TRUMP'S PLAN FOR "OBAMACARE" WOULD MEAN BANKRUPTCY OR DEATH FOR MILLIONS OF AMERICANS

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     Donald Trump's goal in life is to destroy former President Barack Obama's legacy.  That is the only reason Trump continues to push Congress to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

     He died of brain cancer on August 25th, 2018, but about a month earlier, on July 27th, Senator John McCain (Republican from Arizona) 

courageously opposed Trump and nearly all Senate Republicans when he gestured his now famous thumbs-down vote, which - at the time - ended any chance for the GOP to get rid of President Obama's signature piece of legislation. After that, I - quite frankly - believed I would never be writing another column about saving "Obamacare."  But with a House of Representatives that is now controlled by the Democrats, Trump and the Republicans have a snowball's chance in hell for Congress to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

     That being said...on Tuesday, March 26th, 2019, Trump renewed his fight to strike down the ACA because he insists the healthcare law is a "disaster."  The only disaster in our country today is the man who calls himself "President."  But he's mentally and morally unfit to hold that title.

     Donald Trump's racist hate for President Obama stems from the so-called "birther movement" days, when Trump falsely accused our 44th president of not being born in the United States and, therefore - since Article Two of the U.S. Constitution requires the president to be a natural-born citizen - Trump asserted that Mr. Obama was ineligible to occupy The Oval Office.  The only one who should be ineligible to serve as president of the United States - based on his reckless and dangerous demeanor - is Donald Trump.

     I have always believed that Trump's abhorrent behavior towards President Obama was a joint venture between the jealous bones and the bigoted bones in Trump's body.  Trump has proven time and time again - through numerous racist remarks about people whose skin color is not lily white - that he is a prejudiced pig.  But Trump also resents Mr. Obama because of his popularity...because President Obama - more than two years after leaving The White House - remains the most admired man in America.  As such, Donald Trump's narcissism forbids him to accept the applause and the adoration for President Obama by others...let alone to show any affection himself for his predecessor.  Thus Trump will do anything and everything in an effort to ruin the accomplishments and successes of President Obama.

     Donald Trump doesn't give a damn that the Affordable Care Act is vital to helping millions of Americans live and survive.  "Obamacare" currently provides health insurance to about 20-million Americans.  But similar to Trump's obsession to build his xenophobic "wall of hate" on the U.S./Mexico border, repealing the Affordable Care Act was a 2016 campaign pledge, and Trump promised his base that he would be triumphant.  But through the first two years of his presidency, Trump wasn't strong enough to get the House of Representatives and the Senate - both of which were controlled by the Republicans - to repeal and replace "Obamacare."  And the wall still hasn't been built...and never will be.  Now, with the Democrats on top in the House, Trump is causing more chaos by standing firm that he's going to achieve both his objectives come hell or high water.

     Trump caught Republicans on Capitol Hill off guard by his announcement that the GOP would become "the party of healthcare." Reportedly, many Republican senators have said if they had been aware of Trump's plan before he let the cat out of the bag, they would have earnestly tried to convince him to not do it.

     This is a war that Trump and the Republicans cannot win.  Americans in the 2018 midterm elections voted for Democrats to be in charge of the House of Representatives... and it is widely believed that healthcare was the predominant reason for the Democratic victory.  Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (Democrat from California), on March 26th, noted at a #ProtectOurCare press event..."The GOP will never stop trying to destroy the affordable healthcare of America's families."  But it's futile for Trump to continue in a game where Republicans have tried to score at least 70 times since the Affordable Care Act became the law of the land on March 23rd, 2010.  There'll be no home run for the GOP.  No touchdown.

     Furthermore, the U.S. Supreme Court has already determined the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act.  On June 28th, 2012, the justices of the high court upheld - by a 5 to 4 decision - the key provisions that had been challenged in lower courts by 26 states, including the individual mandate.  However, on December 14th, 2018, an ultra-conservative U.S. District judge in Texas ruled that the "Obamacare" individual mandate was unconstitutional and, therefore, the entire law is invalid.  The ruling came in response to a lawsuit that was filed by 20 Republican governors and state attorneys general.  The individual mandate is the section of the law that requires Americans to purchase health insurance.  But seven years ago, when the Supreme Court upheld the individual mandate as constitutional, it was based on the taxing power of Congress.  The majority of justices decided that Congress could legally impose a tax penalty on anyone who did not buy a health insurance policy.  Now...Trump wants the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans to do away with the entire law.  To do so, millions of Americans would be uninsured...and anyone with pre-existing conditions would return to the days when no insurance company would sell them a policy.  Those individuals would be up the creek without a paddle...and people who can't afford the high premiums would be too.  Meanwhile, the Justice Department says it's given the green light to the aforementioned federal court decision.  As Speaker Pelosi also remarked..."The Department of Justice becomes the Department of Injustice when it wants to tear down healthcare benefits."  The case will eventually make its way back to the U.S. Supreme Court.

     Tragedy is inevitable without the Affordable Care Act.  Without "Obamacare," a great many Americans who suffer from chronic and/or severe illnesses will either find themselves filing for bankruptcy...or planning their own funerals.

     And that's The Controversy for today.

     I'm Gary B. Duglin.

     "We'll talk again."

The Controversy is a publication of GBD Productions.  Founder and Editor-In-Chief of The Controversy is Gary B. Duglin.

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Photo credits: Getty Images (Donald Trump and Former President Barack Obama), CNN Screenshot (Former Senator John McCain), Marvin Lynchard/DoD/MGN (Former President Barack Obama), Alex Wong/Getty Images (Donald Trump) and J. Scott Applewhite/The Associated Press (Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi)

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