Must Reads

Sovereign Voice, Addicting Info: Paul Ryan: ACA Law Should Be Repealed Because Only God Can Grant Rights

Paul Campos: Roberts wrote both Obamacare opinions

John T. Harvey: The Terrifying Texas GOP Platform

Jason Easley: Michele Bachmann Uses Info From a Chain Email to Lie about ObamaCare Home Sale Tax

Ron Howard: What I learned from Andy Griffith

Howard Gleckman: There Is No Obamacare Tax On Most Home Sales. Really.

Wall Street Journal Editorial: Romney's Tax Confusion

Philip Rucker: Romney to bolster communications team amid conservative tempest

JM Ashby: Nobody Could Have Predicted

Ben Cohen: Mitt Romney’s Healthcare Flip Flops a Lesson in Modern Marketing

The Rude Pundit: What Mitt Romney May as Well Have Said at Today's "News" Conference

Carol Hartsell: Chris Rock 'White People's Day' July 4th Tweet Sparks Controversy

President Obama's Weekly Address - July 7, 2012

Pushing Congress to Create Jobs, Keep College in Reach for Middle Class

Governor Tony Soprano

I'm really getting tired of the Chris Christie good fella-slant nose-goombah shit. Here's the Intrepid* governor addressing one of his constituents when said voter dared to question the Emperor on his education agenda.

While on vacation with his family in Seaside Heights, N.J. on Thursday, the Republican governor lashed out at a passerby who, according to TMZ, made a derisive comment about his education policies. 

"You're a real big shot," Christie fired back at his heckler. "You're a real big shot shooting your mouth off." 

The man responded: "Just take care of the teachers." 

Christie approached the man, yelling at him to "keep walkin' away ... keep walkin'." A man accompanying Christie then put his hand on the governor's shoulder and walked with him in the opposite direction.

Remember, this is the same Governor whose administration blew a $400 million federal education grant at Christie's insistence. The reason: he wasn't satisfied with the deal that was made with the Teachers' Union and made his education staff reapply for the grant at the last second, causing confusion and ultimately leading to accidental omission of information and a loss of the federal grant money.

And for God's sake, put the ice cream down, Governor. Hot day? Try some water... or maybe a lemonade.

(*Intrepid as in the size of an aircraft carrier, not the actual definition of the word.)

Mitt Admits Mandate a Good Thing

Long, long ago, in a fantasy world far, far away (2010), a man named Mitt was trying twisted logic on questions regarding the health care law, insisting that there are differences between Romneycare and Obamacare, but admitting there are similarities and that the mandate is a good thing.

(Via Under the Mountain Bunker)

 

ROMNEY: "The similarities are that we have an incentive to become insured. And the incentive works - we have 98% of our citizens in Massachusetts that are insured, so that's working. Another similarity is you can't be denied insurance coverage because you have a preexisting condition, or if you change jobs you don't need to worry about losing your insurance, so our insurance is entirely portable. Those are perhaps the most important or well known similarities. 

We also have in place an exchange which allows individuals to purchase insurance at very low rates because you have the entire state as a pool of citizens. Everybody's in the insurance pool, as a result the rates are much lower than they otherwise would be."

Okay, let's stop there for a minute.

What's Romneycare's incentive to become insured? The individual mandate, that's what. Logic would dictate that a larger pool of arguably healthier people, whether it be across a state or across the country, would also result in lower rates across the board.

As far as the exchanges that are similar in the plan, it would be nice if Republican governors across the country would actually put them in place as is the law, and not ignore it, thereby ignoring their respective constituents' health care needs. Now, as for the differences...

ROMNEY: "The differences: One is, our plan was a state plan. I believe in Federalism. I believe the 10th Amendment gives to the states the right to create their own health insurance programs rather than have the federal government intrude on the rights of states. That's number one.

Number Two - Ours didn't raise taxes. The President's raises taxes by about a half a trillion dollars. 

Number Three - We didn't cut Medicare. His cuts Medicare by about a half a trillion dollars. 

