Lawrence: The Resistance Showed Senators The Way On Health Care | The Last Word

>>> THE RESISTANCE TO PRESIDENT TRUMP HAD ITS BIGGEST VICTORY
YET AT 1:29 A.M. WHEN JOHN McCAIN WALKED ONTO THE SENATE
FLOOR AND SAID ONE WORD -- NO. >> MR. PETERS.
>> NO. >> NO.
[ APPLAUSE ] >> MR. PORTMAN.
MR. REID. >> I HAVE NEVER HEARD SENATORS
GASP AND APPLAUD WITH SO MUCH SURPRISE WHEN A SENATOR CAST A
VOTE. YOU COULD HEAR HOW SURPRISED THE
DEMOCRATS WERE WHEN JOHN McCAIN VOTED WITH THEM TO KILL THE
TRUMP/McCONNELL HEALTH CARE BILL IN THE SENATE.
BUT THERE WAS NO SURPRISE ON THE REPUBLICAN SIDE, NONE.
THEY ALL KNEW THAT THIS VOTE WAS COMING.
EVERYONE HAD EVERY RIGHT TO BELIEVE THAT THIS VOTE WAS
COMING AFTER JOHN McCAIN'S SPEECH IN THE SENATE ON TUESDAY,
WHICH SEEMED TO INDICATE THAT HE WAS OPPOSED TO ANY VERSION OF A
HEALTH CARE BILL THAT WAS NOT PRODUCED THROUGH WHAT HE CALLED
REGULAR ORDER OF THE SENATE, IN OTHER WORDS, THROUGH COMMITTEE
HEARINGS AND BIPARTISAN INPUT IN COMMITTEES, AND ON THE FLOOR OF
THE SENATE. DEMOCRATS INTERRUPTED THAT
McCAIN SPEECH ON TUESDAY ON THE SENATE FLOOR WITH APPLAUSE.
REPUBLICANS DID NOT BECAUSE THEY KNEW WHAT THAT SPEECH MEANT.
IT MEANT McCAIN WOULD VOTE NO ON WHAT MAJORITY LEADER McCONNELL
WAS TRYING TO DO. BUT THEN HE CONFUSED MOST
OBSERVERS OUTSIDE OF THE SENATE. HE VOTED YES ON THE MOTION TO
PROCEED TO THE DEBATE. SO JOHN McCAIN WAS THEN
IMMEDIATELY ACCUSED OF VOTING TO TAKE HEALTH CARE AWAY FROM
MILLIONS OF PEOPLE. BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT HAPPENED.
JOHN McCAIN WAS FOLLOWING AN OLD TRADITION OF THE SENATE IN WHICH
NO ONE USED TO OPPOSE THE BEGINNING OF SIMPLY HAVING A
DEBATE. AND AS I SAID AT THAT TIME, IT
STILL APPEARED THAT JOHN McCAIN WAS GOING TO VOTE WITH THE
REPUBLICANS ON THE PROCEDURAL VOTES.
BUT THE REAL TEST WOULD BE HOW HE VOTED ON THE ACTUAL
LEGISLATION THAT MITCH McCONNELL PRESENTED.
SO JOHN McCAIN VOTED YES ON TWO PROCEDURAL VOTES AND THEN NO ON
BOTH OF THE LEGISLATIVE VOTES THAT MITCH McCONNELL BROUGHT TO
THE SENATE. AFTER JOHN McCAIN'S DRAMATIC
MOMENT ON THE SENATE FLOOR, TWITTER WAS INSTANTLY FILLED
WITH THE PHRASE "PROFILE IN COURAGE" FOR JOHN McCAIN.
AND THAT'S THE WAY IT ALWAYS IS IN THE SENATE ON CLOSE VOTES.
THAT SENATOR WHO CASTS THAT LAST VOTE THAT DECIDES THE ISSUE GETS
THE GLORY JUST AS THE PLAYER WHO SCORED THE WINNING TOUCHDOWN
GETS THE GLORY NO MATTER HOW MUCH TOUCHDOWNS WERE SCORED
BEFORE THAT. JOHN McCAIN'S VOTE WOULD HAVE
