THE LAST WORD WITH LAWRENCE OâDONNELL 9/21/17
Kimmel: these guys wonât tell the truth so I have to
Jimmy Kimmel spends a third night explaining why his health care fight is worth the risk and this time he takes on the President. Joy Reid, Eugene Robinson and Josh Earnest join Lawrence OâDonnell.
It probably shouldnât come as a surprise that David Horowitz would espouse white supremacist sentiments.
Coates has only hateful things to say about whites and America, a country that freed his ancestors, made him famous, privileged and rich. https://t.co/Cr4ayhjo4b
â David Horowitz (@horowitz39) September 21, 2025
Suggesting that African Americans should be grateful that, after almost 250 years and a Civil War, we finally ended slavery is bad enough. But think for a moment about who Horowitz credits for the brilliance of Coatesâ writing, which is what brought him a modicum of fame and fortuneâŚwhite America.
Letâs add this one to the list, âYou might be a white supremacist if you think white people deserve credit for the achievements of black people.â
Went to Horowitz time line….smh…some folks are lost…but they have a platform to spew that “lostness” on others….Coatesâ…fantastic piece…made a lot of folks uncomfortable…downright angry….i say Right On to Coates
Trump aides âarenât sureâ about real-world impact of repeal bill
09/22/17 09:20 AM
By Steve Benen
…………………………………………….
One official said the concerns from governors have alarmed some in the White House â and that âwe really arenât sure what the impact will beâ of passing the bill.
At least weâve achieved some degree of unanimity on this: congressional Republicans who are eager to pass the bill have no idea what would happen if itâs implemented, and the president whoâs eager to sign the bill is similarly clueless. None of these GOP officials has the foggiest idea how many Americans would lose coverage, how unstable the markets would become, how states would respond, or how much more consumers would pay for care â but it might pass next week anyway.
Just woke up, got my coffee, made my calls to my senators and used these very questions to implore them to vote no. Thanks!
Morning everyone…Happy Friday
GM TODville, thanks NerdyW, for EARLY BIRD thread this morning!
While next weekâs Alabama GOP runoff election is getting all the media attention, the election to replace Jeff “Iâm A Proud Racist” Sessionsâ Senate seat is December 12.
Would LOVE to see Dem candidate Doug Jones take Sessionsâ former seat — he speaks “southernese,” something needed to combat FUBARâs white supremacist agenda, such as:
These are not things they're doing by accident. https://t.co/LZodrzQcSC
— Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) September 21, 2025
Although Iâm not familiar with Alabama state politics, Doug Jonesâ tweet makes me think he is the right person to pass the torch of progress to:
(1/?) It was an honor to escort the wreath set at 16th Street Baptist where a bomb exploded 54 years ago today pic.twitter.com/hdVxncrjCb
— Doug Jones (@GDouglasJones) September 16, 2025
TY @GDouglasJones for carrying forward the torch passed on by AL's Charles Morgan (thread RT'd by @ChelseaClinton):https://t.co/23rbHYubSg
— Arapaho415 (@arapaho415) September 16, 2025
If you didnât listen to Charles Morganâs speech last week (or earlier), itâs a good one to bookmark, to remember how far in reverse weâve gone since Jan 20.
It's a remarkable speech. As we confront white supremacy once again today, it's worth listening to again in full: https://t.co/xyGiuSWkj3
— Kevin M. Kruse (@KevinMKruse) September 15, 2025
All this for background on WHY CANâT GOP SPELL AND/OR PROOFREAD? (As the old saying goes, itâs as big as a BUS.)
A poster over at Balloon Juice had read this and had become concerned, and asked this great question (as if we needed anymore to be worried about with these heinous sociopaths):
I was just reading about the billâs elimination of all Obamacare spending in 2026, and it occurred to me â is this bit intended to play games with deficit neutrality for their forthcoming tax cut bill? Itâs the only thing Iâve heard about in the bill that has that time frame. It makes me think about how under reconciliation tax cuts that arenât deficit neutral canât be permanent (renewal vote after ten years), so maybe having that spending end right at that mark will allow them to make tax cuts permanent, without taking the political hit for cutting spending now. Can someone more knowledgeable confirm/debunk?
The 2026 CBO landmine in Cassidy-Graham
by David Anderson
at 8:26 am on September 22, 2025
Almost but not quite. This is not a move for reconciliation. Reconciliation requires a bill bring down the deficit by the target amount in the ten year budget window AND not add to the deficit after the target window. If CG spending was a mandatory, infinite appropriation the combination of keeping most of the taxes and ratcheting down Medicaid spending via block grants would satisfy the deficit neutrality provision.
So it is not for reconciliation that the spending on the block grants get shut off in 2026 but the taxes continue.
It is a landmine that is waiting to be triggered in 2026.
