World Affairs Brief, July 28, 2017 Commentary and Insights on a Troubled World.

Copyright Joel Skousen. Partial quotations with attribution permitted. Cite source as Joel Skousen’s World Affairs Brief (http://www.worldaffairsbrief.com).

This Week’s Analysis:

White House Scrambling to Cope with Total Media Onslaught

Congress Decides to Investigate Hillary

Trump Hires a Fixer to Stop Leaks

Obamacare Reform and Repeal Dead in the Water

China Preparing for North Korean War

Trump and New Judges

Preparedness Tip: Radiation Remedies, Part II

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OBAMACARE REFORM AND REPEAL DEAD IN THE WATER

Sadly, even though nominal Republicans control both the House and the Senate, they can’t muster a majority to replace Obamacare nor repeal it. The latter attempt was on center stage this week in the Senate. As NBC gloated,

The Senate yesterday once again voted down a measure to repeal Obamacare. NBC’s Leigh Ann Caldwell: “Senate Republicans delivered another blow in their effort to dismantle the Affordable Care Act when they failed to pass a repeal of the Obama-era law on Wednesday afternoon. The vote, which is one of many expected during the ongoing health care debate, only garnered the support of 45 Republicans, short of the 50-votes necessary. Sens. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., Susan Collins, R-Maine, Dean Heller, R-Nev., and John McCain, R-Ariz., and Rob Portman, R-Ohio, Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and surprisingly Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., the chair of the Senate Health Committee, joined all Democrats in voting against it. The defeat eliminates the chances of Congress sending a nearly-full repeal of the law to President Donald Trump to sign.”

NBC does bring up the massive media campaign the Left has created to overwhelm Republicans with fear of cutting Obamacare subsidized benefits:

Health care opponents have spent $15 million on ads opposing the Senate GOP legislation, while supporters haven’t spent a dime: As for the ad spending in the health-care fight, here’s what one of us has written: “The Republican senators whose votes are crucial to the fate of health care in America have faced a $15 million barrage of TV advertising from outside groups opposing the GOP legislation — and no air cover from any group backing the bills.

According to ad-buying tracker Advertising Analytics, groups opposing the GOP health care push have spent $14.8 million since May on TV ads targeting 13 key senators, with even more ad buys rolling in daily as the debate in the Senate reaches fever pitch. No groups have run ads in those states in support of the ever-evolving Republican legislation to repeal and replace parts or all of Obamacare.”

In response and out of obvious frustration, Trump loyalists issued threats against those RINO Republicans who even back debate on the repeal issue. This backfired immediately as the targeted liberals ran to their buddies in the media to complain about the threats:

The Alaska Dispatch News says that Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke called Alaska’s two senators to warn them that Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s “no” votes on health care had put the state’s future with the administration in jeopardy.

As for that news from Alaska — that Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke reportedly threatened that Sen. Murkowski’s “no” votes could have consequences for the state — it likely will launch, at a minimum, an inspector general investigation. It’s not insignificant that the state’s other senator, Dan Sullivan, talked to Alaska media about the threat. Sullivan has been a reliable “yes” vote for Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Whoever thought up the idea of threatening Alaska over its single liberal Senator needs a lesson in political reality. These kinds of threats only work on conservatives—not dedicated Left/liberals who have the press on their side.

Thursday night, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell made a last ditch effort to repeal by submitting a “skinny repeal” bill two hours before a midnight vote. The bill would do the following:

Repeal the individual mandate

Repeal the employer mandate

Increase caps on tax-free contributions to health savings accounts

Repeal the medical device tax

Defund Planned Parenthood

Liberal Republicans who have stood in the way of every repeal attempt would only support this bill if House Speaker Paul Ryan agreed to hold an immediate conference committee to work out the differences between the House bill and the “skinny repeal” bill which they don’t want to become law “as is.” The conferees from both House and Senate can change the bill at will and then it is presented to both houses for an “yes or no” vote—no amendments allowed. The Left/Liberal Republicans were hoping to control the conference process in their favor.

But because they could not guarantee the outcome, Sen. John McCain cast the deciding “no” vote at nearly 2am in the morning, along with Leftist Republicans Susan Collins and Lisa Murkosky, defeating the bill 51 to 49. McCain’s legacy will go down, like John Roberts, as the Republican that gave us Obamacare. VP Pence was on hand to break the tie if necessary. Sen. McConnell finally conceded that the Republicans failed and now it was the Democrats turn to present some new proposal. Why should they? They already have Obamacare.