Do you want to win another election in the future?

we're voters, they seem to have forgotten that or they just don't care.

have receipts showing them saying so while Dems in DC were actively citing it as the reason for holding out resulting in a 6 week shutdown?

If not, why were y'all so shy back then? You just didn't think to bring it up? Really?

That by Democrats holding out, the ACA subsidies would eventually pass the Rethug Senate, then the Rethug House, then be signed by the Orange sociopath?

I think that was extremely unlikely.

But the holdout, despite its futility, was politically necessary to demonstrate to the public the Democrats were insisting on protecting healthare, while the Rethugs wanted to kill it.

The question was how long to let the shutdown go on. Not long after it became apparent that SNAP benefits would be indefiitely withheld, Democrats acted to ensure needy families would not go hungry and government jobs & pay would be saved.

If nobody here was clamoring for that to happen, that doesn't change the calculus of the matter.

...there is an opportunity for the eight to redeem themselves.

Until the cuts and harmful changes in the Murder Budget are implemented in an appropriations bill, they have no real effect.

The MAGA Murder Budget remains one of the most despised pieces of legislation in my memory -- and perhaps ever.

Democrats have a chance to fight like hell -- and to stick it out this time -- again in January.

Job One Right Now is pushing the Democrats in the House and Senate -- not just our own electeds, but the leadership too -- to define a set of demands to mitigate the most hated and harmful of the cuts and destructive changes to the rules in the MAGA Murder Budget "blueprint" that are scheduled for 2026. Along with declarations to fight as hard in 2027 against the cuts in Medicaid and SNAP.

Trumpublicans must be forced to defend the indefensible. And if they refuse to change course and step back on the worst things in that bill scheduled for 2026, we must bring all the pressure we can muster to convince the Senate Democratic caucus to shut down the government again.

Then it will be up to us to keep the pressure on to make sure the February shutdown ends in ONLY
one of two ways:

- Trumpublicans meet our demands.

- Trumpublicans invoke the nuclear option. If they won't change course and deviate from the "blueprint" let them take 100% responsibility for it by passing it with only their own votes.

Question is— Do we go all out with everything we want for healthcare, or go for something that GOPers won’t label a “non-starter?” While I’d love comprehensive reform, I’m betting something simple that maintains subsidies is the winning approach.

But I’m sure many will comment “negotiating 101 says go high and compromise.” IMO, we’ll lose in December. Now going for the big enchilada as midterms approach, that’s a different matter. Go for it, just remember, we have to get some GOPer support.

... the message needs to be that this is a Bandaid to address the current catastrophic increase in ACA premium's that is hitting Americans hard.

With the "bandaid" message, I guess I envision something like: "We actually agree that ACA was a compromise solution that is not working for America. When we win back Congress, the first thing that will be introduced is adding a public option, because ultimately, America needs to join the ranks of every other developed country and implement some form of universal health care. Perhaps the nation doesn't have the political will to do that right now. But that is where we must go. It is morally, and economically, what this nation needs. As we work to build the political will for that, the public option is a step in the right direction.

As far as setting the stage for the January battle on the rest of the budget, what I would love to see is citizen lobbyists starting a "fact finding" mission of sorts. That is, contact Senate Dems and Reps and work on compiling a list of things those people are willing to go to battle for. Whether it be provisions that stop specific intolerable violations of law by the felon, or Republican cuts, or whatever -- things that they can say "if I do not get this, I REFUSE to be an accomplice in the consequences." Things they would be willing to shut down the government over until one of two endpoints are reached: the demands are met or the Republicans go nuclear and take 100% responsibility for continued lawlessness, harms to Americans, whatever.

With such a list in hand, challenge the leadership to find consensus on a set of items that the conference is ready to pledge to join a "moral imperatives" shut down on.

Probably too much to go for in this political season.

My dream is that we get universal coverage even if it’s a payment/voucher — as trump mentioned — to individuals that allows purchasing private insurance or a Public Option. If PO is as good as we think, people will gravitate to it.

Would be better to just go Medicare-for-All, but too many people are scared for some reason of a federal system, rightly or wrongly. Gonna have to ease into it, but I think the circumstances might be right going into next year.

Worthless fucker sent out a video doing exactly that.

And people here will bash anyone who points out the reality of what was squandered.

8 didn't. Those 8 need to sharpen up the resume.

But at the end of the day, 39 chose people over profit.

And saw this “deal” for what it is.