Warren to Raise Money for Merkley in Oregon

Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren is bringing her name and fundraising prowess to Oregon next week to help her fellow Democrat, Jeff Merkley. Politico Playbook reports:

Elizabeth Warren heading to Oregon to help Sen. Jeff Merkley fend off an unexpectedly tough challenge: The senator is flying to Portland next Wednesday for a "grassroots fundraiser." Republicans nominated pediatric neurosurgeon Monica Wehby in Tuesday's primary, who they think can put the state on the map. Democrats have sent Andrew Zucker to be Merkley's deputy campaign manager, reassigning him from Louisiana - where he's been assisting Sen. Mary Landrieu's reelect. He ran communications for Ed Markey in the Massachusetts special election last June to fill the seat opened by John Kerry's elevation to State.

Merkley appears weaker than expected for reelection. One recent NPR poll found a third of registered voters in Oregon had no opinion or did not know of him, while other polls showed him below 50 percent support. The new Republican nominee, Monica Wehby, is considered even by GOP strategists to be a dark horse to win. Oregon remains a strongly Democratic state, but two factors give Republicans some hope in pulling off a surprise win.

The first is that Merkley might be considered an "accidental" senator. In 2008, incumbent Republican Gordon Smith had a moderately conservative record with some libertarian tendencies, but his party affiliation cost him in a year dominated by George W. Bush fatigue and high Democratic turnout to support Barack Obama for president. Still, Merkley, then the speaker of the state house, only beat Smith by three percentage points. Merkley was also didn't win a majority, winning just under 49 percent of the vote. Oregon may look and feel like a Democratic lock, but in 2008, that Senate race was one of the most watched and competitive of the cycle.

The second is that the politics of Obamacare in Oregon do not favor anyone who supports it. The implementation of the law has been a disaster, with the state-run health insurance exchange having so many problems that the program's been shut down and rolled into the federal exchange. (The FBI has been investigating the exchange, called Cover Oregon, for malfeasance, and just yesterday the state's U.S. attorney subpoenaed records from Cover Oregon.) Merkley voted for Obamacare in 2010 and continues to support the law, saying as recently as this month that it has "a lot that's going right in Oregon." As a medical doctor and former board member at the American Medical Association, Wehby has an added benefit of authority on the subject of health care, which may dominate the campaign.

Via: Weekly Standard

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Barber Calls President’s Obamacare Enrollment Claims ‘Spin at Best’

The Washington Free Beacon‘s Ellison Barber called President Obama’s recent Obamacare enrollment claims “spin at best” Friday during her appearance on The Real Story.

Obama told Democratic governors Thursday night that nearly 4 million have enrolled so far on the exchanges and close to 7 million Americans have access to health care for the first time due to Medicaid expansion.

“He said almost 4 million people have enrolled so far,” Barber said. “That number is 3.3 million, so I would say that’s kind of rounding up on the high end. I think it has to be 3.5 before you can round up to the next number. The enrollment number is closer to 3 million. That’s kind of the first problem. The other issue is going to be the number he gave for how many people have been able to get health insurance because of the Medicaid expansion. That’s 7 million. That I would say that’s spin at best and probably a little bit inaccurate.”

Barber also spoke about Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D., W.V.) alleged statement about wanting to repeal Obamacare. Manchin has since backtracked from those comments, saying he wants to get the law fixed, but Barber said remarks like those could be trouble for vulnerable Senate Democrats seeking re-election where Obamacare is unpopular.

“He’s not up for election right now, but since he is one of those red-state more conservative-leaning Democrats, what he says would impact the races that are going in other states like Kay Hagan (in North Carolina), Senator (Mary) Landrieu (in Louisiana),” Barber said. “It would put them in a tough position to come out and say something. I think it probably still will because he’s already said these, so I think he’s trying to backtrack now because he realizes, or someone said, you’re putting these guys in a tough position. Let’s not say that right now.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACCAjVE0vyMhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACCAjVE0vyM

Via: WFB

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Mary Landrieu expected for Energy chair, #Keystone approval, defeat in re-election.

Some people might think that this news might disappoint me, given that I am of course a partisan hack.

Senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana will probably become the chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee early next year, giving the gavel to a lawmaker with deep ties to home-state oil producers and refiners. The shift stems from President Barack Obama’s nomination of Democratic Senator Max Baucus of Montana to be U.S. ambassador to China, and the likelihood that the current energy panel chairman, Democratic Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon, will replace Baucus at the head of the Senate Finance Committee.

[snip]

The energy committee’s top Republican, Lisa Murkowski, hails from another oil and gas producing state, Alaska. That may improve chances for bipartisan alliances around industry priorities such as expanded exports of natural gas sought by Cheniere Energy Inc. (LNG:US) and Dominion Resources (D:US) Inc., as well as TransCanada Corp. (TRP)’s proposed Keystone XL pipeline.

Actually, it pleases me greatly. Senator Landrieu’s weakness this election cycle is not due to her energy policy positions; it’s because she’s a Democrat who provided the crucial 60th vote on Obamacare. Trying to get out of the way of that rapidly-approaching career-killer – and trust me: Obamacare is hurting Democrats most wonderfully dreadfully – by embracing the Keystone Pipeline will be very useful to the GOP, without noticeably changing the electoral calculus.  The truth of the matter is, Barack Obama rather badly wants to sign off on that stupid pipeline; the only reason that he hasn’t yet is because if Obama does then radical Greenies will rant and rave at the perceived slight to their religion.  Better by far if the Senate gives him a fait accompli. The President can blame the Senate, and Senate Democrats can shrug and piously claim that none of the environmentalist faithful voted for the pipeline.  Everybody wins.  Well, except for Landrieu in the long term.

And radical Greenies, of course.  And the best part?  There’s no reasonable chance that the radical Green movement can actually stop Landrieu from becoming Energy chair in the first place.  All bark, no bite from those guys.

Via: Red State

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Mary Landrieu and All That JAZZ

The Louisiana senator says she's pro-energy, but her PAC has raised a lot of money to elect opponents of the oil and gas industry.

Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu rolled out her pitch for a fourth term in an interview with the Times-Picayune in April. "I'm indispensable," she told the New Orleans newspaper, noting that her pull in the Senate would "secure for Louisiana a significant and reliable string of revenue."

As usual, Ms. Landrieu was talking about her efforts on behalf of Louisiana's oil and gas sector, the bedrock of the state's economy. She claims to be her party's fiercest advocate for that industry, and she talks extensively about her support for the Keystone XL pipeline, her opposition to industry taxes and her desire to rein in EPA regulations.

In the Times-Picayune interview, Ms. Landrieu emphasized her intentions to expand oil and gas production and speed up royalty payments to her state, hinting at greater influence in 2015 as potential chairwoman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

Behind the scenes, however, Ms. Landrieu has been working just as hard to make sure she's irrelevant. Through the auspices of JAZZ PAC, her leadership political action committee, she has from 2006 to 2012 contributed some $380,000 to re-elect some of the most ardent Senate opponents of the oil and gas industry. One result is a bloc of liberal members who easily cancel out Ms. Landrieu's votes and guarantee the defeat of legislation designed to help Louisiana.

Via: Wall Street Journal

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Daniel Henninger: Worse Than ObamaCare

Obama's biggest failure is that he hobbled the U.S. economy.

The ObamaCare train wreck is plowing through the White House in super slow-mo on screens everywhere, splintering reputations and presidential approval ratings. Audiences watch popeyed as Democrats in distress like Senators Kay Hagan, Mary Landrieu and Mark Pryor decide whether to cling to the driverless train or jump toward the tall weeds. The heartless compilers of the Washington Post/ABC poll asked people to pick a head-to-head matchup now between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. Mitt won. This is the most amazing spectacle of mayhem and meltdown anyone has seen in politics since Watergate.

No question, it's tough on Barack Obama. But what about the rest of us? For many Americans, the Obama leadership meltdown began five years ago.

In fall 2008, the U.S. suffered its worst financial crisis since the Depression. That wasn't Barack Obama's fault. But five years on, in the fall of 2013, the country's economy is still sick.

Unemployed middle-aged men look in the mirror and see someone who may never work again. Young married couples who should be on the way up are living in their parents' basement. Many young black men (official unemployment rate 28%; unofficial rate off the charts) have no prospect of work.

Washington these days kvetches a lot about what Healthcare.gov is doing to the Obama "legacy." Far worse than ObamaCare, though, is that the 44th president in his second term presides over a great nation that is punching so far below its weight that large swaths of its people have lost heart.

