October 11, 2017 cover photo: Tom as the “good shepherd” stands above politics.
January 4, 2017 cover photo: Family, flags, GOP Speaker Ryan, fake smiles.
Do these photos reflect a change in campaign strategy? Is Tom Reed distancing himself from Paul Ryan, Donald Trump, and the GOP? One wonders.
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Contributor at NewNY23rd.com where we discuss the politics, economics, and events of the New New York 23rd Congressional District (Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Chemung, (Eastern) Ontario, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben,Tioga, Tompkins, and Yates Counties) Please visit and comment on whatever strikes your fancy.
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I guess he can fool some of the people some of the time, but he can’t fool all of the people. As a matter of fact, no; Tom Reed is still joined at the hip with the Trump administration:
http://www.oleantimesherald.com/news/reed-comfortable-with-the-president-and-his-leadership/article_02da8806-ae39-11e7-93e5-1f553b5c7c44.html
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Image is important to Tom. He invests carefully in advice, advertising, polling, and professional video productions. The “Olean Times Herald” article certainly suggest Tom is still “with him,” but facts and votes can always be explained away if necessary. Even in the OTH article, Tom defended Trump only with generalities.
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He’s not distancing himself because of principles or ethics, but because the Trump/GOP ship is sinking and he’s afraid of being pulled down with them. Its insincere image control, nothing more.
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That first photo certainly convinces me. Tom is a man of the people. He loves children ! He wears blue jeans ! Got my vote.
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I agree with David Eric Cummins. Reed’s merely expanding possibilities. Reed is expert at keeping all options open.
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Reported in today’s Washington Post:
Trump’s approval ratings among party supporters: 84%
Trump’s approval ratings among Trump supporters: 99% !!!!!!!!!
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2017/10/12/trump-doesnt-have-99-problems-but-we-have-one/?hpid=hp_no-name_opinion-card-e%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.3469a17967c3
Reed is surely aware of these numbers. And almost certainly knows how many Trump supporters are in NY23.
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What will Tom say about Trump’s gutting of Obamacare?
How many NY23 citizens will be hurt?
Will the Republicans (and Reed ) be blamed?
Will Reed’s supporters blame him?
Pro-Trump states are the ones that will be most affected by his health care decision
https://apnews.com/cd3fb39ebc2d47a8a3c636283eeae4fc
Nearly 70 percent of those benefiting from the so-called cost-sharing subsidies live in states Trump won last November, according to an analysis by The Associated Press. The number underscores the political risk for Trump and his party, which could end up owning the blame for increased costs and chaos in the insurance marketplace.
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Steve Bannon just totally contradicted Trump’s claim about canceling Obamacare payments
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/10/16/steve-bannon-just-totally-contradicted-trumps-claim-about-canceling-obamacare-payments/?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-main_fix-bannonobamacare-727pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.75318a045df8
the idea that this was a craven political move to actually cause Obamacare to fail — rather than a move just abiding by the law and/or that only hurt insurance companies — is completely confirmed by Bannon’s commentary.
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Arthur, on Saturday Tom Reed said he agreed with Trump cutting out the CSRs because he said they were “illegal” payments and should never have happened.
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Thanks Carol. Much appreciated.
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“Illegal” and “unconstitutional are buzz words applied to any measure one dislikes.
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Well, the Supreme Court, dominated by GOPers ruled that the ACA was Constitutional, but I presume Tom Reed is much more of a legal scholar than any of those jurists. So, when he claims it was “illegal” I guess he contradicts his own party’s SCOTUS. The ACA is dead. It has been gutted by executive order. What we have now is Trumpcare. So, let’s see how wonderful that is going to be for the working poor and those unable to work. Trump , Reed and their allies broke it. Now they have bought it. Next step for Tom…what is your solution to the uninsured? And let’s stop calling it Obamacare. That train has been derailed. It’s Trumpcare now.
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Mr. Urban,
I don’t think that Reed gives a tinker’s damn about the suffering his support for Trumpcare will cause.
Further, since the citizens who will be impacted are largely the poor, there will be no repercussions for him at the voting booth. The poor don’t turn out in appreciable numbers.
His support of Trumpcare will be noted by the movers and shakers of the GOP and will move him up the political ladder, the only thing that he cares about.
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Arthur. I agree with you. Reed has only one concern. Reed gets over 96% of his funding from large contributors 44% and PACs 53%. He gets less 2.5% of his funding from the little guy in small donations.He has already raised over $1,000,000 form those interests. He plans on swamping any Dem opponent with a massive negative ad campaign, just as he has in the past. The working poor don’t give money to anyone. They can’t afford it. Thank you Citizens United.
https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/summary?cid=N00030949
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