When the POTUS is scheduled to speak to the Boy Scout Jamboree during the week his own administration has designated “American Heroes Week,” you would expect an inspiring speech citing a variety of patriotic historical figures and lessons young people can draw from their examples. It did not go that way. Instead Donald Trump used raw language, talked about yacht parties, and encouraged his teenaged audience to boo Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Most found it unseemly. Many were shocked. That was how the week began.
Then there was shock #2.
Some way to celebrate American heroes!
The blindsided Joint Chiefs and Pentagon, not to mention the rank and file, spent Wednesday and Thursday trying to untangle what those tweets were supposed to mean. Meanwhile, a great many Americans celebrated transgendered troops on the social nets. Protests are planned this weekend.
Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, the Senate was preparing for a vote-a-rama intended by the Republicans to repeal the ACA (Affordable Care Act) also known as “Obamacare.” One by one the proposed Republican “bills” were defeated. The real action began late Thursday night with a defeated Democratic motion to move the bill to committee. When the last bill came up for a vote, it was after 1 a.m. EDT. This one, known as the “skinny repeal,” was simply a hollow shell.
There was high drama on the Senate floor. Pence appeared and conferred with John McCain. Observers speculated about the conversations, body language, gestures as senators milled around on the floor. Shock and awe! In the end, three courageous Republicans, one a veteran the other two women, voted against the bad bill. The Democrats voted against it in lock step.
So thank you, John McCain, Susan Collins, and Lisa Murkowski! Thank you also, all the Democrats who voted against this potentially harmful bill. You are American heroes! You saved health insurance for millions.
Let’s be clear on this too: none of this would have happened had it not been for the grassroots. Thank you, everyone who made phone calls, went to town halls, demonstrated at the Capitol and legislators’ offices, sent emails, and signed petitions. Thank you to the Resistance! American heroes!
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton congratulates President Barack Obama on the House vote to pass health care reform, prior to a meeting in the Situation Room of the White House, March 22, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
“American Heroes Week” was full of surprises, some awesome, some shocking and confusing.
We lost a four-legged war hero this week too. See the touching story of USMC Corporal Jeff De Young and his partner, Cena – a bomb sniffing dog.
Still4Hill 
I am glad Senator McCain did the right thing in the end. However, I do not understand why he did not do the right thing on Tuesday when he left his sick bed to cast a vote to proceed with this. Instead, for some inexplicable reason, he chose to subject millions of vulnerable Americans to three more days of stress and anxiety as they contemplated the very real possibility that they would lose essential health care and die. That’s not heroic. So pardon me if I take a hard pass on celebrating what a great guy John McCain is.
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You wouldn’t be alone. I think he must have had his reasons, and maybe the element of surprise last night was what he saw as the fatal blow.
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I think now we understand. He voted yes on the procedures and no on the laws. Plus, as I said above, that element of secrecy and surprise on the last one.
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As always, the women who stood firm for a lot longer with a lot more pressure and even threats were almost ignored, Senators Collins and Murkowski. Without them, McCain’s dramatic vote at the end would not have been possible. Of course the media focused primarily on McCain. Again, like Hillary, all of the work done by women which made it possible for the male to shine was ignored as insignificant. I hope Still4Hill writes an article highlighting these two women. Hillary would approve.
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I started to three days ago (God! Was it only three days?) when Schumer dissed Hillary and Farenthold said he wanted to duel the “northeastern women.” It just got so discouraging and negative that I finally trashed it. There’s so much toxin in the air. I finally decided the best way to treat all of that was to ignore it. Maybe I was wrong. I just did not feel good about that post given the atmosphere this week and the need to deep six this repeal. I didn’t think it was the right battle.
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still4hill,
I understand your feelings but NEVER feel it’s a waste of time to speak out on behalf of women. As long as men, (shame on Schuler for dissing Hillary, who is he to diss her?) are given free reign to speak disparagingly of women, we will never break the cycle. Look how the repugs finally showed a little gumption when trump criticized sessions? They don’t care that he’s a sexual predictor, lies all of the time and has no clue on how to govern, but let him speak ill of one of the boys, that wakes them up! I believe women need to be as quick to defend each other (no matter the party) in order to gain the respect we need to be taken seriously. They count on us to back away when they are being beligerant little boys who don’t want to be accountable for anything. It’s time we hold them accountable, just like the AA’s have done in facing down racism. Of course, racism includes men as well as women and sexism “usually” affects only women. Hillary never gave up despite what they have done to her and continue to do to her. Even Michael Moore as the balls to disparage Hillary for not going to Wisconsin during the election. When progressives feel free to disparage women, you know it’s time to stand up and fight back! I’m with you all the way still4hill, just like I have been with Hillary, despite all of my Bernie friends disowning me for supporting her instead!
Thanks for all you do. It’s more important now than ever!
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It was a judgment call I made in the heat of everything that was going on and the importance of the votes in the Senate. I thought it was more important to stay positive. I still have the post in my trashcan. It was sputtering and ineloquent. I was so mad that the only header I could come up with was “MEN.” It wasn’t a good post, and I couldn’t fix it. So I trashed it. As I said, it was not the battle for last week with people’s health care on the line.
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still4hill,
You are too humble, as well as too hard on yourself. Even on a bad day, your post are head and shoulders above most others which we see daily! I hope you will change your mind and use your extraordinary skill in bringing issues to the forefront in eloquent form, easily understood by most and always right on target! Since our media has failed in keeping us informed, your input is valued more than you know!
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#AlwaysWithHer #HillaryClinton
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