The Path

I felt the first large drops of rain before I had managed to get in four miles. I had planned to golf, but there had been an 80% chance of thunderstorms. So I was walking. I was now in the Mayfield Village Wetlands, a mile long circle of bridges and gravel. I tried to stay on dirt and gravel paths to keep my focus on where I stepped as opposed to how far I was walking or the hot, sticky air. This particular trail was designed to be walked clockwise. I, of course, was going counterclockwise. I laughed at the thought. NO ONE WAS IMPACTED BY MY CHOICE. One path was as good as another.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is engaged in a different type of exercise. He and his new best friends aren’t trying to lose a couple of pounds. President Trump, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, and McConnell are trying to eliminate a legacy. They are not alone. There appears to be plenty of Republicans who would like to return to 2005, a time when they controlled the House, the Senate, and Bush was the president. A time before their failures. A time before Obama.

Many of their actions are petty and/or irrelevant. Then there is healthcare. For seven years McConnell and Ryan cynically fanned the flames of hatred and resentment of Obamacare, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Now it is Trumpcare and they own it.

Some paths lead nowhere. Some are dead ends.

Somewhere in Washington, behind locked doors, thirteen Republican Senators are creating the Senate version of Trumpcare. No hearings. No amendments. No debate. We are discussing how Americans access and pay for healthcare. We are talking about nearly 20% of the economy. We are talking, but they aren’t talking to us.

One of the senators is Rob Portman (R-OH). I have contacted his office about the secrecy. I have asked about specifics. What I’ve received, to date, was a form letter about his commitment to the treatment of opioid addiction. He is clear that he doesn’t support the House bill (The American Health Care Act) that doesn’t do enough to protect Ohioans dependent on the Medicaid expansion. Our governor and my local congressman, David Joyce (R-OH) have also voiced concerns.

OK, now what?

This secret bill is being cobbled together to garner 50 Republican votes in the Senate. That is all McConnell needs. Fifty, and then Vice-president Pence casts the tiebreaker. And the fate of millions of Ohioans depends on Rob Portman having more influence in the Senate than Senators Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, and Mike Lee. This dangerous path leads us to a cliff. Who are we willing to lose?

DAVE

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