Look For A New Shutdown As Impeachment Noose Tightens Around Trump's Orange Neck

"I will shut down the government again if the Dems do not stop impeachment!"

In the wake of the passage of the resolution for the House impeachment rules yesterday, too many have forgotten that a series of high priority federal decisions lay ahead - touching on every aspect of the government and beyond.  In particular, the chances for a government shutdown before Thanksgiving loom much larger given zero progress reported on any of the 12 key spending bills.  These actually expired one month go but have been given a temporary extension until November 21st.

As this goes on the risk grows with each passing week and day of a shutdown and one that would be far more sweeping then the 35 day partial shutdown earlier this year.

Besides the spending bills, other laws are expiring or lapsing and require attention and appropriate action. These include:

- The National Defense Authorization Act which sets Pentagon policy (approved every year since 1946)

- An ensemble of tax break bills, ranging from the health care industry (medical devices' tax) to paid family leave, all of which will expire on December 31st.

- A World Trade Organization appellate body ceases to exist unless approved for extension.


Alas, for many,  each of these is seen as separate from the House Democrats impeachment of Trump. But not for Dotard and his brash enablers. Despite  Repukes like Kevin McCarthy yammering for the Dems to "trust the people instead" (i.e. in the general election) any one with an IQ above moron knows if left to his own devices - with no oversight- Trump will be emboldened to do even more pernicious damage to the Republic. At least impeachment forces the mutt to lawyer up and focus on the impending open hearings and the eventual Senate trial to remove his orange ass.

For Trump himself, however, there is no assurance he sees the bills' passage as separate from impeachment.  This is given he tends to see critical issues as one large negotiation - linking together seemingly disparate threads and issues into one "legislative ball of wax"  in the parlance of one WaPo columnist.   A specific indicator of that and of how unfit this human swine is to hold office - any office - was spotlighted in his Dallas rally 2 weeks ago.

We know already that the man has zero interest in working (like Obama did for 10 hrs./day)  - and rallies provide him with a kind of ersatz "oxygen " to energize his dementia- afflicted brain.  Also,  a ready made excuse to get out of DC and the impeachment spotlight. - while railing against the Dems and his other enemies seen  (e.g. Never Trumpers)  and unseen ("the Deep state" in his febrile, CT brain).  At that Big D rally we beheld his return to all his greatest hits, each reeled off in a couple hours of irrational whining and loathsome, unpresidential behavior.

By last week Sunday, even his tweeting, Fox TV watching and other goldbricking became old hat so he had to get his staff to gin up the takedown of al-Baghdadi to start looking "presidential" again.  Never mind it was mostly a PR stage show and the raid on the Isis head was accomplished more despite Trump than because of any substantive contribution. See e.g.

Foreign Policy

The Baghdadi Scam

by Margaret Kimberley | October 31, 2019 - 5:45am | permalink

Excerpt:

"The corporate media, Democrats and Republicans all joined in celebrating Baghdadi’s reported demise. Even those who count how often Trump tells lies suddenly expressed complete confidence in the version of events. Once again we see the embrace of Trump by the so-called resistance if he adheres to imperialist orthodoxy. The same man who they claim to want to impeach suddenly gets praise as he did when he launched an attack on Syria in 2017. The man mocked as a buffoon can be seen as “presidential” if he kills or even claims to kill people in a far away land.." 

With the impeachment process now fully formalized, and hearings likely to begin by the middle of this month, Trump's ratlike,  cornered behavior is likely to worsen, and no matter how much his Repuke stooges (like McCarthy, Jim Jordan and Lindsey  Graham) grovel and kiss ass, he won't be satisfied.   Thus many congressional leaders worry that Captain Bonepurs might use any of the must pass bills as hostages to try and gain leverage against an impending impeachment.

My take is the probability is very high it could happen with an unstable sociopath and authoritarian like Trump in the Oval office.  All sentient citizens need to be paying attention to what happens to the above cited bills as the Nov. 21 deadline approaches. We may well be seeing another shutdown and just before Christmas.


