Did Harry Reid Just Engineer A Reprieve For Dean Heller, The Senate's Most Endangered Republican?

Everyone knows that grotesque slob in New Jersey is the most despised governor in America, probably the most despised governor in American history (not counting convicted criminals like Rod Blagojevich and Frank Murkowski); he and Paul LePage even revel in their unpopularity, as though it were a badge of courage or honor. Even before the beached whale incident, Christie's approval was 15%. Another Republican governor, Nevada's Brian Sandoval, has a really high approval number. In an increasingly blue state, Sandoval-- like Charlie Baker (R-MA) and Larry Hogan (R-MD)-- are seen by their constituents as actually caring about them. That's unique-- Republicans who care about regular people! Sandoval's job approval is consistently in the top 10 among governors. More more than 5 times more popular among his state's voters than Chris Christie is with New Jersey voters. And, unlike Christie, Sandoval is not a fluffer for Trump and his toxic agenda.

This week, Sandoval spoke out-- again-- on the dangers of TrumpCare for Nevadans, a perspective he's helped Nevada's Republican senator, Dean Heller, to adopt as well. For TrumpCare to actually fail in the Senate, Sandoval is going to have to keep Heller on the ranch. I think he was trying hard Wednesday when he said that the Republican plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act remains a major threat to Nevada’s future fiscal health. No tweets from Señor Trumpanzee yet.

The governor said with no proposed changes that would address Nevada’s decision in 2013 to expand Medicaid, he cannot support the legislation. Sandoval said both he and U.S. Sen. Dean Heller remain opposed as they announced at an event in Las Vegas last month.

“My position is the same in terms of protecting the 200,000-plus lives of the newly eligibles associated with the Medicaid expansion,” Sandoval said. “They are living healthier and happier lives. We have cut our uninsured rate by more than half.

“As I sit here today, there hasn’t been anything presented to me that would alleviate that concern.”

Heller is considered to be a crucial Republican vote to get the Senate’s health care measure passed, but he announced his opposition with Sandoval because of the cost to the state if changes to the funding formula for the expanded Medicaid population are put in place.

Heller is up for reelection next year and is considered vulnerable. His opposition to the bill drew attacks from Republicans.

Sandoval said he has been on the phone with Vice President Mike Pence, members of the Senate and others in the Trump administration on an Obamacare replacement.

Sandoval in 2013 opted to expand the cover to childless adults, and the federal government is paying more than 90 percent of the cost of their care. That percentage would drop to 65 percent in the Senate bill starting in 2021, costing the state up to $500 million over five years.

A future governor would have to raise taxes or end the coverage, moves Sandoval called “an untenable position for the state.”

The Medicaid issue is aside from the recent announcement that the Silver State Health Exchange has no carriers lined up for 2018 that are willing to offer insurance in 14 rural counties. Sandoval said he and his staff continue to work with the insurance companies to address the issue.

Heller might have caught a break this week, as Nevada Party boss Harry Reid, put one of his most clueless and reprehensible puppets up for the Democratic nomination for Heller seat. Jacky Rosen isn't just worthless and extraordinarily stupid, she's also one of the dozen very right-wing Dems from the Republican wing of the Democratic Party who Paul Ryan and Kevin McCarthy have come to depend on for when they want to claim ay of their toxic legislation is "bipartisan." ProgressivePunch rates Rosen an "F" but a really low "F." Her crucial vote score is an abysmal 37.50, one of the 12 worst of any Democrat in Congress. Among freshmen, only Blue Dogs Tom O'Halleran, an "ex"-Republican from Arizona, Josh Gottheimer, a North Jersey Wall Street whore, and Orlando's Stephanie Murphy have worse voting records. She will prove to be far too weak a candidate against Heller, even in a moderate anti-Trump wave election. Her only chance to win the most vulnerable GOP-held seat in the Senate would be for a massive anti-Trump tsunami, a ridiculous gamble and a calculation that Reid made last year and that lost with cardboard cutouts of the same kind of heap of garbage candidate that Rosen is-- from Patrick Murphy in Florida, Patty Judge in Iowa and Ted Strickland in Ohio to Ann Kirkpatrick in Arizona, Evan Bayh in Indiana and Katie McGinty in Pennsylvania-- half a dozen truly awful DSCC recruits who were all banking on one thing-- a Hillary Clinton landslide with coattails powerful enough to drag even the worst miserable candidates into office. Dean Heller must be so relieved right now!