Lawrence: What John McCain's Health Care Vote Really Means | The Last Word

>> PRESIDENT TRUMP OBVIOUSLY KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT HISTORY AND
HE KNOWS LESS THAN NOTHING ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE SENATE OR
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY. FROM THAT DEEP, DEEP WELL OF
SHEER IGNORANCE, AFTER THE VOTE IN THE SENATE THIS AFTERNOON TO
PROCEED TO DEBATE, ON HEALTH CARE BILL, THE PRESIDENT SAID
THIS. >> EXTREMELY HAPPY THAT WE GOT
THIS VOTE. THIS IS -- THEY SAY, IF YOU LOOK
HISTORICALLY, THIS IS THE TOUGH VOTE TO GET.
NOW WE'RE ALL GOING TO SIT TOGETHER AND WE'RE GOING TO TRY
AND COME UP WITH SOMETHING THAT'S REALLY SPECTACULAR.
WE HAVE A LOT OF OPTIONS. AND A LOT OF GREAT OPTIONS.
WE ENDED UP WITH 51 VOTES. 51 TO WHATEVER.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS. >> 51-50.
VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE CAST THE TIE-BREAKING VOTE AS VICE
PRESIDENT IS ALLOWED TO DO AEP AEP
AND 50-50 TIES IN THE SENATE. THE PRESIDENT IS WRONG WHEN HE
SAYS THIS IS THE TOUGHEST VOTE TO GET.
IF YOU LOOK HISTORICALLY AND I MEAN RECENTLY HISTORICALLY, THIS
VOTE DIDN'T USED TO EXIST. THE SENATE USED TO AUTOMATICALLY
PROCEED TO DEBATE ON BILLS. THIS USED TO BE THE EASIEST VOTE
IN THE SENATE. ALMOST INVISIBLE VOTE.
IT WAS HIDDEN IN THE UNNOTICED LANGUAGE THAT MAJORITY LEADER
WOULD SAY BEFORE PROCEEDING IT A BILL THAT WOULD BE A REQUEST FOR
UNANIMOUS CONSENT THAT WOULD PROCEED TO DEBATE ON A BILL AND
THE SENATE GAVE UNANIMOUS CONSENT.
AND UNANIMOUS CONSENT TO THE BILL.
NO ONE WAS AFRAID OF DEBATING BILLS.
THAT IS TECHNICALLY A VOTE, BUT IT HAPPENED TO FAST THAT NO ONE
EVEN NOTICED IT. SENATOR JOHN McCAIN WAS IN THE
SENATE IN 1994 WHEN HILLARY CLINTON'S EXTREMELY
CONTROVERSIAL HEALTH SECURITY ACT WAS DEBATED ON THE SENATE
FLOOR AND JOHN McCAIN, LIKE EVERY OTHER REPUBLICAN SENATOR,
GAVE HIS UNANIMOUS CONSENT TO THE MOTION TO PROCEED TO DEBATE
ON THAT BILL. KNOWING THAT THEY WERE ALL
OPPOSED TO THE ACTUAL BILL. IT WAS A MOTION THAT NO ONE IN
THE SENATE EVEN NOTICED HAD OCCURRED.
IT WAS MITCH McCONNELL WHO CREATED TODAY'S DRAMATIC MOMENT
IN THE SENATE. WHICH LED TO JOHN McCAIN'S MOST
DRAMATIC VOTE OF HIS CAREER ON HEALTH CARE.
MITCH McCONNELL BECAME THE MINORITY LEADER AND HE
INTRODUCED THE TACTIC OF REFUSING TO GIVE UNANIMOUS
CONSENT TO PROCEED TO DEBATE ON BILLS.
USED TO BE, AS I SAID, DEPONENT OF BILLS GAVE THEIR UNANIMOUS
CONSENT TO DEBATE ON A BILL AND PRINCIPLE THAT ALL NEEDED AT
LEAST A BAIT AND THEY WOULD VOTE AGAINST IT.
MITCH McCONNELL ENDED ALL OF THAT.
