[VIDEO] Dem staffers on Capitol Hill shocked, shocked at ObamaCare costs

Sometimes, an introduction simply isn’t necessary:

Veteran House Democratic aides are sick over the insurance prices they’ll pay under Obamacare, and they’re scrambling to find a cure.

“In a shock to the system, the older staff in my office (folks over 59) have now found out their personal health insurance costs (even with the government contribution) have gone up 3-4 times what they were paying before,” Minh Ta, chief of staff to Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.), wrote to fellow Democratic chiefs of staff in an email message obtained by POLITICO. “Simply unacceptable.”

And as if that wasn’t enough schadenfreude for readers, here’s what comes next:

In the email, Ta noted that older congressional staffs may leave their jobs because of the change to their health insurance.

The change comes from the requirement built into the ObamaCare law itself that Congress not be exempt from its regulations.  That required “official” aides to move out of the Federal Employees Health Benefits program, which provided large taxpayer-financed subsidies to cover their gold-plated health insurance.  For older staffers, this is a problem — since under the group plan and heavy subsidies, they never had to pay the market price for individual coverage.

Until now, that is — and the result is actually the reverse of what everyone else is experiencing in the individual markets.  Everywhere else, younger people are seeing dramatic cost increases because (a) they are being forced into needless comprehensive policies, and (b) the age calculation is actually less dramatic, since ObamaCare requires community-based pricing as a means of redistributing those premium contributions to soften the blow for older participants.  The Capitol Hill staffers are discovering, however, what will happen whenemployer-based coverage starts disappearing, as it will next year when the employer mandates begin to take effect.  Tens of millions of Americans will be experiencing the same shock — right before the midterms in which the bosses of these staffers have to stand for re-election.

Good luck with that. This may be the most pertinent Captain Louis Renault Award ever given.

VIA: HOT AIR

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WND: Media Matters Funded ObamaCare Deceit

The progressive activist organization Media Matters for America funded the group that reportedly crafted President Obama’s false claim that Americans can maintain their “choice” of doctors and insurance plans.

The little-known Herndon Alliance has been behind the marketing of Obamacare since the inception of the legislation.

The Herndon Alliance is “the most influential group in the health arena that the public has never heard of,” reported Politico in 2009.

Politico said that when Obama repeatedly announced Americans can maintain their “choice” of doctors and insurance plans, he was “using a Herndon strategy for wringing fear out of a system overhaul.”

In June 2012, the Christian Science Monitor reported administration officials had been attending meetings with the Herndon Alliance and other organizations that support healthcare reform.

Via: WND

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Obamacare’s Website Debacles Migrate To Paper, Phone Applications

The rollout of Obamacare to date has been, as many predicted, the case study of everything that is wrong with a mandatory government-conceived, supervised and enforced program. Ignoring for a minute the daily embarrassment the Obama administration has to face with the well-documented failings of the HealthCare.gov website which on second glance should win Obama the Nobel Price for coding in Fortran (or  Cobol), and which seems set for a full-blown overhaul that would force a delay of the mandate whether Obama wants it or not, the several million “glitchy” lines of code have become the greatest gift the GOP could have asked for. A gift, which as the saying goes, keeps on giving. Because one of Obama’s suggested loopholes has been to advise people who can’t or won’t sign up online, to do so using old-fashioned means: by paper, pen or phone. Unfortunately, that’s where the rabbit hole just goes deeper, because as Politico reports, the glitches that started on line have rapidly shifted to the world of phone and mail, as virtually every pathway of enrolling into the enforced healthcare program is now hopelessly bottlenecked, if not entirely shut.

From Politico:

With the supposedly state-of-the-art $600 million HealthCare.gov portal malfunctioning, President Barack Obama is urging Americans to go ahead and try to get health coverage by mailing in a paper application, calling the helpline or seeking help from one of the trained “assisters.”

