The main takeaway from Saturday night’s Senate vote that advanced the GOP’s mega bill is that, while millions of Americans are now closer to losing health insurance and access to food assistance, the jobs of 51 Republican senators are safe…  at least until the public begins to experience the effects of this monstrosity.

Then, some of those lawmakers will be in deep trouble.

For now, however, voting for the “Big, Beautiful Bill,” which may be big but holds some nasty surprises for Americans (at least those not making hundreds of thousands of dollars annually) was the politically more expedient move for those senators who were on the fence as to whether they should kill some of their constituents or incur the wrath of Donald Trump and get a primary challenger.

That’s not hyperbole, by the way.

Researchers estimate that thousands of Americans will die early because of the Medicaid cuts and other provisions in the bill.

Of course, as Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) pointed out so astutely last month, “We are all going to die,” and there is always Jesus to turn to.

Ernst Doubles Down: The Poor Need Jesus, Not Health Insurance

Also, those people will be poor, so, in the eyes of the GOP, they apparently count less than the ultra-rich. And, in any case, the lavish tax cuts for billionaires included in the bill won’t pay for themselves, so somebody will have to end up holding the bag.

The 51-49 vote that advanced the legislation and puts it on track for final passage as early as Monday was preceded by the usual theater.

Conservative Republicans threatened to withhold their support for the bill because it didn’t punish the poor enough while “moderates” knew that there is nothing “beautiful” about the measure and that it will put their reelection in peril.

However, to get there, they need to first survive their primaries, and Trump has made it quite clear that he will punish those who do not bend to his will.

In the end, as they always do, they all folded, and their lamentations were just postering.

Of course, some of the “holdouts” got actual concessions, such as Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), who is one of the few GOP lawmakers who says some of the things out loud that others are only whispering behind closed doors, for example that Republicans are afraid of Trump and his followers… and it is a fear that goes beyond their political survival.

Before agreeing to support the bill, Murkowski secured a whole bunch of goodies for Alaska, which will now be spared from some of the cuts Americans in other states will have to endure.

While she may not realize it, this speaks volumes of the benefits of this bill. Essentially, Murkowski is saying that she will only vote for it as long as Alaskans don’t bear the brunt of what’s in it.

That doesn’t sound so beautiful after all.