Acton-Items XV

8/13/2019 Acton-Items XV

1/24

In an effort to thin-the-herd of hyperlinks, a set of Morning Jolts from the Jim Geraghty[of the

National Review] is provided; the problem, here, is that he doesnt upload these essays onto the

website [noting his blogging-site is http://www.nationalreview.com/campaign-spot ] and, thus,

the only way to convey his cool observations [and his embedded hyperlinks] is to provide text.

This temptationafter having reprinted a week of juicy-stuffwill be resisted in the future, and

the reader is simply advised to sign-up [and to peruse theNational Reviewhome-page regularly,

accepting it will suck-you-into a combo of topical & referenced pieces rarely found elsewhere.

{Excerpts therefrom are focused on the Budget-Battle & ObamaDontCare noting, respectively,

how they reflect previously-established themes of the GOPs Civil War and BHOs deceit;

providing his simultaneous commentary eliminates the need to elucidate many of these points

(the import of which doesnt fade with time) when compiling my juxtaposition of references.}

December 9, 2013

You Know the Latest News on Obamacare Is Bad, But You Don't Know How It's Bad

The threat that Obamacare could end up shutting down volunteer firehouses, the site notworking again,theadministrators demanding bonuses and raises. . . rough end of the week for

Obamacare. But things had to get better this weekend, right?

Nope.

Behold, members of Congress and their staff, unable to purchase insurance through the

exchanges.I'll give you a moment to stop laughing at the hardships of other people.

Congress itself is now having so much trouble signing up for the Obamacare

exchanges that late Friday the top administrator in the House of

Representatives laid out a backup plan in case lawmakers and staff can't get

through the process by the time their enrollment ends Monday.

The red flags started reaching critical mass Thursday and Friday, when some

staff and members of Congress told House administrators they were having

trouble enrolling through the Washington health exchange, known as DC Health

Link. The D.C. exchange is the official signup portal for Congress, where

members must go to get health care through their job.

Thenthe state of California decidedthat they could do whatever they wanted with the personal

information that insurance shoppers typed into the site:

Raising concerns about consumer privacy, California's health exchange has given

insurance agents the names and contact information for tens of thousands of

people who went online to check out coverage but didn't ask to be contacted.

The Covered California exchange said it started handing out this consumer

information this week as part of a pilot program to help people enroll ahead of a

Dec. 23 deadline to have health insurance in place by Jan. 1.
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State officials said they are only trying to help potential customers find

insurance and sign up in time. But some insurance brokers and consumers who

were contacted said they were astonished by the state's move.

"I'm shocked and dumbfounded," said Sam Smith, an Encino insurance broker

and president of the California Assn. of Health Underwriters, an industry group.

Smith said he was under the impression from the exchange that these

consumers had requested assistance. He received the names of two consumers

this week but has not yet contacted them.

And they wonder why people don't trust the government!

Then we learnedthe implementation in Maryland was even worsethan anyone imagined:

Although state officials have provided the public scant detail about the troubled

launch of Maryland's version of Obamacare, emails and documents show that

the project was beset behind the scenes for months by an array of technical

issues, warring contractors and other problems.

Since Maryland's online health exchange opened Oct. 1 for people to buy

insurance under the Affordable Care Act and immediately crashed the two

main companies in charge of the website have taken their fight to court, a

corporate project manager was replaced and a high-powered consulting firm

was quietly brought in to restore order. Though state officials initially said the

crash of the online exchange was an unexpected and fixable problem, emails

and documents obtained by The Baltimore Sun through state open-records laws

outline serious issues before and after the launch.

The revelations came just days before Rebecca Pearce, the head of the

exchange, resigned. State officials announced that move Friday night and pulledCarolyn Quattrocki from the governor's health reform office to serve as an

interim replacement.

Just two weeks before the launch, Pearce visited the prime contractor's

Linthicumheadquarters and found a room of empty seats. She fired off an email

questioning the company's commitment to resolve problems and reminding the

contractors of what was at stake: "Tonight, I am begging. I don't know how else

to say it: we have got to make this a reality."

Finally, remember all of those administration officials telling the public to use paper applications

if the website wasn't working? Well,now they're not so sure there's time to process all of those:

Federal health officials, after encouraging alternate sign-up methods amid the

fumbled rollout of their online insurance website, began quietly urging

counselors around the country this week to stop using paper applications to

enroll people in health insurance because of concerns those applications would

not be processed in time.

