Draining a swamp is a great challenge, especially when others are trying to fill it back up, including your supposed allies. For decades, the American people have increasingly suffered under a growing horde of mosquitoes, leeches, chiggers, and other blood-sucking organisms that have arranged a wonderful home for themselves in Washington D.C. These organisms often disguise themselves as decent human beings, proclaiming they want to 'help the small guy' or 'defend our freedoms'. Republican or Democrat, they talk the talk they need to get elected, proclaiming their beliefs in bettering the country, but in the end, they vote for their own betterment. Disillusioned with the lot of them, the American people voted for President Trump to drain the swamp, but seemingly unbeknownst to Trump, there are saboteurs in his midst.

The drama surrounding the attempted fix of ObamaCare serves as an excellent example. The first and greatest clue came on February 23, 2017, when former speaker John Boehner proclaimed that "[Republicans will] fix ObamaCare." Rather than repeal the disastrous legislation that is chasing insurers out of the market and driving up costs, establishment Republicans sought to tweak it. They never intended to repeal or repeal-and-replace. The establishment aimed to undo some of its most egregious portions, while keeping the powers enacted by ObamaCare to impose their own vision of national health insurance, which looks rather similar to ObamaCare. Essentially, establishment Republicans were rebranding ObamaCare, to delay the collapse of the health insurance industry and to steal credit from the Democrats for "giving" people health care.

Don't gloat so fast, Democratic sheep, because your elected Democrats never cared about your health care either. Such gargantuan and imposing legislation was rammed through Congress without any real debate, discussion or open amendment. They wanted the glory and credit for passing it, without caring that they had to "pass the bill [to] find out what is in it." The Democrats who truly cared were the ones who honestly believed in destroying the American health care industry, to replace it with government-provided health care, which is why ObamaCare is a disaster: it was maliciously designed that way. In 2018, (tens of) millions could lose their insurance, because none will be available at any price.

Republicans or Democrats, politicians were patting their backs for allowing you to buy health insurance, while they forgot that nearly all Americans could buy less-expensive and better (for them) health insurance without the Affordable Care Act (ACA) or the American Health Care Act (AHCA). The American people have no need for Washington D.C. to allow us to buy something or create something for us to buy. Washington D.C. operates on the belief that to have power, government must give people stuff, but government can only give out from what it takes, while keeping some for itself: a process that requires the elimination of freedom and liberty. Politicians who speak of liberty while promising to impose new policies or spending are speaking from both sides of their mouths, and may not even realize it. These are far from the brightest bulbs in the box.

For those in doubt, consider the primary cause for the failure of ObamaCare: dictates on insurance disguised as regulations. Rather than eliminating these dictates, the AHCA left them in place. "Phase II" of the establishment plan involved changing the "regulations", to make them less imposing than what Obama had implemented. Considering that the next Democratic president could reimplement the Obama regulations, why change them when you can repeal them? Because the establishment Republicans needed that power to impose their own view of health insurance upon the American people. But you heard that the AHCA was amended and the Freedom Caucus was moving the goal post? Consider that these "regulations" were integral to the establishment plan; Ryan alleged their repeal meant that the AHCA could not pass through reconciliation; and the Freedom Caucus was complaining about them until the bitter end. Was the AHCA truly amended?

If you still doubt the intentions of the establishment, then consider: who broke their promises and ruined the deals? Did Senate Democrats filibuster the AHCA? Did the Senate determine that the AHCA must go through regular order rather than reconciliation? No, it never got there. Did the Senate indicate that the AHCA was ineligible for reconciliation with the conservative amendments? No, a nearly full repeal had already gone through reconciliation. As Trump negotiated with the conservative caucus, did any of his promises make it into the AHCA? No, the establishment plan relied on what the Freedom Caucus wanted repealed. It was the establishment's way or the highway, and regardless of what Trump negotiated with conservatives, the establishment chose the highway. The AHCA was rushed out to prevent debate or amendment, and the establishment dropped it rather than attempt the conservative ideas. The establishment made many (weak) excuses to ignore those who wanted a repeal, all to force through an ObamaCare fix. As radio talk show host and former congressman Joe Walsh has often reminded his listeners, based on his first-hand experiences, Paul Ryan is no conservative, nor are most Republicans.

Trump must have realized that the establishment was crossing him, right? Not necessarily. Trump is used to questioning the veracity of what comes from the party across the table, but he likely has little experience with deception and backstabbing from his own team. Petty power squabbles, deceptions, and lies are the norm in Washington D.C. It is all about making someone else look bad so that you look good, for a vampire. Considering that Trump might abandon conservatives to work with moderate Democrats to fix ObamaCare, thus turning on his only true allies, one must wonder if Trump has been poisoned by the establishment's lies. Moreover, the AHCA was an ObamaCare fix that half of Democrats should have easily supported, but they rejected it for no pettier reasons than Republicans and Trump would get the credit upon its success and look bad upon its failure.

Almost every congressman is deceiving his constituents while voting for numero uno. Only a scant 30 out of 435 are there because they care about you or the country or believe in your freedom and liberty. The Republican establishment will spend more money and effort to defend an establishment incumbent from a conservative upstart than to help a conservative defeat a Democrat. Despite all the public divisiveness and arguments, these politicians often smile, shake hands and work together, whenever they need to suck more blood. If Trump works with Democrats and establishment Republicans, then one day he will wake to a pile of elephant and donkey manure, which he is told smells like roses because it is made from roses, and he will look out upon a barren landscape with nary a leaf or flower, flooded with water and brimming with bloodsuckers. Be it a swamp or a zoo, the animals like it just the way it is, but maybe with more frequent feedings. Who supplies the food?