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A pair of conservative Republican senators are accusing their own party of hypocrisy for rushing throughits replacement of Obamacare.And they've got a point thoughperhaps not forthe most obvious reason.

House Republicans passed their bill through a keycommittee in the wee hours of Thursday morning less than two and a half days after the bill was introduced and without any scoring from the independent Congressional Budget Office.

"This is exactly the type of backroom dealing and rushed process that we criticized Democrats for," Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) said Tuesday.

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), meanwhile, tweeted his own less-direct hypocrisy claim early Thursday morning:

But the two debates over Obamacare and now over its potential replacement aren't really analogous, and there has been some revisionist history going on when it comes to what happened back in 2009 and 2010 when Democrats passed Obamacare.

The big reason it's remembered as having been jammed through is that Democrats used an unusual maneuver the budget reconciliation process to attain final passage when they lost their filibuster-proof majority in the Senate in the special election won by Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.). The reconciliation process is not subject to filibuster.

Yet the process, as Philip Bump noted Wednesday, was actually rather lengthy. Indeed, it seemed almost endless at the time. Topher Spiro of the left-leaning Center for American Progress crunched the numbers:

In the House, Democrats held a series of public hearings before introducing a public discussion draft in June 2009. The House then held more public hearings before introducing new legislative text in July. All three relevant committees held markups committee work sessions to amend the legislation and the full House vote on the amended legislation did not take place until November.

In the Senate, the HELP Committee held 14 bipartisan roundtables and 13 public hearings in 2008 and 2009. During the committees markup in June 2009, Democrats accepted more than 160 Republican amendments to the bill.

Beginning in May 2008 20 months before the Senate vote and six months before Barack Obama, who would later sign the bill into law, was even elected president the Senate Finance Committee held 17 public roundtables, summits and hearings. In 2009, Democrats met and negotiated with three Republicans for several months before the tea party protests caused the GOP to back away from negotiations. The Finance Committee held its markup in September, and the full Senate vote did not take place until December.

In both the House and the Senate, scores by the independent Congressional Budget Office were available before each vote at each stage of the process. These scores are estimates of the effects of legislation on the budget and on the number of people who would be covered by health insurance.

Part of the reason some Republicans have seized upon the idea that Obamacare was rushed is undoubtedly that infamous Nancy Pelosi quote. Pelosi (D-Calif.), then House speaker, said in March 2010 that Democrats needed to "pass the [health care] bill so that you can find out what's in it." That sounded a lot like Democrats putting one over on the American public by ramming through legislation that people didn't fully understand.

But Pelosi's meaning seemed to be more that people would recognize the benefits once it was put into practice. And the bill had been in the public domain for months. The reconciliation process itself lasted for weeks about the same time period Republicans are giving their entire bill.

There actually aren't a whole lot of quotes from Republicans way back when accusing Democrats of passing Obamacare too quickly. Instead, there are lots of comments taking issue with the specific maneuver that Democrats used and the fact that the bill didn't get any Republican votes.

"They have sort of a Europeanized version of [health care reform] that they jammed through without a single Republican vote in the last Congress," then-Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said in January 2011.

Then-House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) added around that same time:"We didn't have any open debate for both sides at all on the health care bill, the way it was jammed through."

So the speed of the legislation is one thing; the actual method of passageis what really irked Republicans. But that's also problematic for Republicans today, because they, too, are planning to use the budget reconciliation process. This allows them, again, to avoid a filibuster but could also limit what they can accomplish.

The other problem for Republicans in moving this along so quickly is that there is no CBO score. Republicans have for years accused Democrats of budget gimmicks and a lack of transparency in the legislation that they have passed. Republicans ran on the idea of postingbills online for everyone to see and understand.

They insist there will be a CBO score before final passage, but the fact that the bill is making real progress without lawmakers' knowing what experts estimate its impact will be is very difficult to square with GOP complaints about Pelosi's comment.That sounds a lot like Republicans passing the bill before they find out what's in it.

But when the rubber really hits the road and the GOP really opens itself up to charges of hypocrisy is if and when it tries to pass this bill through reconciliation and likely with no bipartisan support. Just like Republicans attacked Democrats for doing almost exactly seven years ago.

