The Democrats’ ObamaCare Crackup

Democrats spent the past weekend trying to pretend nothing of importance happened on Friday. But despite the brave show they put on, few were buying their spin. The decision of 39 Democrats to cross the aisle and support Republican Rep. Fred Upton’s bill to allow insurance companies to go on selling policies to consumers that were cancelled by ObamaCare was a watershed event in a Congress which has been characterized by a stark partisan divide in recent years. Though it doesn’t necessarily mean that the president’s signature health-care plan is in immediate danger of repeal, it illustrates that a significant portion of the Democratic Party is not only not walking in lockstep on this issue anymore but that those who are most in danger of defeat next year are fleeing from the position of their party’s leader.

The Upton bill is dead on arrival in the Senate and President Obama has vowed to veto it. His administrative fix of the bill that would deal with his lie about people being able to keep their coverage has the same goal, at least in the short term. But the president’s solution (which is arguably unconstitutional and dependent on state insurance commissioners and insurance companies cooperating) is only for the coming year. Though presented as another way to repair a broken piece of legislation, liberals are right that Upton’s fix is more likely a death sentence since without the young and healthy being forced to buy into ObamaCare it will eventually collapse.

But the key point here is that in voting for a bill their leadership vigorously opposed, for the first time vulnerable Democrats are no longer acting as if President Obama was someone to follow and/or to fear. The Upton vote was, if we needed one, a declaration on the part of many of the president’s supporters that he is a lame duck. The ObamaCare crackup of the Democratic Party has officially begun.

Via: Commentary

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[VIDEO] PELOSI: “A LOT OF HOOPDEY-DOO AND ADO” ABOUT OBAMACARE

Christmas came early for the Republicans as House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi – the most repulsive figure in American politics, although Senate Majority Leader Harry “Why would I want to help kids with cancer?” Reid gives her a strong run for her money – sallied forth onto NBC’s “Meet the Press” to spin the ObamaCare disaster.

Her most bizarrely memorable line came when she tried to downplay the millions of people who have lost their insurance due to ObamaCare, suggesting they’re a bunch of whining ingrates who don’t appreciate what the glorious Democrat Party has done for them.  Their complains about to the squalling of colicky infants – just a lot of “hoopdey-doo” from people who don’t understand that it’s wonderful their old insurance plans are gone, despite Obama’s fulsome promises to the contrary, and they’ll now be able to buy inferior ObamaCare coverage packed with “benefits” they don’t want at triple the price.

“And so while there’s a lot of hoopdey-doo and ado about what’s happening now – very appropriate – I’m not criticizing,” said Pelosi, apparently believing that ObamaCare’s angry victims would be mollified if she just threw that “very appropriate” qualifier in there.  ”I’m saying it took a great deal for us to pass this bill.  I said as we go up to the gate and the gate is locked, we’ll unlock the gate; if we can’t do that, we’ll climb the fence; if the fence is too high, we’ll pole vault in; if we can’t do that, we’ll helicopter in, but we’ll get it done.”

Via: Human Events

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Obama rallies supporters Monday evening to save Obamacare

President Barack Obama will ask his most ardent followers on Monday evening to help bail out his rapidly sinking Obamacare project.

The 8:15 p.m. online speech will be delivered to Obama’s Organizing for Action supporters, and Obama is expected to ask them to save the Obamacare program, which has eliminated health insurance plans of at least four million Americans.

Obamacare’s launch has been so politically painful that many Democratic legislators have threatened to abandon ship even before it becomes operational on Jan. 1.

Obama will also try to go on the political offensive by urging his followers to push for the Senate-passed, business-backed immigration reform bill.

Democrats say the bill is popular and will help Americans. But GOP leaders in the House have temporarily stalled it because of opposition from voters who are already worried about unemployment, outsourcing and automation.

If it becomes law, the bill would provide a work permit to one extra Democratic-leaning immigrant or guest-worker for every American who turns 18 during the next 10 years.

On Friday, Obama held an emergency Obamacare meeting with his allies in the health-benefit companies, including the CEOs of Aetna, Humana, CareFirst and Cigna Healthcare.

That meeting came one day after Obama tried to blame the companies, not his regulations, for the millions of policy cancellations. In a White House press conference, he announced he would not prosecute executives who violate the 2010 Obamacare law by selling popular, low-profit pre-Obamacare insurance policies during 2014.

Via: Daily Caller

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The President’s panic attack over ObamaCare

The most important thing about the policy move announced by President Obama on Thursday is not its practical significance — which is frankly very hard to predict — but rather what it tells us about the mindset of the president and his top lieutenants. In that respect, the past few days have marked a significant change, and signaled a new and unprecedented level of panic and chaos.

