I am a sporadic social media-er. I’ll get on Twitter and lose a few hours either reading or participating but then I wander off and do other stuff. I usually forget about Facebook until it sends me a notice (cut to my mother saying through pursed her lips, “hmm, sounds familiar”). So sometimes when I log back in, I fall down a rabbit hole trying to figure out what’s happened. That happened this weekend with Molly McNearney, Jimmy Kimmel’s wife and mother to Billy Kimmel. As Kaiser reported last week, Jimmy told the world not to bother coming at him with accusations that he was politicizing his son because he absolutely, 100% supports the ACA. Jimmy also reiterated that he has to money to get Billy the medical help he needed so this isn’t about him, this is about those who can’t afford treatment.
True to their words, both Jimmy and Molly stayed on Twitter vigilantly trying to expose all the flaws with the Graham-Cassidy Bill. Molly started by posting this:
This new healthcare bill doesn't protect kids like Billy with pre-existing conditions. Call (202) 224-3121 to stop #GrahamCassidyBill pic.twitter.com/rHsJM1kHev
— Molly McNearney (@mollymcnearney) September 19, 2017
Which is a nice way to show support, but I posted it because sweet Jay-sus that kid is cute. For me baby animals > baby humans but look at the personality on that little face! Following that, Molly retweeted Jimmy and addressed #45’s tweets on the subject. On almost every one of her health care tweets, the first comment was negative and/or nasty and wrong. However, like I said, Jimmy had already admitted he was using his kid in this fight and nothing makes a troll angrier than when you take their argument out of their mouth. So, they came back louder, angrier and honestly, more bizarre. Finally, Molly had had enough so she delivered this one-two punch:
My baby has a hole in his heart. My dad lives in Puerto Rico. If you think a nasty tweet will shake me, you are mistaken. Beat it, trolls.
— Molly McNearney (@mollymcnearney) September 25, 2017
I’ll tell you why I like this so much – it’s the honesty. Molly may be a head-writer for Jimmy Kimmel Live and a semi-public personality who is trying to help maintain affordable care in this country but she is also a wife, a mother, a daughter and probably a sibling who is still fighting for the America public even though her emotional plate is full. That’s kind of where we are, isn’t it? It’s exhausting. And most of us are waging a public battle but privately, we still have our own problems that weigh on us heavily.
Fortunately, as I write this, it was announced that the bill did not get enough votes to support it and McConnell scrapped the official roll call.
As for Senators McCain and Collins, I join the McNearney-Kimmels in thanking them. And for those of you accusing me as using this as an opportunity to post more Billy Kimmel pics: you’re right:
Hey @SenJohnMcCain -Thanks for fighting for kids like me. @SenatorCollins & Senator @lisamurkowski you're up! ❤️ Billy pic.twitter.com/W8hlxuFUf4
— Molly McNearney (@mollymcnearney) September 22, 2017
Thank you @SenatorCollins for putting people ahead of party. We are all in your debt.
— Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) September 25, 2017
Thanks to all who stood up and spoke out from this happy guy and his less-fortunate friends #GoodbyeGrahamCassidy pic.twitter.com/8QyavZElxu
— Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) September 26, 2017
Congrats to Billy Kimmel. He helped untold number of lives.
— Bill Carter (@wjcarter) September 26, 2017
Photo credit: Twitter and WENN Photos
Pics of Billy is what we need not to go mad in this crazy world.
Yes!! That kid is adorable. Melts my heart
I don’t get the “My Dad lives in Puerto Rico” reference?
Puerto Rico has been leveled by Maria.
I’m assuming it’s because of the devastation in PR from Hurricane Maria.
The hurricane’s devastation. I read that as “I’ve got bigger fish to fry than worry about trolls.”
The Hurricane that ripped through Puerto Rico that Dotard is ignoring even though Puerto Rico is part of America.
Hurricane Maria. The entire island is still without power and will be for months. Food and clean water are in short supply. Medical care is all but nonexistent – hospitals are running on backup generators that are low on fuel.
My best friend finally heard from her father yesterday (after almost a week). His house is still standing, but he’s been without power since Irma hit 3 weeks ago. All my friend wants is to get her father on a plane to the mainland.
If her father is in PR, the odds are high that she might have spoken to him once, if she’s lucky, and has no idea how he’s really doing.
I just heard that Pit Bull sent his private plane to PR and it took cancer patients back to the mainland for treatment. Compare this to Racist-in-Chief’s dealing with PR.
