Chesco Congress members split on ACA repeal vote

Updated 5:10 p.m.: Adds comment from Patrick Meehan By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times Chester County’s Congressional delegation split Thursday in a closely contested vote to pass the American Health Care Act — the controversial bill that would repeal some sections of the Affordable Care Act, a vote that will likely turn the 2018 Congressional Elections into a referendum on healthcare, much as was...

Chester Co.: Where men are men and the congressmen are nervous

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times That loud sigh of relief you might be hearing is coming from our three local members of Congress — Ryan Costello (R-6), Pat Meehan (R-7) and Lloyd Smucker (R-16) — when it became clearer that the White House wouldn’t force a vote on the revised replacement for the Affordable Care Act this coming week. While the text of the revised legislation isn’t out, multiple...

Costello, Meehan dodge bullet on health care bill failure

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times In the end — for at least two of Chester County’s members of Congress — the decision to withdraw the American Health Care Act, the Republican’s much touted replacement for the Affordable Care Act (known more commonly as Obamacare) may have ended up as the best of a lot of bad possible outcomes. Both Ryan Costello (R-6) and Pat Meehan (R-7) said following the...

Chesco Congress members feeling heat on health care vote

At last count, Meehan, Costello and Smucker appear to be yes votes By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times The fate of a controversial health care reform bill may end up in the hands of local members of the U.S. Congress — as two of them were seen as being on the fence on the bill but now said to be leaning toward “yes” votes — as the Trump Administration and Congressional Republicans scramble to...

The AHCA: the perfect bill…to hate

Deeply flawed health-care bill will raise taxes, unemploy local Congress members By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times Having read through the new Republican replacement for the Affordable Care Act, the — the American Health Care Act — I’m left with just one thought: I guess we’re going to find out how Lloyd Smucker, Pat Meehan and Ryan Costello fare in the private sector if this mess somehow passes...

Congress members can’t hide from the voters

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times The phone rang the other night during dinner, it was a phone “town hall” for U.S. Rep. Pat Meehan (R-7) — I happen to live in the 7th — but the timing was lousy and as a practicing journalist, I kind of feel like it is inappropriate as a journalist to participate in such events. And to be honest — Meehan and his colleagues need to put on their big boy pants...

A brave new world for local Congress members

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times It is a brave (cough-cough) new world for some of our elected officials — specifically the three gentlemen who hold congressional seats in Chester County and find themselves coming home to districts this week they may not recognize. Yes — we’ll grant everything is new for U.S. Rep. Lloyd Smucker, who is little more than a month in from joining the world’s most...

Democrats play their Trump card and hard

Ads start to go negative, too, shockingly By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times Last week, in this space I noted that Democratic candidates would be looking to staple their Republican opponents to GOP presidential nominee Donald J. Trump. Based on a flurry of TV ads and mailers I’ve seen this week, I had it mostly right, except maybe the implement: Democrats are using a nail gun, and one has to wonder...

Trump puts local candidates in a deplorable situation

No good choice for down ballot GOP candidates By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times Um, now what? If you think the average American doesn’t know what to think about the tapes revealed Friday involving Donald Trump’s comments on women, imagine if you happen to a Republican appearing on the Nov. 8 ballot for Congress or the State Legislature. I’m not going to address the actual content of the comments...

GOP seems to be laying groundwork for two campaigns

As Trump implodes, Republicans pivoting to save down-ballot races By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times As we suggested last week, the heavy firepower is hitting Chester County now — and is likely to continue right up to the election. Already this week, we’ve seen Ted Danson in town stumping for Hillary Clinton and Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives (and former GOP Vice Presidential nominee)...