What Do Republicans Believe? (Hint: It Ain't Good)

Today's Republicans believe in Power.  No principles, just power.  Two types of power, mainly.


1.  Power for themselves, at all costs.  We've got some sore-loser GOP lame ducks in Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina,and elsewhere.  They were just evicted in the mid-terms, but they intend to trash the place before they leave.  Republican-controlled (for a few more days) state legislatures in these states are trying to ram through last-minute measures to ensure GOP control of elections and redistricting, to strip incoming Democratic governors of appointment and other powers, and to prevent Democratic state AG's from joining lawsuits the GOP doesn't care for.

Today's corrupt, cynical, hypocritical Republicans believe in democratic principles only when they win.  When they lose, they believe in tyrannical ends-justify-the-means tactics to unfairly retain their hold on political power.  These lame ducks are dirty birds.  They ought to be treated as ducks -- butchered, plucked, stuffed and oven-roasted.


2.  Power for their corporate benefactors, at all costs.  No better example exists than their constant obsession over the ACA.  They found a right-wing Texas judge willing to rule on ideology, not law.  As the GOP hoped, he predictably and ridiculously declared the ACA unconstitutional.  If his decision holds (most legal experts believe it won't), then Obamacare will be dead.  Tens of millions of Americans would lose health insurance provided by ACA carriers or Medicaid.  There would also be substantial impacts on hundreds of millions with employer-provided coverage -- no more guaranteed pre-existing conditions coverage or essential medical benefits coverage.  Annual and lifetime benefit caps would return.  Young adults would no longer be able to stay on their parents policies.  Medicare recipients would lose some benefits resulting from the ACA.  And on and on.

The ACA has been the most important step forward in American health care in my lifetime.  It's broadly popular.  But Republicans, in their bought-and-paid-for "wisdom," want to take it away completely.  Can you imagine the public outcry if they succeed?  They want to revert to our old, unfair, more expensive ways, which are to the detriment of many people like me and to the benefit of the health care industry, which has historically been a big financial supporter of the GOP and has relied upon the party to shape the insurance market to industry specifications, not individual need.  Republicans value profits, not people.