The immediate purpose of the step the administration announced was, ironically, pretty much the same one that moved the president to falsely claim for three years that anyone who liked his insurance plan would be able to keep it: to calm down congressional Democrats and keep them unified.

The president moved to permit insurers to renew plans that do not comply with ObamaCare’s requirements because it looked like legislative proposals to do that were going to win the votes of large numbers of Democrats in both houses, and so effectively fracture the gritted-teeth Democratic unity that has been the only thing sustaining the cause of ObamaCare in our politics since before the law was enacted.

If large numbers of House Democrats were to break with the leadership and the president to vote for the Upton bill (which would allow insurers to keep selling any 2013 plans they wanted to all comers next year) — as, indeed, 39 did yesterday — they might well never come back to the ObamaCare fold, and the inevitable fights to come would be all the more painful for the president.

If the Senate Democrats championing the Landrieu bill (which would impose a guaranteed ­renewability requirement on all 2013 plans, overriding ObamaCare’s qualified-coverage mandates) got their way, they would expose deep divisions in the Democratic caucus that Harry Reid has worked for years to hide (mostly by avoiding difficult votes) and put the president in the position of seeming to be reprimanded by his own party.

Via: New York Post

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Democrats Threaten Defections to GOP Bill Changing Obamacare

 

The White House has until Friday to find a cure for President Barack Obama's ailing healthcare initiative or face possible defections by top Democrats willing to support a House GOP bill to change it.

Political pressure from both sides of the aisle has been steadily growing and will come to a head on Friday when Republicans take up a proposal by House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton allowing individuals to keep their current coverage even if it does not meet the standards set out in the Affordable Care Act, reports CNN. 

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The New York Post reported that many Democrats are enraged and fear their once-safe seats are now threatened in the 2014 midterm elections. They didn't hesitate to launch into the administration during a close-door session at the White House Wednesday.

“It got heated. Don’t come here telling us [the Web site] would be fixed by November 30 because the whole world believes it won’t be fixed,” fumed Rep. José Serrano, D-Bronx, according to the New York Post.

“They heard our caucus,” said Rep. Bill Pascrell, D-NJ. “In this business, you keep your word or get out.”

In the Senate, Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri reportedly said, “The [ObamaCare] store’s open and the door’s locked.”

“I’m frustrated and angry along with everyone else,” she declared.

"We've got to get out of the bunker and fix these problems," a senior Democratic congressional source told CNN, referring to the fact that millions of Americans are losing their current plans because they don't comply with Obamacare requirements for more comprehensive coverage, including such things as mental health and prenatal care. 

Via: Newsmax

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Democrats Up in 2014 Vent Their Obamacare Anger in White House Meeting (Updated)

President Barack Obama heard an earful at the White House Wednesday from Senate Democrats running for re-election next year who are fuming about the Affordable Care Act’s rocky rollout.

During a two-hour meeting that was not on the president’s public schedule, the president met with 15 Senate Democrats facing the voters next year, as well as Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairman Michael Bennet, D-Colo.

Sen. Mark Begich of Alaska issued a release after the meeting torching the administration.

“It is simply unacceptable for Alaskans to bear the brunt of the Administration’s mismanagement of the implementation of the Affordable Care Act and that is the message U.S. Senator Mark Begich delivered to President Obama today,” his office said in a statement blasted to reporters.

The release went on to say that Begich complained about “an unworkable website, technical glitches and inaccurate information about peoples’ individual situations. Begich demanded the administration fix the problems immediately so Alaskans, including the 55,000 eligible for subsidies to lower monthly premiums, can realize the many benefits due to them as a result of the health reform law.

“Alaskans should be appreciating the critical benefits of the Affordable Care Act but there is an understandable crisis in confidence because the administration has yet to get it off the ground,” Begich said.

Sen. Mark Udall of Colorado said he let the president know just how upset he is about the troubled health care law. He sent out a release saying that he had pressed the administration to extend the enrollment period due to the problems with HealthCare.gov, ensure that the data on the website is secure and make other modifications.

“The rollout of HealthCare.gov has not been smooth — to say the least — and I shared the concerns of Coloradans directly with the president,” Udall said in the statement. “Consumers should have the time they need to shop for a plan and enroll after the widespread problems with the website are fixed. I urged the president again to extend the enrollment period to give consumers enough time to make an informed decision about their family’s health insurance options. I also told the president that, for the Affordable Care Act to succeed, consumers need to be confident their personal information is secure. We need to do everything in our power to protect the online marketplace from hackers and cyberattacks.