Interviews with enrollment counselors, insurance brokers and a government

official who works with navigators in Illinois reveal the latest change in direction
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3/24

by the Obama administration, which had been encouraging paper applications

and other means because of all the problems with the federal website.

Consumers must sign up for insurance under the federal health overhaul by Dec.

23 in order for coverage to start in January.

"We received guidance from the feds recommending that folks apply online as

opposed to paper," said Mike Claffey, spokesman for the Illinois Department ofInsurance.

After a conference call earlier this week with federal health officials, Illinois

health officials sent a memo Thursday to their roughly 1,600 navigators saying

there is no way to complete marketplace enrollment through a paper

application. The memo, which Claffey said was based on guidance from federal

officials, said paper applications should be used only if other means aren't

available.

So yeah, it was as bad a weekend for Washington-run health care as it was for the Washington

Redskins.

'Catastrophe Theory' Seems Like a Natural Fit for Obamacare

Bruce Webster,the Morning Jolt's favorite IT-project analyst turned Healthcare.gov analyst, uses

"catastrophe theory" to examine the shifts in public opinion since October 1:

For most of the three years since Obamacare was passed, the majority of the

population has disapproved of it (see the second chart here at Real Clear

Politics), yet that didn't really translate into significant public anger or political

action, beyond the 2010 mid-term election results. In fact, Sen. Ted Cruz's

filibuster attempt and the House's short-lived shutdown appeared to push

public opinion against those actors rather than against Obamacare.

But that has changed, and dramatically, with the law actually going into effect

and Healthcare.gov going live back on October 1st. For the first time,

Obamacare got "close enough" to significant portions of the American

electorate to trigger a sudden shift in actual emotional response from a generic

disapproval to outright hostility. I believe that Obama and his Administration

lulled, perhaps, by the more passive dislike evinced by the public up until now

have been caught genuinely off-guard by the dramatic change in public

opinion in a month's time, not just towards Obamacare but towards Obama

himself.I believe that shift in fact represents a 'catastrophe' that is, an abrupt

transition from one state to another -- brought on by the realities of Obamacare

hitting home.

Does Everyone in the Administration Think They're in a Movie?

Allow me to turn your attention to a disturbingly insightful essay from Ace over at Ace of

Spades. I'll presume you're familiar with the concept of the MacGuffin -- Hitchcock's term for

the object that drives the plot of a movie. Ace's observation is that our political coverage and

dialogue has become so wrapped up in the language and narrative of movies, that the condition

of the country and actual results of policies have been reduced to MacGuffins:
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4/24

For Obama's fan-boys, this is not politics. This isn't even America, not really, not

anymore.

This is a movie. And Barack Obama is the Hero. And the Republicans are the

Villains. And policy questions -- and Obama's myriad failures as an executive --

are simply incidental. They are MacGuffins only, of no importance whatsoever,

except to the extent they provide opportunities for Drama as the Hero fights infavor of them.

Watching Chris Matthews interview Obama, I was struck by just how

uninterested in policy questions Matthews (and his panel) were, and how

almost every question seemed to be, at heart, about Obama's emotional

response to difficulties -- not about policy itself, but about Obama's Hero's

Journey in navigating the plot of President Barack Obama: The Movie.

As with a MacGuffin in the movie, only the Hero's emotional response to the

MacGuffin matters.

Again and again, Matthews and his panel focused not on weighty questions ofstate, but on what toll these important-sounding MacGuffins took upon the Star

of the Picture, Barack Obama.

Matthews was not terribly interested in hearing about the problems with

Obamacare, or how Obama planned to address them.

But he was very interested in learning how Obama was coping with the

challenges.

Matthews didn't care all that much about disputes over the budget. But he was

keenly interested in Obama's thoughts on his opponents in such struggles.

Of course, it's not just Obama's fans who think they're watching Aaron Sorkin's The West Wing.

Back in January 2010, the Washington Post's Dana Milbank had this diagnosis:

Gibbs acts as though he's playing himself in the movie version of his job. In this

imaginary film, he is the smart-alecky press secretary, offering zippy comebacks

and cracking jokes to make his questioners look ridiculous. It's no great feat to

make reporters look bad, but this act also sends a televised image of a cocksure

White House to ordinary Americans watching at home.

