Friday night (April 21) our Congressman, Rep. Tom Reed was on the MSNBC’s “All In with Chris Hayes” program. Hayes asked Rep. Reed questions about Funding the Wall, Shutting Down the Government, and Trump’s newest edition of the Bill to Repeal the ACA. Hayes especially was interested if Reed would support the bill if it did away with the Pre-existing Conditions guaranteed in the ACA. Reed told Hayes,
“I care about making sure they have access to Health Care.”
Here is the complete program. Reed’s interview begins at 5:30 and ends at 10:00. You may want to watch the next five minutes to hear two Democratic House Members critique Reed. One of them said that it looked liked the Republicans are “tiptoeing backwards” away from Trump.
Is Reed beginning to tiptoe away from the President he once said, “… is a Disruptive Force and I Support that”?
New NY 23rd 
Tom’s priorities from the start have been low taxes for business and wealthy individuals, reduced spending on SS and Medicare, and to repeal health care subsidies which hurt his bill collecting business. I see no reason to think that Tom has lost hope in Donald Trump.
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Philosophically, no, but Reed is above everything else self-serving, and it may be slowly dawning on him that his past fanatical support for Trump might not be playing so well at home.
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It is no surprise that Tom, who has a long-term concern about deficit spending, would be at most lukewarm on a costly border wall.
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Reed will support or cut off support from any issue or person based on his own political life. In that way he is exactly like Trump. No real core values. At least I can respect, even if I disagree with, real conservatives. Reed is not one.
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More interesting writing from Joseph Urban; recommended:
https://josephurban.wordpress.com/
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i wish Chris Hayes had asked Rep. Reed if he cares about “access” why did he vote to defund Planned Parenthood?
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If he does not tiptoe or walk or run toward what his constituents want, he will NOT be reelected! We want Medicare, Social Security, veterans’ benefits, libraries and social service programs left the hell alone, and at least some progress toward preserving the environment. Not that hard to understand, Tom. Vote for helping everyday people, or they won’t vote for you.
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He is very adept at tiptoeing and only emphatic on a few things that I have heard:
No single payer healthcare
No Planned Parenthood (unless maybe they no longer are associated with abortion services)
No sensitivity to Black Lives Matter (his response “All Lives Matter” -which might be partly political but I also believe to be a racist view slightly obscured as he obscures so much with soundbites)
No federal government involved when private industry can do the job (and letting the states each do what the federal government has been doing)
Yes to renewable energy but simultaneously (or primarily) exhausting all fossil fuels
Tiptoe – tiptoe – blah blah blah …… but give him credit for being very accomplished with the political dancing and quick answers, burnishing his renewables identity and alleged bi-partisan activities – smiling friendly persona and showing up to greet his opponents/protestors. He is tainted by Trump et al. but might just be able to sidestep some of that enough to be re-elected again.
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Today Ithaca.com reported “Representative Tom Reed (R-NY) stated today that he has shifted, for the time being, in the national debate on President Trump’s answer to repealing the Affordable Care Act. ” That sounds a bit more than tip-toeing.
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