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Republicans are rushing right into charges of Obamacare hypocrisy - Washington Post

Cameron Pollack / Sun Photography Editor

Rep. Tom Reed holds a town hall meeting at the Southside Community Center on Saturday.

Claire Forest, who runs the Forest Family Farm near Ithacas South Hill, braved the cold to attend a town hall for Rep. Tom Reed (RN.Y.) early Saturday morning and to protest Reeds support of hydraulic fracturing because of the effects it would have on her farmland.

I was supposed to prune my fruit trees today, she said. But instead, Im here.

Forests voice was one of many that rang out at the Southside Community Center, where Reed held the first of four scheduled town halls Saturday. Despite stinging winds and bone-numbing cold, hundreds of constituents and protesters showed up before 6 a.m. to get tickets and waited until doors the to Southside gymnasium opened at 7.

Cameron Pollack / Sun Photography Editor

The Southside Community Center was filled with posters and a chanting crowd criticizing the Republican congressman at his town hall meeting.

Reed was met with a crowd of constituents both angry and appreciative inside, including those who insisted on quieting the attendees and letting the congressman speak. As the town hall continued, the crowd grew substantially, topping 500 by the meetings conclusion and drowning out his voice with loud boos and chants of Do your job!

When Reed entered the gymnasium, he addressed the crowds concerns that he might not show up.

Ive been here in Ithaca before, I will be in Ithaca again, and Im here today because I care, he said. I care.

Do you? a constituent shouted back.

The remainder of the town hall followed this same pattern; attendees, most of whom were progressive, were given two signs a green Agree sign and a red Disagree placard.

At various points, such as when Reed voiced his opposition to single-payer healthcare, or an all of the above energy policy, the crowd turned into a sea of red. When audience members voiced support for coverage of people with pre-existing conditions, that sea of red turned green.

The audience stretched their arms up holding signs that read, Drain the Swamp, Uproot the Reeds, Trump Care = Wealth Care, Tom Greed: Ruining Our Medicare and Raising Our Property Taxes and Who Would Jesus Deport.

Cameron Pollack / Sun Photography Editor

Rep. Reed was met with furious constituents again at his second town hall in Ithaca this year.

Cornell Prof. Chris Schaffer, biomedical engineering, confronted Reed directly, calling President Donald Trumps new ban idiotic and voicing concern over its effect on one of his Iranian students ability to travel.

Most of the discussion in the town hall, however, was focused on healthcare policy, and Reeds support of the Republican Partys repeal and replace plan, which focuses more on subsidizing costs of insurance through tax credits based on age and income brackets, rather than based on the cost of insurance in a given area, as done under the Affordable Care Act.

For Kevin Kowalewski 17, president of Cornell Democrats, much of the crowds exasperation was directed toward the Republican plan to replace the Affordable Care Act, which is being rushed through the House of Representatives.

What theyre trying to do with the Affordable Care Act is simply not acceptable, he told The Sun. This massive turnout is emblematic as to how much people actually care about the issue.

David Halpert, a pediatric neurologist at Cayuga Medical Center, entered the gym toting a sign made by his wife Teresa How many lies are too many lies? and expressed concern over access to care in rural counties like Tompkins.

Cameron Pollack / Sun Photography Editor

David Halpert, an Ithaca neurologist, criticized the proposed Republican health care plan at Reeds town hall.

From Halperts initial question, Reed was jeered and hissed at by the audience as he announced the Houses health care bill. The reforms that will replace the Affordable Care Act will be phased in over the next 12 to 24 months, Reed said, adding refundable tax credits, changes to health savings accounts and removal of tax increases.

Reed said he will also prioritize Medicaid expansion for a transition period, expanding state level discretion on Medicaid programs with a $100 million investment and a switch to per capita-based Medicaid block grants aimed to help patients in low-volume hospitals in rural areas.

His words prompted shouts of disagreement, but Reed retained his unwavering stance.

Clearly, the Affordable Care Act is not working and we need to move forward, he said.

