Join 📚 Roger's Highlights
A batch of the best highlights from what roger's read, .
Despite Barr’s pleas, Trump would not change. Trump convened a meeting in the Roosevelt Room on May 4, 2020, with his top policy and legal advisers on the Affordable Care Act, the health care law better known as Obamacare. The Supreme Court had taken up a challenge to the health care measure that provided medical coverage to more than 20 million Americans. “Mr. President,” Barr said jumping in, “this case is not going to win. You’re going to be lucky to get anything better than 9–0 on this.” Obamacare had already survived two Supreme Court challenges. Trump wanted the federal government to join a case against Obamacare brought by Texas and 17 other attorneys general in GOP-led states. No, no, no, no, Barr said. “Mr. President, this is an election year. The liberals on the Supreme Court voted to hear this case because they realize this is a fucking loser for you. We’re in the middle of a Covid epidemic. And you are now creating uncertainty as to people’s medical coverage. And you haven’t put up a substitute and we’re going to lose the case. We knocked out the mandate.” In 2017, the Republican-controlled Congress successfully nullified one of the ACA’s core provisions, the individual mandate, so there was no longer a tax penalty on individuals who failed to purchase it. “That’s the victory,” Barr argued. “Declare victory and say you’re going to put up a better bill next time. But why should we be doing this? We’re not going to win. It’s just political downside.” “We need to be with Texas,” Trump said. “That is my base.” “The attorney general of Texas is not the president of the United States,” Barr said. “He has his constituency. You have your constituency. I don’t see outsourcing our policy to the fucking state of Texas.” “Well, I’ll think about it,” Trump said. He again invoked his base. “Mr. President,” Kellyanne Conway said, “I think I know a little bit about your base. I’ve been a pollster for the Republican Party for decades. This is a loser. This doesn’t help you. The health care issue is the reason we lost seats in 2018, Mr. President. Why are we teeing it up again for the other side?” It was unseemly for the president of the United States to be part of a legal crusade to take away health insurance from 20 million Americans. White House counsel Pat Cipollone backstopped and said he agreed but did not offer any additional arguments. It went back to Barr. “Mr. President, this case sucks,” he said. “It’s hard not to laugh at our argument.”
Peril
Bob Woodward and Robert Costa
But if you watch the hidden camera footage of the stunt, and note the time of day (morning rush hour) and the demographics (busy government employees on their way to work), it starts to make more sense. Those mindless barbarians who had no idea what they were witnessing were commuters on their way to work who couldn’t afford to stop at that exact moment to appreciate art. Certain art hungers for context.
The Art of Asking
Amanda Palmer and Brené Brown
“I won’t be wading in early,” Teddy said. “Too many friends. But I can tell you this, Barack. The power to inspire is rare. Moments like this are rare. You think you may not be ready, that you’ll do it at a more convenient time. But you don’t choose the time. The time chooses you. Either you seize what may turn out to be the only chance you have, or you decide you’re willing to live with the knowledge that the chance has passed you by.” —
A Promised Land
Barack Obama
...catch up on these, and many more highlights
Readwise