Death Panel

Until now, Sara Palin's Obamacare death panels, have been as elusive as George W. Bush's weapons of mass destruction.  Under the stewardship of Mitch McConnell, 17 white men have been empaneled to make life and death decisions for 300 million Americans.

One sixth of the economy is being shaped in secret.  All we know for sure is that richest among us will receive a major tax cut, paid for dollar for dollar by a reduction of medical benefits for those less fortunate.

Trump and his billionaire cabinet are too busy lining their own pockets, to have time to drain the swamp.

Trump Outdoes Obama

With his immigrant ban held up in the courts, and his healthcare bill voted down in the House, Trump is desperate for a success.  But in a few short weeks Trump did what Obama failed to do in his two terms as president--make Obamacare popular.

Art of the Spueal

Candidate Trump was going to repeal and replace Obamacare on day one with something awesome.  President Trump said, "No one understands how complicated healthcare is."  Actually Trump was the only simpleton in the room.  Everyone knows the sector that makes up 1/6th of the economy, and accounts for the mental and physical well being of 300 million Americans, is complex.

Going into final negotiations AHCA proponents giddily promised that Trump was the closer.  He would seal the deal.  Afterwards, Spicer and others explained that this was not a  one on one negotiation.  Many people and factions were in play.  In other words Trump is a master at checkers, but not the three dimensional chess, that is politics.

Always quick to accept credit, Trump is even quicker at deflecting blame.  The Democrats were at fault.  Not a single Democrat backed the bill.  Trump neglected to mention that no one asked Democrats for their input or their votes.  In the mad rush to a vote there were no witnesses called, no committee hearings, no meetings with medical groups, and no outreach to Democrats.

This stands in stark contrast to Obamacare.  The ACA passed without GOP votes, but not for want of trying.  Obama started with a super majority in the Senate and could have easily passed the bill on a straight party vote.  Instead he spent months, and made unilateral concessions, to garner support from moderate GOP senators.

The squealer in chief has no one to blame but himself.  Something he will never do.

GOP Owns Heath Care

Adverse selection has limited competition in many markets.  Those at high risk, and with preexisting conditions have heard the siren call of ObamaCare.  Younger, healthier individuals pushed the mute button. So in some markets insurance companies are losing money, and withdrawing from exchanges, lessening competition, and exacerbating the problem.   Now that the GOP has failed to enact a replacement, they should join with Democrats to make some simple changes in the law to enhance competition.

Additionally, our media savvy president, sho has successfully sold fake diplomas,  could easily entice the young to buy insurance.  But instead, he cut the advertising budget.  His golden touch hides a heart of coal.  Trump has extolled the political virtue of letting the ACA fail.  Human suffering is a small price to pay for a political victory.

The GOP controls the levers of government.  If Social Security fails on their watch, they cannot blame FDR.  Such is also the case with the ACA.   Democrats must publicly propose changes to improve Obamacare.  Republicans fail to act at their own peril.

Empathy

The classic polling question is does the candidate care about people like you?  Today Trump sharply answered that question in word and deed.

At one of his properties, he gathered employees as a backdrop for a photo op, treating them as a mere prop.  He railed that his employees suffered from costly and inadequate health benefits because of the failures of Obamacare.

His employees may well have inadequate health care coverage.  But it would be under a Trump company plan, not Obamacare.  Trump neither knows, nor cares about the medical coverage for his employees.  If he does not care about his own employees,  can he really care about you or me?

Lining Out

When clueless on how to cut costs, politicians fall back on certain buzz words.  Listen for them.  The most common is fraud and waste.  No one favors fraud and waste.  The low lying fruit has already been picked.  The rest is usually insignificant or intractable.

Trump uses buzz words to hide his lack of a plan to replace Obamacare.  The first is block grants, which he would give to the states to help those unable to afford medical insurance.  That is just kicking the can to the states, without a solution or accountability.  The hidden subtext is always that the block grants will be less than the amount currently allocated.  This only lowers costs by reducing benefits.

The trickier buzz word is competition.  Some proposals actually lower costs.  Trump's does not.  His plan to eliminate state lines for medical plans lines out.  The product is local.  The networks of doctors and hospitals do not change.  Because the product is the same the costs will not alter significantly.  The insurance companies still have to contract with the same hospitals and physicians.  The only possible impact would be in towns like Kansas City that straddle two states.

If we are paying attention, we won't swing at Trump's pitch.

Iran Deal Is Like ObamaCare

Republicans worry not about Obamacare's problems, but rather its success.  If Obamacare becomes as popular as Medicare, and Social Security, the votes for repeal will be 50 nails in the political coffin for most elected Republicans.

Until now Netanyahu's opposition to  the Iran Deal has been a mystery.  Those in the know, nuclear scientists, the former head of Mossad, and key former American diplomats and cabinet officials on both sides of the aisle, have voiced support.  Now we know.  According to the Times of Israel,  Netanyahu has long sough to bomb Iran but has been stymied by his own cabinet.  http://www.timesofisrael.com/barak-netanyahu-wanted-to-strike-iran-in-2010-and-2011-but-colleagues-blocked-him/

If Congress blocks the Iran Treaty, Iran will have a short and unfettered path to nuclear weapons.  Bibi will get to bomb, bomb.  Netanyahu does not fear that the Iran Treaty will fail to block Iran's nuclear ambitions, but rather that it may succeed.

