SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES

This is the week Todd Herman registers as Independent

Mar 8, 2017, 6:14 PM

Independent, paul ryan...

House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis. speaks during a news conference at the Republican National Committee Headquarters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, March 8, 2017, as the GOP works on its long-awaited plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

The GOP “health care” plan is not a health care plan. And it’s inspired me to register as Independent.

It is a welfare expanding, IRS empowering, big donor kissing, freedom destroying, free market ignoring, monstrosity of a cluster something.

Related: Get ready for a world without truth

This would only make sense in Washington D.C. In every other industry, competition is allowed to come and disrupt.

President Trump says he’s proud to support the replacement plan. But I don’t understand why he’s proud of it. This has nothing to do with the free market. And this won’t cut anyone’s costs.

This is a $100 billion dollars borrowed in your name and given back to you.

They are blowing up the individual market. The exchanges and the subsidies are tailor made to big companies. And this blocks start-ups. It’s a massive shell game. It makes the problems of Obamacare worse because they remove the employer mandate.

This is disastrous in all regards. This is the week I become a registered Independent. This is the week professional Republicans in Washington D.C. are dead to me.

As always, please listen to the full audio clip for complete context.

U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche speaks at the Republican convention in Dallas, Wednesday, Sept. ...

Associated Press

Attorney General Blanche’s appearances at political events blur Justice Department boundaries

WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Todd Blanche is blurring traditional boundaries between politics and federal law enforcement with recent speeches at political events that mark a sharp departure from norms meant to protect the Justice Department from the appearance of partisan bias. Blanche took the stage this week at an event for a Republican Senate […]

33 minutes ago

Vice President JD Vance waves as he arrives on Air Force Two, Monday, Sept. 14, 2026, at Joint Base...

Associated Press

JD Vance returns to Iowa as Senate and governor races heat up

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President JD Vance is headed to Iowa for the second time this year to campaign for Republican majorities in Congress as he lays the groundwork for his own political ambitions. Vance will be the headliner Friday at a midterm rally in Council Bluffs, on the western edge of the once-Republican stronghold […]

57 minutes ago

FILE - Mark Twain Prize recipient Jon Stewart is introduced at the start of the 23rd annual Mark Tw...

Associated Press

Jon Stewart explains his ongoing philanthropic support of first responders

Jon Stewart says he never really decided to focus his charity efforts on first responders and their families. It just happened. The award-winning host of “The Daily Show” said he wanted to feel useful and support people who dedicated their lives to helping others. “These aren’t the X-Men,” Stewart told The Associated Press. “They’re not […]

2 hours ago

A member of Iran's Revolutionary Guard salutes while riding on a float displaying drones during the...

Associated Press

Iranians rally by the hundreds of thousands in biggest show of defiance since war began

CAIRO (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of Iranians rallied Friday in a government-organized show of defiance after months of war, pledging their readiness to take up arms in the biggest such demonstration since the United States and Israel attacked in February. Iran’s government has sought to rally the people and stress national unity, even as […]

4 hours ago

Displaced Palestinians shelter inside a building heavily damaged during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaz...

Associated Press

Fatal building collapse highlights dangers plaguing Gaza nearly a year after ceasefire

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The deadly collapse of a multistory building in Gaza has drawn new attention to the hardships facing Palestinians there nearly a year after a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas promised to kickstart reconstruction. But as talks faltered, plans for rebuilding stalled. Many residents have since moved back into some […]

6 hours ago

A image is seen on a screen as President Donald Trump speaks during a rally at Gastonia Municipal A...

Associated Press

Trump refers to Black man from racially offensive 1988 campaign ad while stumping in North Carolina

As President Donald Trump tries to convince voters that Democrats have let crime run amok, he’s digging into the country’s political past to reference one of the most controversial campaign advertisements that relied heavily on racist tropes. During a campaign stop Wednesday in Gastonia, North Carolina, to stump for Republican U.S. Senate candidate Michael Whatley, […]

8 hours ago

This is the week Todd Herman registers as Independent