But the truth is those applications — on paper or by phone — have to get entered into the same lousy website that is causing the problems in the first place. And the people processing the paper and calls don’t have any cyber secret passage to duck around that. They too have to deal with all the frustrations of HealthCare.gov — full-time.

Via: Phil's Stock World
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Next up: Medicaid expansion meltdown

For those of you being entertained by the Obamacare disaster, I've got good news. Pop some more popcorn, sit back in your chair and watch the meltdown that will occur when the Medicaid expansion begins on November 1.

Politico:

A new phase of the Obamacare launch is coming, this one involving Medicaid. And it could be déjà vu all over again.

On Nov. 1, the health law's malfunctioning enrollment system is supposed to send reams of data to states so they can begin placing thousands of people into Medicaid. But state officials say that transfer system has barely been tested and could be vulnerable to technical failures like those that have crippled the broader Obamacare sign-up process.

"We're flying blind on what the process is," said Kathleen Nolan, state policy head of the National Association of Medicaid Directors. "There hasn't been the capacity to do a lot of the testing. ... There's a natural concern that with a major load of data to be sent all at once - there is concern that what has been tested may not be able to handle the volume."

It's a challenge for state governments, and people trying to sign up for the low-income health care program could be left unsure of their coverage status.

Via: American Thinker

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White House national security official fired for critical tweets

A White House national security official has been fired after he was revealed to be the man behind an anonymous Twitter account critical of the Obama administration. 

A senior administration official confirmed to Fox News that Jofi Joseph, a director in the nuclear non-proliferation section of the White House's national security section, was fired last week after he was discovered as being the man behind the "@netsecwonk" Twitter account. Joseph's firing was first reported by The Daily Beast. 

Joseph admitted he was responsible for the account in an email to Politico Monday evening, writing, "What started out as an intended parody account of DC culture developed over time into a series of inappropriate and mean-spirited comments. I bear complete responsibility for this affair and I sincerely apologize to everyone I insulted."

The account had been active since February 2011 and had been used to criticize the administration's policies and occasionally the personal qualities of its top officials. 

For example, according to Tweets saved by the Daily Beast before the "@natsecwonk" account was shutdown last week, White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett was referred to as a "vacuous cipher." 

Via: Fox News Political

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Bloomberg to Spend $1.1 Million for McAuliffe

Billionaire New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's pro-gun-control super PAC will finance $1.1 million in advertising for Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe in the final weeks of the race, Politico reported Monday.

The ads will roll out Tuesday. The election is Nov. 5.

McAuliffe journeyed to New York in August to seek the mayor's support.

Urgent: Should the House Have Agreed to Debt Deal? Vote Here 

Bloomberg, a political independent, has spent more than $15 million on various gun control initiatives — and spent $1 million helping elect Newark Mayor Cory Booker to a U.S. Senate seat in New Jersey's special election to replace the late Frank Lautenberg, who championed gun control, The New York Post reported.

McAuliffe supports stricter gun laws, including an assault weapons ban, universal background checks, limiting the size of magazines and preventing people from buying more than one gun a month.

Roll Call reported Monday that the political action committee of the National Rifle Association has spent $466,000 on television and Internet ads highlighting McAuliffe-backed gun control measures.

The campaign of Republican Ken Cuccinelli, who supports a focus on mental health to reduce gun violence, slammed the ads as out-of-state interference.

Via: Newsmax

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Carney Defends White House’s Decision To Keep Making Obama Propaganda Videos During Shutdown…

Priorities.The government shutdown hasn't stopped the White House from producing its weekly video update, but press secretary Jay Carney wouldn't say much Friday about why it had remained an "essential" function during the shutdown.

“Communications is part of what we do at the White House," Carney said in response to a question about the continued production of "West Wing Week," a video series narrated by principal deputy press secretary Josh Earnest.

He declined to say more, referring questions to the Office of Management and Budget, which didn't immediately respond to POLITICO's request for comment.

