A tiny, petty victory

By Julianne Malveaux
TriceEdneyWire.com Columnist

After months of “repeal and replace” rhetoric, Congress has finally passed a pitiful little bill designed to eliminate the Affordable Care Act. To watch Republicans gather in the Rose Garden to “celebrate” the narrow passage of their paltry bill, you would have thought that 45 was about to sign ground-breaking legislation. Instead, changes to the Affordable Care Act must be ironed out between the House of Representatives and the Senate. It is unlikely that the Senate will be as quick to succumb to 45’s pressure in the same way that the House did.

Only 20 Republicans had the decency to oppose the flawed legislation. Meanwhile, groups like the American Medical Association and the AARP have said the legislation is unacceptable. It illustrates the odious nature of the 45 Presidency, which is a triumph of predatory capitalism and exploitation. Poor people lose with this legislation, and so do people with pre-existing medical conditions. Older people, too, will lose, but people who earn more than $200,000 a year (or couples who earn more than $250,000) see their taxes go down by about 3.8 percent. The 45th President says this plan will lower premiums and deductibles, and that those who have pre-existing conditions will not be hurt. The legislation says otherwise.

Democrats were silly, but not wrong, to serenade Republicans with “hey, hey, hey goodbye.” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) was colorful, but not incorrect, in telling the Republicans who voted for the legislation will “glow in the dark”. As New York Democrat Louise Slaughter said, some committed “political suicide” by voting for the rancid bill.

Republicans were so desperate for a victory that they didn’t even wait for the Congressional Budget Office to analyze the bill and talk about how much money the bill will cost, and how many people will lose their health insurance under the legislation. Instead, they crowded on the White House lawn as if they had something to celebrate. Their gathering was akin to someone giving a party because they took, but did not yet pass, a final exam. But 45 and his cronies were clearly so desperate for any kind of victory that they reveled in their preliminary celebration.

The legislation that passed on Thursday, May 4 is, by most accounts, worse than the legislation that failed weeks ago. Then the CBO said that about 24 million people would lose health insurance, and that premiums