EVERYONE: CODE RED ON THE TAX FIGHT & ACA REPEAL 🚨 RIGHT NOW.🚨
THREAD about what's coming and how to fight it; please share & follow along if interested...
THREAD about what's coming and how to fight it; please share & follow along if interested...
This bill is a monstrosity. Legislative looting by the ultra-rich and the lackeys they elect. This NYT story is an absolute must-read to understand the big picture:
nytimes.com/2017/11/29/bus…
nytimes.com/2017/11/29/bus…
Bill's been sold via deception and outright lies. Latest example: Treasury Sec Mnuchin kept saying he had a model showing bill would spur so much growth that it'd pay for itself. Turns out, nope. Didn't exist.
Legislative process for tax bill has been at least as norm-shattering as the one for ACA repeal—this time for a law that'd upend *entire* economy, INCLUDING health care. Attempt to ram thru in matter of weeks. *Nobody* knows full extent of impact.
Last night, every GOP Sen voted to start "debate" on the bill. Misnomer: GOP isn't listening; may not even make its case, in order to speed things up.
Under special budget rules, each party gets 10 hours of debate. GOP may ditch its time, for expediency. Once they start up, at 10:30am ET, you can watch here: c-span.org/video/?437830-…
Once "debate" time ends, vote-o-rama begins. That's where each side can offer amendments. Purely theater. McConnell can shut down at any time w/ majority vote. My guess: he'll let it go into middle of night, so nobody's watching when they rob the public.
Overwhelming chance that GOP find its votes today. Though not at all a certainty. But here's the key: even if we lose today, the reaction now shapes what happens next. Must be EXPLOSIVE.
GOP thinks this bill *helps* them get reelected. If public erupts w wrath as bill moves thru Senate, we puncture that myth.
One silver lining in the fight so far: I'm told that House & Senate had been quietly talking to "pre-conference" the Senate tax bill, so it wouldn't have to be renegotiated to resolve differences btw House & Senate. That's apparently collapsed.
After bill passes Senate, conference committee must negotiate compromise bill that must then re-pass House & Senate. House might appoint its conferees as early as Fri.
The more toxic we all make the bill, the harder it becomes for conferees to find something that'll pass both houses. Pressure must be constant & impossible to ignore.
Public pressure on legislation isn't just about flipping votes. It's also about making Rs feel that they have to win concessions in negotiations. If enough of them insist on incompatible concessions, the bill is toast.
20 House Rs voted against ACA repeal. 13 voted against tax bill w/o repeal. Overlap = 5. So, 33 total Rs have voted against at least one. We only need 23 to win.
As House & Senate negotiate their compromise tax bill, all hell breaks loose on the Hill—because the gov will shut down next Fri if they don't pass a separate bill that they've hardly started writing.
Little-discussed aspect of bill: when passed, it triggers $400 billion in automatic cuts to Medicare ($25b/yr) & huge defense & other cuts. DC expects that to be waived via bipartisan vote. But negotiations on such a waiver are currently at standstill.
Agreement re waiver of automatic cuts might be a critical element of passing a tax bill. But we're in a legislative traffic jam. CHIP reauth, $ for hurricanes (FL TX PR), DREAM Act—all these things are supposed to get resolved within weeks.
In other words, there are so many moving pieces that, despite the apparent momentum for this grotesque tax bill, Hill could well devolve into chaos & things could fall apart.
That's where you come in. Your laser focus has got to be: make. This. Bill. Toxic. It certainly deserves to be. Here's what you can do:
CALL SENATORS & MEMBERS OF CONGRESS. Very simple. Takes ten seconds. Say "As a constituent and taxpayer, I want to register my opposition to the tax bill." Give your zip or address when they ask. They tally calls, for & against. Easy peasy. 202-224-3121.
COME PROTEST IN DC TONIGHT. Seriously. During work, after work—we'll be out there. Know anyone near DC? Tell them to come.
PROTESTS NATIONWIDE. Find a protest here, running now through & including the weekend: moveon.org/goptaxscam
Here's a thread with a ton of other stuff you can do. Click this tweet to see them all (& def do this one in particular):
This, people, is all-hands-on-deck time. There's such a blizzard of other news that a lot of people still don't realize they're about to be robbed. It's time to MAKE. SOME. NOISE.
Oh, and by the way: Fox is refusing to air this ad. So let's make sure everyone sees it anyway.
Here’s the current Senate whip list. Let’s turn those smiles upside down.
BREAKING: John McCain is a YES on the tax scam; issues deeply dishonest statement in support; laughably claims to still be concerned about deficit.
With McCain and Murkowski definitely voting yes, the only way this dies in the Senate is an unexpected uprising from the self-styled deficit hawks. Have to wonder if they understand they're being sold a bill of goods.
Speaking of lies: it's worth remembering just how consistently and brazenly and profoundly Trump has been lying this whole time, including during the campaign. Those lies helped make him president. Read @ThePlumLineGS: washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-lin…
Correction: 20+13-5=28 Reps have voted against at least one of these bills.
