The big fight in 2017 will be Medicare, Medicare, Medicare.

[geek tragedy]

The House Republicans sense that this is their last shot to privatize it--they may never have this kind of House Majority, with a Republican president, with the Democrats so leaderless, again.

Though they'd be well-advised to avoid such overreach, Trump's appointment of Tom Price indicates he's all aboard the Medicare Phaseout Train.

The Democrats are going to be united in opposition.

Here's an early tell: Joe Donnelly is a conservative Democrat. He represents a state that Trump won by 19%. He's up for re-election in 2018.

Today he publicly stated his intent to vote against Tom Price over the Phaseout/Privatization of Medicare.

http://www.donnelly.senate.gov/newsroom/press/donnelly-to-oppose-price-nomination

The other ConservaDems--Joe Manchin, Jon Tester will join.

Why?

Because opposing Medicare phaseout is a political no-brainer. Trump's attempt to gut Medicare will be a horrendous betrayal of the working class voters who thought he was a populist. He made a big show of protecting Medicare during the Republican primaries.

This is a big fight, and one the Democrats need to win, and will win

How many Republicans in the Senate will stick their necks out to get rid of Medicare?

[CTyankee]

1. IDK, but they will find out from their constituents who will threaten to "unsupport" him if he runs

again.

Dems need to do a big fact sheet "What to expect if Medicare is privatized" and just lay it out in simple, strong language.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

8. Not to worry... Bernie has this handled and is ready to lead the fight!

[DesertFlower]

2. angry seniors will march on washington like

you've never seen.

[COLGATE4]

3. Even assuming that that does happen

the net result will nonetheless be the same. Medicare is on the chopping block and there's not a damned thing we can realistically do about it.

[geek tragedy]

4. Democrats only need to peel off 3 Republicans in the Senate

to kill any bill, reconciliation or otherwise, that guts Medicare.

Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski are two Senators who have refused to sign onto such efforts.

No Republicans have cast votes to do so with the possibility it might actually happen.

Democrats can stay united, and extract a tremendous political cost at the very least.

[CTyankee]

11. I hope our senators and reps have the balls to do this. It's gonna be a long, hard slog...

[COLGATE4]

14. With 'Democrats' like Manchin, the calculus rapidly becomes

needing 5-7 Repubs, a very doubtful proposition.

[geek tragedy]

15. Medicare privatization is an issue where he will hold nt

[NeoConsSuck]

20. Are these the same seniors...

who voted overwhelmingly for Trump?

[elehhhhna]

5. Tell everybody under 55 they can pay the medical bills for mama mama mama

[louis-t]

6. Judging by all of the commercials on tv..

the insurance companies will be fighting right along side of us. I don't think they want millions of people dropping off the ACA plan all at once either. I, for one, will not be able to afford health insurance if they get rid of it.

[Exilednight]

7. I think the bigger fight will be privatizing social security.

[geek tragedy]

9. they're not going to touch SS this time around.

Still smarting from 2005

[Exilednight]

10. I think they will. They're arrogant like that.

[geek tragedy]

12. can't touch SS in reconciliation, need 60 votes nt

[Exilednight]

13. Doesn't mean they won't try. Dems from western states, other the coastline, might be enough

to get a fight.

If our party had this much control and I was president I would be going for single payer health care.

[Midwestern Democrat]

16. I don't think McConnell is that stupid - Paul Ryan may feel the House is fireproof but

McConnell knows the Senate is not - he won't throw away a very favorable Senate map in 2018 over this, IMO.

[geek tragedy]

17. He may not have much of a choice. nt

[Fast Walker 52]

19. we will see-- the GOP may feel like this is their big chance to finally do this evil thing

they've wanted to do since forever.

[Fast Walker 52]

18. If there's ONE THING the Dems need to do going forward, it is to COMPLETELY be unified against bills

that weaken Medicare. No matter what. Even if the bill has every goddamned sweetener in there and is named the I LOVE MOTHER AND APPLE PIE bill, or whatever.

[flamingdem]

21. I've read that it's a bait and switch. The real goal is to privatize Social Security

So people will be all involved in fighting for Medicare and they'll slip that through.

[flamingdem]

22. Obamacare is first, shouldn't we be fighting that?

That's step one. Do we have any power to stop them?

[geek tragedy]

23. They haven't figured out their plan for the ACA yet

[flamingdem]

24. Yes Price published it today

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/healthcare/8-big-changes-under-tom-price%e2%80%99s-obamacare-replacement-plan/ar-AAkXhse?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=edgsp

I will be screwed under this plan.

[Grey Lemercier]

25. looks like 2 of the worst things are abolition of expanded Medicaid

and an uncapping of the 3x limit on what older people and sick people can be charged vs the toung and healthy.

The poor and the elderly are going to trampled hard.

[flamingdem]

26. Yes, and for sure the subsidies for individual insurance

will skyrocket. My premium already nearly doubled for next year. It's barely affordable with a substantial subsidy

[ooky]

29. This Price guy will soon be known as "The Doctor of Death".

[enid602]

27. on board

I'm all on board with this. . . still, there's a part of me that would love to see the look on my trump lover fundie BIL's face when Uncle Sam hands him a $1500 voucher for his next bypass.

[Dawson Leery]

28. Anything can happen in 2 year.

This could override gerrymandering in 2018.

Certainly.

Sabato and Cook believe Democrats will hold all of their seats if the GOP attempts anything like this.