@jerusha
Really? Wow!
http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/7980833/pitbull-private-plane-puerto-rico-cancer-patients-chemo this is amazing
See “Maria, Hurricane”
I love these two!!! Way to stand up for our most vulnerable citizens!!! Still haven’t heard from our friends in Puerto Rico. Completely unacceptable Trump didn’t send the comfort ship until now and refuses to waive the Jones Act like he did for Harvey and Irma victims.
Thank you for the responses, must be horrible.
I love this so much. I think it works because Jimmy Kimmel has never really gotten into talking politics (he truly seems like he’d rather not?) but this issue is too personal and the health care bills have been too disastrous to stay quiet.
My baby also had to have surgery within a month of birth… I think all health care debates should be done in a children’s hospital with those scared, big-eyed, but brave little babies making the best of the situation and parents who do. not. need. and cannot. handle. one more thing to worry about!
20 years ago my nephew was born at 26 weeks and spent almost 3 months in the UCLA Medical Center NICU. When he was finally released (healthy and happy), his hospital bill was over $350K. That’s well over half a million dollars in 2017 money. If my sister hadn’t had excellent health insurance for herself and her child, she would have been destitute UNTIL NOW. And the Graham Cassidy bill would have removed all pregnancy/maternity coverage!
I know the GOP is in thrall to the Koch Bros, the Mercers, Sheldon Adelson etc. and they want their big payouts from these donors, but really. Their greed, callousness and cruelty with this “repeal/replace” crap marks them all as being less than human. They’d prefer that Americans – American CHILDREN – die just so they can get more money. MONEY.
I sat down over the weekend and emailed 25 Republican Senators. This bill would have effected my husband and I because we are self employed , have pre existing conditions and buy our health insurance on the Government Marketplace. The ACA is not perfect, it has flaws, but I rather have this then the Graham Cassidy Bill. It has been a mentally exhausting the last 2 weeks watching this unfold on the news. Thanks Jimmy for speaking up.
Same here, baby animals > baby humans, but yes, that kid is hella sweet!
Thanks to the Kimmels for putting a face on what would been a disastrous death care bill. Billy is sure a darling boy. The saddest part of this failed bill is that Cassidy is physician and he was one of the architects of this mess that would have been responsible for the deaths of countless tax-paying Americans. He should lose his MD licence as his bill would have harmed many going contrary to the Hippocratic Oath he took on grad from med school. I guess he never got the irony that while American senators get premium health benefits paid for by taxpayers, he was willing to deprive those most vulnerable from getting theirs. Shame on him and all the disgraceful Repugs.
We live in a time where I have letters ready to go for various issues. I fire them off at a moments notice. That’s where we’re at.
I love them both for continuing to fight for healthcare. They can afford it but every other kid may not be able to. I know my family could’ve been in dire straights because of the treatment my brother needed. Luckily we have govt employee insurance.
Also it seems like Billy has been smiling from day 1. Cute kid.
I love their heartfelt devotion to this, and on a side note, she has excellent style. So elegant.
what she and her husband as newly formed activisits is incredible. i’m sorry their baby is sick but i’m happy they used their considerable platform to take a stand based on their experience. her twitter is wonderful and so is that white dress with the collar. i’d love an ID on that.
adorable child and i admire them for fighting against the healthcare repeal. Jimmy Kimmel has a platform which a lot affected parents don’t have.
And healthcare is not really political, it is not about left or right, it is a human right.
I stupidly logged on twitter after watching athletes take the knee on Sunday to see what everyone was saying and got into a twitter beef with racist trolls that I HAD TO keep replying to until my fiance took my laptop away saying I’m just arguing with russian bots. He kind of had a point. There’s no way that many people can call me a dumbass cannibal indian who’s people weren’t first here and to stay in my line since I’m Canadian.
I’ve lived in the States for close to a year now but haven’t updated my twitter profile since I first joined because who cares? I logged in yesterday and had over 70 notifications telling me I’m a conquered person, my people should have had stricter immigration, and countless other things I can’t even repeat.
This country is hateful. I’m just sticking to reading the trending topics, not reading tweets and will stick to my news sites. Twitter is evil. You’re best to stay off it for your own sanity.
Come home!
Personally, I stick to “Canadian twitter” (ex.: Canadian topics). It’s just not as mean spirited as “American twitter.”
Both my niece and nephew were born with holes in their hearts. We live in Canada and health care covered the surgery. They are now in their 20’s, happy, healthy and doing fine.
This post makes absolutely no sense. The writer just rambles without getting to the crux: What did Molly post?
I love them as much as I love Coach Popovich for speaking truth to misused power. Thanks, Hecate & celebitchy, for introducing me to Molly McNearney.