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‘This is sabotage, plain and simple’
‘This is sabotage, plain and simple’
By Steve Benen
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), who’s never been the Affordable Care Act’s biggest fan, appeared on MSNBC yesterday to join the critical chorus. In reference to the Obama administration, the conservative Democrat said, “The bottom line is that they messed up, they messed up royally. There’s no excuse for this.”
The administration’s missteps have been well documented, and officials have earned much of the criticism they’ve received. But to say there’ “no excuse” is to overlook Republican sabotage efforts that have made a real difference.
Todd Purdum recently made the case, for example, that “calculated sabotage by Republicans at every step” is a “less acknowledged cause” of the rollout’s troubles. Jamelle Bouie added this week, “If Republicans have shown anything over the last four years, it’s that they’ll do anything to stop the Affordable Care Act, even if it amounts to legislative sabotage.”...the scope of these unprecedented efforts to undermine a federal law...include blocking necessary resources needed for implementation, public misinformation campaigns, discouraging public-private partnerships to denying blocking Medicaid expansion, blocking CMS nominees, refusing to create marketplaces, and prohibiting “Navigators” from doing their jobs. But the campaign is arguably intensifying now.
Dana Milbank reports on House Republican leaders who emerged from their weekly meeting yesterday and tried to scare the bejesus out of Americans.
The quotes from House GOP leaders are rather remarkable. Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) said health care reform may lead to identity theft; Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) falsely claimed “premiums are going right through the roof”; Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) warned that consumers who visit healthcare.gov may become victims of fraud; and Caucus Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) said vulnerable constituents may be put “on the casualty list.”
- more -
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/sabotage-plain-and-simple
By Steve Benen
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), who’s never been the Affordable Care Act’s biggest fan, appeared on MSNBC yesterday to join the critical chorus. In reference to the Obama administration, the conservative Democrat said, “The bottom line is that they messed up, they messed up royally. There’s no excuse for this.”
The administration’s missteps have been well documented, and officials have earned much of the criticism they’ve received. But to say there’ “no excuse” is to overlook Republican sabotage efforts that have made a real difference.
Todd Purdum recently made the case, for example, that “calculated sabotage by Republicans at every step” is a “less acknowledged cause” of the rollout’s troubles. Jamelle Bouie added this week, “If Republicans have shown anything over the last four years, it’s that they’ll do anything to stop the Affordable Care Act, even if it amounts to legislative sabotage.”...the scope of these unprecedented efforts to undermine a federal law...include blocking necessary resources needed for implementation, public misinformation campaigns, discouraging public-private partnerships to denying blocking Medicaid expansion, blocking CMS nominees, refusing to create marketplaces, and prohibiting “Navigators” from doing their jobs. But the campaign is arguably intensifying now.
Dana Milbank reports on House Republican leaders who emerged from their weekly meeting yesterday and tried to scare the bejesus out of Americans.
The Republicans’ scary-movie strategy has some logic to it: If they can frighten young and healthy people from joining the health-care exchanges, the exchanges will become expensive and unmanageable. This is sabotage, plain and simple – much like the refusal by red-state governors to participate in setting up the exchanges in the first place.
The quotes from House GOP leaders are rather remarkable. Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) said health care reform may lead to identity theft; Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) falsely claimed “premiums are going right through the roof”; Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) warned that consumers who visit healthcare.gov may become victims of fraud; and Caucus Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) said vulnerable constituents may be put “on the casualty list.”
- more -
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/sabotage-plain-and-simple
The Morning Plum: On Obamacare, a stark racial divide
By Greg Sargent
The current battle over Obamacare — particularly its focus on those losing plans or seeing higher premiums — goes right to the heart of a political problem the law’s proponents have had since the beginning: Many perceive the law as an expansion of the safety net for other people, i.e,, poor people, not something that will help them or the middle class.
A new National Journal poll illustrates that this dynamic is very much alive — but it also explains why Democrats are still better off sticking with the law, and even why the GOP position of full repeal may not be a winner over the long term.
The poll finds solid majorities of Americans still believe the law will help the poor (59 percent) and people without insurance (63), but minorities of Americans think the law will help the whole country (42-51) and middle class (39-53).
But, crucially, there is a divide on this question that breaks down on racial and class lines, with core Dem groups continuing to believe the law will benefit the whole country, while core GOP groups think it will only help others. Ron Brownstein digs into the numbers:
On this question, Obama continues to face enormous skepticism from groups traditionally critical of him (about two-thirds of noncollege whites, just over three-fifths of rural residents, and nearly three-fifths of whites above 50 thought it would make things worse for the country). But, compared with the question about the law’s personal impact, the president rallied more support from groups favorable to him, with nearly three-fifths of minorities and almost exactly half of college whites saying the law would do more to make things better than worse for the country overall.
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2013/11/20/the-morning-plum-on-obamacare-a-stark-racial-divide/
The Real Victims
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024059104
This is the Republican strategy on every issue: screw the disadvantage by finding a wedge.
Oklahoma Drops National Guard Benefits For All Couples To Avoid Serving Same-Sex Couples
http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2013/11/19/2970531/oklahoma-national-guard/
In the case of health care, it's the select group who can afford coverage and have access via the individual market over the poor who fall into the gap created because Republicans are blocking the Medicaid expansion in some states.
The media's role is to ensure that the law gets maximum negative press. Where Democrats, even though they had serious problems with the law as passed, cooperated with Republicans on the implementation of Medicare Part D, Republicans aren't interested in making the ACA work.
Think about Medicare Part D and its donut hole. Democrats helped to implement the law, and then worked to close the donut hole via ACA. The Medicare Part D law was extremely unpopular among seniors.
Affordable Care Act continues to outpoll Bush's Medicare Rx launch
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/11/19/1256789/-Affordable-Care-Act-continues-to-outpoll-Bush-s-Medicare-Rx-launch
I'm sure the media will ensure the ACA reaches similar level in the polls, which still aren't consistent.
WaPo/ABC and CBS show huge drops (http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024063411), but Reuters and National Journal don't (http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024058205).
Why the disparity?
When are these news organizations going to talk about the improving enrollment numbers?
Reports: Obamacare Enrollment On The Rise
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024057644
Obamacare enrollments surging, HealthCare.gov working better
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/11/19/1256749/-Obamacare-enrollments-surging-HealthCare-gov-working-better
Republicans are doing their best to create the impression that the law helps only a few people, and no one is calling them on this.
While it doesn't change the system for many employer-based plans, it provides huge benefits for everyone from kids with pre-existing conditions to seniors struggling with the donut hole.
Republicans don't care if you die without health care.
Republicans love Batkid, but they don't want him to have health care coverage
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/11/19/1256738/-Republicans-love-Batkid-but-want-to-let-insurers-refuse-to-provide-him-health-coverage
Now, if only Democrats would stay strong for the millions of uninusured.
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Another excellent and informative post, Pro. Thanks.
-Laelth
