I read this excellent Twitter thread by Andy Slavitt who ran Medicare, Medicaid and the ACA for President Obama.
In this thread, Andy Slavitt tells a true story from when he was working for Obama. A Republican Senator from a fairly Democratic state who was up for re-election in 2016 asked Andy to accompany him to a workshop regarding the opioid epidemic. Andy’s staff told him this Republican Senator “could care less” about people who suffer from drug addiction and advised him not to go along with a “stunt.” Note: This Republican Senator is also leading the fight to cut Medicaid.
In the thread, Andy Slavitt doesn’t say who it was. But common sense tells us it is either Pat Toomey (R-PA) or Ron Johnson (R-WI). I doubt it’s Rob Portman (R-OH) because he hasn’t been “leading the fight to cut Medicaid.”
This story is concerning because it suggests most Republicans in Congress would love to vote for this bill, and any reluctance is due to their fear of voter backlash. The story also suggests there is sometimes a big difference between an elected officials public statements and what they privately believe.
Yes, you set up a workshop about the opioid epidemic to make it look as if you are concerned about people with drug addiction all while privately wanting to take away their health care.
That was the irony about Trump. He was able to convince millions of people he was authentic, when he is probably the most inauthentic President we have had. Trump is a billionaire who privately could care less if you or I die or go broke. He never had any intention of bringing the jobs back. He never had any intention of having “wonderful health care plans” that “include everyone.”
This story also makes me wonder what else many of these Republicans privately believe and what else they would pass legislatively if they could? Of course, not all. There are a few Never Trumpers that have emerged that seem to genuinely care.
Why is being willing to make all sorts of obnoxious and racist public comments some people privately believe but are afraid to say seen as being authentic?
If everything private was publicly known, I’m convinced Hillary Clinton would have looked a lot more authentic and Donald Trump a lot less.
But going back to Democrats. Yes, the Democrats make mistakes. Yes, Democrats can also be out of touch with certain voter groups. Yes, Democrats can live in their own bubble. But I don’t think anyone can say Democrats “could care less.”
I suspect our private conversations would show we do what we can, and wish we could politically do more.
That’s one reason I’m a Democrat.
So who do you think the Republican Senator is?