All 14 Republicans in California’s congressional delegation voted Thursday to dismantle Obamacare, a move that could have ripple effects for the midterm elections 18 months from now as Democrats sense an opportunity to win back House control.

Half of the 14 represent districts that backed Hillary Clinton for president last fall, and Democrats already are plotting to oust vulnerable Republicans on the same topic that swept them out of the majority following the 2010 Affordable Care Act vote.

The American Health Care Act, which government estimates have said could lead to 24 million fewer Americans with health insurance and could substantially affect both those on Medicaid and those with employer-provided insurance, passed the House, 217 to 213 — with all support coming from Republicans. Some of those in California’s delegation voted for the bill with more reluctance than others.
...
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Vista), who publicly said he was undecided all week and who won reelection with fewer than 2,000 votes, sat in the front row at the White House celebration. A few feet away, Rep. Mimi Walters (R-Irvine) smiled on as Trump spoke. It’s a photo op Democrats are sure to use in campaign ads against the Republicans come November 2018.

http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-gop-health-care-vote20170504-story.html

These Orange County Republican asshats are already in a tenuous position, what with Hillary carrying Orange County. Now, their Dem opponents will kick their ass at the polls.

Republican Sen. Marco Rubio said Wednesday that he doesn't think it's a coincidence that a suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria occurred shortly after Secretary of State Rex Tillerson suggested Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad could remain in power.

"In this case now, we have very limited options and look, it's concerning that the secretary of state, 72 hours ago or a week ago, last Friday, said that the future's up to the people in Syria on what happens with Assad. In essence almost nodding to the idea that Assad was gonna get to stay in some capacity," Rubio said on the show "AM Tampa Bay."

"I don't think it's a coincidence that a few days later we see this," Rubio concluded.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/05/politics/kfile-rubio-tillerson-syria-attack/?iid=ob_mobile_article_readmore_pool

_______________________________________________

With pressure from the GOP Russia hawks like this, plus Tillerson unable to consummate the $1T Exxon oil deal with Putin because of the Trump Russia scandal, Tillerson may be following Flynn out the door.

That is what Vladimir Kara-Murza just said on Ali Veldhi on MSNBC. Kara-Murza, who Putin tried to kill twice by poisoning, knows what he is talking about.

All this talk of "unwitting" Russian recruits like Carter Page disregards that overarching fact. ALL Russian oligarchs are part of Putin's klepticratic crime family. Those who aren't end up dead or in jail. If you're talking to a Russian oligarch, you're talking to Putin.

Sen. Bernie Sanders and President Donald Trump seem to agree on one thing when it comes to the failure of the GOP health care bill: Blame the Democrats.

"Democrats should take credit for killing a really, really bad piece of legislation," the Independent senator from Vermont told CNN's Anderson Cooper on Friday night.
...
"We defeated it because we heard the American people, we fought for them and today we won for them," Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell told CNN's Kate Bolduan on "Outfront." "And what we can do next is work with Republicans to improve the Affordable Care Act."

http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/24/politics/bernie-sanders-donald-trump-health-care/index.html

________________________________________________________

It is now clear to everyone that Democrats are not "weak" and "unable to fight back." We fight for the American people.

Source: Telegraph

Pesident Donald Trump’s son has ridiculed the Mayor of London, hours after Wednesday’s suspected terrorist attack. Donald Trump Jr retweeted a September interview with Sadiq Khan, in which he said that readiness for a terrorist attack was “part and parcel of living in a great global city”.

Mr Trump Jr tweeted a link to the article, commenting in disgust: “You have to be kidding me?! Terror attacks are part of living in the big city, says London Mayor Sadiq Khan.”

On social media it was pointed out that Mr Khan did not say that attacks were to be expected, but rather that the threat of them was part of life.

Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/03/22/donald-trump-jr-ridicules-mayor-london-hours-westminster-attack/amp/

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I'm guessing the Trump/UK awkwardness isn't ending anytime soon.

I am sure everyone watching the Gorsuch confirmation hearings has noticed the smiling, young, attractive black woman strategically placed above Gorsuch's right shoulder so that she is in EVERY camera frame of Gorsuch. She is obviously there to give the impression that she is somehow connected to him, to dress up the otherwise very white GOP flacks flanking Gorsuch and to suggest Gorsuch has the support of African Americans.

Gorsuch has nothing to do with her, and she does not represent African American opinion. She is Mary Elizabeth Taylor, former Koch intern and aide to House Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Taylor was paid $37,264.40 as a Senate Cloakroom Assistant. http://heavy.com/news/2017/03/mary-elizabeth-taylor-who-is-woman-sitting-behind-neil-gorsuch-hearings/amp/ I wonder how much she is getting paid to "cloak" Gorsuch...

On AM Joy this morning, Joy Reid had my favorite, Malcom Nance, on there along with a bunch of other experts. They pointed out that Fox's Andrew Napolitano got that UK spying line from conspiracy theorist Larry C. Johnson on RT (Russia Today, Putin-controlled Russian state television).

I did a Google search and found a good recitation of the details here: https://www.mediamatters.org/research/2017/03/14/fox-news-conspiracy-obama-asked-british-intelligence-wiretap-donald-trump-echoes-rt-interview/215678

So, Trump was repeating Putin propaganda designed to sow discord among NATO allies and further Putin's key goal to dissuade European countries from joining/supporting NATO. Putin needs to weaken NATO so he can invade his neighbors with impunity.

Up to now, I had assumed Trump/Napolitano had just pulled that UK spying line out of their ass. Now I know it is even worse than that. Trump really is Putin's asset. 

My favorite line from his intro monologue: "One thing about having such small hands is that it makes it really easy to pull things right out of your ass."

Was he pissed that she wore a pantsuit? Guess she didn't get his "women must look like women" memo.