And one more difference that is a problem from my standpoint is the price controls he puts in place. The government pricing insurance is, in my view, a recipe for difficulty and will end up encouraging the government to get in the insurance business. I think that's a mistake."

Let's go over the "differences" one at a time, shall we?

One: Yes, one the differences is that Mitt's is a state plan. That's the difference between state and federal. As far as the 10th Amendment? "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people," though I'm not a Constitutional scholar or a lawyer, it seems to me that Article I, Section 8 supersedes  the 10th Amendment: "The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and GENERAL WELFARE of the United States..."


Two: Mitt claims his plan didn't raise taxes only because he didn't call his mandate a tax. They called it a penalty. And a quick look at verified Wikipedia information actually calls it a "tax penalty."

"[Romneycare] included tax penalties on residents for failing to obtain an insurance plan and tax penalties on employers for failing to offer an insurance plan to employees. In 2007 Massachusetts tax filers who failed to enroll in a health insurance plan which was deemed affordable for them lost the $219 personal exemption on their income tax. Beginning in 2008, the penalty became pegged to 50% of the lowest monthly premium for insurance available from [the state's insurance exchange clearinghouse.]"

Three: Medicare was not cut by half a trillion dollars. The savings to Medicare comes from the Medicare Advantage or  Part C overpayments due to their being tied to private insurance carriers.

There is considerable confusion about what the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (or ACA) of 2010 did with respect to Medicare Advantage. As part of a broad set of reforms aimed to control the cost of Medicare, the ACA eliminated subsidies which the federal government first used to establish the Medicare Advantage program...  As of 2008, the federal government spent 12 percent more on Medicare Advantage than it did for comparable care under traditional Medicare. These subsidies (which added an additional $14 billion to the Medicare program last year alone) will gradually be reduced until payments to Medicare Advantage are in line with the cost of traditional Medicare.

Traditional Medicare will now cover what Part C did, something that should have happened when it was first implemented.

In any event, Obamacare does not cut Medicare benefits, but you won't hear that from the opposition. They'll just tell you that ACA cuts Medicare by $500 billion as a scare tactic, and not that it saves the government $500 billion in Medicare costs. And these finger pointers are the same people who want Medicare dead in the first place - or have seniors left to their own devices by putting a voucher program in place that wouldn't cover their insurance costs.

Also, Mitt, you didn't cut Medicare because you CAN'T cut Medicare. It's one of those "intrusive federal government programs" you were yapping about when you were going on with the 10th Amendment drivel. But go ahead and ask your state's and the country's seniors how they like that intrusion of their lives.

And finally there's this price control nonsense. I don't understand exactly what he was talking about because it was probably some talking point he spouted out, but my only guess it the ACA's provision that health insurance companies use at least 80% of your premiums on health care costs instead of overhead, advertising and profits. $1.1 billion in insurance rebates are headed our way because of Obamacare. I'll take it.

Cartoon of the Day

It's a Tax, It's a Penalty, It's Both!

Here's Mitt Romney during the 2008 Presidential Primary debates explaining that the mandate in Romneycare for Massachusetts is a good thing.

 

Fast forward four years and one Affordable Healthcare Act constitutionally upheld by the Supreme Court and here's Mitt Romney's Senior Campaign Advisor, Eric Fehrnstrom, outraged at Obama's "tax" and that Romneycare's mandate was a "penalty," not a tax, and twisting himself into a pretzel to describe... I don't know, you tell me.





Here's Mitt Romney 48 hours later, after realizing his message was going against the entire party, which thought beating the "it's a tax" message like a baby seal was good thing, telling us it's a tax.




Sorry Mitt, I know you don't want to stand on anything that you can be called on until after November, but eventually the lies and tangled webs are going to catch up to you.

Happy Independence Day

Credit Where Credit Is Due?

Not likely.