Jim Skaley, of Dryden, expressed concern over the stability of his medicare and the cost of his private insurance premiums.

If the Congressional Budget Office comes out and says that millions of people are going to lose insurance, Id like to see [Reed] vote no, he said.

One woman confronted Reed over his desire to defund Planned Parenthood, accusing him of trying to defund the organization based on his personal beliefs, not based on the beliefs of everybody in [his] constituency.

Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton (D-125) joined the dissatisfied crowd, pointing out that New York would lose $3.7 billion every year in health care funding under the new proposal, in addition to a $3 million cut from hospitals and more than $1 million from Tompkins County, where she said 8,000 people depend on Obamacare.

Insurance exchanges are going to collapse, she said. Very quickly, people are going to lose their health insurance.

Over chants of represent us! Reed responded, I am honored to represent 717,000 people, and each one of those voices is important to me, before handing the microphone to a more supportive constituent, Thomas Taylor, of Elmira, the only person in the gymnasium wearing a Make America Great Again hat.

Cameron Pollack / Sun Photography Editor

Thomas Taylor was one of the few supporters of Reed and President Donald Trump in attendance at the town hall.

While Trump supporters were sparse at the meeting, Taylor was not afraid to make his stance known.

President [Barack] Obama once said that elections have consequences, Taylor reminded the audience, which repeatedly interrupted him. Last November, we had an election. The positions of both candidates were very clear.

Now, Congressman, Taylor said, who are you going to represent? The people who elected you, or the people who lost?

Your voice does have an impact on me, Reed said, met by a scornful laughter, which continued as he discussed his disapproval for a single payer system and his commitment to cutting back environmental regulations in support of the fossil fuel industry.

After Reed took questions from members of the public outside, Nia Nunn, president of the Southside Community Center Board, thanked Reed for attending, and invited him back, so we can talk about that Muslim ban, drawing laughs from the crowd.

Asked of Reeds performance at the town hall meeting, Ivy Greene 17, vice president of Cornell Democrats, said the congressmans answers were purposefully unclear.

We put in the effort to come here and we deserve clear, direct answers to our questions, she said. Im disappointed.

To Greene, the frustrated chants and interruptions were symptomatic of the lack of transparency and verity in political discourse.

We are not getting clear answers and true facts from our politicians, she said.

Greene said that, despite Reeds stated desire to have a dialogue with constituents, he seemed to purposely avoid a venue that would have accommodated more people. Some Ithacans wanted Reed to host the town hall at the State Theatre, which offered a vastly reduced price to the congressman.

As Reed made his way down Plain Street after the meetings end, most of the crowd dispersed to flee the bitter cold.

The few that followed him pressed him on Trumps refusal to release his tax returns, possible cuts to the National Endowment of the Arts and his support for the travel ban.

Asked repeatedly by members of the crowd when he would be returning to Ithaca, Reeds response was always the same:

Ill be back!

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Jeers, Protests Greet Republican Tom Reed in Ithaca - Cornell University The Cornell Daily Sun

You'd struggle to find an industry with a faster and more consistent long-term growth rate than the legal marijuana industry.

According to cannabis research firm ArcView, sales of legal weed in North America rose by 34% to $6.9 billion in 2016, and based on estimates from investment firm Cowen & Co., U.S. legal sales could reach $50 billion by 2026. For added context, ArcView estimates that North American black market sales totaled $46.4 billion last year.

Image source: Getty Images.

Marijuana's phenomenal growth rate comes on the heels of rapidly changing consumer opinions toward the substance, as well as an influx of investing dollars and government interest that wants a piece of the "pot pie," so to speak.

In the year before California became the first state to legalize medical cannabis for compassionate use, only 25% of respondents in Gallup's marijuana poll wanted to see it legalized nationally. In 2016, the same survey yielded an all-time high of 60% of respondents that would like to see it legalized.

Likewise, rapid growth in the industry is attracting venture capitalists, as well as state governments that envision marijuana opening up new revenue channels. For instance, the passage of Prop 64 (recreational marijuana initiative) in California is expected to add, at minimum, $1 billion in extra tax and licensing revenue per year. Considering California's penchant for running a budget deficit, this added revenue should be a welcome sight for state legislators.