Via: WSJ

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Oppose Gimmick 'Fixes' to Obamacare

As chairman of the League of American Voters, a national grass-roots organization, I recently sent out this article urging a stop to Obama's political tactics regarding Obamacare.

Major supporters of President Barack Obama's Obamacare law are proposing new legislation to modify and "fix" problems associated with the new program.


Congress should reject any such legislation that offers minor adjustments to this radical law — unless significant changes are agreed to by President Obama and his supporters.


With the looming nightmare of 5 million Americans soon losing their current healthcare coverage, many leading supporters of the law, including President Obama himself, former President Clinton, and leading senators who backed the law such as Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, are pushing for legislation that will modify Obamacare and allow citizens to keep their current  insurance.

Urgent: ObamaCare Is About to Strike — Are You Prepared?


It's understandable why these senators and congressmen want a political "bailout."

These were the same people who claimed, along with Pres. Obama, that under the new law every American gets to "keep their doctor, and their healthcare plan."

Via: Newsmax

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Sen. Claire McCaskill on Obamacare: ‘The store is open and we’ve locked the front door’

Sen. Claire McCaskill, Missouri Democrat, said Thursday that people are able to “window shop” for health care on the federal government website at this point, but that “the store is open and we’ve locked the front door.”

“I think it’s probably more than a glitch,” she said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “I think it’s really important that people get in the store, because if they don’t get in the store, the prices continue to go up for everyone who’s going to shop late. So how do we fix this, and how do we get around what has become the most popular political two-by-four in a decade, and that is Obamacare and the misinformation about Obamacare that continues to be so prevalent out there?”

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SEE ALSO: White House tries to salvage Obamacare, Democrats in distress

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Ms. McCaskill said she believes that they can get it fixed, but wouldn’t say whether she would vote for a proposal from Sen. Mary Landrieu, Louisiana Democrat, that would allow individual insurance plans to be grandfathered in so people can keep what they have.

“It may be the Landrieu bill; it may be something else,” she said. “I don’t know if it’s going to pass, and I don’t know if what we vote on will ultimately be the Landrieu bill.”

Via: Washington Times

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[VIDEO] ObamaCare Freefall: Massively Low Enrollment Numbers, Democrats Panicking and Obama Scrambling

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White House tries to salvage Obamacare, Democrats in distress

The White House scrambled Wednesday to find solutions for the glaring failures in Obamacare as rebellious congressional Democrats pressured the administration over their increasing political predicament.

In a closed-door meeting at the Capitol, House Democrats blasted administration officials over their handling of the Obamacare rollout, and the White House’s failure to address Mr. Obama’s broken promise to Americans that they could keep their health insurance plans.

Top Senate Democrats, meanwhile, were giving more support to a legislative proposal that would allow people to keep their insurance plans. The White House said the proposal from Sen. Mary L. Landrieu, Louisiana Democrat, has more merit than a House Republican plan scheduled for a vote Friday.

Presidential aides wouldn’t commit to a specific fix.

White House press secretary Jay Carney said the president is trying to reassure congressional Democrats that he will decide on a solution “sooner rather than later."

“The frustration that Democrats who strongly support the Affordable Care Act and who strongly believe that it is the right thing to do … [feel] is similar to the frustration the president feels,” Mr. Carney said. “Nobody is satisfied.”

The reasons for the Democrats’ rising anger are clear. With website glitches and millions of constituents receiving insurance cancellation notices, lawmakers who supported the president’s health care reform plan are feeling more vulnerable about their re-election prospects next year, and many who fought for Obamacare are worried that its promise is being threatened by incompetence.