The man who helped bring us the Iraq war, wants a sequel.  Please stop Bibi and the other neo-clowns.

A Miracle in the Making

If Obama wins,  it will be a miracle of biblical proportions.  However, in this version it is the Barackians, not Romses II, who face the plagues of high unemployment, a stagnant recovery, costly gas, unpopularity of the creed of Obamacare, and the loss of many a first born in the deserts and mountains of Afghanistan.

But, the Barackians have had a true vision.  During the Republican primaries, when  many false prophets were speaking in tongues, they focused solely on Romses II.  When the great Carville came down from the mountain, with the tablet inscribed with, "It's the economy, stupid,"  the people rose up and said, verily, it is so.  And, they spent manna early to show that Romses II is stupid on the economy.  And many heard there words and said, "truly he is a bane upon us." And the people heard of the evil of Bushie II, and they understood. And, the Barackians convened and many listened and nodded.  And, manna was spent so that the people could be shown the way, out of the wilderness into the battleground polls.   And verily, it was so. 

Romses II said little about himself, or his records, and the people believed he had evil secrets.  When he convened with his people they were smitten with rain.  And then a great feeling of emptiness settled upon them and descended unto a chair.  And, many listened but few nodded.

Conservative Republican Governors Vow to Support Obamacare

The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that failure of some governors to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Healthcare Act will reduce the cost of the program by 84 billion dollars.  Not only will conservative governors provide financial support for Obamacare by refusing to expand Medicaid, but they will preside over one of the largest unintended transfers of wealth in the nation's history.

Obamacare has two key elements.  Receiving the most attention, has been the mandate.  Increasing participation by those who can afford health insurance through imposition of a penalty on those who fail to buy coverage is important.  It is the quid pro quo for removing preexisting condition restrictions on coverage.

But the big ticket item is the expansion of Medicaid to cover the working poor.  For the first 3 years this expansion is fully paid for by the federal government, and 90 per cent thereafter.  Citizens of all states will bear the cost, but, if conservative governors have their way,  only citizens of some states will receive the benefits.

This will result in the reduction of insurance premiums in purple and blue states relative to deep red states.  The Center for American Progress has estimated that annually $410 of individual, and $1110 of family, insurance premiums cover provider loses for treating the uninsured.  If premiums only drop by one half of this amount it will result in a significant income transfer to residents of adopting states.  Holders of individual policies will have more money, corporations, that provide insurance coverage, will have more profit.  Lower insurance premiums will factor into decisions of location, or relocation, of businesses.  By placing principle over principal, Republican governors deny health coverage to the working poor in their states, and financial benefits to those already insured.

Senator McCain Could Have Won for Losing

With the economic earthquake and the Bush backlash, 2008 was destined to be a Democratic deluge.  If McCain lost the nomination to Romney in 2008, he quite likely would be the Republican nominee now.   Economic stagnation and, at best, ambivalence to Obamacare, would have made 2012 McCain's to lose.

As have often been pointed out, most recently by Sean Trende at http://realclearpolitics.com,  defeating an incumbent takes two steps.  First, the public must be convinced to vote against the sitting President, as is presently the case.  Second, the challenger must be an acceptable alternative, a combination of personality and biography.  As an ever feisty war hero, McCain would have easily cleared the second hurdle.  Although Ms. Palin would no doubt have claimed that, "she could see the economy from her house," she would not have been the VP.  Not needing a game changer, McCain would have picked someone to shore up his economic credentials.

Neither personality nor biography are Romney strong suits.  On camera he is insincere and appears smug.  Romneycare prevents him from running as a former governor, and attacks on Bain fetter his emphasis on his business experience.  Pictures of him with his dog saying, "Roof, roof'" would be over the top.  As a Mormon, he has apparently determined that emphasizing his deep personal, financial and philosophical commitment to his church, is too risky.  As a Nowhere Man, he may indeed go no where in this election.  His only advantage over McCain is that he can enumerate all of his houses.

Chierf Justice Roberts's Upholds the Moral Authority of the Supreme Court

 Upholding the Affordable Health Care Act preserved the legacy of the Robert's Court.  Harvard Law Professor Lawrence Tribe, who taught both the President and the Chief Justice, yesterday predicted that Justice Roberts would vote to uphold the law (although he expected a 6-3 decision joined by Justice Kennedy).

Court watchers focused on Justice Kennedy, as the possible swing vote, because of his occasional bouts of moderate judicial philosophy.  Justice Robert's, as Professor Tribe understood,  was the key because of his concern for the moral authority of the court.

The Supreme Court has at times had a liberal judicial philosophy and at times a conservative tilt.  But after Bush v. Gore and Citizens United the Court teetered on the precipice of partisanship.  The injudicious flirtation with the Tea Party by Justices Alioto and Scalia, exacerbated the problem.  Combining dismantling of the President's health care plan with the other two decisions would have been an unholy trinity.  The Supreme Court is designed to be above politics.  That is the rational for life time tenure.  Justice Robert's upholding of the individual mandate has institutional significance that equals the legal import of the decision.