Faster horses said:The GOP was not prepared. Period. They let the country down. Why did they keep the bill under wraps til the last week? Rand Paul tried to see it and couldn't. Something stinks here.
The GOP were not prepared I agree and I blame Paul Ryan for that BUT the Freedom Caucus according to one of the original members were not negotiating in good faith. They made up their minds and anything Trump agreed to was not good enough. You can't trust that they will not do this during the Tax cut or budget negotiations, that is why Trump has decided to try pull in moderate Dems verse trying to work with the Freedom Caucus again. It looks like they proved to Trump they can not be trusted to live up to their deals and Ted Poe's comments back that realization up.
Think of it this way, If you bought a bull and the seller guaranteed the bull and the bull was no good and he backed out on guarantee would you go back and buy another bull I doubt it BUT If the seller was willing work with you to see to it you got back at least a little bit maybe not all but at least something you could live with, I'm willing to bet you might give him another chance.
Trump got burned and I'm willing to bet as a smart businessman he is not going to take the Freedom Caucus at their word again on any important bill. He is going to have back up to push his bills through a broken congress that has proven they can't be trusted.
As far as SENATOR Rand Paul it was the HOUSE bill he was hunting down, he was not going to be voting on it. If the Freedom Caucus would have lived up to their negotiated deal with Trump, SENATOR Rand Paul would have had a chance to read the amended House bill and a chance to amend it to get it through the SENATE. Once the Senate had voted to pass the amended bill the House would have had a chance to vote again with the Senate/Rand Paul amendments included. Looks to me like SENATOR Rand Paul made a scene to keep himself in the news cycle. It was a stunt that did nothing to make the Republicans look good in the eyes of the Never Trumpers/ Trump haters eyes. The Media ate up his stunt as it made Trump look bad even though Trump had nothing to do with the bill at that point. But it fed the Trump haters rumor mill that Trump could not control his party. I wish all the Republican's would think about what they are doing and how it looks to the Trump hating media and their liberal followers. :x