Via: Politico

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SHOCKER! Despite Being Taken Offline Over Weekend For Repairs, Obamacare Exchange Still A Glitch-Filled Mess…

It took them three 1/2 years to F**K it up and you expect to see it fixed on a weekend??  Dream on!!

Department of Health and Human Services officials announced late Friday that during "off peak" times over the weekend it would would be taking down the federal website meant to enroll Americans in President Obama's health care program to perform site maintenance.

"We expect that Monday, less than a week after the Marketplace opening, there will be significant improvements in the online consumer experience," HHS spokeswoman Joanne Peters promised in the release.

But when I attempted to visit Healthcare.gov this morning, I experienced the same problems I did before the maintenance.

The system wouldn't let me log into the account I created last week. When I attempted to create a new account, I got an error message that read, "Important: Your account couldn't be created at this time. The system is unavailable."

And apparently, I'm not alone. Jennifer Haberkorn, a health care reporter for Politico, also wrote on Twitter that she couldn't create an account on the web site.

Via: Washington Examiner

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Pelosi: Republicans Can’t Stand Obama Because He’s ‘Eloquent’ and ‘Effective’

HE MAY BE ELOQUENT (haha) BUT EFFECTIVE? EFFECTIVE AT LIES LIES, AND DAMN LIES

With the threat of a government shutdown looming over a conservative battle to defund Obamacare, tensions on Washington are reaching a fever pitch. It was with that likely in mind when Nancy Pelosiopened up to POLITICO about Republican hatred ofPresident Obama. She said she’s never seen anything quite like it before, and surmised that Republicans can’t stand Obama because he’s “eloquent” and “effective.”

Mike Allen asked Pelosi if the hatred is more “personal” than normal. Pelosi threw out this argument for why the GOP hates Obama so much.

“He has a vision for our country. He’s brilliant, has knowledge of the issues and judgment about what the right path would be, respectful of other people’s views, he thinks in a strategic way in how to get something done… and he’s complete eloquent to convey a message to the American people. That’s a package that they don’t like.”

She also added, “Look at me, I’m effective, I’m a target,” claiming she is also the target of a lot of GOP hatred because of how much she’s got done.

When Allen asked if she thought race factored into it, Pelosi simply answered, “You’d have to ask them.”

Watch the video below, via POLITICO:

Via: Mediaite.com

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Report: Biden Pressured Bloomberg To Endorse Obama, “Mike, There’s Too Much At Stake. We Really Need You To Do This”…

AP Photo

POLITICO's Mike Allen reports that it was Vice President Biden who nudged New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg into endorsing President Obama.

From Playbook:

Biden’s gift for reading people played a role in the endorsement. He and Bloomberg have been friendly for years, and have played golf together. The V.P. had called the mayor over the weekend, and the had talked several times this week about Sandy. Then yesterday morning, Biden was in Davenport, Iowa, about to go to church for All Saints’ Day. Finally, he made the ask, nudging Bloomberg toward the endorsement: “Mike, there’s too much at stake. We really need you to do this.” And the mayor did.

Bloomberg went on to endorse Obama in an op-ed at the news outlet that bears his name — citing Obama's positions on climate change, abortion, and gay marriage.

Via: Politico

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Biden: Tranny Discrimination “Civil Rights Issue Of Our Time”…

Vice President Joe Biden, leaving an Obama campaign office in Sarasota, singled one woman out because she had beautiful eyes, the pool reporter noted:

 She said something ...at first inaudible to pool, to which VP responded was the "civil rights issue of our time"

Pool later asked the woman, Linda Carragher Bourne of Sarasota about the exchange. She said her daughter was Miss Trans New England and asked if he would help them.

"A lot of my friends are being killed, and they don't have the civil rights yet. These guys are gonna make it happen," she told the pool.

Biden has long been a vocal advocate for LGBT rights -- most memorably getting out "a little bit over his skies," as President Obama put it -- when Biden endorsed same sex marriage before the president did earlier this year.

