The circumstances surrounding the passage of the tax reform bill by both houses of Congress are similar in some respects to those surrounding the passage of Obamacare. Both measures, for example, were voted to become law without a single yes vote by the opposition party. And, as with Obamacare, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act went to the floor of the House and Senate with many Americans feeling they knew less about the law than they should.
But there are also differences. Following today’s final vote by the House, Speaker of the House [score]Paul Ryan[/score] didn’t stick it to his Democratic colleagues by leading an in-your-face parade of Republicans around Capitol Hill carrying an outsize mallet.
Another difference is the almost entirely negative reaction to the bill by the mainstream media, which unanimously praised Obama’s monumental health care achievement when it was passed in 2010.
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Perhaps the most telling difference is that after the passage of Obamacare, Republicans were upset but managed to remain “civil,” to borrow a term that distinguishes liberals from conservatives, according to psychologist Paul Krugman. As for Democrats today? See for yourself.
What follows is a Twitter post by House Majority Whip [score]Steve Scalise[/score] that also includes a video clip of an appearance he made today on Fox News Channel’s “Varney & Co.”
Today, the @HouseGOP will send the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act to @POTUS‘ desk. There’s no reason for Democrats to vote against tax cuts for middle class families. pic.twitter.com/bLS7nVqMkQ
— Rep. Steve Scalise (@SteveScalise) December 20, 2017
And here are some replies by Democrats. The second message appears to have been deleted though a screen capture of it remains.
Too bad that the “baseball diamond” shooter’s aim was so bad. You are a VILE traitor. #dontmissnexttime
— NPGman (Tony) (@NPGman) December 20, 2017
