I agree the personalit cult that is the formerly great old party will maintain strong support from its Maga base. The base is emotionally and psychologically invested in its grievances against liberalism and demographic change.
But I cannot help but wonder if they will remain loyal once the dying starts. Rural hospitals will fail. People who need care for chronic conditions will suffer or die from lack of care due to loss of medical coverage. Maternal mortality will increase when the nearest emergency room is a 2- hour drive away.
As services are withdrawn, people may move closer to cities for access to health care facilities, if they can afford to do so. For those who cannot, their circumstances will be dire.
Rural Americans may find themselves living in good deserts with no supplemental food supplies through government programs.
Maybe they will blame Democrats. Maybe they will wake up to reality.
I hope they wake up to reality. They ought to realize that the Republicans that they have voted for for decades have done nothing to help them. But I fear they live in an information bubble which tells such a different story that they won't realize it. Ultimately this is a great tragedy of millions of people being gaslit by those who claim they represent and care about them.
Though I totally endorse everything you have said in today’s piece Dr. Gawthorpe there is one crucial element missing; the timing of the health care cuts. In the main, the most significant health care service reductions contained in this bill don’t go into effect until after the 2026 midterms. This will do two things: 1.Because the cuts will be an abstraction before the 2026 vote, their political utility for Democrats will be blunted, if not entirely non-existent. 2. Assuming the Democrats can actually return to power in 2026, given the rank hypocrisy of every Republican, regardless of level and the skill of the far right propaganda machine, just as Republican office holders took credit for the provisions of the Build Back Better program despite having voted against it, the GOP will find a way to blame the disaster of the Big Beautiful Bill on Democrats. The sad part is, Republican voters will more than likely believe them.
You're completely right and I should have covered this. I think that by the time Democrats are back in power (if they are allowed to be), they will be left holding the bag for the worst of the fiscal consequences of the bill as well. Tax rises might be necessary to get the country back on a sustainable path and the right wing machine will find a way to blame them for that. The cynicism of the Republicans is unbelievable.
Dr. Gawthorpe,
I agree the personalit cult that is the formerly great old party will maintain strong support from its Maga base. The base is emotionally and psychologically invested in its grievances against liberalism and demographic change.
But I cannot help but wonder if they will remain loyal once the dying starts. Rural hospitals will fail. People who need care for chronic conditions will suffer or die from lack of care due to loss of medical coverage. Maternal mortality will increase when the nearest emergency room is a 2- hour drive away.
As services are withdrawn, people may move closer to cities for access to health care facilities, if they can afford to do so. For those who cannot, their circumstances will be dire.
Rural Americans may find themselves living in good deserts with no supplemental food supplies through government programs.
Maybe they will blame Democrats. Maybe they will wake up to reality.
I hope they wake up to reality. They ought to realize that the Republicans that they have voted for for decades have done nothing to help them. But I fear they live in an information bubble which tells such a different story that they won't realize it. Ultimately this is a great tragedy of millions of people being gaslit by those who claim they represent and care about them.
Though I totally endorse everything you have said in today’s piece Dr. Gawthorpe there is one crucial element missing; the timing of the health care cuts. In the main, the most significant health care service reductions contained in this bill don’t go into effect until after the 2026 midterms. This will do two things: 1.Because the cuts will be an abstraction before the 2026 vote, their political utility for Democrats will be blunted, if not entirely non-existent. 2. Assuming the Democrats can actually return to power in 2026, given the rank hypocrisy of every Republican, regardless of level and the skill of the far right propaganda machine, just as Republican office holders took credit for the provisions of the Build Back Better program despite having voted against it, the GOP will find a way to blame the disaster of the Big Beautiful Bill on Democrats. The sad part is, Republican voters will more than likely believe them.
You're completely right and I should have covered this. I think that by the time Democrats are back in power (if they are allowed to be), they will be left holding the bag for the worst of the fiscal consequences of the bill as well. Tax rises might be necessary to get the country back on a sustainable path and the right wing machine will find a way to blame them for that. The cynicism of the Republicans is unbelievable.
Not sure everyone understands reality - instead believes "lies and stories" in hopes the "tiger" changes its strips - does not happen - wakeup!
Yep - the right-wing propaganda machine is strong. The information bubble that people live in is so strong.