Presumably, Congress would not want to throw millions of more people off their insurance (yes, that is a significant assumption) so they would want to re-appropriate the block grants. However under Congressional procedures, discretionary spending increases above the baseline should be off-set with âpay-forsâ which are either higher taxes or reductions in other spending. If the spending and the taxes both sunset in 2026, Congress could pass a bill saying âKeep on doing what weâve been doing on taxes and spendingâ and have the new block grant for another 10 years be off-set by business as usual.
However that is not how the bill is set up. The taxes continue into the future so they are already incorporated into the baseline. The individual insurance block grants are not in the baseline so they need to be offset. And that produces conservative leverage points for massive cuts to either the block grant or other discretionary spending. The trade-off that Cassidy-Graham is trying to set up is âHealth Insurance OR (CHIP and SNAP and Education and FBI and IRS and LIHEAP) â
If Democrats control both chambers, the work-around is to build their budgets on âcurrent policyâ instead of the more typical âcurrent lawâ baseline. If there is at least one chamber controlled by Republicans, things get ugly.
Sigh…the evil never sleeps with these muthaphuckas.
Even though we donât have a CBO score on the latest version of the Legislative Evil known as Trumpcare, there are plenty of organizations that have stepped up to the plate to tell the truth about it:
……………………………….
Six Cassidy-Graham State Funds Flow Analyses
by David Anderson
at 7:56 am on September 22, 2025
The post below is an inventory of five separate analysis of the flow of funds between states under Cassidy-Graham-Heller-Johnson in 2026 compared to current law as projected by the Congressional Budget Office. I am collecting and collating the information.
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 9/21/17
Trump government hires based on politics, not qualifications
Rachel Maddow looks at the grifty nature of the Trump administration, from handing out government jobs to unqualified staffers as a political favor, to cabinet members using their office to increase their own wealth.
And for Nena… Iâm jumping the gun on her weather report (from @nycjimâs Twitter timeline this morning) — meanwhile, in SoCal where we absolutely SUFFERED at the beginning of the month with sweltering temps of 100F plus, and nighttime lows in the 80Fs, itâs 50F now (which is an unusually cool Sept morning for us):
Happy first day of fall! It's going to feel like 100 degrees today. https://t.co/Ia4pl91Dy1 pic.twitter.com/9bQTF3NbJs
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 9/21/17
Trump finds others to pay family legal bills
Craig Holman, government affairs lobbyist for Public Citizen, talks with Rachel Maddow the laws around how money raised for a presidential inauguration can be spent.
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 9/21/17
Grassley runs into conflict with Mueller investigation
Ron Weich, former assistant attorney general for legislative affairs, talks with Rachel Maddow about which investigation takes precedence when Congress conflicts with Robert Mueller.
Brave Anna! Braver than the liars who lie to the faces of their constituents!
Anna. The Kindergarten standout is using her best manners to urge @SenateGOP to stop #Tumpcare. Join this @LittleLobbyists 844-859-3118 pic.twitter.com/U8q9CPigYk
Governors become important foes of Republican repeal plan
09/22/17 10:14 AM
By Steve Benen
Gov. Brian Sandoval said Thursday that the flexibility fellow Republican Sen. Dean Heller promised will be good for Nevada in a health-care bill heâs sponsoring is a âfalse choiceâ because the legislation will also slash funding.
Sandoval, in a statement to The Nevada Independent, said he would not âpit seniors, children, families, the mentally ill, the critically ill, hospitals, care providers or any other Nevadan against each otherâ because of the steep cuts to federal funding the state would face if the Heller-sponsored measure were to pass. A state analysis, also obtained by The Nevada Independent, agrees with independent calculations from various health-care organizations estimating Nevada will lose between $600 million and $2 billion in federal funding by 2026 if the legislation passes.
Sandoval is hardly alone. Even if we put aside criticism from Democratic governors â whom GOP senators are inclined to ignore â the number of Republican governors who are publicly opposed to the Graham-Cassidy plan continues to grow.
Daniel DaleâVerified account @ddale8 2h2 hours ago
More
Weâre on Trumpcare 4.0. He still has not been asked about, or addressed out loud, the promise-breaking Medicaid cuts in every version.
Three years ago today: the man with the red folder. President Obama heads back to the Oval Office with Chief of Staff Denis McDonough after their end-of-the-day walk around the south grounds of the White House.
âI was astonished, bewildered. This was America, a country where, whatever its faults, people could speak, write, assemble, demonstrate without fear. It was in the Constitution, the Bill of Rights. We were a democracy… But I knew it wasnât a dream; there was a painful lump on the side of my head… The state and its police were not neutral referees in a society of contending interests. They were on the side of the rich and powerful. Free speech? Try it and the police will be there with their horses, their clubs, their guns, to stop you. From that moment on, I was no longer a liberal, a believer in the self-correcting character of American democracy. I was a radical, believing that something fundamental was wrong in this countryânot just the existence of poverty amidst great wealth, not just the horrible treatment of black people, but something rotten at the root. The situation required not just a new president or new laws, but an uprooting of the old order, the introduction of a new kind of societyâcooperative, peaceful, egalitarian.â
~Howard Zinn, You Canât Be Neutral on a Moving Train: A Personal History of Our Times (1994)
Read his Peopleâs History of the United States. Stuff they donât put in the textbooks. If they did, calls for Truth and Reconciliation would not be ignored.