See also:

• Republicans claim that Tim Morrison's testimony exonerated Trump, they couldn't be more wrong 

And:

Government | Republicans

Shutdown, Impeachment: Welcome to the Beginning of Another Crappy Holiday Season Courtesy of the GOP

Excerpt:

"Republicans are at the political positioning/finger-pointing stage of budget negotiations, ahead of a potential government shutdown in a few weeks. While Congress approved a budget for the next fiscal year before the August recess, it didn't pass the necessary spending bills allocating the money. The stop-gap funding bill it also passed last month is going to expire on Nov. 21, after which there are three possible scenarios, only two of which are feasible. The Congress could pass and Donald Trump could sign all of the 12 appropriations bills. That's not going to happen. The two real scenarios: another stop-gap bill going until Christmas or into the new year, or a shutdown."

Cassidy -Graham: The Latest GOP Effort To Take Down The ACA - Could Happen!

Comedian Jimmy Kimmel rips into the lunatic goofball GOOP Bill Cassidy - for claiming the Cassiidy-Graham health bill  "passes the Jimmy Kimmel" test.


"Republican lawmakers have wasted much of the year trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act, a move that would deprive millions of people of health insurance. They’re back at it. Like a bad sequel to a terrible movie, a proposal whose main architects are Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina would in many ways be worse than bills that came before. It would punish states like California and New York that have done the most to increase access to health care and set in motion cuts to Medicaid, the federal-state program that provides insurance to nearly 70 million people, many of whom are disabled and elderly."   - NY Times editorial, Sept. 19


The optimal way to gauge the degenerate new "zombie" healthcare (Cassidy-Graham)  bill now being pushed by the Gooprs is to see and hear the take direct from Jimmy Kimmel, e.g.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOlibbx5sx0


Note from the clip how  Kimmel lambastes the sheer dishonesty of representation by Cassidy and how the "only child"  who would get coverage under this disgusting bill is Kimmel's own child.  Kimmel also noted this bill is actually worse than the earlier 'skinny repeal' effort  in all the ways it damages healthcare including eliminating:

-- pediatric services

-  Hospitalization

-  Ambulance transport

-  Mental health treatment

- emergency services (ER visits)

- Lab work

- Rehab services

-  Wellness checkups for seniors

- Prescription Drugs

- Maternity care

It would also allow states to charge more for pre-existing conditions. Lindsey  Graham - lying punk that he is -  claimed people "can choose between socialism and federalism:".  In fact, this bastardized law on offer - if passed - would force citizens to choose between health care that saves their lives, OR literally begging for charity care in states that direct block grants to other priorities.

Why the unseemly rush to scuttle Obamacare and especially Medicaid right now? Well, Republicans must act by September 30th in the Senate or face the prospect of a Democratic filibuster. That is currently impeded by budget rules that allow for "budget reconciliation" but that ends at the end of the month.  But this is exactly why citizens must become activated now, as much as they were a month ago when the skinny repeal was attempted. It is not the time to be complacent..

The Grand Old Party wants to slash spending on Medicaid over all by giving states the option of a "block grant" or a per capita allotment. So here in Colorado, for example, that may mean allocating the state a fixed amount for next year of $100m. That then will have to suffice to cover the needs of some 125,000  citizens, mainly frail elderly, poor, unemployed or under-employed. But if those people normally need some $4,000 a year each for their medical needs, just doing the math discloses the shortfall will be nearly a factor 5 less than needed ($500m vs. $50m).

Graham-Cassidy would further cripple Medicaid by putting a per-person cap on what the federal government spends on the program. Under current law, federal spending increases automatically to keep up with the rise in medical costs; a per-capita cap would leave governors, who are ultimately in charge of administering Medicaid, in the unenviable position of denying care to poor and older Americans.

Why are Republicans so obsessed with dismantling Medicaid? For one thing it is expensive, in terms of providing the extensive medical care or other assistance needed for its dependent population. In a post in June I already cited one expert on why medical-health costs are exploding worldwide. In his extensive Barbados Advocate column (April 30, p. 14) David Jessop shed light on exactly why medical costs are soaring in all the nations of the world:

"Around the world, public health care systems are in crisis. From India to Australia, nations in the developing and developed world are struggling to meet the expectations of their local populations."

What reasons does he give for this crisis? He lists the following as primary culprits:

- A surge in the nature and volume of demand as populations age and birth rates continue to increase

-  The preceding occurring at the same time a desire for low taxes has made it difficult for governments to garner the necessary resources to respond to societal expectations.