But at the end of the day, pot remains a schedule 1 drug at the federal level, meaning it's deemed to have no medically beneficial qualities, and is therefore illegal. This scheduling means a mountain of obstacles for medical and recreational weed companies alike.

Image source: Getty Images.

As an example, marijuana companies are often unable to open a checking account or obtain a line of credit with financial institutions because they're selling a federally illegal substance. It's not that banks don't want to deal with pot companies, as there would be a presumed massive growth opportunity available to the currently underbanked industry. It's that banks ultimately answer to the federal government, and at the federal level marijuana is still illegal. Thus, allowing cannabis companies to open a checking account or borrow money could be construed as money laundering and expose any and all financial institutions participating to be fined. Plus, it also means marijuana businesses have to deal in cash, which can be a major security concern.

Another good example is corporate income tax. Marijuana businesses are severely hampered by U.S. Tax Code 280E, which disallows businesses that sell a federal illicit substance from taking normal business deductions. This essentially means pot businesses are paying tax on their gross profits instead of net profits, which leaves less money left over for hiring and business expansion.

Congressional lawmakers have repeatedly opined that they'd need more conclusive benefit and risk data from clinical studies to merit any sort of scheduling change on marijuana, but the Catch-22 is that its restrictive schedule 1 status makes running these needed studies practically impossible.

However, this Catch-22 may soon come to an end if Republican Tom Garret of Virginia gets his way. On Feb. 27, Garrett introduced the "Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2017," which would take marijuana off the federally controlled substances list, placing it on par with the alcohol and tobacco industries.

Image source: Getty Images.

Here's what Garrett had to say:

I have long believed justice that isn't blind, isn't justice. Statistics indicate that minor narcotics crime disproportionately hurt areas of lower socio-economic status and what I find most troubling is that we continue to keep laws on the books that we do not enforce. Virginia is more than capable of handling its own marijuana policy, as are states such as Colorado or California.

This step allows states to determine appropriate medicinal use and allows for industrial hemp growth, something that will provide a major economic boost to agricultural development in Southside Virginia. In the coming weeks, I anticipate introducing legislation aimed at growing the hemp industry in Virginia, something that is long overdue.

There are, in particular, two unique aspects about this bill.

First, it was introduced by a Republican! Polling has shown that only two groups oppose the nationwide legalization of marijuana: 1) Seniors by a narrow margin, and 2) Republicans! In fact, of the 22 states that haven't legalized medical marijuana yet, a good number of them are led by Republicans. The fact that a Republican lawmaker is suggesting that marijuana be federally decriminalized and rescheduled should tell you just how far things have come for the industry over the past two decades.

Secondly, unlike the similar legislation that Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) introduced in 2015, Garrett's bill already has co-sponsors. Considering how strong the public's support for marijuana is, Garrett's bill may actually have a shot at working its way through Congress and at least being voted upon.

While Garrett's bill would seem to be a step in the right direction based on the desires of the public, it's still far too early to pop the champagne and celebrate.

Image source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Flickr.

Donald Trump, who during his campaign suggested that he would support state's rights once in office, has apparently backed off that approach. White House press secretary Sean Spicer recently noted that the federal government could be looking to step up enforcement of recreational marijuana in the months and years to come. No details were given as to how extensive this increase in federal enforcement would be, nor when exactly it might begin.

Also, Trump's Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, is clearly no fan of marijuana. While in the Senate, Sessions could arguably have been described as the most ardent opponent of pot. Though Sessions commented that he would follow the president's policies on marijuana during his confirmation hearings, it's pretty evident based on his past views that he doesn't support the expansion of marijuana in any form.

This essentially means that cannabis is continuing to fight an uphill battle, which isn't good news for businesses or investors who want to invest in these businesses. The industry's growth is clearly undeniable, but until there's a clearer path forward to decriminalization, investors would be wise to keep their distance.

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Say What? A Republican Just Introduced a Bill to End the Federal Prohibition of Marijuana - Motley Fool

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New York Times

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Republican Health Plan Could End Insurance Coverage of Abortion - New York Times