Via: Washington Times

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Landrieu’s Lie Costs 80,000 Louisianans Their Health Coverage

Posted November 5, 2013

80,000 Louisiana Residents Will Be Kicked Off Their Health Care Plans As A Result Of ObamaCare According To The Louisiana Insurance Commissioner. “About 80,000 Louisiana residents will see their health insurance policies canceled in 2014 because they don’t meet new federal health-care standards, the state’s insurance commissioner said Monday.” (Rebecca Catalanello, “80,000 Louisianians’ Health Insurance Policies Will Be Canceled Under Affordable Care Act,” The Times-Picayune, 11/4/13)

The Number Losing Their Insurance Represent Nearly Half Of Louisiana’s Individual Insurance Market. “The figure could account for close to half of the 165,000 people in Louisiana who hold individual health insurance plans that they pay for without the help of an employer or the government.” (Rebecca Catalanello, “80,000 Louisianians’ Health Insurance Policies Will Be Canceled Under Affordable Care Act,” The Times-Picayune, 11/4/13)

• “‘These People Were Obviously Satisfied With Their Insurance,’ Donelon Said, ‘And I Hope That They Don’t Drop Out Of The Market.’” (Rebecca Catalanello, “80,000 Louisianians’ Health Insurance Policies Will Be Canceled Under Affordable Care Act,” The Times-Picayune, 11/4/13)

LANDRIEU PROMISED THAT LOUISIANANS “WILL BE ABLE TO KEEP THEIR CURRENT PLAN,” BUT WENT BACK ON HER WORD

In 2009, Landrieu Said On The Floor Of The Senate That “Those Individuals Who Like The Coverage They Already Have Will Be Able To Keep Their Current Plan.” LANDRIEU: “Individuals and small businesses that do not have coverage would be able to select a private insurance plan from a range of options sold on a National Insurance Exchange. Lower and middle income people would receive subsidies to help them afford this insurance, while those individuals who like the coverage they already have will be able to keep their current plan. This is a very accurate description of this bill before us–the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.” (Sen. Mary Landrieu, Floor Remarks, 12/22/09)

Landrieu Had The Chance To Keep Her Promise In 2010, But She Didn’t

In 2010, Senate Republicans Attempted To Strike Down “The Obamacare Rule That Is Largely Responsible For Some Of The Health Insurance Cancellation Letters That Are Going Out.” “Senate Democrats voted unanimously three years ago to support the Obamacare rule that is largely responsible for some of the health insurance cancellation letters that are going out. In September 2010, Senate Republicans brought a resolution to the floor to block implementation of the grandfather rule, warning that it would result in canceled policies and violate President Barack Obama’s promise that people could keep their insurance if they liked it.” (Chris Frates, “Senate Democrats Supported Rule That Led To Insurance Cancellations,” CNN, 10/31/13)

The Resolution Would Have Struck Down HHS’s Grandfathering Provision That Was Intended To Help Americans Keep Their Insurance Plans. “The precipitating event was the federal regulation detailing the grandfathering provision of the law, which exempts existing health plans from certain requirements such as having to offer benefits without cost sharing. Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) introduced a resolution of disapproval calling for a do-over on the regulation, which many businesses say is too onerous.” (Julian Pecquet, “Grandfathering Vote Sparks Renewed Health Reform Debate,” The Hill’s Health Watch , 10/29/10)

Senate Democrats Voted Unanimously To Protect The Rule. “Senate Democrats voted unanimously three years ago to support the Obamacare rule that is largely responsible for some of the health insurance cancellation letters that are going out.” (Chris Frates, “Senate Democrats Supported Rule That Led To Insurance Cancellations,” CNN, 10/31/13)

• Landrieu Voted With Every Other Senate Democrat To Protect The ObamaCare Rule That Is Kicking People Off Of Their Plans. (S.J.Res 39, Roll Call Vote #244 , Defeated 40-59: R 40-0; D 0-59, 9/29/10, Landrieu Voted Nay)

LOUISIANANS WHO LOSE THEIR PLANS MAY END UP PAYING MUCH MORE UNDER OBAMACARE

Via: GOP.com

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Vulnerable Dem Sen. Mary Landrieu Hands GOP Challenger A Gift: “I Would Vote Again” For Obamacare, “I Am For The Affordable Care Act. Period. End.”…

Losing the argument and running out of ideas, Louisiana senator Mary Landrieu resorts to a tactic that worked wonderfully for President Obama.

As reported in Politico by Manu Raju:

“I would vote again for the Affordable Care Act. I’m for the Affordable Care Act. Period. End,” Landrieu said in a recent interview.

Evidently, as a rhetorical device, that “period” business isn’t really sufficient.  Tarnished, no doubt, by recent usage by the president.  Hence the “end.”

And if that doesn’t work.  Perhaps she should try shouting a little louder.