Yes I find this to be so selfish… I would bet money on Bernie trashing Obamacare during this “townhall”. That is my biggest fear, that he is so gung ho for what he wants that he is missing the point, right now we have to save what we have- Obamacare, period.
This zombie #trumpcare bill is the Worst. Groundhog. Day. Ever Cruelty, Incompetence and Lies https://t.co/EFfU3CPXA7#FlashbackFriday pic.twitter.com/ks2KBTVWDc
— Holly O'Reilly (@AynRandPaulRyan) September 22, 2025
BREAKING: Avalere: Graham-Cassidy cuts Medicaid by $713 billion thru 2026. Over $1 TRILLION thru 2036 even if block grants are renewed. pic.twitter.com/oALzxrJ7H5
So itâs PRICE that wants to be GOD and determine who lives and dies??? How is this anything like the stateâs having their own say?? LIARS GONNA LIE! This is a clusterfuck that I hope blows up in their faces BIG TIME
Cassidy: Tom Price would determine if state plans are adequate & affordable for people w/pre-existing conditions https://t.co/N34Vkg7org
— Steven Dennis (@StevenTDennis) September 22, 2025
If you note…this is BELOW the 27% Crazyfication Factor.
Poll shows weak public support for latest Republican repeal plan
09/22/17 11:20 AM
By Steve Benen
……………………….
But what about the public? There hasnât been much in the way of polling â the legislation was only introduced last week â but Vox this morning highlighted what I believe is the first national survey on the pending proposal.
With their deadline fast approaching, Senate Republicansâ rush to repeal and replace Obamacare remains as unpopular as ever with the public.
Only 24 percent of Americans support Graham-Cassidy, the health care bill Republicans are furiously whipping to pass ahead of September 30, according to a new poll released Thursday by Public Policy Polling. The poll is the first to date of the proposed legislation, which would cripple Obamacareâs exchanges and sharply cut long-term Medicaid spending while also taking billions of funding from blue states that implemented Obamacare and giving it to red ones that did not.
So. Betsy DeVos says GO AHEAD WITH THOSE CAMPUS SEXUAL ASSAULTS. ALL GOOD. The person being assaulted must have done something to invite his/her attacker to invade their person.
#TitleIX is still the law. Survivors, you still have rights and protections, and your school has responsibilities to you. @knowyourIX pic.twitter.com/PjG2A3SyQm
— Audrie & Daisy Film (@AudrieandDaisy) September 22, 2025
@FBI @TheJusticeDept @AGSchneiderman Which is a bigger crime, blackmailing Congressional GOP or GOP allowing blackmail? #KochGOPQuidProQuo https://t.co/lTNwOOWhTR
Today at 1pm ET: We honor mathematician Katherine Johnson with a ribbon cutting of @NASA_Langley's newest facility: https://t.co/HlngDymD1P pic.twitter.com/sM8f2xl6nZ
Now there are THREE estimates of coverage loss of 32 million: Brookings, Commonwealth Fund, CAP (us). Hard for the press to ignore. https://t.co/vd8yzHgYca
GOP âmoderatesâ give up on concessions they once deemed important
09/22/17 12:44 PM
By Steve Benen
……………………………………..
Two months later, those same senators have apparently decided they no longer care about these conditions. Roll Call reported this week:
Republican senators face the prospect of backtracking from their previous public stances in order to support fast-moving legislation that would significantly overhaul the U.S. health care system.
Concerns about the impact on people suffering from opioid addiction, drastic cuts to Medicaid and the lack of robust analysis from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office appear to have vanished as the GOP hopes to advance a bill to repeal the 2010 health law before the fast-track budget reconciliation mechanism they are using expires on Sept. 30.
Itâs almost as if many Senate Republicans werenât especially serious about their stated principles. Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) said he opposed Medicaid cuts. Portman and Capito prioritized opioid investments. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said he cared about a legitimate, thorough process â including a proper score from the Congressional Budget Office â and a lengthy policy debate.
One of fascist Dotardâs potty tweets today accused Jong Un of being “a madman who doesnât mind starving or killing his people.”
-Does he know the KOCH/Graham repeal bill will kill lots and lots of people.
(Does the Dicktraitor know it was the Heritage Foundation (KOCH) that first proposed the âindividual mandate” for their own reasons.)
