General Discussion

The consequences of this capitulation are considerable. First, and most obviously, the Democrats lost whatever shreds of credibility they had been building over the last month through a principled stand to preserve ACA subsidies and enable people to afford health insurance. That's all gone now. Kaput. The enthusiasm Dems were building among young people especially has been set back; they'll need to see significant changes in leadership going forward to possibly restore their support. Possibly.

Then there's the situation with the ACA itself. Those subsidies that were the cause of a 40-day shutdown? Yeah, they're probably doomed. The promised vote in the senate? Subject to filibuster. Needs a few Rs to support it. Far from a guaranteed pass. Then there's the house where it might not even get a vote this year, effectively killing the ACA exchange plans. Then, assuming it passes the house, it heads to F47's desk.

I'll give you 3 guesses as to what F47 will do with former-president Obama's signature legislative achievement. Do you honestly think he'll sign these subsidies into law on their own? If he does, it will only be to reallocate the funds through his amazing "rescission" superpowers. But far more likely, he makes a big deal out of NOT signing it. There are few things that would fill his shitty little "heart" with glee more than wrecking "Obamacare" and replacing it with his "Great Trump Healthcare Initiative" or whatever which will operate as both a massive grift and a direct propaganda outreach that will hit mid-2026. Were you thinking of voting for someone in 2026? Well here's a $2000 check to use for "healthcare investments", don't let it impact your voting decisions, right? Just remember which party trusts you to make "your own decisions" about your healthcare.

Over many years, Democrats have been shuffled into the unenviable position of advocating for private health insurance companies as a national-scale solution to providing affordable healthcare to the disadvantaged (aka most of us). This is the year where it really bites us in the ass.

Basically, as a result of this ill-conceived maneuver in the senate, the 2026 midterms are now up for grabs. Sen. Schumer threw last Tuesday's momentum and good vibes into the trash. We'll be fortunate to maintain the seats we have, let alone to pick up new ones.

Hair-on-fire? Veruca Salt? You haven't seen shit yet. Just wait until a year from now when we'll be arguing on DU about "stolen" elections and "useless" young voters again, trying to beg off the questions of how we lost the union vote and remained in the minority in both houses when "the wind was at our backs" and all that.