Ted Cruz, Bernie Sanders to Debate Obamacare Live on CNN

[DonViejo]

Source: Mediaite



Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders are set to debate each other on the merits of the Affordable Care Act live on CNN on Tuesday, February 7.

The Republican and independent who caucuses with the Democrats both ran for president in 2016 before losing to the eventual nominees for their party. Cruz ran on a platform of repealing and replacing Obamacare, while Sanders voted for the law in 2009 and continues to support it.

The 9 P.M. EST debate will be moderated by CNN hosts Jake Tapper and Dana Bash. It comes a week after a CNN town hall with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi hosted the same time and day of the week.

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Read more: http://www.mediaite.com/tv/ted-cruz-bernie-sanders-to-debate-obamacare-live-on-cnn/

[secondwind]

1. This should be interesting...

[frazzled]

2. Sanders was never a supporter of the ACA

Yes, he voted for it in the end, but then continued to argue against it in favor of a pie-in-the-sky national health-type plan or Medicare for all.

I don't expect him to defend the ACA but rather use it as a platform for expounding his own ideas, which are less than ever feasible, given the Republican majority and this administration. Medicare and Medicaid are both on the chopping block. It's no time for idealizing, but rather conserving what we have!

[JCanete]

3. pie in the sky? Fuck that absolute middling crap. Things are pie in the sky if we don't fight for

them;things are pie in the sky if the American people aren't made aware of what is possible. There's nothing structurally impossible about medicare for all. Either we deal with the political impossibilities by making these ideas palatable to people by actually making them a common part of the discourse, or we can pat ourselves on the back after helping to fulfill a prophecy of "it can't be done."

[frazzled]

4. It's about legislative support, not correctness

We wouldn't have a chance in hell of getting that, so it's necessary to get real about the situation. We do face the imminent threat of Medicare, Medicaid, and the ACA being blown to bits. It's all on the books at this very moment.

So arguing for "better" plans at this point is sort of like planning your dream house while someone is pouring a can of gasoline on your current one.

PS: Swearing at people and insulting them is not the way to convince anyone of anything.

[JCanete]

5. you can argue that this is better than what we had, AND argue for something better.

Where is the contradiction there?

[0rganism]

8. this is a great time to "plan your dream house"

as you note, correctly imho, the protections we have are in imminent danger of disappearing. they will probably be gone one way or another by 2018.

the only possible upside to this situation is once the old systems are gone there is room for something new. maybe something better. maybe something Americans can get behind. maybe something we can campaign on.

the old house is about to burn down. the fire department is actively helping to set it on fire. it's only a matter of time before it's gone. let's plan a dream house to take its place.

[IronLionZion]

9. Bernie wrote several important provisions of it

community health clinics and allowing state's to develop alternative systems like single payer, setting income brackets for subsidies,

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/sanders-role-in-the-affordable-care-act

He advocated for a public option or single payer. Since there wasn't enough votes for it, the compromise ended up being the nonprofit insurance co-ops plus Medicaid expansion.

[frazzled]

11. True, but while he did help with elements for the final bill,

he nonetheless opposed it until nearly the last minute, and the claim he made during the primaries—"I helped write it"—was deemed "mostly false" by politifact.

none of these provisions involve core elements of the law, such as the exchanges and subsidies, the individual and employer mandates, the Medicaid expansion, the tax changes, the essential benefits package, and the provisions on cost containment. We stand by our original conclusion that, despite making contributions to the final legislation, Sanders was, for most of the process, an outsider pushing for a more aggressive single-payer system rather than an insider negotiating and crafting the final design of the bill. While saying that he "helped write" the Affordable Care Act contains an element of truth, Sanders ignores critical facts that would give a different impression. So we still rate his claim Mostly False.

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2016/jan/18/bernie-s/fact-checking-bernie-sanders-claim-he-helped-write/

Look, I don't mind anyone going out to debate the Republicans on this issue. But I am still skeptical that Sanders is the right person to do it at this moment in time. I will hold my opinion until I see how effective he is in protecting the current legislation as it stands (with all its flaws) as opposed to pushing for his own pet version. That would not be protecting the hard-fought legislation against its repeal. And Americans can't afford that. First we must protect, then we can enhance (if we ever get back into power).

[matt819]

6. Why even fucking bother?

What a waste of time this will be. Might as well sit around in a circle jerk. About as productive, but at least at the end you feel a bit okay.

[NurseJackie]

7. Too late.

[Sunlei]

10. whats to debate? ACA has been the law of the land for over 3 years now.

[IronLionZion]

12. 7 years this March nt

[Sunlei]

13. good thing the President started right away or I won't be on my fourth year of decent insurance.

remember Obama's first term, republicans wanted him to delay work on ACA, Rs said "because the economy was so bad"? .

Good thing he didn't delay, Thanks Obama!