TomCADem
TomCADem's JournalGOP Donors and K Street Fuel Third Way’s Advice for the Democratic Party
The Nation has a nice article noting how Third Way is nothing more than a sock puppet operation staffed and funded by many GOP donors who strongly supported Romney's 2012 Presidential bid. Not surprisingly, Ron Fournier of the National Journal, another closet conservative who insists that President Obama should lead by accepting Republican positions, thinks the Third Way's WSJ's attack on Elizabeth Warren is ample evidence that Warren does not speak for the Democratic party.
http://www.thenation.com/blog/177437/gop-donors-and-k-street-fuel-third-ways-advice-democratic-party#
Third Way, a centrist think tank that portrays itself as a Democratic group, has some advice for the party: avoid economic populism at all costs. In a column for The Wall Street Journal today, the group argues that the party should steer clear of creating a strong safety net, and criticizes Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio’s call for universal pre-K funded through an upper-income tax increase as a foolhardy idea for national Democrats.
As many have noted today, in reaction to the column, Third Way’s attacks on Social Security and Medicare fail on the merits. It’s bad policy, and it’s equally bad politics.
* * *
What’s more, Third Way’s leadership has tenuous connections to the Democratic Party it hopes to shape. Daniel Loeb, a hedge fund manager listed as a trustee on Third Way’s 2012 annual disclosure, bundled $556,031 for Mitt Romney last year. Third Way board member Derek Kaufman, another hedge fund executive, also gave to Romney.
There is a long and storied tradition of corporate, right-wing interests seeking to shape the economic policies of the Democratic Party. The DLC, another Third Way–style group that folded in 2011, was funded by none other than Koch Industries. Richard Fink, a strategist to the Koch brothers who helped found what is now known as Americans for Prosperity, was on the DLC’s board.
3-day HealthCare.gov enrollment hits 56,000
Source: Washington Post
President Obama urged a group of young activists Wednesday not to give up on promoting his signature health-care law, as enrollment picked up on HealthCare.gov.
Roughly 27,000 Americans signed up for insurance on the federal exchange on Tuesday, according to internal figures, bringing the site’s three-day enrollment total to 56,000. That figure is more than double the number who enrolled online in the entire month of October, which was almost 27,000.
* * *
The three-day total of 56,000 enrollees, while short of the pace needed to reach the administration’s target of 7 million by March 31, shows that the federal health insurance marketplace is working much more smoothly than it was at its Oct. 1 launch.
Before last weekend, the previous daily high was more than 9,600 on Nov. 26, according to another government official who declined to be identified in order to discuss the site’s operations
Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/obama-urges-on-young-activists-as-healthcaregov-enrollment-grows/2013/12/04/75211738-5d1e-11e3-bc56-c6ca94801fac_story.html
To put it into context, the ACA website has enrolled more people in the last three days then the entire month of October. This may explain why even Ted Cruz has begun to admit that the website will be fixed sooner or later even though he still opposes the law.
Georgia insurance commissioner: It’s ‘your fault’ if you have a pre-existing condition
Source: Rawstory
Georgia’s Republican insurance commissioner Ralph Hudgens told a group of Republican women in November that having a pre-existing condition like breast cancer or asthma is like being at fault in a car accident and that insurance companies should rightfully be reluctant to cover you.
* * *
“I’ve had several companies come in and they have said just the fact — just the fact — that in the individual market pre-existing conditions have to be covered on Jan. 1, that that is going to double the cost of insurance,” Hudgens said.
“And if you don’t really understand what covering pre-existing conditions would be like, it would be like in Georgia we have a law that says you have to have insurance on your automobile,” he continued.
“But say you’re going along and you have a wreck. And it’s your fault. Well, a pre-existing condition would be you then calling up your insurance agent and saying, ‘I would like to get collision insurance coverage on my car.’ And your insurance agent says, ‘Well, you never had that before. Why would you want it now?’ And you say, ‘Well, I just had a wreck, it was my fault and I want the insurance company to pay to repair my car.’ And that’s the exact same thing on pre-existing insurance.”
Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/12/05/georgia-insurance-commissioner-its-your-fault-if-you-have-a-pre-existing-condition/
I guess if you have cancer, it's your own darn fault, which does explain much of the Republican opposition to coverage of preexisting conditions.
Kentucky Governor To Mitch McConnell: Get Your Facts Straight On Obamacare
Source: Huffington Post
WASHINGTON -- It was just Wednesday night that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) railed against the Affordable Care Act, calling it a "catastrophic failure" for people everywhere.
* * *
But the governor of McConnell's home state came to Capitol Hill on Thursday with a vastly different message: the health care law is working, and people in Kentucky can't get enough of it.
"I have a U.S. senator who keeps saying Kentuckians don't want this. Well, the facts don't prove that out," Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear (D) told reporters.
Beshear said more than 550,000 people have visited the state's Obamacare enrollment website since it launched on Oct. 1. More than 180,000 have called into the health care call center and about 69,000 people have signed up, or about 1,000 Kentuckians per day. Of those who have signed up, he said, 41 percent are under the age of 35.
Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/05/kentucky-governor-mitch-mcconnell-obamacare_n_4391860.html?ref=topbar
Of course, the MSM lets McConnell recite his talking points without asking him about his own State's experience with the ACA.
The Pope's Views Are Hardly At Odds With Bible. The Bible Is Far More Leftist Than Right Wing
First, there are several Biblical quotes that directly endorse collective ownership, which are often ignored by the evangelical Christians:And all that believed were together, and had all things in common;
And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.
Acts 2: 44, 45
And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.
And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.
Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,
And laid them down at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.
And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus,
Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
Acts 4:32-37
Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.
Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.
For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended.
For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.
Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.
This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing.
Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.
Romans 13:1-7
Second, in direct contradiction to those who preach the prosperity gospel, i.e., that being rich reflects the Lord's favor and being poor reflects God's disfavor, the Bible contains numerous provisions expressing hostility to the rich:
"Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves."
- Matthew 21:12
"On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves,"
- Mark 11:15
"In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money.
So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.
To those who sold doves he said, "Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!"
- John 2:14-16
It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
- Mark 10:25
Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
- Luke 18:25
And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
- Matthew 19:24
Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
- Luke 18:25
And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
- Matthew 19:24
“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows”
- I Timothy 6:10
Wonkbook: HealthCare.gov will work. That means Obamacare can work, too.
The one thing that Ezra Klein is not mentioning is that he himself was insisting not too long ago that the website would not be able to be fixed within two months based on assurances he received from various insurance IT experts.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/12/02/wonkbook-healthcare-gov-will-work-that-means-obamacare-can-work-too/
A report released by the Obama administration this weekend shows the consumer experience is clearly improved. More than 400 of the 600 fixes on the administration's "punchcard" of repairs have been made. System response time has fallen from eight seconds to less than one second. The administration believes HealthCare.gov can now handle 50,000 concurrent users. The site, which was down 55 percent of the time in early November, is now functional more than 90 percent of the time.
* * *
So there remain reason for concern. But here's what's indisputable: HealthCare.gov is improving, and fast. Or, to put it differently, HealthCare.gov will be fixed. In fact, for most people, it is probably fixed now, or will be fixed quite soon.
The repair job is likely proceeding quickly enough to protect Obamacare from the most severe threat to its launch: Democrat-backed legislation unwinding the individual mandate or other crucial portions of the law. So long as people can actually purchase insurance through the federal exchanges, congressional Democrats are likely to support the basic architecture of the legislation they passed in 2010.
Republicans realize the Web site is quickly improving, and are planning a multi-phase attack on the law's other disruptions. There are the insurance cancellations, of course, but there also going to be people who happily buy new insurance only to find their doctor isn't covered, and there will be people who end up paying higher premiums in the new market, and there will be employers who raise deductibles to keep from paying the 2018 tax on high-value insurance plans, and so on.
Slate - "Why Does The Economy Do Better Under Democrats?" Re New Study
Alan Blinder and Mark Watson recently published a paper documenting that the economy grows more under Democratic Presidents than Republican ones. Of course, the MSM has largely ignored the publication of this paper.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2013/12/02/blinder_and_watson_on_partisan_election_performance.html
They say a liberal is someone who doesn't know how to take his own side in an argument, and the latest paper from former Clinton administration official Alan Blinder and co-author Mark Watson seems to confirm it. The paper looks at the well-established fact that GDP growth under Democratic Party presidents is more rapid than under GOP Presidents, and concludes that it's all just a coincidence. Except they don't mount a very strong argument for that conclusion.
* * *
Lets take this in order. Consumer confidence is definitely something you could imagine the President being able to impact despite central bank independence and the separation of powers. People think of Democrats as representing majoritarian economic interests and unpopular secularism and internationalism. So when a Republican gets in, they expect America to stand tall on the world stage and stand up for core moral values but perhaps give short-shrift to the middle class. When a Democrat gets in, it's just the opposite. So Democrats = more confidence.
Then there's oil. The balance of powers is tilted much more toward the president and away from congress in the foreign policy and national security realm. It's no surprising that Republicans' more confrontational approach to international relations leads to more frequent oil supply disruptions.
Now you come to TFP. If TFP growth were slower under Democrats, then I promise you conservative economists would cite this as evidence that Democrats are obviously promoting productivity-killing regulations. But perhaps that's 180 degrees backwards. Perhaps Republicans, as the party of business, are much more likely to engage in pro-incumbent regulatory decision-making while Democrats who are cross-pressured from a wider range of interest groups (big business has a voice in Democratic administrations, but labor and environmental groups are totally frozen out of GOP ones) do better at making decisions in the national interest.
