Senator Thom Tillis Is Still Taking Shots at Obamacare—Even as He Defends Medicaid

“They were the Epperson sisters, and they had distinguished themselves in the minds of the Neelyites by going from reasonably normal to unquestionably insane without ever pausing at peculiar.” – A Short History of a Small Place, T.R. Pearson

The most charitable interpretation possible of Senator Thom Tillis’ decision to leave the Senate at the end of his current term is that he doesn’t want to represent a political party run by the Epperson sisters of Pearson’s fictional Neely, North Carolina. He’s going out with something of a bang, though. He is an unmovable no on the Senate’s version of The Big Plug Ugly, although he’s fine with the original House version, especially its work requirements on Medicaid, which are both cruel and stupid. And he left his words un-minced as to the reasons why.

“It is inescapable this bill will betray the promise Donald Trump made. I’m telling the president that you have been misinformed. You supporting the Senate mark will hurt people who are eligible and qualified for Medicaid.”

Be honest, Thom. You can’t possibly have believed any promise made by this president. And you can’t possibly believe he’d be moved by empathy or simple humanity. I do not believe you are that much of a sucker. Plus, did I mention that the House bill has work requirements for Medicaid that blow goats? But, do go on.

“The effect of this bill is to break a promise. And you know, the last time I saw a promise broken around health care, with respect to my friends on the other side of the aisle is when somebody said, ‘If you like your health care, you can keep it.’”

Jesus, Thom. You announced your retirement. You don’t have to spout this nonsense any more. The Affordable Care Act is responsible for the health care of so many of the people for whom you are allegedly fighting now. The politics of cognitive dissonance doesn’t need you any more, and you don’t need it, either.

“What do I tell 663,000 people in two years, three years, when President Trump breaks his promise by pushing them off of Medicaid because the funding’s not there anymore.”

Tell them never to vote for another Republican again until when and if the GOP ever gets back all of its marbles. I mean, seriously. The House bill is a big dead fish. The Senate got a hold of it and turned it into that big dead whale that they blew up in Oregon back in 1970. The only real Republican opposition came from the utterly soulless who thought the bill didn’t knuckle enough poor people. The Senate began Monday to debate an endless round of largely doomed amendments in what the smart folks call a “vote-a-rama.” Every vote carries a body count.