I clicked on that Twitter “Moment,” and IMO, there are too many photos of Melania — who swats away FUBARâs hand in public (ugh) and who FUBAR canât command an ability to even *know* sheâs standing right next to him — so hereâs my tweets on the subject (all about OUR #ForeverFLOTUS.
(1/3) "Michelle Obama's expansive kitchen garden… an internationally recognized symbol of local food and.. healthy eating." https://t.co/6F9ToB20ul
— Arapaho415 (@arapaho415) September 22, 2025
(3/3) "The White House beehive, also started by the Obamas, is still buzzing under the Trump administration, too."
I canât stand this woman but I applaud her continuation of this event and I hope she was moved by her interaction with local school children and healthy eating. Thereâs a LOT to learn from interacting with nature and young hearts.
I have been hating hearing and reading the severe criticisms of Melania Trump about her continuing Michelleâs healthy eating garden. What would the critics want? Would they want her to abandon it? Michelle must be glad Melania is continuing her work. Michelle left the garden with private continuing funding so it would be difficult to just abandon. There are plenty of things to criticize so I am glad you voiced support for this.
Hoping Jimmy hears this story even if for now heâs busy helping Obamacare/ACA to go on saving precious lives.
Undocumented Parents Arrested at Childrenâs Hospital While Awaiting Their Infant Sonâs Surgery: https://splinternews.com/undocumented-parents-arrested-at-childrens-hospital-whi-1818621039
.@SenJohnMcCain Thank you from my preemie with a cardiac defect & all other families with pre-existing conditions! Now let's strengthen #ACA pic.twitter.com/QUTcrDxVfx
.@JimmyKimmel-This billboard's for you. It'll remind everyone in Louisiana that @BillCassidy is a liar. #VoteNohttps://t.co/IUh8P37VaU pic.twitter.com/a7S45Eb39L
SEE IT: James Comey speech at Howard University gets drowned out by fierce protests during convocation https://t.co/xmpIpM5F0P pic.twitter.com/91LyhmPpQa
— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) September 22, 2025
There are no wrong times to protest, Whomever choses to go speak at any university must understand that the students at that particular university have their own values and beliefs that at times might be the exact opposite of the speaker.
Mailboxes are filling up! FAX if you can't get thru! Text RESIST to 50409. They send the fax for you. Keep calling/faxing these Senators! đ pic.twitter.com/ZrHD2htSxK
Please call or fax your congressional reps. Use the free faxbot just text resist to 50409. It's super easy & counts like a call. pic.twitter.com/dIVMfPpjP2
— MalenaâImpeach Trump (@tweetMalena) September 18, 2025
women, children, and the weakest in our society……..for billionaires tax cuts. Save the Kochs money the GOP will loose in 2018 with or without their PAC/Bribe money.
Thank you @SenJohnMcCain. Itâs never easy to stand against ones friends - but millions of Americans are safer for your strength today. pic.twitter.com/QLy0ByswZA
Johnson spoke about 1 single solitary hearing (remember the countless for the ACA). Collins in July : “You donât take a safety net program & change it in fundamental ways without having a single hearing. http://www.pressherald.com/2017/07/21/sen-susan-collins-slams-efforts-to-repeal-and-replace-affordable-care-act/ âŚ
This is terrific news, but PLEASE keep calling your Senators. We need to pile up enough "no's" that this doesn't even come to a vote. https://t.co/PpPdg2xE4B
— The Resisterhood (@resisterhood) September 22, 2025
Anybody what other Senators are definite Noâs?
Now would be a great time for a bunch of other Senators to take a firm stance on G-C now that three have come out. Safety in numbers.
— The Resisterhood (@resisterhood) September 22, 2025
TGIF
Hello, TOD Village.
So Sen McCain has decided to be a No on this Graham/Cassidy Monstrosity. I just called his office to say Thanks! The Cynic in me is attributing this No Vote coming 1 week One day early to His Daughter, Meghan (sp) seeking for a job as a onservative View Panelist. I donât care, really. I am glad for this No stand, 8 days out.
Congrats, Rikyrah on your Au â
Thank you, NW…….You Rock!
⤠TODbots.
Yup. They should just do it, get Murkowski in on it, together with all the Dems and Inds, it would be a done deal. Theyâd just have to find a way to force McConnell and relevant committee chairs to do the right thing.
Attention, @lisamurkowski! This is Simon! https://t.co/yf8zogK2xN
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) September 22, 2025
Simon from @littlelobbyists: use your please/thank you to urge @SenateGOP to oppose #GrahamCassidy & stop #Trumpcare: 844-859-3118 #StayLoud pic.twitter.com/k3Ftqpc5SC
We're glad @SenJohnMcCain sees how harmful #GrahamCassidy will be, but this bill isn't dead yet. Tell your senators to vote NO: 202-224-3121 pic.twitter.com/48Ad05AbgJ
I cannot in good conscience vote for Graham-Cassidy. A bill impacting so many lives deserves a bipartisan approach. https://t.co/2sDjhw6Era pic.twitter.com/30OWezQpLg
Under #GrahamCassidy, 468,000 people in Colorado will lose coverage. Tell @SenCoryGardner to #VoteNO! Contact him at 202-224-5941 pic.twitter.com/41IyfrTYVE
DOTARD-in-Chief is golfing of course……no mention of this by the liberal media that hounded PBO on the oil leek in the gulf for months about him not doing enough to stop it but not the company CEO who caused it. Every damn thing that was a disaster was PBOâs Katrina.