AND TODAY AFTER VOTING TO PROCEED TO THE BILL, SENATOR
JOHN McCAIN HARKENED BACK TO THOSE DAYS BEFORE MITCH
McCONNELL BECAME THE REPUBLICAN LEADER OF THE SENATE.
>> LET'S RETURN TO REGULAR ORDER.
WE'VE BEEN SPINNING OUR WHEELS ON TOO MANY IMPORTANT ISSUES
BECAUSE WE KEEP TRYING TO FIND A WAY TO WIN WITHOUT HELP FROM
ACROSS THE AISLE. WE'RE GETTING NOTHING DONE, MY
FRIENDS. WE'RE GETTING NOTHING DONE.
>> REGULAR ORDER MEANS A BILL IS INTRODUCED IN THE SENATE,
PARLIAMENTARIAN REFERS THAT BILL TO THE COMMITTEE WITH
JURISDICTION OVER IT, WHICH IN THIS CASE OF HEALTH CARE WOULD
BE THE SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE. THAT COMMITTEE HOLDS HEARINGS ON
THE LEGISLATION WHICH USUALLY TAKES AT LEAST A FEW MONTHS.
THEN THE COMMITTEE HAS WHAT THEY CALL A MARK-UP OF THE BILL IN
WHICH ALL OF THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE BOTH PARTIES ARE
ALLOWED TO OFFER AMENDMENTS AND GET VOTES ON THOSE AMENDMENTS TO
THE BILL. AND THEN THAT BILL, FINAL
VERSION OF IT, IS VOTED OUT OF THE COMMITTEE AND THEN BROUGHT
TO THE SENATE FLOOR AND THEN THE MAJORITY LEADER CALLS FOR DEBATE
ON THE SENATE FLOOR OF THE BILL THAT CAME OUT OF THE COMMITTEE
AND ON THE SENATE FLOOR, EVERYONE GIVES THEIR UNANIMOUS
CONSENT TO DEBATE THE BILL AND IT IS DEBATED ON THE SENATE
FLOOR AND AMENDED ON THE SENATE FLOOR AND THERE IS A FINAL BILL
ON THE SENATE FLOOR. THAT IS WHAT REGULAR ORDER IS.
AND WHAT I JUST DESCRIBED USUALLY TAKES ABOUT NINE MONTHS.
LEAST ON A COMPLEX HEALTH CARE LEGISLATION LIKE THIS.
THAT IS WHAT SENATORS MEAN WHEN THEY SAY REGULAR ORDER.
WHEN JOHN McCAIN SAID LAST WEEK IT WAS TIME TO RETURN TO REGULAR
ORDER ON HEALTH CARE LEGISLATION, THAT SEEMED TO ME
WOULD HE VOTE AGAINST THE BILL THAT MITCH McCONNELL WAS DICTATE
TOGETHER SENATE FROM THE TOP DOWN.
LAST WEEK SENATOR McCAIN SAID CONGRESS MUST NOW RETURN TO
REGULAR ORDER HOLDS HEARINGS RECEIVE INPUT FROM MEMBERS ABOUT
PARTIES AND HEED RECOMMENDATIONS OF OUR NATION'S GOVERNORS SO WE
CAN HAVE PRODUCE A BILL THAT FINALLY PROVIDES AMERICANS WITH
AKs TO QUALITY AND AND AFORABLE HEALTH CARE.
WHAT HE SAID TO McCAIN MIGHT BE PREMATURE.
>> I WANT TO THANK SENATOR JOHN McCAIN.
VERY BRAVE MAN. HE MADE A TOUGH TRIP TO GET HERE
AND VOTE. SO WE WANT TO THANKS SENATOR
McCAIN AND ALL OF THE REPUBLICANS.
>> SENATOR McCAIN VOTING TO PROCEED TO THE DEBATE TODAY DOES
NOT MEAN THAT HE WILL VOTE FOR WHATEVER IS THAT FINAL BILL THAT
MITCH McCONNELL REALLY DOES TRY TO PASS.