Republicans were o so quick to blame President Obama when prices were soaring and drivers were paying $4 per gallon on average to fill their tanks. Sen. John Barasso (R-Wy.) held the President "fully responsible" for the price of gas. Florida wingnut Allen West bitched about having to pay $70 to fill his Hummer. Yes, a fucking HUMMER. And don't we all remember then GOP primary candidate Newt "The Sky Is Falling" Gingrich predicting gas prices at $10 per gallon? Ah, the halcyon days.

But then just a few days ago, when it was noticed that gas prices have been steadily going down for a few months, the same intrepid politicians who were blaming the President and his policies for high gas prices, were a little less enthusiastic to give him credit for the price drop.

Barasso: “People are still feeling pain at the pump and pain at the plug, and it’s a result of the administration policies...”

West: “If you’re the chief executive officer of the United States of America, you should take responsibility for anything that’s occurring in this country, and you should not want to seek to get praise,” even though I don't remember President Obama looking for praise on falling gas prices. It was just a question from a reporter, Allen. And no, said reporter is not a communist.

Now, logic would dictate that if it was President Obama's policies that were causing the price of gas to increase, then those very same policies which are in place and haven't changed, are what's causing the price of gas to decrease. But hey, since when does the current Republican Party have anything to do with logic?

Granted, the rest of us in the real world understand that no administration or its policies really make an impact on the price of gasoline, a global commodity. The continuing debate and decisions on the XL Keystone Pipeline have nothing to do with what we pay at the pump, considering the fact that the oil isn't actually ours and it's put out on the global market just like the oil that's pumped out of Texas or Alaska, or Kuwait or Saudi Arabia.

So what are we to decipher when Donald "I have investigators in Hawaii" Trump (still waiting for the results of the investigation, by the way) makes the following statement?

...I think Saudi Arabia is doing Obama a big fat favor. I think he asked for the favor and prices are coming down, but also the economy's going bad so maybe it won't help that much. but as soon as -- assuming if Obama got elected, you're going to see something with oil like you've never seen before, it will go through the roof. The favor will be repaid many times over.

Wait, what? Is Donald Trump swimming against the Republican tide and actually giving President Obama credit for lower gas prices? Well, no, he's actually insinuating that the President is in cahoots with a Mooslim leader (you know, the same one that was kissing up to George W. Bush) but you get my point.

The Republicans and their wingnut supporters will do or say anything, ANTHING, to disparage, demean and discredit the President in order to push their twisted agenda.

Yawn of the Day

Huffington Post: Anderson Cooper has, at long last, publicly said he is gay. 

Cooper made the announcement in an email to writer Andrew Sullivan. 

"The fact is, I'm gay, always have been, always will be, and I couldn’t be any more happy, comfortable with myself, and proud," he wrote.

1 - We sorta figured it out a long time ago.

2 - Glad he made it public, but really, who cares?

Must Reads

Katherine Eban: The truth about the Fast and Furious scandal

EJ Dionne: Justice Scalia must resign

PHPGator: I am Republican, prepared to vote for Obama

Definition of Batshit Crazy Wingnuts

What you are about to see is a video of Congressional Rep. Jean Schmidt, Republican from Ohio, when she (as Fox News and CNN did) initially thought that the individual mandate on the Affordable Care Act was struck down by the Supreme Court. Hold on to your seats.

 

This is an elected representative acting like a spoiled child with Tourette Syndrome in public based on what she thought was a decision in favor of her ideology. I wish (and I hope someone has video out there) that we could have seen her reaction when she found out she was wrong. Did she run down the street tearing her hair out? Did she repeatedly slam her head against a wall? Did she self-immolate?

And she wasn't the only one. It seems that other Republican and conservative politicians, talking heads, pundits, bloggers and tweeters were apoplectic and hyperbole doesn't even begin to describe their reaction.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has vowed to "repeal Obamacare on Day One" of his presidency, as has Republican House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Radio host Michael Savage blamed Chief Justice Roberts' decision on his epilepsy medication.

Rush Limbaugh claimed "a giant, total fraud was perpetrated on this country." I don't remember such a reaction to Citizens United.