The vice president met with LGBT leaders at his Washington, D.C., home last month, including transgender advocates, according to the Easton Patch. The Obama-Biden administration was the first to send a representative to a trans-gender conference.

Via: Politico

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[VIDEO]Former VP Aide Writes Angry Tell-All, Trashes 'Financially Illiterate' Obama-Biden

Adding another wild-card to the 2012 campaign’s final days, a former aide to Vice President Joe Biden has written a tell-all Washington memoir in which he lacerates the former Delaware senator as an “egomaniacal autocrat” who was “determined to manage his staff through fear.”

The book is hardly an objective study of the vice president, however. Author Jeff Connaughton, a Biden Senate staffer turned lobbyist, is by his own admission deeply disillusioned with the capital and embittered about his experience with the man who inspired him to enter politics.

Connaughton wrote “The Payoff,” which came out last month, in the fashion of guilt-racked whistle-blower: he was a party to a corrupt system and now wants to blow the lid off the game.

(Also on POLITICO: Mitt borrows Obama campaign themes)

“I came to D.C. a Democrat and left a plutocrat,” he confesses.

As chief of staff to former Sen. Ted Kaufman (D-Del.), Biden’s successor, Connaughton was radicalized by his unsuccessful experience trying to get an amendment to the Dodd-Frank financial regulation bill that would have broken up the country’s largest banks. So he left Washington politics and wrote what he believes is the unvarnished truth about the country’s political system. The big reveal: Big banks control both parties.

“It’s time people understand why – and how – Wall Street always wins,” Connaughton writes at the outset of his book.

(Also on POLITICO: Voter tells Biden he's a 'good guy' but bad VP)

He is harshly critical of his own party and the Obama administration, arguing that the president is no different than most other Washington Democrats in his willingness to kowtow to Wall Street.

President Obama and Biden, he writes, are “both financially illiterate.”

“The Payoff” is every bit the cri de coeur of a man who, as he writes, is “willing to burn every bridge” in order to indict the transactional Washington lobbying and political culture. (After Kaufman’s term ended, Connaughton fled D.C. and moved to Savannah, Ga.)

Via:  Politico

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Bob Woodward on Obama's Sequestration Comments: 'What The President Said Is Not Correct'

Bob Woodward says President Barack Obama got some of his facts wrong on sequester at Monday night’s debate.

Woodward’s book, “The Price of Politics,” has been the go-to fact check source for the president’s answer, in which he claimed the idea of using deep, automatic, across-the-board domestic and defense spending cuts to force Congress to address the nation’s burgeoning federal deficit originated from Congress, not from the White House.

(Also on POLITICO: D.C. caught off guard by Obama sequester vow)

“What the president said is not correct,” Woodward told POLITICO Tuesday. “He’s mistaken. And it’s refuted by the people who work for him.”

Woodward, a Washington Post journalist who was a key reporter on the initial coverage of the Watergate scandal, said he stands behind his reporting in the book, which drew upon sources involved in last year’s deficit talks and detailed notes taken in the meetings.

(Also on POLITICO: Woodward's book: 5 telling moments)

Woodward reports in his book that White House Office of Management Director Jack Lew and Legislative Affairs Director Rob Nabors took the proposal for sequestration to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and then it was presented to congressional Republicans.

During the debate, however, Obama said the idea originated on Capitol Hill.

“First of all, the sequester is not something that I've proposed. It is something that Congress has proposed,” Obama said, adding his strongest pronouncement to date on its future: “It will not happen.”

Woodward said there’s a possibility the president was unaware of how the idea came about.

“It’s a complicated process — and in fairness to the president — maybe he didn’t know that they were doing this because it’s kind of technical budget jargon,” Woodward said.