Call your senators NOW. Ask if they'll join with John McCain and reject this bill. If you're in Arizona, call and express your gratitude. https://t.co/wi0cHWsqT8
— Ben Wikler (@benwikler) September 22, 2025
McCain's statement opens door for more Rs to vote No. It shows how hideously irresponsible voting Yes would be:https://t.co/hA8aSB3QPG pic.twitter.com/pEE5W3LHvm
— Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) September 22, 2025
One would think that by just being a U.S. Senator one wouldnât need a canary in the coal mine type situation wherein McCain has to smell the gas and stay itâs okay for everyone else to join him.
“In a normal universe one would think that by just being a U.S. Senator one wouldnât need a canary in the coal mine type situation wherein McCain has to smell the gas and say itâs okay for everyone else to join him.”
Love it! This is everyoneâs America and no matter how f**ked up things get everyday, each person still has the right to voice his/her opinion as a citizen.
6 swing states + Texas account for almost all of the gerrymanderingâMI, NC, PA are consistently the most extreme. https://t.co/qi8fMT1v7n pic.twitter.com/qcFEwWr3n3
— Brennan Center (@BrennanCenter) September 22, 2025
The Empire State Building honored victims of Hurricane Maria & the earthquake in Mexico by rotating the colors of affected countries' flags. pic.twitter.com/nUsepkq0YT
There are unjust laws. And there are higher laws than the laws of the state. According to these laws-mercy and love-we will be judged https://t.co/S3vVZsLHGs
— James Martin, SJ (@JamesMartinSJ) September 22, 2025
Undocumented parents arrested at children's hospital while awaiting their infant son's surgery https://t.co/kHizqMDZbM pic.twitter.com/NIFl9rENX7
A dam has failed and caused “extremely dangerous” flooding on Puerto Ricoâs Guajataca river in the wake of Hurricane Maria, authorities say.
The National Weather Service (NWS) said buses were “currently evacuating people from the area as quickly as they can”.
At least 13 people have died on the US territory since Maria ripped through Puerto Rico, devastating homes and knocking out the islandâs electricity.
The islandâs governor has called it the worst storm in a century.
Operators of the Guajataca Dam said the dam, located at the northern end of Lake Guajataca in northwest Puerto Rico, failed at 14:10 local time (18:10 GMT).
Obama White House.gov
Good Morning, Everyone đ
â¨
Congrats, Rikyrah! Thanks to Jimmy, Barack, and Nerdy for bringing it all here.
Thanks for all you do, NW. You absolutely rock đ
THANK YOU. đ
(((((( Nerdy Wonka ))))))
You are the BEST! đâ¤ď¸đ
THE LAST WORD WITH LAWRENCE OâDONNELL 9/21/17
Kimmel: these guys wonât tell the truth so I have to
Jimmy Kimmel spends a third night explaining why his health care fight is worth the risk and this time he takes on the President. Joy Reid, Eugene Robinson and Josh Earnest join Lawrence OâDonnell.
â¤ď¸
Anti Trumpcare Toolkit:
https://trumpcaretoolkit.org/
It probably shouldnât come as a surprise that David Horowitz would espouse white supremacist sentiments.
Suggesting that African Americans should be grateful that, after almost 250 years and a Civil War, we finally ended slavery is bad enough. But think for a moment about who Horowitz credits for the brilliance of Coatesâ writing, which is what brought him a modicum of fame and fortuneâŚwhite America.
Letâs add this one to the list, âYou might be a white supremacist if you think white people deserve credit for the achievements of black people.â
He failed to mention that same America enslaved Coatesâ ancestors đł
Amen, Sistah! I stopped cold at the line: “freed his ancestors” ~
Went to Horowitz time line….smh…some folks are lost…but they have a platform to spew that “lostness” on others….Coatesâ…fantastic piece…made a lot of folks uncomfortable…downright angry….i say Right On to Coates
White Supremacists wouldnât want Horowitz. Heâs a Jew.
Good West Coast morning NW & TOD family.
Jimmy Kimmel is doing his part and reaching thousands of people.
Thanks Jimmy!
Letâs keep calling đ
Trump aides âarenât sureâ about real-world impact of repeal bill
09/22/17 09:20 AM
By Steve Benen
…………………………………………….