Indiana  Congressman Mike Pence compared the expansion of health care coverage to millions of Americans to the biggest terrorist attack on American soil. Yes, 9/11. Seriously.

Breitbart editor Ben Shapiro likened the ruling to the Dred Scott decision. You know, the 1850s ruling that stated people of African descent were property whether or not they were slaves. And he ended his tweet (yes, he tweeted that) with "This is the end of America as we know it. No exaggeration." Nope. No exaggeration there!

And you have your usual, standard fare racist tweets; a self avowed Christian asking why they should pay for some "dumb nigger['s]" insurance, and one gem blaming "that nigger Coonance Thomas" for the Supreme Court's decision, even though Thomas was one of four who dissented. Classy.

This is what we find not only from fringe wingnuts, but actual mainstream and in some cases duly elected wingnuts. Is mental health covered under Obamacare?

Donate -- YOU

Posted by JHW22

Are you a Democrat who is shy or nervous about talking politics yet you want to play a role in getting Obama re-elected? Well, I have a solution for ya.

You can register at www.barackobama.com and go to "volunteer" and make phone calls from your own home. You will have a simple script and they don't make you ask for money and they don't want you to try to convince anyone to vote for the man. They just want you to reach out and remind people of some of his accomplishments and maybe give some people who are on the fence a chance to talk to someone who is willing to make the time to call. I've done it and it's less intimidating after the first couple of calls. The people are nice or quick to dismiss you. I've never been yelled at and if I were to be, I can just end the call. You can pace yourself and probably find that the more calls you make, the less nervous you feel.

So, if you want to play a part but in a way that's less intimidating, consider this option. It's really easy and makes you feel like you did something productive. And it's free. So if you can't afford a donation, it's perfect!

Middle Ground

POSTED BY JHW22

Studies have shown that Dems/Libs have pretty much been even on their views for the last decades -- in some cases even moving more conservative. Based on policies, votes, etc, we really haven't moved further left or gone extreme.

On the other hand, the GOP/Cons have gone drastically farther right in that time frame.

So, when Dems are consistently representing their views, we appear as extreme as the right just because the debate itself has become so divided. So, when we say that it's hard to find middle ground, or that both parties yadda yadda, it's not always true. In most cases, the left is stating what they've always stated. The right has moved so far away that they changed where the middle is. In some ways it's created a framing problem that implies the left hasn't been cooperative, either.

But we have been and going anymore toward the middle would be us going off the consistent path we've been on.

I will always admit there are times when Dems (whom I know personally and whom I see on the teevee) do or say things that make me cringe and think tit-for-tat or hypocrisy is as unbecoming of us as it is of the right. I refuse to pretend we never do stupid shit that blows our credibility. To ignore when we do stupid shit makes us lose even more credibility.

But overall, the level of extreme stupidity and hypocrisy and dangerous rhetoric and stunting of progress falls wholly on the right.

So my frustration always rests on the passive or the folks who just don't like all the conflict. They pretend it's as much the left's fault as it is the right's. And it's not about sharing blame or properly placing blame or running to mommy and saying, "but they did it, too". What it's about is acceptance of reality. We can't get anywhere if even the sideliners don't accept that the left isn't being extreme. We are being consistent. The left isn't being difficult. We are being fair. The left isn't being combative. We are defending what we have always defended. The right has changed the rules even on those within their own party. The right has forged a new path that changes where the middle is. Just because Dems aren't moving to the new middle does NOT mean we're extreme. We're right where we've been for a long time. People need to stop pretending we are playing a role in divisiveness simply so they can play a responsible role in society.

Dewey Beats Truman!

What happened at Fox News and CNN?!

In what appears to be a case of premature ejaculation on the part of the networks for the intense need to come out with the Supreme Court decision on the Affordable Care Act first, they both got it wrong.

