So the 31st time is the charm?

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Remember when the TanMan, Weeper of the House John Boehner, said the GOP agenda was "jobs, jobs, jobs"? Yeah, he lied. Since Tea-Publicans took control of Congress, the only votes they take are related to restrictions on contraception and abortion, and repealing the Affordable Care Act. Mr. Boehner, where are the jobs?

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The Tea-Publican House held another symbolic vote today, for the 31st 33rd time [correction], to repeal the Affordable Care Act, by an almost straight-line party vote of 244-185, with every Republican voting for “full repeal” and all but five Democrats voting against it. Greg Sargent reports Republicans vote to repeal Medicare cuts they voted for and are campaigning against:

That headline is not an exaggeration or a parody.

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This vote came after a parade of Republicans went to the House floor today bashing Barack Obama, the Democrats, and the health law for cutting $500 billion from Medicare — one of their central attacks on Dems for two straight cycles now — despite supporting those very same cuts in their own budget, the Paul Ryan plan.

On top of this, they repeatedly claimed today — still! — that they intend to repeal and replace the bill, despite the continued absence of any replace bill, or even hearings to develop a replace bill, two years after campaigning on their “replace” pledge.

It’s one thing to keep making promises, even as you fail to keep them. Politicians, we know, do that all the time. It’s one thing to slam a program that your party and your party-aligned think tanks were in large part responsible for devising in the first place, a program that your presidential nominee passed when he was a governor. Hey, parties can change their minds.

But it really takes an astonishing amount of chutzpah to run against a spending cut in dozens of races across the country, to come to Congress and vote for that cut anyway, and then to continue to rail against it as though you still think it’s the worst thing Congress has ever inflicted on the American people. Even if they hadn’t voted for these exact cuts, it’s really impossible to square general GOP rhetoric about cutting spending, specifically on entitlements, with their insistence that every dollar that Obamacare cuts either through the Medicare Advantage cuts or from the Independent Payment Advisory Board is the end of the world for seniors.

Democrats are tying today’s vote back to the Paul Ryan "Kill Medicare" budget plan.

“House Republicans began their Majority by voting to end Medicare for seniors, and they will end their Majority by voting once again to repeal critical patient protections for the middle class,” DCCC chair Steve Israel said in a statement. “The Republican record is clear and consistent: millionaires over Medicare, and insurance company profits over middle class patients.”

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Republican ads will soon be airing across the country charging that Obamacare cuts Medicare — even though their Medicare plan [the Ryan GOP Budget plan] contains the same cuts.

Unreal.

They do it because the corporate media villagers let them get away with it, and in some cases aiding and abetting their crime.

Update: The five Democrats are Oklahoma's Dan Boren, North Carolina's Larry Kissell, Utah's Jim Matheson, North Carolina's Mike McIntyre, and Arkansas' Mike Ross.

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6 thoughts on “So the 31st time is the charm?”

  1. And this: http://www.whatisworking.com/2012/07/obamacare-accountable-care.html

    Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced today, that as of July 1, 89 new Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) began serving 1.2 million people with Medicare in 40 states and Washington, D.C. ACOs are organizations formed by groups of doctors and other health care providers that have agreed to work together to coordinate care for people with Medicare.
    These 89 new ACOs have entered into agreements with CMS, taking responsibility for the quality of care they provide to people with Medicare in return for the opportunity to share in savings realized through high-quality, well-coordinated care.
    “Better coordinated care is good for patients and it saves money,” said Secretary Sebelius. “We applaud every one of these doctors, hospitals, health centers and others for working together to ensure millions of people with Medicare get better, more patient-centered, coordinated care.”
    Participation in an ACO is purely voluntary for providers. The Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP), and other initiatives related to ACOs, is made possible by the 2010 Affordable Care Act. Federal savings from this initiative could be up to $940 million over four years.
    “This new group of ACOs adds to a solid foundation,” said Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) Acting Administrator Marilyn Tavenner. “The Medicare ACO program opened for business in January and, already, more than 2.4 million beneficiaries are receiving care from providers participating in these important initiatives.”

  3. Well, guess what…this administration has been focused like a laser on fraud and waste…to dismiss that has insignificant and petty…would be foolish.
    http://realitybasedbob.sayanythingblog.com/2012/02/14/president-obama-cracking-down-on-medicare-fraud-about-4-times-better-than-the-last-guy/

    http://www.stopfraud.gov//

    Everyone knows that Medicare fraud has been rampant…especially in FL. Google it…in fact, their governor had a “little issue” with Medicare fraud, that, at the time..was the largest medicare fraud ever.http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2011/03/rick-scott-floridas-drug-fraud-enabler

    http://www.politicususa.com/obamas-4-billion-dollar-crackdown-health-care-fraud.html

    So please…spare the handwringing and excuses.The facts are what they are. Republicans want to gut Medicare and employ a voucher system that will not come close to caring for seniors and this administration is strengthening Medicare…doesn’t matter HOW they get there, just that they do…and if fraud, waste and abuse is cleaned up in the meantime…all the better.

  4. It is tough to have any faith in elected officals who believe that eliminating waste, fraud and abuse is going to accomplish anything that isn’t already being accomplished. Do the folks that implement government program X, Y and Z start out authorizing waste, fraud and abuse and think that just because they add an after the fact addedum saying “Oh yea, waste, fraud and abuse are prohibited”.

  6. First off, what the Democrats propose for the $500billion in Medicare savings is NOT CUTS TO MEDICARE, but money found in fraud, waste and abuse of the system.

    http://mediamatters.org/research/2011/05/27/right-wing-media-attack-obama-over-medicare-cut/180122

    Ryan’s budget,makes actual CUTS TO MEDICARE ITSELF and makes it into a voucher system, never coming NEAR covering seniors needs.

    I sent Quayle an email today. It was so difficult not to be snarky and raging mad. I asked for a response, at which point I will call his office and voice my anger in person…they always send me RW talking points in their response. He’s SO proud of himself for wasting , time, effort, taxpayer money…all the while loving his healthcare that is provided to him and his family at our expense…while denying millions the piece of mind that he enjoys. They ALL NEED TO BE VOTED OUT! I’m livid. Yet again.

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