Via: Politico

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MSNBC Host 'Lucky' to Get Paid Half as Much as Her Male Co-Host

This morning, as MSNBC's Morning Joe came to an end, co-host Mika Brzezinski had some praise for colleagues and the company she works for. "We've been talking a lot this week about women and equal pay and all these issues," she said. "I have to say, in all seriousness, I'm very lucky to be working with you [co-host Joe Scarborough] and for a company [MSNBC] who has actually dealt with this problem transparently."

Which basically amounts to Brzezinski saying that she is "lucky" to get paid half as much as Joe Scarborough.

After all, according to the Daily Beast (whose editor, Tina Brown, is a frequent guest on the show), Scarborough makes a cool $4 million per year, while Brzezinski's salary is half as much, coming in at $2 million per year.

Brzezinski's colleague Andrea Mitchell made this point on air yesterday--that pay disparity exists at MSNBC. Politico reports:

During an interview Thursday, Mitt Romney senior adviser Barbara Comstock told Andrea Mitchell that “we know here at MSNBC the guys get paid more" — and the MSNBC host replied, “We certainly do.”

For Brzezinski's part, it's more than a bit odd that she would play down the problems at MSNBC now.

After all, her public dispute with MSNBC about pay equity has been well known. In fact, she's made it herself on her own show.

"We make less than our male counterparts," said Brzezinski last year. "I found out on this show that I made a lot less than Joe. 14 times less."

Via: Weekly Standard

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CNN Moderator Gives Obama 9% More Time

Amid persistent complaints and interruptions from both candidates, President Obama ultimately got more than three extra minutes of speaking time than Mitt Romney during Tuesday's debate.

(PHOTOS: The in-your-face debate | Also on POLITICO: Crowley defies contract, asks questions)

According to CNN's timekeeping, Obama got 44:04 minutes of speaking time, while Romney got 40:50.

Both candidates pressed the moderator Candy Crowley — sometimes aggressively — into allowing additional responses and back-and-forth exchanges.

Via: Politico

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BENCHED: DWS MIA IN DEMOCRATS' PR BLITZ

Have you noticed that we've seen a lot less of DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz recently? Since getting caught misrepresenting her own statements caught on tape in early September, she seems to have been relegated to the back bench.

Wednesday night was the first presidential debate, and Democrats had their various surrogates on hand to talk to the media. Rep. Wasserman-Schultz gave interviews to Univision, 7 News Colorado, and what appears to be a pre-debate interview with an ABC affiliate. She'll appear on Bloomberg TV this Sunday and she has a new profile in Vogue of all places, but these are not the sort of prime communications assignments she has had in the past.

Currently, Rep. Wasserman-Schultz is on a DNC bus tour making stops in places like Parma, Ohio and Dubuque, Iowa along with Sandra Fluke. These are swing states, so the GOTV efforts there are important. Still, the assignment also has the effect of relegating Debbie to small gatherings of like-minded Democrats and appearances on local news affiliates.

Rep. Wasserman-Schultz's semi-retreat from the public eye seems to have begun in early September when a scandal erupted over some comments she attributed to the Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren. She claimed, in front of a group of Jewish voters, that the ambassador had said Republicans were "dangerous" for Israel.

After the comments were published by Philip Klein at the Examiner, Rep. Wasserman-Schultz claimed she had never made them. At this point, Klein published his audiorecording of the statement, which clearly proved she had said exactly what he claimed. If that weren't bad enough, Oren denied "categorically" that he had ever said such a thing.

Within a couple days of the controversy, Politico piled on with a story suggesting that Wasserman-Schultz's future within the Democratic Party appeared hazy:

People close to Wasserman Schultz say she isn’t likely to serve a second term at the DNC. On top of that, her supporters have written her off as a candidate for statewide races in Florida. They also say she would be ill-fitted to serve in Obama’s administration. In short, her options are few.

For now, her only option seems to be riding the bus in a last-ditch attempt to avoid being thrown under it.

Via: Breitbart

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