Via: Weekly Standard

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Flashback: Senate Democrats Killed 'Keep Your Plan' Enforcement Bill in 2010

Uh oh, Mary Landrieu and friends. Your 13th-hour ass-covering maneuver is being exposed as a political sham. How did every Senate Democrat vote back in 2010, when they could have made a difference to protect millions of Americans? CNN fires up the not-so-wayback machine:

 Senate Democrats voted unanimously three years ago to support the Obamacare rule that is largely responsible for some of the health insurance cancellation letters that are going out. In September 2010, Senate Republicans brought a resolution to the floor to block implementation of the grandfather rule, warning that it would result in canceled policies and violate President Barack Obama’s promise that people could keep their insurance if they liked it. “The District of Columbia is an island surrounded by reality. Only in the District of Columbia could you get away with telling the people if you like what you have you can keep it, and then pass regulations six months later that do just the opposite and figure that people are going to ignore it. But common sense is eventually going to prevail in this town and common sense is going to have to prevail on this piece of legislation as well,” Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley said at the time. “The administration's own regulations prove this is not the case. Under the grandfathering regulation, according to the White House's own economic impact analysis, as many as 69 percent of businesses will lose their grandfathered status by 2013 and be forced to buy government-approved plans,” the Iowa Republican said. On a party line vote, Democrats killed the resolution, which could come back to haunt vulnerable Democrats up for re-election this year. Senate Democrats like Mary Landrieu, Jeanne Shaheen, Mark Pryor, Kay Hagan and Mark Begich – all of whom voted against stopping the rule from going into effect and have since supported delaying parts of Obamacare.

Via: Townhall
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Landrieu Admits She Broke Her Promise

Posted October 30, 2013

Today, Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) Said She Would Offer Legislation To Stop People From Being Kicked Off Of Their Health Plans Due To ObamaCare. “Sen. Mary Landrieu said Wednesday she would propose legislation to ensure all Americans could keep their existing insurance coverage under Obamacare, a fresh sign of the political problems the law’s rollout has created for congressional Democrats. Landrieu, a Democrat who faces a tough reelection in Louisiana in 2014, said she would either offer her own bill or formally sign onto another measure that would ensure that the law would not force anyone off of their existing health policies.” (Manu Raju, “Landrieu To Propose Halting Vanishing Health Plans,” Politico, 10/30/13)

But Landrieu Was One Of The Many Democrats Who Promised ObamaCare Would Let People Keep Their Insurance

In 2009, Landrieu Said On The Floor Of The Senate That “Those Individuals Who Like The Coverage They Already Have Will Be Able To Keep Their Current Plan.” LANDRIEU: “Individuals and small businesses that do not have coverage would be able to select a private insurance plan from a range of options sold on a National Insurance Exchange. Lower and middle income people would receive subsidies to help them afford this insurance, while those individuals who like the coverage they already have will be able to keep their current plan. This is a very accurate description of this bill before us–the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.” (Sen. Mary Landrieu, Floor Remarks, 12/22/09)

Just Yesterday, Landrieu Said The Promise Had Been Kept, Claiming Democrats Had Only Promised That People Who Had “Good Insurance” Could Keep It. “According to Senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Democrats had only promised that Americans could keep their insurance if it was ‘good insurance.’ We said when we passed that, ‘If you had insurance that was good insurance that you wanted to keep it, you could keep it,’ Landrieu said.” (John McCormack and Michael Warren, “Senate Democrats Struggle To Defend Health Insurance Promises,” The Weekly Standard , 10/29/13)

Now Landrieu Is Blaming Obama For Her Broken Promise

Asked Today About People Losing Their Existing Health Coverage Due To ObamaCare, Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) Blamed Obama. “Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu, who like Begich is up for re-election in a Republican-leaning state, acknowledged that Obama’s claims were an important political sales pitch that she and other Democrats relied on to make their case for Obamacare.” (David M. Drucker, “Democrats Concede That Obama Oversold Promise For Health Care Law,” Washington Examiner , 10/30/13)

• Landrieu: “The President Said It Many, Many Times. … I Don’t Think He Intentionally Oversold It, But If That’s Not What’s Happening Then It Needs To Be Fixed, Because It Was Clearly A Promise That He Made.” (David M. Drucker, “Democrats Concede That Obama Oversold Promise For Health Care Law,” Washington Examiner , 10/30/13)

Via: GOP.gov

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