEALTH
CARE BILL. MITCH McCONNELL MADE IT VERY
CLEAR TO HIS MEMBERS THAT HE DID NOT CONSIDER THIS A MUST PASS
BILL. WHEN A SENATE LEADER HAS A MUST
PASS BILL, THE SENATE LEADER ALWAYS EXPRESSES TOTAL
CONFIDENCE THAT IT WILL PASS BECAUSE HE CANNOT AFFORD TO HAVE
ANY OF HIS MEMBERS DOUBTING THAT IT WILL PASS, BECAUSE IF ENOUGH
MEMBERS DOUBT THAT IT WILL PASS, THEN VIRTUALLY NO REPUBLICANS
WILL CAST THAT TOUGH VOTE. A MEAN VOTE.
TO TAKE HEALTH CARE AWAY FROM 22 MILLION PEOPLE.
HERE IS MITCH McCONNELL LAST WEEK PUBLICLY REFUSING TIME AND
AGAIN TO EXPRESS ANY CONFIDENCE AT ALL ABOUT PASSING HIS HEALTH
CARE BILL. >> SENATOR McCONNELL?
>> YEAH. >> YOU MUST BE VERY CONFIDENT
THAT THIS BILL IS GOING TO PASS, NUMBER ONE.
AND TWO, ARE YOU WILLING TO BURN A RECONCILIATION PACKAGE IF IT'S
NOT? >> WE ARE GOING TO MAKE EVERY
EFFORT TO PASS A BILL THAT DRAMATICALLY CHANGES THE CURRENT
HEALTH CARE LAW. >> BUT THAT'S NOT CONFIDENCE
NECESSARILY. YOU WOULDN'T BRING A BILL UP
UNLESS YOU WERE CONFIDENT, RIGHT?
>> SO THE TRUTH OF WHAT MITCH McCONNELL WAS FACING TODAY, HE
WAS NOT FACING THE DEFECTION OF THREE OR FOUR SENATORS.
HE WASN'T FACING THE DEFECTION OF NINE SENATORS OF A ROLL CALL
VOTE IF HE BROUGHT THIS BILL TO A VOTE.
MITCH McCONNELL WASN'T GOING TO COME CLOSE TO 40 VOTES ON THE
SENATE FLOOR. THE BEST MITCH McCONNELL WOULD
DO, FIVE VOTES. THAT'S WHAT HE WAS GOING TO GET.
MITCH McCONNELL WAS FACING THE PROSPECT OF LOSING 95-5 ON THE
SENATE FLOOR. THAT'S NOT LOSING, THAT'S BEING
WIPED OUT. THAT'S WHAT THE MAJORITY LEADER
OF THE SENATE COULDN'T AFFORD TO DO.
MITCH McCONNELL HIMSELF IS ONLY ONE OF ONLY FIVE SENATORS, FIVE,
WHO SAID THEY WOULD VOTE FOR THIS BILL.
NO MAJOR BILL HAS EVER BEEN ADVANCED BY A MAJORITY LEADER IN
THE SENATE THAT HAD ONLY FIVE SENATORS IN THE MAJORITY
LEADER'S PARTY SAYING THEY WOULD SUPPORT THE BILL.
WE HAVE NEVER SEEN LESS SUPPORT FOR AN IMPORTANT BILL BROUGHT BY
A MAJORITY LEADER IN THE HISTORY, THE RECORDED PUBLIC
HISTORY, OF THE SENATE. THAT'S HOW BAD THIS WAS.
ONLY FIVE VOTES. THAT'S WHAT HE HAD.
ALL THE REST, ALL THE REST OF THE REPUBLICANS HAVE SAID
ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ABOUT THE BILL OR HAVE PUBLICLY INDICATED
THAT THEY WERE UNDECIDED, AND NOW A TOTAL OF NINE SAY THAT
THEY WERE OUTRIGHT OPPOSED. IF ON THE SENATE FLOOR MITCH
McCONNELL WAS GOING TO COME UP SHORT OF THE 50 VOTES HE
NEEDED -- HE ONLY NEEDED 50 BECAUSE THEN VICE PRESIDENT MIKE
PENCE WOULD HAVE GIVEN HIM THE 51st VOTE TO PASS IT -- MR.
McCONNELL KNEW HE WAS GOING TO COME UP SHORT.
HE KNEW THAT IF HE HE WAS GOIN HIT 49 VOTES, THE BOTTOM WOULD
FALL OUT. THERE WAS NO SPACE BETWEEN 49
VOTES AND FIVE VOTES. EVERYBODY BETWEEN 49 AND FIVE
WOULD JUST DEFECT. THEY WOULD JUST IMMEDIATELY MOVE
INTO THE NO COLUMN. MITCH McCONNELL KNEW THAT WOULD
HAPPEN ON TELEVISION, ON THE SENATE FLOOR, IN A 15-MINUTE OR
SO ROLL CALL VOTE. THE COUNTRY WOULD SEE THAT
HAPPEN. THAT'S WHY MITCH McCONNELL
PULLED THE BILL AND PRESIDENT TRUMP DIDN'T ARGUE WITH HIM
ABOUT THAT, BECAUSE MITCH McCONNELL KNEW THAT THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY AND THE UNITED STATES SENATE COULD PROVE WITH
THEIR VOTES HOW BIG A LIE THE REPEAL AND REPLACE OBAMACARE
PROMISE WAS. IT WAS A LIE BECAUSE REPUBLICANS
DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO DO IT. IT WAS A LIE BECAUSE ONE
REPUBLICAN IN THE SENATE WHO TRIED TO DO IT THIS YEAR CAME UP
WITH A BILL THAT ONLY FIVE REPUBLICANS SAID THEY COULD VOTE
FOR. THAT WAS THE PICTURE THAT
AMERICA WAS ON THE VERGE OF SEEING IF MITCH McCONNELL
BROUGHT THAT BILL TO A VOTE. 90% OF THE REPUBLICANS IN THE
SENATE WERE WILLING TO VOTE TO PRESERVE OBAMACARE INSTEAD OF
VOTE TO REPEAL OBAMACARE. THE REASON SENATE LEADERS ALWAYS
TRY TO SCHEDULE VOTES ON CONTROVERSIAL LEGISLATION RIGHT
BEFORE BIG RECESSES LIKE THE 4th OF JULY RECESS IS BECAUSE WHEN
MEMBERS OF THE SENATE GO HOME DURING THE RECESS, THEY ONLY
BECOME LESS SUPPORTIVE OF THE CONTROVERSIAL LEGISLATION.
BECAUSE THEY ALWAYS HEAR MORE FROM THE OPPONENTS THAN FROM THE
SUPPORTERS. AND SO MITCH McCONNELL KNOWS
THAT THE VERY BEST CHANCE HE HAD TO PASS A HEALTH CARE BILL WAS
THIS WEEK. AND HE DID NOT COME CLOSE.OSE.
THE RESISTANCE WON. AGAIN.
AND THIS TIME THE RESISTANCE
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