The Booker bashing is why we lose.

[joshcryer]

51. His explaination is worse, for me.

Because I know damn well that the FDA thing was just a cop-out. (Yes, there's a legitimate need for the FDA to oversee it, and getting that as part of the bill would be useful, but it's not the reason.)

The bill will pass as part of Trump's mitigation of repealing Obamacare and Booker knows that. So he voted against it as one last nod to big pharma. Drug price negotiation will come next. Booker might vote against it, too. Again, as a nod to his constituents. That's just how it is.

If he really did come out and say "I got 200k in individual contributions from people who work in pharmaceuticals and I voted that way, on a vote that was irrelevant, to send them that I still support them," it would come off so bad optically that it's a joke. It'd be said that he's bought and paid for, etc, etc.