Washington – Sen. John McCain appeared poised to be the savior of the GOP health bill when he returned to the Capitol earlier this week despite brain cancer.
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He turned out to be the bill’s executioner.
In an astonishing development early Friday, the longtime Arizona senator turned on his party and his president, joining two other GOP senators in voting “no” on Republicans’ final effort to repeal “Obamacare.”
His unexpected vote killed the bill, and also dealt what looks like a death blow to the Republican Party’s years of promises to get rid of Barack Obama’s health law.
At 80 years old in the twilight of a remarkable career, McCain lived up to his reputation as a maverick. When he walked into the well of the Senate around 1:30 a.m. and gave a thumbs-down to the legislation, Democrat senators briefly broke into cheers, which Minority Leader Chuck Schumer quickly waved his arm to quiet.
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell stood stone-faced, his arms-crossed. President Donald Trump later tweeted his disapproval, but a president who once mocked McCain’s years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam apparently did not have much sway when it counted.
Just days earlier, on Tuesday, McCain had buoyed GOP health efforts when he returned to the Capitol for the first time after getting diagnosed with a brain tumor and cast a decisive vote to open debate on the GOP legislation. Yet even then he forecast that his support could not be counted on, as he took the floor to lecture his colleagues, the scars from his surgery etched severely along the left side of his face.
“The Obama administration and congressional Democrats shouldn’t have forced through Congress without any opposition support a social and economic change as massive as Obamacare. And we shouldn’t do the same with ours,” McCain said then.
“Why don’t we try the old way of legislating in the Senate, the way our rules and customs encourage us to act,” he added. “If this process ends in failure, which seem likely, then let’s return to regular order.”
The outcome McCain predicted came to pass — he made sure that it did. And now if Republicans want to get anything done on health care, they will have little choice but to return to regular order and turn to Democrats.
McCain was not the lone Republican senator in killing the health bill. Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska ignored criticism and even threats from Trump and his administration to cast a “no” vote, as did Susan Collins of Maine, a moderate who has opposed GOP efforts all along.
Maybe if the rest of the Republican Senators (Not one of them a Yid) will get cancer they will do the same. Let the people of the USA get Free Healthcare and live longer and healthier like the rest of the civilized world starting with Israel.
Au contraire…McCain has bobility and guts. The GOP leadership was prepared to turn on millions of Americans…all in an obsessive attempt to appear to be successful in meeting a demagogic and misguided campaign promise.
America is Great Again. Thank You Senator McCain. You are a Mentsch. A Refueh Shelame.
An American Hero in the age of Darkness.
Wow, could have been a movie thriller. A gitten Shabbos to everyone.
a honorable man , as a soldier and as senator. The only battle the president ever fought is about female genitalia. Now he hired foul mouthed syncopants fitting this website his followers. A proste goy
Lets continue the conversation started yesterday.
Are you for single payer? If yes please provide details. What do you want covered and how do you want to pay for it? Will anyone’s overall costs go up?
Do you want only essentials covered or coverage like those jokster senators receive? If you choose like those senators how do you want to pay for it? Is there a way to keep doctors engaged via high salaries like they deserve to attract talent and promote innovation? How about big pharma? Can we cut the nonsense while still rewarding drug companies with large profits for innovation so that they innovate? So now say we cut big pharma measured fashion and we cut large salaries at private insurance company’s and profit margins? Case solved?
And please don’t just copy and past how other “advanced county’s ” provide top care to it’s population while our care is the worse care. I want details if you think it can be done like other country’s and remain top notch second to none please provide details how you want it to run. Will it cost anyone more money? If not how will you pay for everything?
Impending death can focus your attention on doing what is right.
Now we can all agree that Trump was right Senator John McCain is not an American Hero he is an American traitor he voted against a bill he believes in, what could have helped America according to what he believes, only in order to gain a political Revenge in president Trump, it’s because of him that we are going to be stuck with Obamacare for who-knows-how-long, it should be renamed McCain care. This is called a real Maverick
I guess in his head he justifies it by thinking America you voted against me you voted in Obama as president eat it
There isn’t a different definition of traitor other than someone who knowingly does something against the interest of his country for his personal gain. and this is what McCain did yesterday no way around it.
I never believed there would come a day that I would appreciate that Obama won the presidency over McCain
Another defeat for vacuous Trumpf, the alt-right, and the trumpoids. He blames everyone else for his failures. Total failure after 6 months undermining American norms and basic decency. Feh!
Regarding Mcain;
Right or wrong he is certainly a liar.
And by pretending one way and voting differently when it counts, it shows he has some ulterior motive. That makes him swamp.
A politician who plays games.
i think your medication is botching up your brain mr mccain i know obama was a terrible president but i still thank god he beat you in 2008 your a failure
If Medicare would become the insurer for all Americas it would be initially more costly but in the long run it would be cheaper, more efficient and deliver good care. The reason is simple the head of Medicare does not earn what iinsurance escutives earn, there would be uniformity in coverage and the delivery system is in place. It is greed, simple greed which prevents that excellent medical care is delivered to all Americans. Fire the chief liar in the oval office =======