ON THE SENATE FLOOR. JOHN McCAIN MADE IT VERY CLEAR,
THAT HE MIGHT NOT VOTE FOR SOME OF THESE BILLS.
TONIGHT, HE VOTED FOR A PROCEDURAL VOTE TO ADVANCE -- TO
ADVANCE ONE OF THESE BILLS. BUT IT IS NOT CLEAR WHAT ELSE HE
MIGHT VOTE FOR. >> I VOTED FOR THE MOTION TO
PROCEED TO ALLOW THE DEBATE IT CONTINUE AND AMENDMENT TO THE
OFFER. I WILL NOT VOTE FOR THIS BILL AS
IT IS TODAY. IT IS A SHELL OF A BILL RIGHT
NOW. WE ALL NE THAT.
>> TODAY SENATOR McCAIN PUBLICLY BET THAT REPUBLICANS WOULD END
UP PASSING NOTHING IN THE SENATE.
>> IF THIS PROCESS ENDS IN FAILURE, WHICH SEEMS LIKELY,
THEN LET'S RETURN TO REGULAR ORDER.
LET THE HEALTH EDUCATION LABOR AND PENSIONS COMMITTEE UNDER
CHAIRMAN ALEXANDER AND RANKING MEMBER MURRAY HOLD HEARINGS.
A BILL OUT OF COMMITTEE WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM BOTH SIDES.
[ APPLAUSE ] .
>> SENATOR McCAIN VOTED TO PROCEED IT A DEBATE THAT HE E
EXPECTS TO FAIL. THAT HE EXPECTS WILL LEAD TO NO
BILL. IN THE SENATE.
EXPECTS TO BE DEFEATED. AND SENATOR McCAIN LAID DOWN
PRINCIPLES THAT IN EFFECT DEMAND THAT HE VOTE AGAINST WHAT MITCH
McCONNELL IS TRYING TO DO. IF JOHN McCAIN IS GOING TO LIVE
BY THE PRINCIPLES THAT HE ADVOCATED TODAY, ON THE SENATE
FLOOR. TO RETURN TO REGULAR ORDER.
SENATOR McCAIN RECEIVED A STANDING OVATION WHEN HE ARRIVED
ON THE SENATE FLOOR TODAY AFTER ANNOUNCING LAST WEEK HE HE HAS N
DIAGNOSED WITH BRAIN CANCER. IF JOHN McCAIN JOINS REPUBLICAN
OPPONENTS OF THE BILL, SUSAN COLLINS, LISA MURKOWSKI AND
OTHERS, THEN THE TRUMP, RYAN McCONNELL HEALTH CARE ATTEMPT TO
REPEAL THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT WILL BE DEFEATED ON THE SENATE
FLOOR. AND MITCH McCONNELL WILL THEN
GIVE UP ON HEALTH CARE MEJS LAGS AND PUT THE SENATE IN RECESS.
MITCH McCONNELL MIGHT ALREADY KNOW TONIGHT THAT HE DOES NOT
HAVE THE VOTES TO PASS ANY FORM OF HEALTH CARE LEGISLATION ON
THE SENATE AND HE SIMPLY NEEDS TO GO THROUGH THESE MOTIONS
PUBLICLY. IN ORDER TO JUSTIFY SENDING THE
SENATE INTO RECESS AND ONCE THE SENATE IS IN RECESS, THE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES MIGHT THEN REPEAL AND REPLACE
ATTORNEY GENERAL JEFF SESSIONS WITH THE RECESS APPOINTMENT OF A
NEW ATTORNEY GENERAL WHO WOULD BE ALLOWED TO SERVE WITHOUT
BEING CONFIRMED BY THE SENATE FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR.
THAT WOULD BE ENOUGH TIME FOR A NEW ATTORNEY GENERAL TO FIRE
SPECIAL PROSECUTOR BOB MUELLER AND END

Lawrence: What John McCain's Health Care Vote Really Means | The Last Word | MSNBC

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