And then just last week, Peggy Noonan echoed that assessment, applying it to the whole

administration:

From what I have seen the administration is full of young people who've seen

the movie but not read the book. They act bright, they know the reference,

they're credentialed. But they've only seen the movie about, say, the Cuban

missile crisis, and then they get into a foreign-policy question and they're seeing

movies in their heads. They haven't read the histories, the texts, which carry

more information, more texture, data and subtlety, and different points of view.
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5/24

Andy McCarthy wrote last weekthat at a time of serious, deepening problems and crises, most

of the coverage of the highest levels of our federal government seem reminiscent of a soap

opera:

Politics is our reality. It only seems like soap opera because of the way it is

covered: Right into your living room, day-in-day-out, celebrity journalists

present the adventures of their fellow dramatis personae, celebrity pols. Thejournalists portray politics, moreover, as suspense, and not just such suspense

as the news of the day may warrant by dint of its relative seriousness an

earthquake, the outbreak of a war, or the specter of millions losing health-

insurance plans they were promised they could keep. The continuing suspense

lies in the practice of politics.

In an increasingly perilous world, politics has to be our response, not our entertainment. Today's

events are not episodes. They are threats, foreign and domestic; and they are no longer on the

horizon they are clear and present dangers. Politics is how we perceive our national interests

and take effective action, not how the president manages to weather storms of his own making.

Tune in tomorrow

December 11, 2013

Budget? Deal with It

Great news for everyone who was tired of the recent Republican unity over Obamacare and

fantastic momentum heading into the midterm elections: House Budget Committee chairman

Paul Ryan, (R., Wisc.)worked out a budget dealwith Senate Budget Committee chairman Patty

Murray, (D.,Tennis Shoes).

The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 would set overall discretionary spending for

the current fiscal year at $1.012 trillionabout halfway between the Senate

budget level of $1.058 trillion and the House budget level of $967 billion. The

agreement would provide $63 billion in sequester relief over two years, split

evenly between defense and non-defense programs. In fiscal year 2014, defense

discretionary spending would be set at $520.5 billion, and non-defense

discretionary spending would be set at $491.8 billion.

The sequester relief is fully offset by savings elsewhere in the budget. The

agreement includes dozens of specific deficit-reduction provisions, with

mandatory savings and non-tax revenue totaling approximately $85 billion. The

agreement would reduce the deficit by between $20 and $23 billion.

This is not what most of us would consider a "good" deal. The deficit reduction is pretty paltry.

The "non-tax revenue" includes things like raising the $2.50 per-passenger per-flight "TSA fee"

on flyers, which will sound a lot like a tax hike to a lot of folks. But there is atiny bit of pension

reform for federal workers:

These sections increase federal-employee contributions to their retirement

programs by 1.3 percentage points. The proposal affects new employees hired

after December 31, 2013 with less than five years of service.
http://news.nationalreview.com/?Fpvl7OVtaUwkFQbV.Gcobwlgsn54xar0F&http://nationalreview.com/article/365137/politics-not-soap-opera-andrew-c-mccarthy/page/0/1?splash=http://news.nationalreview.com/?Fpvl7OVtaUwkFQbV.Gcobwlgsn54xar0F&http://nationalreview.com/article/365137/politics-not-soap-opera-andrew-c-mccarthy/page/0/1?splash=http://news.nationalreview.com/?VFcl.jVtIy3p-XYy2-IUtAQFsni4xar0V&http://budget.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=364030http://news.nationalreview.com/?VFcl.jVtIy3p-XYy2-IUtAQFsni4xar0V&http://budget.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=364030http://news.nationalreview.com/?VFcl.jVtIy3p-XYy2-IUtAQFsni4xar0V&http://budget.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=364030http://news.nationalreview.com/?FFcSDf3tsymSPQY32VSUtAQgpn54xAlYF&http://content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2010/07/ad-attacks-sen-patty-murrays-tennis-shoe-mom-image/1#.Uqe4t6VU1fMhttp://news.nationalreview.com/?FFcSDf3tsymSPQY32VSUtAQgpn54xAlYF&http://content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2010/07/ad-attacks-sen-patty-murrays-tennis-shoe-mom-image/1#.Uqe4t6VU1fMhttp://news.nationalreview.com/?FFcSDf3tsymSPQY32VSUtAQgpn54xAlYF&http://content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2010/07/ad-attacks-sen-patty-murrays-tennis-shoe-mom-image/1#.Uqe4t6VU1fMhttp://news.nationalreview.com/?VpclDfVtId3S-XY3-VIUtAQFpxisOAlYV&http://budget.house.gov/uploadedfiles/bba2013summary.pdfhttp://news.nationalreview.com/?VpclDfVtId3S-XY3-VIUtAQFpxisOAlYV&http://budget.house.gov/uploadedfiles/bba2013summary.pdfhttp://news.nationalreview.com/?VpclDfVtId3S-XY3-VIUtAQFpxisOAlYV&http://budget.house.gov/uploadedfiles/bba2013summary.pdfhttp://news.nationalreview.com/?VpclDfVtId3S-XY3-VIUtAQFpxisOAlYV&http://budget.house.gov/uploadedfiles/bba2013summary.pdfhttp://news.nationalreview.com/?VpclDfVtId3S-XY3-VIUtAQFpxisOAlYV&http://budget.house.gov/uploadedfiles/bba2013summary.pdfhttp://news.nationalreview.com/?VpclDfVtId3S-XY3-VIUtAQFpxisOAlYV&http://budget.house.gov/uploadedfiles/bba2013summary.pdfhttp://news.nationalreview.com/?FFcSDf3tsymSPQY32VSUtAQgpn54xAlYF&http://content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2010/07/ad-attacks-sen-patty-murrays-tennis-shoe-mom-image/1#.Uqe4t6VU1fMhttp://news.nationalreview.com/?VFcl.jVtIy3p-XYy2-IUtAQFsni4xar0V&http://budget.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=364030http://news.nationalreview.com/?Fpvl7OVtaUwkFQbV.Gcobwlgsn54xar0F&http://nationalreview.com/article/365137/politics-not-soap-opera-andrew-c-mccarthy/page/0/1?splash=