In terms of Cassidy -Graham the last is most relevant, given the new bill wants to shift all the economic losses thereby imposed on the Medicaid population (est. $240 b) to pave the way for their tax reform- tax cut initiative. If Cassidy -Graham then can pass by Sept. 30th, they're almost home free with their monster tax cuts for the rich when the tax legislation comes up. It's up to us to stop them!

Sadly, the Congressional Budget Office admitted it will not be able to determine the full impact of the legislation, including its effect on premiums and the number of people who have insurance, for several weeks.  By then the lying cowards of the GOP hope to have this law signed, sealed and delivered for Trump to sign.

An analysis released on Wednesday by the health-care consulting firm Avalere estimates that the $215 billion in federal spending that the bill would eliminate by 2026 will balloon to nearly $500 billion the year after and $4.2 trillion by 2036. That’s because, as critics of the bill have pointed out, funding for the system ends in 2026, meaning it would need to be re-appropriated by the government. If that doesn’t happen, funding will fall further.  Over 70 million people -citizens could find themselves with no healthcare, and just one auto accident or major disease away from homelessness, poverty.

This pathological bill would also pervert how Medicaid works, dramatically reducing the amount spent per person relative to how the system works under the current law. By 2036, that change translates into a reduction in federal spending in every single state relative to the current law.
Avalere’s analysis suggests that, overall, only 16 states would see any increase in federal spending at all, 15 of them states that voted for  Donald Trump in 2016. (The exception is Virginia.) Even Cassidy’s home state of Louisiana would see consistent declines, which is one reason that the state’s health secretary publicly opposed the legislation.

In a way it is incredible that the GOOPs are prepared to go this far to commit political Hari Kari.While they had promised for seven years to get rid of Obamacare - a promise made to the GOOP base - it would come at an immense cost to that base. This is given it is mainly their health care that would be affected- either losing coverage outright, or getting a "skinny"  substitute that - for example - would not cover chemotherapy if they got cancer. Effectively, it will ultimately have devastating consequences for the Republican party.

Analysis also shows spending on the disabled, children and other adults would decline relative to the current law. By 2036, Avalere estimates, Medicaid spending that supports children would be cut by nearly a third.  This is despite the fact, as Jimmy Kimmel noted two nights ago, nearly 55 percent of those on Medicaid are kids.  What kind of heartless bastards are Graham and Cassidy anyway that they could team up to push such a vile bill at the last minute - especially when most of the nation's defenses are down?

I regret to say that what is needed once more are hundreds of disabled citizens coming out to block the offices of congress critters, e.g.

Because it is clear that action is only feared if it is immediate and proximate. Other millions of people need to call reps up and give the following message:

Hello my name is  ABCDE   and I live in (State). I want to make sure Senator X (name him)  understands that Graham-Cassidy wouldn't just cut Medicaid drastically — which he pledged not to do — it would also take the funds that are coming to (Blue tsate name)  and allocate them to states that did not expand Medicaid. So Senator X wouldn't just be breaking his pledge he would be voting to give (Blue state's) money to another state! Voting for this bill would be a vote against (State name) . Thank you.

It is regrettable we have to go through all of this again, but it is essential to act because the gutter rat Goops never quit. Since they won't quit, we can't either. Anyone who cares about health care in the country even remotely needs to call or write their Senators - say delivering a message along the lines of that above. Pick up the phone and blitz the bastards six ways from Sunday.  As Paul Krugman put it:

"Complacency could kill health care...if you care about preserving the huge gains the Affordable Care Act has brought, make your voice heard."

"Make America Compassionate Again" was a recent header for an essay by Eric J. Schneidewind in the AARP magazine.  He implored the powers that be to enable and facilitate a health system that allows Americans to weather a health crisis without financial ruin. Alas, that will simply not be possible without a fight.

See also:

http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/p-m-carpenter/75245/the-almost-unbelievably-mean-spirited-graham-cassidy-bill

Excerpt:

Vox's excellent Sarah Kliff encapsulates the latest of the GOP's once-inconceivable foulness — the Graham-Cassidy ACA-"reform" bill:

[It] takes money from states that did a good job getting residents covered under Obamacare and gives it to states that did not. It eliminates an expansion of the Medicaid program that covers millions of Americans in favor of block grants….
Plus,… insurers in the private marketplace would be allowed to discriminate against people with preexisting conditions, for example. And it would eliminate the individual mandate as other bills would have, but this time there is no replacement.