ABC's Jon Karl Is Frustrated That Carney Does Not Adopt RW Talking Point
You can see why the corporate mainstream media gets so upset when the Obama administration refuses to adopt their Republican narrative of the moment. For example, ABC's Jon Karl starts to get upset that Jay Carney refuses to set up a comparison between Bush's Mission Accomplished speech and the ongoing updates to the website. So, Karl keeps on asking the question and Carney refuses to say, "yes, it is just like the Iraq war." The nerve! Karl was so proud of himself and his cleverness, and Carney is not playing along.
http://www.mediaite.com/tv/jay-carney-bristles-at-jon-karls-repeated-obamacare-question-is-this-mission-accomplished/
In the months-long media debate over the rollout of Obamacare and its website, opponents of the law have repeatedly tried to link health care reform with failures of past presidencies, including the Iraq War. At Monday’s White House Daily Briefing, ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl found a clever way to invoke that comparison, repeatedly asking Press Secretary Jay Carney if this weekend’s re-launch of Healthcare.gov is “Mission Accomplished.”
“In terms of the goals you set for this moment, in terms of the website being functional for the vast majority of users, is it Mission Accomplished?” Karl asked.
* * *
“Let me try to crystallize that,” Karl said, trying again. “Very clearly, in terms of the goal that you set for this moment in time, is it Mission Accomplished?”
“Using…” Carney began. “That phrase is not one that I would employ. We were able to make the necessary improvements to the website so that the vast majority of Americans who use the website can have an experience in which the website functions effectively. It does not mean, as I said in November and October, it does not mean that there will be no problems with the website going forward. That does not even occur on the most highly functional private sector website. What it does mean is that we have made significant progress. We have made improvements to the system that we hoped we could, and then more work continues.”
The Vatican's Journey From Anti-Communism to Anti-Capitalism
It is funny how the Atlantic, which is sometimes portrayed as liberal, seems to describe the Pope's statements on capitalism as almost being revolutionary when in truth it simply brings Catholic doctrine more in line with actual scripture, which repeatedly discusses the plight of the poor, rather than spending much time on abortion or gay marriage, which preoccupies most of the religious right.
http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/11/the-vaticans-journey-from-anti-communism-to-anti-capitalism/281874/
Pope Francis is once again shaking things up in the Catholic Church. On Tuesday, he issued his first “apostolic exhortation,” declaring a new enemy for the Catholic Church: modern capitalism. “Some people continue to defend trickle-down theories which assume that economic growth, encouraged by a free market, will inevitably succeed in bringing about greater justice and inclusiveness in the world,” he wrote. “This opinion, which has never been confirmed by the facts, expresses a crude and naive trust in the goodness of those wielding economic power and in the sacralized workings of the prevailing economic system.”
He couldn't be much clearer. The pope has taken a firm political stance against right-leaning, pro-free market economic policies, and his condemnation appears to be largely pointed at Europe and the United States. His explicit reference to “trickle-down” economic policies—the hallmark of Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, and their political successors—is just the beginning: Throughout 224 pages on the future of the Church, he condemns income inequality, “the culture of prosperity,” and “a financial system which rules rather than serves.”
Taken in the context of the last half-century of Roman Catholicism, this is a radical move. Fifty years ago, around the time of the Second Vatican Council, Church leaders quietly declared a very different economic enemy: communism. But Pope Francis’s communitarian, populist message shows just how far the Church has shifted in five decades—and how thoroughly capitalism has displaced communism as a monolithic political philosophy.
* * *
While the earnings of a minority are growing exponentially, so too is the gap separating the majority from the prosperity enjoyed by those happy few… Consequently, they reject the right of states, charged with vigilance for the common good, to exercise any form of control. A new tyranny is thus born, invisible and often virtual, which unilaterally and relentlessly imposes its own laws and rules.
Dems Say Boehner Blocking Farm Bill, Wants More Food Stamp Cuts
Source: Mother Jones
Over the past month, the House and Senate have been working to come up with a compromise farm bill—the five-year piece of legislation that funds agriculture and nutrition programs. The main sticking point is the level of cuts to the food stamp program. House Republicans want to cut $40 billion from the program, while the Senate wants to trim $4 billion. Last week, the talks fell apart, and the two sides are fighting over why.
A Democratic aide tells Mother Jones that House Speaker John Boehner shot down several informal compromise farm bill proposals because the food stamps cuts were not deep enough. Boehner's spokesman denies this.
The Democratic aide says the joint House-Senate panel that is trying to work out a deal presented Boehner with a few proposals that contained food stamps levels close to what the Senate wants. Even though Rep. Frank Lucas (R-Okla.)—the chairman of the House agriculture committee and a top member of the compromise panel—was willing to give a lot of ground to the Senate on food stamps, he says, Boehner rejected the proposals. "Boehner is playing spoiler," he adds. "That's why [negotiations] fell apart."
Another source familiar with the negotiations echoes the Dem aide's claim, saying that the House leadership has Lucas on a tight leash. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), who is on the compromise committee, told Congressional Quarterly the same thing last week. "I'm hearing that the speaker still keeps inserting his people into the process," and that House members on the farm bill compromise panel "have to go and check with the speaker’s people [who] say they want this and this and this. I hear that's one of our major problems."
Read more: http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2013/11/john-boehner-farm-bill-food-stamps
Profile Information
Member since: Fri May 8, 2009, 12:59 AMNumber of posts: 17,387