6/24

And there's a bit of what we would consider to be entitlement reform in the treatment of

military pensions:

This provision modifies the annual cost-of-living adjustment for working-age

military retirees by making the adjustments equal to inflation minus one

percent. This change would be gradually 3 phased in, with no change for the

current year, a 0.25 percent decrease in December 2014, and a 0.5 percentdecrease in December 2015. This would not affect service members who retired

because of disability or injury. Service members would never see a reduction in

benefits from one year to the next.

This, or any other long-term deal, avoids a government shutdown for the next two years. And

you have to figure Barack Obama and Harry Reid are itching to have another government

shutdown, as it provided the Democrats their one most optimistic political moment, just before

Obamacare the Destructor appeared on the horizon.

Here's the political environment at the moment,according to Quinnipiac:

President Barack Obama's job approval among American voters drops to a newlow, a negative 38 - 57 percent, as the outlook for Democrats running for

Congress and the U.S. Senate fades also, according to a national poll released

today. He even gets a negative 41 - 49 percent among voters 18 to 29 years old

and a lackluster 50 - 43 percent approval among Hispanic voters.

American voters say 41 - 38 percent that they would vote for a Republican over

a Democrat for the U.S. House of Representatives, the first time this year the

Democrats come up on the short end of this generic ballot. Independent voters

back Republican candidates 41 - 28 percent. Voters also say 47 - 42 percent that

they would like to see Republicans gain control of the U.S. Senate and the

House. Independent voters go Republican 50 - 35 percent for each.

If Quinnipiac's not to you liking, here's NBC News/Wall Street Journalthis morning:

A new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll finds that more Americans disapprove

of the president's job performance than ever before; half say they're either

disappointed or dissatisfied with his presidency and 54 percent believe he's

facing a long-term setback.

Perhaps more significantly, Obama has seen a drop in key presidential

attributes.

Just 28 percent give the president high grades for being able to achieve his goals

(down 16 points from January); only 37 percent give him high marks for beinghonest and straightforward (down 5 points from June); and 44 percent give him

high marks for being able to handle a crisis (down another 5 points since June).

Only 34 percent believe the health law is a good idea (down 3 points from late

October), while 50 percent say it's a bad idea (the highest percentage on that

measure since the NBC/WSJ poll began asking this question).
http://news.nationalreview.com/?FpcS.fVtsdmp-XH3--IUtAQgsn5sOal0F&http://www.quinnipiac.edu/institutes-and-centers/polling-institute/national/release-detail?ReleaseID=1987http://news.nationalreview.com/?FpcS.fVtsdmp-XH3--IUtAQgsn5sOal0F&http://www.quinnipiac.edu/institutes-and-centers/polling-institute/national/release-detail?ReleaseID=1987http://news.nationalreview.com/?FpcS.fVtsdmp-XH3--IUtAQgsn5sOal0F&http://www.quinnipiac.edu/institutes-and-centers/polling-institute/national/release-detail?ReleaseID=1987http://news.nationalreview.com/?FpcS.fVtsdmp-XH3--IUtAQgsn5sOal0F&http://www.quinnipiac.edu/institutes-and-centers/polling-institute/national/release-detail?ReleaseID=1987


7/24

Also, by a 51 percent to 43 percent margin, respondents say they are bothered

more by the Obama administration's troubled health care website and some

Americans losing their health plans than by the Republican Party's continued

efforts to undermine the law.

