# McCain's no vote on the skinny repeal. **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [July 28, 2017, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccains-no-vote-on-the-skinny-repeal/792331 "2017-07-28T16:12:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2017, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccains-no-vote-on-the-skinny-repeal/792331/41 "2017-07-30T01:18:21Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > Gasp! Were there women present? I though he was not allowed to look at a woman after midnight. He can’t be alone with a woman at any time without a chaperone. You can’t _feed_ him after midnight, it might get a hair out of place. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2017, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccains-no-vote-on-the-skinny-repeal/792331/42 "2017-07-30T01:38:24Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > And, apparently, you only get one of these types of votes per year. So might as well table this as early as possible, so maybe they can try to get something feasible done. I suspect that part of why McCain forced the issue is because of his disease. He’s got to know that his continued ability to act as a Senator is probably coming to an end soon, and it’s certainly possible that his appointed replacement would be more willing to toe the line. So force the vote, get it over with, and then the likelihood of ramming it through with the help of his replacement lessens. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2017, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccains-no-vote-on-the-skinny-repeal/792331/43 "2017-07-30T01:43:50Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > But that’s not true. The economics aren’t a fig leaf. The assholes have always existed, but they aren’t why Trump won the White House. We have to delineate between the diehard supporters who like Trump because he’s an asshole, and the people who were angry at their circumstances and thought an asshole could get things done. > > And you’re completely wrong if you think the abortion issue didn’t factor in at all. The vast majority of people I knew think Trump is horrible, but they also thought Clinton was horrible. It was the abortion issue that pushed them over. > > We’ve got to stop this broad brush lumping if we want to win. There are some deplorables. More than we thought. But these other reasons are 100% valid, and, if we address them, the deplorables won’t matter. Only about half of Trump’s supporters were the diehards. > > I’ve literally had to drop exactly one Facebook friend who was one of them, while a 10 or so I know voted for Trump. You are absolutely right, here. I know a few who voted Trump and they were voting against what they perceived as the Clinton dynasty and the status quo. Most of them thought Trump was a wild card, but I think some of them are surprised now to find out he’s actually nuts. But for sure, “broad brush lumping” will get us beat again if we’re not careful. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2017, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccains-no-vote-on-the-skinny-repeal/792331/44 "2017-07-30T02:05:35Z")
So why isn’t anyone demanding that conservatives and Trump voters “understand and sympathize” with poor voters, transgender soldiers, people on Medicare, etc? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2017, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccains-no-vote-on-the-skinny-repeal/792331/45 "2017-07-30T02:47:57Z")
The abortion issue wasn’t significant in Trump’s win. If it were, he’d never have gotten the nomination in the first place. Trump’s only position on abortion is that when one of his mistresses gets an abortion, she won’t come after him for child support. To any pro-lifers looking for a home now that it’s clear that the Republicans have abandoned you, I recommend the Democratic Party. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2017, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccains-no-vote-on-the-skinny-repeal/792331/46 "2017-07-30T02:51:00Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > So why isn’t anyone demanding that conservatives and Trump voters “understand and sympathize” with poor voters, transgender soldiers, people on Medicare, etc? Especially since the candidate who took their side got more popular votes. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2017, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccains-no-vote-on-the-skinny-repeal/792331/47 "2017-07-30T03:40:44Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > To any pro-lifers looking for a home now that it’s clear that the Republicans have abandoned you, I recommend the Democratic Party. Heh. Don’t hold your breath. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2017, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccains-no-vote-on-the-skinny-repeal/792331/48 "2017-07-30T04:52:28Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > The abortion issue wasn’t significant in Trump’s win. If it were, he’d never have gotten the nomination in the first place. Trump’s only position on abortion is that when one of his mistresses gets an abortion, she won’t come after him for child support. > > To any pro-lifers looking for a home now that it’s clear that the Republicans have abandoned you, I recommend the Democratic Party. Who they voted for in the Republican primaries has nothing to do with who they voted for in the general. All of these people I know did not vote for Trump in the primary. But, once he was the only one running pro-life, with a VP with pro-life credentials and a promise that they would put two conservatives on the Supreme Court (the only chance of making abortion illegal again), they reluctantly voted for Trump. I’ll also point out that the vast majority of voters do not vote in the primaries. Most people don’t get involved in the political stuff until shortly before the election. Trump has not in any way let any of these people down in the pro-life department. He nominated Gorsuch–a textual originalist who will almost certainly find that abortion is not protected by the Constitution. That’s half of what they wanted. Now replace Ginsburg or whichever liberal judge retires first with another such judge, and they’ve got everything they wanted out a Trump presidency. Even though there are pro-life Democrats, there is not a one who would nominate a judge that would overturn the right to have an abortion. ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2017, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccains-no-vote-on-the-skinny-repeal/792331/49 "2017-07-30T05:58:59Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > And, apparently, you only get one of these types of votes per year. So might as well table this as early as possible, so maybe they can try to get something feasible done. The fiscal year ends 30 September. This wasn’t early. The plan was to use the reconciliation process for tax reform next FY. Which is really the reconciliation priority for the GOP come October is now the new question. McCain is concerned about the FY18 National Defense Appropriations Act. Between Budget Control Act mandatory cuts and the choking effect of DOD operating under continuing resolution a budget deal is his priority as the Armed Services chair. He has been focusing on it. It comes up as a major issue from Mattis. McCain just cleared the biggest distraction to trying to get that deal done in the last two months of the FY. Surely that is coincidental. What very senior Senator would possibly think beyond the immediate issue on the floor? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![ThisIsTheEnd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thisistheend/32/4713_2.png) [@ThisIsTheEnd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisIsTheEnd)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2017, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccains-no-vote-on-the-skinny-repeal/792331/50 "2017-07-30T13:16:27Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > But that’s not true. The economics aren’t a fig leaf. The assholes have always existed, but they aren’t why Trump won the White House. We have to delineate between the diehard supporters who like Trump because he’s an asshole, and the people who were angry at their circumstances and thought an asshole could get things done. > > And you’re completely wrong if you think the abortion issue didn’t factor in at all. The vast majority of people I knew think Trump is horrible, but they also thought Clinton was horrible. It was the abortion issue that pushed them over. > > We’ve got to stop this broad brush lumping if we want to win. There are some deplorables. More than we thought. But these other reasons are 100% valid, and, if we address them, the deplorables won’t matter. Only about half of Trump’s supporters were the diehards. > > I’ve literally had to drop exactly one Facebook friend who was one of them, while a 10 or so I know voted for Trump. The assholes are EXACTLY why Trump won. They came out in force, and based on his approval rating, now we know they’re about 25% of the people who voted in the election. These are the same people who have been voting against their own economic interests for years, because their overriding interest is NOT economic, it’s social - #MAGA. Of the rest, of course you have the Jesus freaks who held their noses and voted for a debaucher because maybe he’ll get abortion outlawed. Good luck reaching them. And morons who like to cite the Constitution all the time and write comments randomly capitalizing words who thought Trump could get things done even though a lot of what he was proposing was unconstitutional. Assholes, Jesus freaks, and morons. A few of the morons, I suppose, are gettable, just find the right shiny object. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2017, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccains-no-vote-on-the-skinny-repeal/792331/51 "2017-07-30T16:27:27Z")
As long as you continue to assume the Trump voters are all drooling idiots, Trump will continue to win. Underestimating the opposition is exactly why we are in this condition now. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2017, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccains-no-vote-on-the-skinny-repeal/792331/52 "2017-07-30T16:43:31Z")
> [@kayT](#): > > As long as you continue to assume the Trump voters are all drooling idiots, Trump will continue to win. Underestimating the opposition is exactly why we are in this condition now. I’ll lay it out one more time. No one has said they’re all idiots. There are two basic groups, the Trump _base_, that ~25% we’re talking about. They are functionally unreachable. Nothing that _anyone_ says is going to change their minds without them suffering directly from President Man-baby’s actions. Period, end of story. The rest are the possibles, those who through some serious self-delusion or ignorance managed to convince themselves that he wouldn’t be the freak that most of us here knew he’d be. They’re the ones to work on/with. ---
**Author:** ![ThisIsTheEnd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thisistheend/32/4713_2.png) [@ThisIsTheEnd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisIsTheEnd)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2017, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccains-no-vote-on-the-skinny-repeal/792331/53 "2017-07-30T18:15:42Z")
> [@kayT](#): > > As long as you continue to assume the Trump voters are all drooling idiots, Trump will continue to win. Underestimating the opposition is exactly why we are in this condition now. No, as long as they continue to BE drooling idiots, Trump will continue to win. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2017, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccains-no-vote-on-the-skinny-repeal/792331/54 "2017-07-30T18:53:14Z")
> [@kayT](#): > > As long as you continue to assume the Trump voters are all drooling idiots, Trump will continue to win. Underestimating the opposition is exactly why we are in this condition now. I for one do not underestimate the stupidity of anyone who thought voting for Donald Trump for President was a good idea. In fact, I hold their stupidity in high regard. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccains-no-vote-on-the-skinny-repeal/792331.md?page=2)