Why does the latter not surprise me? That fact, and the chart below, illustrate the cult of personality that the Republican Party has become. Thankfully, freedom of information hasn't yet been cancelled by a Trump Executive Order. Our chart came from a website that allows one to check, by date, every roll call vote in the House.
FINAL VOTE RESULTS FOR ROLL CALL 118
(Democrats in roman;
Republicans in italic; Independents underlined)
H
R 1 YEA-AND-NAY 8-Mar-2019 11:21
AM
QUESTION: On Passage
BILL TITLE: For the People Act
QUESTION: On Passage
BILL TITLE: For the People Act
Having passed the House, HR1 will now move to the Senate, where it will almost certainly die a quick death. Even if the bill somehow manages to pass the Republican-dominated body and go on to Mr. Trump, he will certainly, and gleefully, veto it. There's not a snowball's chance in Hades that there are, in the Senate, anywhere near the 67 votes needed to override that veto.
If that leaves you thinking Why did the House even bother?, here's one answer. History affirms that Democrats, often in the face of blistering Republican opposition, have created and maintained most of the social safety net upon which so many of us rely. Democrats did so as an acknowledgement that such creation and maintenance is part of the responsibility of government.
Let's look at it in more detail. The Social Security Act was signed into law by President Franklin Roosevelt on August 14, 1935. In addition to provisions for general welfare, the law created a social insurance program designed to provide to those 65 or older a continuing income. Social Security was followed, in 1965, by Medicare. Regarding that latter bill, here's another illustrative table.
|
SENATE
|
YEA
|
NAY
|
|
Republicans
|
13
|
17
|
|
HOUSE
|
YEA
|
NAY
|
|
Democrats
|
237
|
48
|
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