Via: Roll Call

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GOP tops Democrats in total votes

Republicans and Democrats may have split the two big prizes on the political map in Tuesday’s elections, but in terms of overall votes in New Jersey and Virginia, the GOP came out on top.

Powered by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s huge victory in New Jersey, the two Republican gubernatorial candidates won a combined 2.2 million votes, or about 400,000 more than the two Democratic gubernatorial candidates, who totaled 1.8 million.

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Digging deeper into the election numbers, a Washington Times analysis of returns as they stood late Tuesday night showed that when it came to legislative races, the GOP also held a clear advantage.

In the Virginia House of Delegates, with all 100 seats up for re-election, the GOP won a total of nearly 1.1 million votes, compared to slightly more than 810,000 votes for Democrats.

In New Jersey, both the House and Senate were up for election, but the House districts are complex, with the top two vote-getters in each district winning. That makes the state Senate a clearer test, and in those 40 districts, the GOP won more than 950,000 votes, or 100,000 more than Democrats’ total.

Still, Democrats came away with a clear majority in the New Jersey Senate, holding at least 22 seats and possibly as many as 24.

Tallying total votes is inexact, and doesn’t necessarily translate to victories in the future. Sometimes it shows the effects of gerrymandering, or underscores a party’s ability to field candidates even in futile races.

But the parties say it can also be a kind of referendum.

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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Obama’s new pledge: It’ll be ‘easy’ for Republicans to back immigration reform

President Obama met with top U.S. business leaders on Tuesday in an effort to drum up more support for an immigration reform bill that’s already cleared the Senate but faces an uncertain future in the Republican-controlled House.

GOP House Speaker John A. Boehner and others in his party have indicated they won’t take up the Senate bill — which includes tighter border security but also contains the controversial pathway to citizenship provision — and instead will consider a piece-by-piece approach to immigration reform, rather than a sweeping bill such as the one that has emerged from the Senate.

But the president argues the Senate measure already has enough House support to pass.

By again highlighting the wide support for immigration reform, Mr. Obama said he’s looking to make it “easy” for Mr. Boehner to simply bring up the Senate bill before Dec. 31.

“Although right now there has been some resistance from House Republicans, what’s been encouraging is there have been a number of House Republicans who think this is the right thing to do, as well,” Mr. Obama said just before the meeting began. “It’s my estimation that we actually have the votes to get comprehensive immigration reform done right now. The politics are challenging for the speaker and others. We want to make it as easy for him as possible. This is not an issue where we’re looking for a political win. This is one where we’re looking for a substantive win.”

Via: Washington Times

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Politicians on both sides of the pew hope Supreme Court case has a prayer

When the Supreme Court this week takes up the issue of prayer before government meetings, both Republicans and Democrats will be looking to a higher power.

According to the Miami Herald, the Obama administration has joined conservative state and federal lawmakers in urging the Supreme Court to allow politicians to say prayers during government meetings.

Among those keeping close tabs on the issue is Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who wants to hear prayers in the Senate before he and his colleagues get down to work.

Rubio is joined by legislators in Texas, too, who also want to say prayers before meetings. And in Arizona, both the House and Senate begin the day with a legislative prayer.

Via: Fox News

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[VIDEO] 52 Felons Given 'Routine Unauthorized Access' to Navy Installations

(CNSNews.com) – A DoD official told the Senate Homeland Security Committee on Thursday that about 50 convicted felons were given access to Navy installations without the proper checks, and no one has been held accountable.

A Sept. 16, 2013 DoD inspector general’s report, which was released the same day as the Navy Yard shooting, found that the Navy Commercial Access Control System (NCACS) “did not effectively mitigate access control risks associated with contractor installation access” because Commander, Navy Installations Command (CNJC) officials tried to “reduce access control costs.”

“As a result, 52 convicted felons received routine, unauthorized installation access, placing military personnel, dependents, civilians, and installations at an increased security risk,” the report said.

The IG report found that the convicted felons received “routine, unauthorized access to Navy installations for 62 to 1,035 days since Eid Passport's initial public record checks did not identify the felony convictions. This placed military personnel, dependents, civilians, and installations at an increased security risk.”

Via: CNS News
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Senate Democrats wary of administration pledges to fix Obamacare site

Senate Democrats on Thursday offered mixed reviews of the Obama administration's briefing on progress it is making to fix the glitch-riddled federal Obamacare website.

Emerging from a closed-door Capitol Hill lunch with three of President Obama's top advisers, Senate Democrats expressed hope that the kinks in the Affordable Care Act insurance exchanges would ultimately be ironed out. But they also said they were frustrated with the initial rollout of the program and were dubious that problems with healthcare.gov could be fixed by the administration’s self-imposed Nov. 30 deadline.

