The January 3, 2017 Thread

North Korea just stated that it is in the final stages of developing a nuclear weapon capable of reaching parts of the U.S. It won't happen!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2017

Well, now we know how the end will come: nuclear annihilation from China and North Korea.

Ezra Levin, Leah Greenberg and Angel Padilla on what Democrats can learn from the Tea Party: “We served as congressional staff members during the early years of the Obama administration. It was an exhilarating time to be a progressive in Washington: An inspirational new president was taking office, accompanied by a majority in the House and a supermajority in the Senate. But by February 2009, something had begun to change. Small protests calling themselves ‘tea parties’ were popping up all over the country. In April, their Tax Day demonstrations dominated the news.”

“Their tactics weren’t fancy: They just showed up on their own home turf, and they just said no.”

“Here’s the crazy thing: It worked.”

Politico says the GOP faces a messaging challenge on Obamacare Repeal: “An early look at the GOP’s plans shows that they will be pushing the idea that ‘universal access’ to health insurance is better than mandatory ‘universal coverage,’ which has been the foundation of Obamacare.”

“It sounds like a subtle rhetorical distinction, but reflects a critical difference in the Republican vision of health care that emphasizes less generous coverage to drive down insurance costs. If they can’t sell voters on the concept, the repeal and overhaul of Obamacare could become a damaging episode for the new administration.”

Or, @seanspicer, you can blow us. https://t.co/OKgO8JbWTl

— The Rude Pundit (@rudepundit) January 2, 2017

Pew Research: “More than 40 years after the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision, 69% of Americans say the historic ruling, which established a woman’s constitutional right to abortion in the first three months of pregnancy, should not be completely overturned. Nearly three-in-ten (28%), by contrast, would like to see it overturned.”

Column: Yes, Donald Trump "lies." A lot. And news organizations should say so. via @ThePlumlineGS https://t.co/Xm1v7bB1VJ

— Washington Post (@washingtonpost) January 2, 2017

Jonathan Chait says there will be no replacement for Obamacare: “The Republican Party has used health care to its advantage for the last seven years by following the same strategy: advocating an alternative plan that does not and cannot exist. During this entire time, President Obama has held power. This has afforded them the luxury of posturing against the status quo — and, indeed, doing everything in their power, at both the federal and the state level, to make it worse. Republicans could denounce the messy negotiations in Congress, and then the messy reality of American health care, while promising that giving them power would let them start over and design a new reform that would protect everybody without having any objectionable features.”

“After the election unexpectedly put them in full control of government, I predicted they would follow a ‘repeal and delay’ plan, because it is the only way to keep the lie going. The closer they get to taking action, the more clear it becomes to Republicans that their own propaganda has trapped them and given them no escape. Railing against Obamacare was easy, but the responsibilities of power have taken all the fun out of denying medical care to the poor and sick.”

A couple hours before Trump tweeted about @CNN's election book cover, I interviewed the photographer. Backstory: https://t.co/1ObO8PzwoD

— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) January 2, 2017

Politico says Schumer represents a break from Reid in terms of style: “The most glaring display of the shift so far is the sprawling leadership team Schumer has appointed and promised to consult before making key decisions — in contrast to Reid’s smaller, close-knit group of lieutenants and knack for taking hard lines on his own.”

“The core group of 10 senators includes Manchin and Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) at one end of the political spectrum, and Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) at the other, making the leadership table a potential hotbed of ideological tension. The 10 lawmakers will be involved in all crucial party meetings, senators said. Reid often limited such gatherings to his top four and occasionally would act unilaterally.”

“Schumer configured a unique structure for his top deputy to head off a clash between Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Patty Murray (D-WA), who had refused to rule out challenging Durbin for the No. 2 post. The press-adept Durbin will count votes and serve as a rapid responder to Republicans on controversies of the day, while Murray will be more of a backroom operator and party strategist, paying special attention to Democrats up for reelection after shepherding them into office as DSCC chairman in 2012.”

Margaret Hartmann on the GOP Rules changes:

Democrats were already opposed to the package of rules changes, which includes measures introduced by Ryan in an apparent attempt to prevent protests from the House floor, like the Democrats sit in against gun violence last year. Many said hobbling the ethics board shows Republicans actually have no intention of following one of Donald Trump’s key campaign promises. […]

“It should be clear by now that Donald Trump – already the most corrupt and conflicted President-elect in history – is betraying his promise to drain the swamp,” said Democratic National Committee spokesman Eric Walker. “Now Republicans in the House are following his example, attempting to cripple the independent entity that deals with ethics in Congress.”

To be clear, Trump has no direct role in the House GOP’s effort to curtail ethics investigations of its members. The president-elect recently insisted that his effort to “drain the swamp” is still on, and he could prove it by calling on members of his party to leave the Office of Congressional Ethics alone. On the other hand, Trump probably doesn’t want to start a war with the body that’s supposed to hold him accountable for ethics violations.

Elizabeth Warren slams GOP move to weaken Office of Congressional Ethics: 'Who thinks the problem with DC is too many ethics rules?' pic.twitter.com/Z8qKj2COzR

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) January 3, 2017

Tami Luhby documents how a repeal of Obamacare will affect all Americans.

It’s not just for the 20 million people who have health insurance through the individual Obamacare exchanges or Medicaid expansion.

Under Obamacare, senior citizens pay less for Medicare coverage and for their prescription drugs. Many Americans have received free contraceptives, mammograms, colonoscopies and cholesterol tests. And small business employees with older and sicker workers have not been slapped with super-high premiums.

“The ACA made changes in every part of the health care system,” said Larry Levitt, senior vice president at the Kaiser Family Foundation, of the Affordable Care Act. “Virtually everyone has been touched by the ACA.”

The American people are very very worried.https://t.co/bI7rpkohNR pic.twitter.com/kmib70XGVc

— Justin Wolfers (@JustinWolfers) January 2, 2017

Eugene Robinson:

To read Trump’s win as some kind of sweeping victory for conservatism would be absurd. Progressive voices, loud ones, will be needed to hold him accountable. One thing we learned during the campaign is that Trump’s voters — unlike many congressional Republicans — do not necessarily see big government as oppressive. They rely on its help. […]

Remember that Hillary Clinton won the popular vote. I point that out not to delegitimize Trump’s election but to refute the notion that Trump’s America is somehow more “real” than mine or yours or anyone else’s. The America that supports progressive policies, rejects racism and sexism in all their forms, and believes that what critics call “political correctness” is actually just common courtesy — that America is real, too, and needs to make itself heard.