At least weâve achieved some degree of unanimity on this: congressional Republicans who are eager to pass the bill have no idea what would happen if itâs implemented, and the president whoâs eager to sign the bill is similarly clueless. None of these GOP officials has the foggiest idea how many Americans would lose coverage, how unstable the markets would become, how states would respond, or how much more consumers would pay for care â but it might pass next week anyway.
Just woke up, got my coffee, made my calls to my senators and used these very questions to implore them to vote no. Thanks!
Morning everyone…Happy Friday
Arenât sure or donât care? They donât care.
GM TODville, thanks NerdyW, for EARLY BIRD thread this morning!
While next weekâs Alabama GOP runoff election is getting all the media attention, the election to replace Jeff “Iâm A Proud Racist” Sessionsâ Senate seat is December 12.
Would LOVE to see Dem candidate Doug Jones take Sessionsâ former seat — he speaks “southernese,” something needed to combat FUBARâs white supremacist agenda, such as:
Although Iâm not familiar with Alabama state politics, Doug Jonesâ tweet makes me think he is the right person to pass the torch of progress to:
If you didnât listen to Charles Morganâs speech last week (or earlier), itâs a good one to bookmark, to remember how far in reverse weâve gone since Jan 20.
All this for background on WHY CANâT GOP SPELL AND/OR PROOFREAD? (As the old saying goes, itâs as big as a BUS.)
So Doug Jonesâ staff redirected the misspelled (extra R in “deserves”) website URL to Doug Jonesâ campaign site. đ
A poster over at Balloon Juice had read this and had become concerned, and asked this great question (as if we needed anymore to be worried about with these heinous sociopaths):
This was the response by Mayhew at Balloon Juice:
The 2026 CBO landmine in Cassidy-Graham
by David Anderson
at 8:26 am on September 22, 2025
Sigh…the evil never sleeps with these muthaphuckas.
Uncle Joe is campaigning for him. If I were in Alabama, that alone would get Doug Jones my vote.
Jones sounds like a cool guy. Sending him good wishes. Yes we can!
Even though we donât have a CBO score on the latest version of the Legislative Evil known as Trumpcare, there are plenty of organizations that have stepped up to the plate to tell the truth about it:
……………………………….
Six Cassidy-Graham State Funds Flow Analyses
by David Anderson
at 7:56 am on September 22, 2025
The post below is an inventory of five separate analysis of the flow of funds between states under Cassidy-Graham-Heller-Johnson in 2026 compared to current law as projected by the Congressional Budget Office. I am collecting and collating the information.
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 9/21/17
Trump government hires based on politics, not qualifications
Rachel Maddow looks at the grifty nature of the Trump administration, from handing out government jobs to unqualified staffers as a political favor, to cabinet members using their office to increase their own wealth.
And for Nena… Iâm jumping the gun on her weather report (from @nycjimâs Twitter timeline this morning) — meanwhile, in SoCal where we absolutely SUFFERED at the beginning of the month with sweltering temps of 100F plus, and nighttime lows in the 80Fs, itâs 50F now (which is an unusually cool Sept morning for us):
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 9/21/17
Trump finds others to pay family legal bills
Craig Holman, government affairs lobbyist for Public Citizen, talks with Rachel Maddow the laws around how money raised for a presidential inauguration can be spent.
uh huh
uh huh
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 9/21/17
Grassley runs into conflict with Mueller investigation
Ron Weich, former assistant attorney general for legislative affairs, talks with Rachel Maddow about which investigation takes precedence when Congress conflicts with Robert Mueller.
Shirley Câ @ghhshirley
McCain & Murkowski are taking all calls from anywhere. Spoke with both their staff.
35 replies 484 retweets 1,493 likes
So good!
His local number is 602-952-2410
The DC # will get you a chance to leave a VM
Called DC. Easy to leave a voicemail message.
Brave Anna! Braver than the liars who lie to the faces of their constituents!
Such a sweet child. Bless her.
Governors become important foes of Republican repeal plan
09/22/17 10:14 AM
By Steve Benen
Sandoval is hardly alone. Even if we put aside criticism from Democratic governors â whom GOP senators are inclined to ignore â the number of Republican governors who are publicly opposed to the Graham-Cassidy plan continues to grow.
https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/sandoval-doubles-down-on-criticism-of-heller-sponsored-measure-state-analysis-highlights-up-to-2-billion-loss/
Daniel DaleâVerified account @ddale8 2h2 hours ago
More
Weâre on Trumpcare 4.0. He still has not been asked about, or addressed out loud, the promise-breaking Medicaid cuts in every version.
