January 12, 2017 11:26 AM UTC

Cory Gardner Presides Over Obamacare Repeal Instigation

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• by: Colorado Pols

While you were sleeping, as the New York Times reports:

Senate Republicans took their first major step toward repealing the Affordable Care Act on Thursday, approving a budget blueprint that would allow them to gut the health care law without the threat of a Democratic filibuster.

The vote was 51 to 48. During the roll call, Democrats staged a highly unusual protest on the Senate floor to express their dismay and anger at the prospect that millions of Americans could lose health insurance coverage.

One by one, Democrats rose to voice their objections. Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington said that Republicans were “stealing health care from Americans.” Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon said he was voting no “because health care should not just be for the healthy and wealthy.”

The presiding officer, Senator Cory Gardner, Republican of Colorado, repeatedly banged his gavel and said the Democrats were out of order because “debate is not allowed during a vote.”

That’s right–late last night, Colorado’s own Sen. Cory Gardner presided over the initial votes to repeal the Affordable Care Act, a.k.a. Obamacare. With no replacement plan in a state of readiness, this was a vote to strip millions of Americans of health coverage–including hundreds of thousands of Coloradans. And we’re not talking about the fake “cancellations” that Gardner has been misleadingly railing against for years, “cancellation notices” that were actually notices to renew–to policies that comply with the additional protections and coverage requirements of the ACA.

This time, Americans and Coloradans may lose their health coverage and not get it back.

Given Gardner’s promises in out-of-state media that Obamacare would be “replaced” with a “better” system while refusing to give any details, and the very serious potential harm to Gardner’s constituents that could result if Obamacare is repealed and not replaced with a system that covers as many people, we are increasingly dumbfounded as to why our local media is basically ignoring Gardner’s large role in this process. Where the hell is Mark Matthews? Where the hell is Kyle Clark? How is it that Colorado’s Senator manages to get quoted by everyone except the Colorado media?

Serious shit is going down in Washington, D.C., right now, and Sen. Gardner should be answering for it.