McCain Comes Through for Democrats, Casts Deciding ‘No’ Vote on GOP Health Care Bill

[edpc]

This illustrates why the argument about voting for Pubs to protect the courts really isn't true

Correct.  You are HOPING to get a conservative with one, while knowing you won't with the other. It's like playing Russian roulette with one or two bullets vs six.

[IsailedawayfromFR]

That being said, we need to emphasize conservativism in primaries.  Unfortunately, there just weren't enough conservative voters to unseat Murkowski, Collins, or even McCain in their last elections.

undue pessimism.

Ted Cruz, in his first election, beat the sitting Lt Governor hand-picked by a popular Governor for the Senate seat.

Tom Cotten beat a two time Senate incumbent.

Get the right person with the right message, and it can be done.

[Idiot]

God bless McCain for his service............now go away..........

[Free Vulcan]

I really love him backslapping and hugging with his Democrat buds on the floor. This guy is a backstabbing d-bag par excellence.

That said, the bill was worthless anyway, so in the end it really doesn't matter.

[dfwgator]

I'd point out that they all held firm in preventing a vote on Obama's Supreme Court nominee, and in approving Gorsuch.  Had that vote gone differently, the Second Amendment and Citizens United probably would have been toast within three years at the latest.  That's a very big deal.

That being said, we need to emphasize conservativism in primaries.  Unfortunately, there just weren't enough conservative voters to unseat Murkowski, Collins, or even McCain in their last elections.

Assuming that Gorsuch won't wind up betraying us, like Judas Roberts did.

[truth_seeker]

Let's not forget Chief Judas Roberts for giving us this turd sandwich.

Why blame Roberts? His reasoning was to leave the matter up to elected representatives.

To date, the elected representatives have left it in place.

[Maj. Bill Martin]

Correct.  You are HOPING to get a conservative with one, while knowing you won't with the other. It's like playing Russian roulette with one or two bullets vs six.

Uh, if my choices are playing Russian roulette with two bullets versus six, I'm choosing those two bullets every time.

But maybe that's just me....

[TomSea]

Murkowski has been favorable towards Obamacare about the whole way; she hasn't really changed much.  She appears to be more of a Democrat who slipped in under the guise of a Republican.

[dfwgator]

Why blame Roberts? His reasoning was to leave the matter up to elected representatives.

 

Even if it was Unconstitutional?

[Maj. Bill Martin]

undue pessimism.

Ted Cruz, in his first election, beat the sitting Lt Governor hand-picked by a popular Governor for the Senate seat.

Tom Cotten beat a two time Senate incumbent.

Get the right person with the right message, and it can be done.

I wasn't being pessimistic -- just stating a fact.  There were not enough conservatives willing to vote in GOP primaries to unseat Murkowski, Collins, or McCain.  That's the problem.

I actually agree with you -- rather than throwing our hands up in the air and saying "we need to destroy the entire GOP because not every Republican is a conservative", the solution is to fight and win primary elections to elect more GOP conservatives like Cruz and Cotton.

[anubias]

Trump needs to take his pen to make all Congress and their staff use Obamacare regardless of whether they are eligible for any other insurance including VA benefits effective immediately.  Juan should have to use it to treat his brain cancer like the rest of the poor saps stuck with Obamacare.

[dfwgator]

Why blame Roberts? His reasoning was to leave the matter up to elected representatives.

To date, the elected representatives have left it in place.

The bottom line is that he went against Scalia and Thomas and voted with "The Wise Latina" on this matter.

[Oceander]

The bottom line is that he went against Scalia and Thomas and voted with "The Wise Latina" on this matter.

So?  It's not the voting, it's the reasoning, that matters.  That's how courts work, dontchano.

[Maj. Bill Martin]

Trump needs to take his pen to make all Congress and their staff use Obamacare regardless of whether they are eligible for any other insurance including VA benefits effective immediately.  Juan should have to use it to treat his brain cancer like the rest of the poor saps stuck with Obamacare.

His pen can't do that.

ETA:  My bad.  I think it actually can.

[truth_seeker]

I'd point out that they all held firm in preventing a vote on Obama's Supreme Court nominee, and in approving Gorsuch.  Had that vote gone differently, the Second Amendment and Citizens United probably would have been toast within three years at the latest.  That's a very big deal.

That being said, we need to emphasize conservativism in primaries.  Unfortunately, there just weren't enough conservative voters to unseat Murkowski, Collins, or even McCain in their last elections.

Long before the 2016 primary and election, I argued that "conservatism" had done an awful job of educating and selling itself.  It had rested on past laurels, for a long time.

