Campaign Action
Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) is one of those purple state Republicans who has to position himself as hating how Trumpcare is being conducted—so he can point to his objections come his next campaign and say he complained—but who has decided to cede all his power to Mitch McConnell. Refreshingly, the Denver Post in reporting his complaints is also holding him accountable.
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner said Tuesday that he agrees with some of the criticism Senate Republicans have faced over the lack of public debate during their attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
“It should be more open,” said the Colorado Republican in a brief interview. “I think there should be (Senate) hearings on this.” […]
“I would love to see the Senate hold hearings. I would love that. I have said that before. I have said that for months,” Gardner said.
Following the interview, his staff was asked to identify when exactly Gardner had called publicly for hearings; the response was that Gardner had done so whenever he had been asked about it, though no specific examples were cited.
If Gardner had made that argument to other Senate Republican leaders, however, it’s clear it didn’t have an impact — as there are no plans for a hearing before a vote.
"What are you doing about it?" It's a simple question that needs to be asked of every Republican who says they've got a problem either with the process or the reported contents of this bill. They are all acting as though they're helpless to change the bill, to open up the process, to stand against McConnell. There are more than enough of the complainers to derail this thing—it would only take three. Maybe the national media can take a page from the Denver Post and start pointing that out to them.
Write a letter to your Democratic senator(s), thanking them for fighting McConnell's outrageous conduct—and urging that they continue to stop Trumpcare by denying unanimous consent.