 

Now, while I understand the need to put out information as they get it, maybe they could get past the first page of a 50+ page ruling before jumping to conclusions. They were so intent on putting out the news that the individual mandate was not necessarily covered under the Commerce Clause, it is permissible as a tax, and in their haste, they assumed the mandate was struck down and got the story completely wrong. In the case of Fox News, I'm sure it was also a bit of wishful thinking on their part.

As for CNN, they have apologized for the mishap. No so at Fox.

Fox issued a combative statement in which the network claimed they "gave our viewers the news as it happened," and went on to say that CNN's reporting had been worse. CNN issued a statement hours earlier that included a full-throated apology for their misstep.

BREAKING: ObamaCARES UPHELD!!

Posted by JHW22

YES, I saved my Obama mug all week just for today and YES you bet your ass I'm drinking my coffee out of it. :)

UPDATE: 

Quote of the Day

“Journalism in this country has always prided itself on being fearless, independent, willing to push back on government. Now we’re not even willing to push back on our own critics.” 

~Suspended Politico journalist Joseph Williams on the Daily Caller's and Brietbart's Big Journalism bully tactics.

Nora Ephron Dies at 71

People Magazine: Nora Ephron, one of the most powerful figures in Hollywood as the creative force behind such blockbusters as You've Got Mail, Sleepless in Seattle and When Harry Met Sally, died on Tuesday at age 71.

The three-time Oscar nominee died in New York of pneumonia brought on by acute myeloid leukemia, her son Jacob Bernstein tells The New York Times.

Must. See. TV.

If you haven't caught the season premiere of HBO's The Newsroom, you're doing yourself a disservice. Here's part of the opening scene:



Set your DVRs.

UPDATE: For those who don't have HBO, you can view the first episode here.

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Dana Milbank: Nothing sweet about heckling Obama in the Rose Garden

Kate Conway: People with Down Syndrome Can Be Jerks, Too

Shaun, Addicting Info: The Right Wing Does Not Understand What Racism Is And What It Isn’t

Justin Rosario: For My Conservative Friend: You’re Asking The Wrong Question.

Margaret and Helen: Vagina is a 6 Letter Word

Jason Easley: 3 Things Barack Obama Did That Ruined Mitt Romney’s Week

Jim Wright: The Real Entitlement Mentality

SCOTUS & American Families

POSTED BY JHW22

Next week the Supreme Court will rule on ObamaCARES.

In case you are wondering what will happen if they rule against it:

• the private policy I have for my son & me will go up several hundred dollars
• if I try to switch plans my son's peanut allergy will be a factor in whether he gets coverage
• my c-section (from 6 years ago) will be a factor in the price of our coverage
• we won't be guaranteed that our annual exams will be covered at 100%
• the website that helped me find the plan we're on now, which is super user-friendly, will go away

So, whether you realize the benefit of ObamaCARES or not, families like ours will notice when our needs are no longer being met. Families like ours will notice when capitalism is tipped away from the consumer and toward a corporate bottom-line yet again.

**UPDATE** in response to a friend who suggested the Public Option:

*IF* SCOTUS gets rid of ObamaCARES, we're not going to be any closer to a public option. Americans may want reformed health care, but they REALLY want jobs and if the message pivots away from jobs (even though health care impacts jobs) Americans will get frustrated. Not only that, the health reform debate dragged on FOREVER and I doubt Americans are going to want to enter that debate again soon enough to make a difference for the families affected by the overturn. If it's overturned now, we still have a R-controlled House. That means until a new House, we won't get ANYTHING, let alone a public option. So between now and January we'd be back to where we started. UNLESS SCOTUS overturned everything but the mandate -- WHICH insurance companies won't want them to do since the mandate is how they pay for all the other parts.

Unless you can see a way for us to replace ObamaCARES with a public option next week, that still doesn't help the immediate problem American families will face.

And unless we can guarantee Obama is re-elected and we give him a mature Congress that would be filibuster-proof, even come January families will likely still be suffering.

A lot of things would have to fall into place for a SCOTUS over-turn to be OK for American families. And a lot of time in between. Some families can't afford that in-between time right now.