big post lost in WP Wonderland…
After this weekâs series of natural disasters, hereâs a brief pick-me-up:
No need for a translation. Itâs love, plain and simple. đ
Moving quote. Speaks to so many of us
âI was astonished, bewildered. This was America, a country where, whatever its faults, people could speak, write, assemble, demonstrate without fear. It was in the Constitution, the Bill of Rights. We were a democracy… But I knew it wasnât a dream; there was a painful lump on the side of my head… The state and its police were not neutral referees in a society of contending interests. They were on the side of the rich and powerful. Free speech? Try it and the police will be there with their horses, their clubs, their guns, to stop you. From that moment on, I was no longer a liberal, a believer in the self-correcting character of American democracy. I was a radical, believing that something fundamental was wrong in this countryânot just the existence of poverty amidst great wealth, not just the horrible treatment of black people, but something rotten at the root. The situation required not just a new president or new laws, but an uprooting of the old order, the introduction of a new kind of societyâcooperative, peaceful, egalitarian.â
~Howard Zinn, You Canât Be Neutral on a Moving Train: A Personal History of Our Times (1994)
Read his Peopleâs History of the United States. Stuff they donât put in the textbooks. If they did, calls for Truth and Reconciliation would not be ignored.
Iâll have to add that to my book buying list.
Thanks JER, I tried to post this last night, but I did something wrong.
She gets more beautiful every year.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/21/opinions/i-cried-when-they-passed-obamacare-axelrod/index.html
Good Read
Is anyone calling Klobucher and Bernieâs offices, asking why theyâre doing this bullshyt thing on CNN?
This should be about killing TRUMPCARE.
This should be about shoring up Obamacare and saving healthcare for 32 million people.
Not some PHUCKING SINGLE PAYER FANTASY!
YES!!
Yes I find this to be so selfish… I would bet money on Bernie trashing Obamacare during this “townhall”. That is my biggest fear, that he is so gung ho for what he wants that he is missing the point, right now we have to save what we have- Obamacare, period.
These must be a combination of big donors and ignorant fans
So itâs PRICE that wants to be GOD and determine who lives and dies??? How is this anything like the stateâs having their own say?? LIARS GONNA LIE! This is a clusterfuck that I hope blows up in their faces BIG TIME
Share with everyone. ESPECIALLY SENATORS
https://thinkprogress.org/trumpcare-alaska-bribe-constitutional-problem-f1dc649686aa/
https://thinkprogress.org/cassidy-argues-his-bill-protects-people-with-preexisting-conditions-because-trump-tweeted-it-did-f3258a6031f0/
If you note…this is BELOW the 27% Crazyfication Factor.
Poll shows weak public support for latest Republican repeal plan
09/22/17 11:20 AM
By Steve Benen
……………………….
But what about the public? There hasnât been much in the way of polling â the legislation was only introduced last week â but Vox this morning highlighted what I believe is the first national survey on the pending proposal.
So. Betsy DeVos says GO AHEAD WITH THOSE CAMPUS SEXUAL ASSAULTS. ALL GOOD. The person being assaulted must have done something to invite his/her attacker to invade their person.
http://www.politico.com/story/2017/09/22/obama-era-school-sexual-assault-policy-rescinded-243016
Protestors could wear Betsy Blindfolds.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/6-figure-ad-pressures-5-key-senators-vote-against-health-bill
Every.State.
http://acasignups.net/17/09/22/important-graham-cassidy-could-make-thousands-aca-policies-illegal-next-year
Entire important thread.
Aw! Sorry I missed that. Thanks JER! It is so lovely to see Mrs. Johnson finally receiving the accolades she deserves.
So thankful that she lived to see and to enjoy these more than well-deserved honors.
Ditto!
GOP âmoderatesâ give up on concessions they once deemed important
09/22/17 12:44 PM
By Steve Benen
……………………………………..
Two months later, those same senators have apparently decided they no longer care about these conditions. Roll Call reported this week:
Itâs almost as if many Senate Republicans werenât especially serious about their stated principles. Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) said he opposed Medicaid cuts. Portman and Capito prioritized opioid investments. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said he cared about a legitimate, thorough process â including a proper score from the Congressional Budget Office â and a lengthy policy debate.
One of fascist Dotardâs potty tweets today accused Jong Un of being “a madman who doesnât mind starving or killing his people.”
-Does he know the KOCH/Graham repeal bill will kill lots and lots of people.
(Does the Dicktraitor know it was the Heritage Foundation (KOCH) that first proposed the âindividual mandate” for their own reasons.)
GA Dudette.
I clicked on that Twitter “Moment,” and IMO, there are too many photos of Melania — who swats away FUBARâs hand in public (ugh) and who FUBAR canât command an ability to even *know* sheâs standing right next to him — so hereâs my tweets on the subject (all about OUR #ForeverFLOTUS.
Link to @Politico article:
I canât stand this woman but I applaud her continuation of this event and I hope she was moved by her interaction with local school children and healthy eating. Thereâs a LOT to learn from interacting with nature and young hearts.
