Page 85 - Murkowski News Today

>> this is bawl getting this passed in the senate. thats the objective. we are going to work with the senate as we go through this. >> there are a handful of senate republicans considered to be wild card votes. alaska senator lisa murkowski hasnt said definitively whether or not she supports the bill. but in a new opinion piece in a local paper murkowski wrote about the individual mandate and she said she supports repealing it. senator susan collins who you just heard from there, she says she is...

Want to keep the cost down. republicans havent figured out a way to override the entire law but taking away the most unpopular piece which is probably one of the reasons murkowski is okay vote for this piece of the law even though she voted against the full overhaul. overhauling the entire plan is something republicans havent been able to do yet. >> were seeing more broadly with that statement, shes leaving the door open, leaving herself room to come around to this tax bill. as her office says t...

Anyway is toast. now, an unintended truth, probably, there, by the president. thats right, when you dont have to worry about getting elected any more, you vote your conscience. but this is different. this isnt just playing on a culture divide. this is about manipulating how people see the battle over the tax plan, right? >> right. look, no matter who votes against the bill on the senate floor, president trump, no matter what policy grounds they will be arguing their no vote president trump go af...

Have a stakeholder like the president fully, with full buy-in into what republicans are trying to do. had a big rose garden ceremony for health care when the house passed it. forget the other part. you have to get it through the senate. harold is correct about this and a criticism of president obama. he did have the rapport and the senate -- so important. why you sent joe biden, uncle biden to massage relationships and what the president is doing with mike pence. you cant insult senators. not on...

Obamacare. we absolutely want to do it. if we can repeal part of obamacare as part of the tax bill and to have a tax bill that is still a good tax bill that can pass, thats great. if it becomes an impediment with taking a good tax bill, we can, and well be good at taking it out. if they keep the repeal in the senate bill, its hard to see they get collins and murkowski. to me, they would most likely lose those two and then theyre at a tie ball game and then you have the alabama picture in all of ...

Have to reach out to members as you try to get a victory. particularly when people have legitimate concerns about pressures on the debt. youre not providing a tax cut to the middle tax americans, an array of concerns but this president at least is one thing, consistent. consistent since the campaign started. >> his whole life. around in the 80s, im sure donald trump would be using it. one republican opposes this, ron johnson, flake may be. we dont know. collins, murkowski, maybe mccain. corker h...

Hard conservatives in rand paul, because rand paul is donald trumps golfing buddy, but hes -- this is a guy who is a maverick in his own party on his own right and in the opposite spectrum of the pain and murkowski who i would put in the collins bucket as a moderate who will need a hard sell on our tax cuts coming to alaska. shes obviously very focused on her state. so, look, he can only lose two. look at all those senators. thats dicey. >> theyre done. >> now perhaps the white house realizes th...

Collins and john mccain. mccain in particular went after the president on healthcare. now also a holdout on tax cuts. ron johnson is from your home state. rachel: he is a businessman. he is really upset how pass through companies are not getting the same treatment as corporations. and, you know, he indicated in some interviews that he really tried to get the attention of mitch mcconnell on this and didnt feel like he was being listened to. i think this is his way to do it. i dont think its the b...

Up for re-election is going to have to answer to decisions, unless theres some huge intervening event that wipes it off the map but i dont think it goes away. i think its going to affect policy probably less than it does politics. i think it affects politics enough, then the policy will ultimately suffer, because the president wont be able to pass his agenda. right now as you know with murkowski and collins and mccain, its already difficult trying to get the 51 votes in the senate. >> the big st...

Do you think? >> well, theyre trying really hard to be optimistic. >> collins, murkowski -- >> and you had ron johnson tonight of wisconsin saying, i dont think i can vote for this unless you change small business provisions. and the house is going to vote on all this tomorrow, and theyre going to wonder are we going to go out on a limb again like we did on health care only to have the senate cut off the branch? and that could well happen. now, taxes are always an easier issue for the republican...