I'm a little worried about Susan Collins' higher cognitive functioning. She appears to be living in a completely different reality from the rest of us.
In her world, the Republican Party is a party that CARES about the most vulnerable among us. They want to create a better health care system.
No, seriously. Stop laughing. She really thinks this.
When presented with the evidence of Planned Parenthood being defunded (her alleged bright red line which she would not cross), she shrugs and says she's optimistic that it will be included.
Well, first, let me say that it makes absolutely no sense to eliminate federal funding for Planned Parenthood. There already are longstanding restrictions on the use of federal funds for abortion. So that's not what this debate is about. And Planned Parenthood is an important provider of health care services, including family planning and cancer screenings for millions of Americans, particularly women.
And they should be allowed to choose the health provider that they want. That's one of the issues that I care deeply about. But there are many others as well.
STEPHANOPOULOS: I understand...
COLLINS: I am optimistic we'll prevail on that issue.
Susan, no offense, but WHY????? This bill was written by 13 old white guys who probably get ooky feelings when thinking about Planned Parenthood. Republicans all over the country have defunded Planned Parenthood--and experienced booms in teen pregnancies, maternal mortality, AIDS, and other STDs. Hasn't changed the Republicans' minds at all.
But it's not just Planned Parenthood. This bill reveals without argument what monsters the GOP are. For the sake of another luxury car to a millionaire, they're willing to throw millions of Americans off Medicaid.
Let me repeat this for those in the back of the room: They're willing to let Americans die so that millionaires get a little more money back.
Make no mistake, Medicare/Medicaid isn't ACA. The Republicans unneccessarily went after those safety nets that protect our most vulnerable populations because they are cruel, and dogmatically opposed to government working for the people.
But pie-in-the-sky Susan Collins thinks these are all just little details that will be smoothed over.
COLLINS: Well, there are several of us who have been meeting under the leadership of Senator Rob Portman to look at the Medicaid provisions. And there are about seven to eight people in that group. I can't speak for them. But suffice it to say that they are certainly concerned. And that is why the CBO analysis quantifying the cuts and the impact is going to be so important.
You can't take over $800 billion out of the Medicaid program and not expect that it's going to have an impact on a rural nursing home that relies on Medicaid for 70 percent of the costs of its patients. So this is an access issue as well as one having to do with cost.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Does the bill pass this week?
COLLINS: It's hard for me to see the bill passing this week. But that's up to the majority leader. We could well be in all night a couple of nights working through what will be an open amendment process. And I think that -- that at least is good. The process could have been a lot better. I would've liked to have seen the Democrats step up to the table and negotiate with us now, not wait till the bill is passed or defeated.
Oh, so now it's the Democratic Party's fault that they were LOCKED OUT of negotiations?
Yeah, no. It didn't work that way, Sen. Collins. You disingenuous hack. You sound so earnest and interested in bipartisanship, but it's all a lie. Just like every other Republican this Sunday.
How about you join us in reality and realize that you are part of a party that wants to KILL Americans?