This! đđž
I have been hating hearing and reading the severe criticisms of Melania Trump about her continuing Michelleâs healthy eating garden. What would the critics want? Would they want her to abandon it? Michelle must be glad Melania is continuing her work. Michelle left the garden with private continuing funding so it would be difficult to just abandon. There are plenty of things to criticize so I am glad you voiced support for this.
Hoping Jimmy hears this story even if for now heâs busy helping Obamacare/ACA to go on saving precious lives.
Undocumented Parents Arrested at Childrenâs Hospital While Awaiting Their Infant Sonâs Surgery: https://splinternews.com/undocumented-parents-arrested-at-childrens-hospital-whi-1818621039
McCain will vote NO on the GOP Deathcare bill.
Hopefully he doesnât fall victim to the charms of Lindsey Graham and changes his min.
eek.
LOL!
When I say charms I mean, you know, falling victim to the political pressure that Graham will force on him.
heh. As long as he doesnât force McC into a little fascist hairdo like his.
I know right, whatâs with Grahamâs weird hairdo?
have stomach ache laughing
Ha. Been thinkinâ that myself. đ
All those calls and tweets worked!
Trumpâs speech tonight in Alabama of all places should be a dumpster fire of epic proportions. I think Trump might go full metal jacket tonight.
There are no wrong times to protest, Whomever choses to go speak at any university must understand that the students at that particular university have their own values and beliefs that at times might be the exact opposite of the speaker.
Keeping my fingers crossed that McCain does not change his mind under pressure from the other THUGS.
JIMMY KIMMEL is my new HERO!!!! Right up there in 2nd place after BARACK.
women, children, and the weakest in our society……..for billionaires tax cuts. Save the Kochs money the GOP will loose in 2018 with or without their PAC/Bribe money.
Letâs hope enough of the gerrymandering, voter suppression, hacked voting machines and crooked vote count problems are fixed in time.
Johnson spoke about 1 single solitary hearing (remember the countless for the ACA). Collins in July : “You donât take a safety net program & change it in fundamental ways without having a single hearing. http://www.pressherald.com/2017/07/21/sen-susan-collins-slams-efforts-to-repeal-and-replace-affordable-care-act/ âŚ
Anybody what other Senators are definite Noâs?
TGIF
Hello, TOD Village.
So Sen McCain has decided to be a No on this Graham/Cassidy Monstrosity. I just called his office to say Thanks! The Cynic in me is attributing this No Vote coming 1 week One day early to His Daughter, Meghan (sp) seeking for a job as a onservative View Panelist. I donât care, really. I am glad for this No stand, 8 days out.
Congrats, Rikyrah on your Au â
Thank you, NW…….You Rock!
⤠TODbots.
đ
I am ok with that……McCain should join Sen Collins to help improve OCare.
Yup. They should just do it, get Murkowski in on it, together with all the Dems and Inds, it would be a done deal. Theyâd just have to find a way to force McConnell and relevant committee chairs to do the right thing.
Saving his newborn was on the air in real time and it is unforgettable. Universal story of a parentâs compassion.
Oh yes you do, just one more chance to stick it to Trump.
McCainâs local office has full voice mail. Called D.C. office and said TY!!!
đł More horrors. Oh my goodness!
In a normal universe
DOTARD-in-Chief is golfing of course……no mention of this by the liberal media that hounded PBO on the oil leek in the gulf for months about him not doing enough to stop it but not the company CEO who caused it. Every damn thing that was a disaster was PBOâs Katrina.
One would think that by just being a U.S. Senator one wouldnât need a canary in the coal mine type situation wherein McCain has to smell the gas and stay itâs okay for everyone else to join him.
Read your statement again, but with this at the beginning: “In a normal universe…”
“In a normal universe one would think that by just being a U.S. Senator one wouldnât need a canary in the coal mine type situation wherein McCain has to smell the gas and say itâs okay for everyone else to join him.”
I fixed it.
đ¤
Keep reading the thread…
Jesus Christ
Have Mercy!
New post.
https://theobamadiary.com/2017/09/22/billie-obama/
Writer for Jimmy Kimmel Live đđžđđžđđž
Love it! This is everyoneâs America and no matter how f**ked up things get everyday, each person still has the right to voice his/her opinion as a citizen.
This always!
Puerto Rico dam bursts in wake of Hurricane Maria
A dam has failed and caused “extremely dangerous” flooding on Puerto Ricoâs Guajataca river in the wake of Hurricane Maria, authorities say.
The National Weather Service (NWS) said buses were “currently evacuating people from the area as quickly as they can”.
At least 13 people have died on the US territory since Maria ripped through Puerto Rico, devastating homes and knocking out the islandâs electricity.
The islandâs governor has called it the worst storm in a century.
Operators of the Guajataca Dam said the dam, located at the northern end of Lake Guajataca in northwest Puerto Rico, failed at 14:10 local time (18:10 GMT).