“I don’t think there’s confidence by anyone in the room. This is more a show-me moment,” said Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore. “We were all confident that the system was going to be up and operating on Oct. 1 and now we’re not confident until it’s real.”

Asked if he liked what he heard from the administration about what is being done to address the myriad problems with the online marketplace exchange website, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said only: “They’re trying.”

White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Director Marilyn Tavenner and Jeffrey Zients, who joined the administration temporarily to oversee work on the website briefed senators and, as one aide described it, allowed them to "vent" about the troubles directly to the White House.

McDonough declined to answer reporters’ questions following the meeting, saying only that “we had a really good discussion.”

Merkley said senators were told that the administration is working to “triage” the website, removing features that aren’t needed and improving the speed and functionality of core elements people need to access information and apply for health insurance.

Some members were more upbeat following the session. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said the briefing “allayed” much of the concern senators have about the start of the Affordable Care Act’s implementation. Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, conceded that he has frustrated constituents, but said he liked what he heard and is optimistic that the team in charge of rehabilitating the website can get the job done.

Via: Washington Examiner

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Dems resume ‘nuclear option’ threats to bypass GOP, confirm Obama nominees

WASHINGTON — Some Senate Democrats resumed calls for the so-called “nuclear option” Thursday after Senate Republicans blocked two presidential nominees.

Republicans have blocked the nomination of Democratic Rep. Mel Watt to lead the Federal Housing Finance Agency and the nomination of Patricia Millett to the U.S. Appeals Court for the Washington, D.C. Circuit by voting against cloture, effectively filibustering the nominations.

If invoked, the nuclear option would allow Democrats to push through presidential nominations without any support from Senate Republicans.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell struck a deal in January to avert the nuclear option. In July, the two again negotiated on a “new normal,” in Reid’s words, to streamline the process for confirming presidential nominees. The deal, Reid said at the time, was that “Qualified executive nominees must not be blocked on a procedural supermajority vote.” An exception was made for “extraordinary circumstances.”

But after the Watt and Millett votes, the nuclear option is back on the table, some Democrats have declared.

Vermont Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy, the president pro tempore of the Senate, threatened such a change after the Watt vote, as the body prepared to vote on Millett’s nomination.

“No argument has been lodged against her [Millett] that drives to the level of an extraordinary circumstance,” Leahy said in a floor speech. ”If the Republican caucus finds … that somehow a filibuster is warranted, I believe this body will have to consider whether a rules change should be in order. If Republican senators are going to hold nominations hostage without consideration of individual merit, we will have drastic measures.”

“I just think we should bite the bullet and change the rules at this point,” Connecticut Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy told reporters after the votes. “Sen. Reid has been very clear about his priority to end this gridlock on nominations, and I will continue to follow his lead, but I’m going to advocate for us to actually pull the trigger this time.”

Via: Daily Caller

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Thank these Republicans for Obamacare

We have Obamacare for one reason and one reason only: For a brief, ghoulish period in recent history, Democrats controlled the White House, the Senate and the House of Representatives.

We don’t have Obamacare because the public was clamoring for it. We have it because Republicans lost elections.

First, Republicans lost their majorities in the House and the Senate in 2006, thanks to George W. Bush’s highly effective “Keep the Base at Home on Election Day” campaign, which consisted of pushing amnesty for illegal aliens.

Then in 2008, Republicans had the bright idea to run crazy-eyed crypt-keeper John McCain for president.

McCain supported: amnesty (until he needed our votes), retroactive Social Security benefits for illegal aliens, free speech-crushing campaign-finance laws, crackpot global warming legislation, criminal trials for terrorists and stem-cell research on human embryos.

He opposed: the Bush tax cuts, a marriage amendment to the Constitution, waterboarding terrorists and drilling in Alaska. Oh, also, he called the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth “dishonest and dishonorable.” (As suggested by the subtitle, all this is covered in Never Trust a Liberal Over Three-Especially a Republican)

As a consequence, Democrats won the presidency, as well as huge majorities in Congress. The last time Democrats had controlled the presidency, the House and the Senate was 16 years earlier, back in 1993. Remember what they did back then? The very first thing? (No, Clinton masturbating on an intern came later.) That’s right: They tried to pass Hillarycare.

Hillarycare went down in humiliating defeat, so the Democrats patiently waited nearly two decades for the stars to be aligned again. Then, the very next time they had the presidency, the House and Senate, they went right back to national health care. (Notice that, in neither instance, was public opinion involved.)

Via: Daily Caller

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