This nugget from Politico about the internal Senate GOP wrangling as they gear up for the big messaging vote to whack Obamacare Medicaid expansion, defund Obamacare, and howl at the moon is the most revealing thing I’ve seen about how craven this whole exercise is.
Specifically, this is about killing Medicaid expansion, which makes some moderate GOP senators a little uncomfortable:
On Monday, GOP leadership offered reassurances that there will be a two-year transition period that keeps federal subsidies flowing until the next president passes a plan, sources in the room said. And senators were reminded that the president would veto the repeal bill anyway, meaning Republicans could vote on the measure without having to deal with the political risks of actually making major changes to existing law.
The message from GOP leadership: Don’t worry about it! Obama is going to veto this anyway! You’re safe!
Here’s our full backstory on this messaging gambit — and how the Planned Parenthood shooting is not going to change the Senate GOP’s plans.
