The Republicans are trying it yet again!

RED ALERT: Senate GOP just added provision to their tax plan that would gut ACA & kick 13M ppl off insurance. Yes, it's same tax plan that would add $1 trillion+ to deficit while giving majority of benefits to corporations & the rich. We need you to make your voices heard again.

— Sen. Al Franken (@SenFranken) November 14, 2017

Courtesy of WaPo: 

Senate Republican leaders moved Tuesday to include a repeal of the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate in their tax bill, a major change of strategy as they try to accomplish two of their top domestic priorities in a single piece of legislation. 

They also announced that the individual tax cuts in the plan would be made temporary, expiring at the end of 2025 to comply with Senate rules limiting the impact of legislation on the long-term deficit. A corporate tax cut, reducing the rate from 35 to 20 percent, would be left permanent.

Repealing the mandate, which compels most Americans to buy health insurance or pay a fine, would free up more than $300 billion in government funding over the next decade that Republicans could use to finance their proposed tax cuts, but it would result in 13 million fewer people having health insurance, according to projections from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. 

The CBO has also projected that repealing the individual mandate would drive up insurance premiums for many Americans by roughly 10 percent.

Simply put they are NEVER going to stop doing this until they no longer have the numbers to make the attempt.

And the only way to ensure that, is to start electing Democrats to put a stop to it for good.

And towards that end the Democrats are gathering an army.

Courtesy of The Hill: 

House Democrats' campaign arm has named the first round of candidates to its "Red to Blue" program as the party looks to highlight promising Democratic challengers ahead of the 2018 midterms. 

All but one of the 11 candidates highlighted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) are running against GOP incumbents. 

Only three in districts that Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton won in 2016, suggesting that they face a tougher path to victory. But Democrats are emboldened by the early signs from these campaigns, as well as the national trends tilting in the party's direction, as they look to seize the House majority in 2018.

Having good candidates is the first step, but then we have to push hard to get out the vote and take power back from these Republican thugs, and not only protect Obamacare, but also finally do the tweaking that it needs to be a more successful program to meet the needs of the American people. 

The President to John Boehner, "You get nothing."

Apparently when the President and House Speaker John Boehner were attempting to negotiate a deal to avoid the upcoming fiscal cliff Boehner learned the meaning of the phrase "elections have consequences."

This courtesy of Salon:

When Boehner asked Obama if they agree on a deal along the same lines as the one he walked away from during the 2011 talks, according to the paper, Obama retorted: “You missed your opportunity on that.” 

Obama’s frustrations grew, and he told Boehner he would rail publicly against the Republicans in the absence of a reasonable compromise. 

As the Journal reports: 

Mr. Obama repeatedly lost patience with the speaker as negotiations faltered. In an Oval Office meeting last week, he told Mr. Boehner that if the sides didn’t reach agreement, he would use his inaugural address and his State of the Union speech to tell the country the Republicans were at fault. 

At one point, according to notes taken by a participant, Mr. Boehner told the president, “I put $800 billion [in tax revenue] on the table. What do I get for that?” 

“You get nothing,” the president said. “I get that for free.” 

Also during the talks, as Obama bristled over Boehner’s unwillingness to budge on rates, the paper reports that he snapped: “You’re asking me to accept Mitt Romney’s tax plan. Why would I do that?”

You know all I wanted for Christmas was a President that kicks ass and stands up to the Republican party.

Thanks Santa.

And now John Boehner has not only shown he does not have any ability to negotiate with the President, he also does not have the ability to negotiate with his own party. 2013 is going to be a great year!