Gone were the times when Reagan, Milton Friedman and others advanced conservatism as the best solution for the economy, for personal freedom, etc. Gingrich may have been the last prominent figure capable of that. Surely it was not bumbling GW Bush, Dole, McCain or Romney. I can't think of anybody in last year's field of 16 that impressed me on that count, either.

So if there is a shortage of conservative voters, I am not surprised. The flipside is the results; namely holding many office.

 

[Free Vulcan]

Trump needs to take his pen to make all Congress and their staff use Obamacare regardless of whether they are eligible for any other insurance including VA benefits effective immediately.  Juan should have to use it to treat his brain cancer like the rest of the poor saps stuck with Obamacare.

Yep and find a dozen other executive ways to sqeeze them.

[dfwgator]

Long before the 2016 primary and election, I argued that "conservatism" had done an awful job of educating and selling itself.  It had rested on past laurels, for a long time.

Gone were the times when Reagan, Milton Friedman and others advanced conservatism as the best solution for the economy, for personal freedom, etc. Gingrich may have been the last prominent figure capable of that. Surely it was not bumbling GW Bush, Dole, McCain or Romney. I can't think of anybody in last year's field of 16 that impressed me on that count, either.

So if there is a shortage of conservative voters, I am not surprised. The flipside is the results; namely holding many office.

That's because outside of Reagan, the GOP has NEVER been conservative,  just slightly less to the Left than the Democrats.

[Victoria33]

No, it would have tied at 50-50 and Pence would have broken the tie.

@Jazzhead

Trump was praising McCain for coming back to vote.  This is the same Trump who liked people who didn't get captured in Vietnam, instead of McCain who was captured when his plane went down. Now, McCain has paid him back for that.  Now awaiting the next Trump tweet blasting McCain all over again.  Do what Trump wants or you are fodder for destruction. 

[truth_seeker]

I really love him backslapping and hugging with his Democrat buds on the floor. This guy is a backstabbing d-bag par excellence.

That said, the bill was worthless anyway, so in the end it really doesn't matter.

McCain has always prided himself, for being a bi-partisan maverick. In this instance, I think it is also his personal payback to Trump, for how he got dissed in the campaign last year.

[Maj. Bill Martin]

That's because outside of Reagan, the GOP has NEVER been conservative,  just slightly less to the Left than the Democrats.

Why is that?

I mean, GOP nominees don't come out of thin air -- voters actually vote for them in primaries.  So why aren't conservative voters voting for more conservative GOP nominees?

[Oceander]

Long before the 2016 primary and election, I argued that "conservatism" had done an awful job of educating and selling itself.  It had rested on past laurels, for a long time.

Gone were the times when Reagan, Milton Friedman and others advanced conservatism as the best solution for the economy, for personal freedom, etc. Gingrich may have been the last prominent figure capable of that. Surely it was not bumbling GW Bush, Dole, McCain or Romney. I can't think of anybody in last year's field of 16 that impressed me on that count, either.

So if there is a shortage of conservative voters, I am not surprised. The flipside is the results; namely holding many office.

 

[Maj. Bill Martin]

Long before the 2016 primary and election, I argued that "conservatism" had done an awful job of educating and selling itself.  It had rested on past laurels, for a long time.

Gone were the times when Reagan, Milton Friedman and others advanced conservatism as the best solution for the economy, for personal freedom, etc. Gingrich may have been the last prominent figure capable of that. Surely it was not bumbling GW Bush, Dole, McCain or Romney. I can't think of anybody in last year's field of 16 that impressed me on that count, either.

So if there is a shortage of conservative voters, I am not surprised. The flipside is the results; namely holding many office.

I completely agree with all of that.  That's why I think the calls to go third party don't make sense.  The problem isn't the party - the problem is the lack of effective conservative voices, and resulting lack of conservative voters.  Shunting the effective conservative voices that do exist off into a new party just makes it much easier to ignore them.  At least guys like Cruz got to argue for conservatism on national TV in front of a large audience.  Put him in a third party, and the media will ignore him completely.

[dfwgator]

I hate to say it, but with our education system the way it is now, is it any wonder we aren't producing conservatives these days.   The Left has taken over education: hook, line and sinker.

[truth_seeker]

Even if it was Unconstitutional?

I do not claim to be a Constitutional lawyer or expert. I believe people that claim to be such, can be found with arguments for both sides.

[Oceander]

Even if it was Unconstitutional?

There were arguments both ways.  The argument that it was constitutional won the day.