BEEN MEANINGLESS IF REPUBLICAN SENATORS SUSAN COLLINS AND LISA
MURKOWSKI WERE NOT CONSISTENTLY STRONG AND UNWAVERING IN THEIR
OPPOSITION TO THE REPUBLICAN LEGISLATION.
TWITTER CAUGHT UP WITH THAT FACT QUICKLY, AND THE PROFILES IN
COURAGE WERE EXTENDED TO INCLUDE SUSAN COLLINS AND LISA
MURKOWSKI. BUT MANY, MANY MORE PEOPLE
SHOWED MORE COURAGE IN THE RESISTANCE TO THE REPUBLICAN
PLANS TO TAKE HEALTH COVERAGE AWAY FROM MILLIONS OF PEOPLE.
THE SENATORS WHO VOTED AGAINST THE McCONNELL PLAN WERE SIMPLY
DOING THEIR JOBS, VOTING AGAINST SOMETHING THEY BELIEVED WOULD BE
BAD FOR THEIR STATES AND BAD FOR THE COUNTRY.
BUT IS THAT -- THAT IS THE WAY THEY SHOULD HAVE VOTED.
THEY KNOW THAT. BUT HOW WOULD THEY HAVE VOTED?
HOW WOULD THOSE SENATORS HAVE VOTED IF THE RESISTANCE HAD NOT
TAKEN TO THE STREETS STARTING THE DAY AFTER TRUMP'S
INAUGURATION? WHAT DID SUSAN COLLINS AND LISA
MURKOWSKI THINK WHEN THEY SAW THE HISTORIC SCALE OF OPPOSITION
TO THIS NEWLY INAUGURATED PRESIDENT?
WHAT DID THEY THINK WHEN THEY SAW PEOPLE ON TELEVISION AT TOWN
HALLS AROUND THE COUNTRY HELD BY REPUBLICAN MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE
OF REPRESENTATIVES WHEN THEY WERE TRYING TO PASS A BILL?
THE RESISTANCE RISING UP AT REPUBLICAN TOWN HALLS MADE EVERY
REPUBLICAN SENATOR TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT THIS LEGISLATION.
SENATORS ALWAYS WANT TO FIND A WAY TO VOTE WITH THEIR PARTY.
IT IS DEMOCRACY'S JOB, THE PEOPLE'S JOB, TO SHOW THEM THE
WAY TO VOTE AGAINST THEIR PARTY. THE RESISTANCE SHOWED SUSAN
COLLINS AND LISA MURKOWSKI AND FINALLY JOHN McCAIN THE WAY.
THESE PEOPLE SHOWED THOSE SENATORS THE WAY.
THESE ARE THE REAL PROFILES IN COURAGE.
THESE ARE THE REAL WINNERS OF THE LEGISLATIVE BATTLE THAT CAME
TO AN END IN THE SENATE. THE SENATE HAD NEVER SEEN
ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE. PEOPLE IN WHEELCHAIRS BEING
ARRESTED AT THE MAJORITY LEADER'S OFFICE.
THOSE PEOPLE BEING ARRESTED WERE NOT DOING THEIR JOBS.
THEY WERE NOT BEING PAID TO GET ARRESTED.
THEY WERE TAKING CHANCES WITH THEIR LIVES.
THEY WERE TAKING RISKS ALL TO HELP 23 MILLION PEOPLE HOLD ON
TO THEIR HEALTH COVERAGE. AND THEY WON.
AND THEY ARE THE PROFILES IN COURAGE THAT AMERICA SHOULD BE
HONORING TONIGHT FOR WHAT THEY DID TO REMIND THE CONGRESS DAY
IN AND DAY OUT ALL YEAR THAT THIS IS A GOVERNMENT OF THE
PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE, FOR THE PEOPLE.

Lawrence: The Resistance Showed Senators The Way On Health Care | The Last Word | MSNBC

Latest Posts