And asked which one or two issues have been most important in shaping their

views about the president, the top response was the health care law (58percent) followed by the economy (25 percent), the government shutdown

(23 percent) and the situations in Syria and Iran (16 percent).

The Ryan-Murray deal puts Obama and Reid in a box. Only a few events would be big enough to

change this dynamic, and the most likely is another shutdown. But to get another government

shutdown, they have to shoot down this deal -- putting them on the wrong side of a happy-talk

"bipartisan compromise" and making them the scapegoats for any failure to reach a deal. Sure,

they could dig in and force another government shutdown, but they would get the blame for

this one.

Mike Memoli nicknames it,"The Bland Bargain."

December 13, 2013It's Friday the 13th. Beware!

Obama Administration: Okay, Forget All the Rules for Obamacare's First Month

God save us from the optimists.

Optimism probably is good for your mental health, but it seems potentially problematic in a leader.

There's nothing wrong with a bright, cheery outlook on life, but there's a disturbing tendency insome of our leaders to believe that their plans will work out as intended, and not prepare forproblems.

If you talk to any Democrat on Capitol Hill, anyone in the administration, or any fan of thepresident, they'll usually express optimism that the problems with Obamacare will workthemselves out, sooner or later. This is a familiar sentiment. Kathleen Sebelius told SanjayGupta, "I was optimistic that things would go smoothly."

Sometimes things go wrong. The bigger and more complicated the task, the more likely it is thatsomething will go wrong. When large government entities have to build a network of databasesthat connect several federal agencies, collect correct information from millions of people, sharethat information among their own different systems and with insurance agencies things arepretty likely to go wrong. And when you're instituting a whole package of changes that impact

every American, the problems can start piling up like a . . . well, train wreck. And sometimes yourun into the worst-case scenario.

Washington is full of people who don't want to contemplate the worst-case scenario, and deny thepossibility of the worst-case scenario, even as it unfolds before their eyes.

You've been reading me, and the explanations from Avik Roy,Bruce Webster,Bob Laszewski,Megan McCardle-- antidotes to the happy talk.
http://news.nationalreview.com/?VFIl.fV6cyypPQHy--IhbAQFsx5sxarYV&https://twitter.com/mikememoli/status/410558649715531776http://news.nationalreview.com/?VFIl.fV6cyypPQHy--IhbAQFsx5sxarYV&https://twitter.com/mikememoli/status/410558649715531776http://news.nationalreview.com/?Vpc17OGtcdqgg7Hy2VSUbAQFpnisxArYV&http://news.nationalreview.com/?Fpcl.jbh5KnLSbhu2uaobwQgsnisOalYF&http://www.forbes.com/sites/theapothecary/http://news.nationalreview.com/?Vpc17OGtcdqgg7Hy2VSUbAQFpnisxArYV&http://news.nationalreview.com/?Fpcl.jbh5KnLSbhu2uaobwQgsnisOalYF&http://www.forbes.com/sites/theapothecary/http://news.nationalreview.com/?FpI177G6sVwFg7Y32-IUbAQgpn5sxar0F&http://news.nationalreview.com/?FFcS.jbhEg1iSbnu2uNobwQFpxi4OAr0F&http://andstillipersist.comhttp://news.nationalreview.com/?FpI177G6sVwFg7Y32-IUbAQgpn5sxar0F&http://news.nationalreview.com/?FFcS.jbhEg1iSbnu2uNobwQFpxi4OAr0F&http://andstillipersist.comhttp://news.nationalreview.com/?FpI177G6sVwFg7Y32-IUbAQgpn5sxar0F&http://news.nationalreview.com/?FFcS.jbhEg1iSbnu2uNobwQFpxi4OAr0F&http://andstillipersist.comhttp://news.nationalreview.com/?VFI1X7wtc3CgglYy2-IhbAQFsx5sOAlYV&http://news.nationalreview.com/?FpISDfbUig1LIuhu-uNobwQgpx5sOarYF&http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-obamacare-rollout-administration.html#morehttp://news.nationalreview.com/?VFI1X7wtc3CgglYy2-IhbAQFsx5sOAlYV&http://news.nationalreview.com/?FpISDfbUig1LIuhu-uNobwQgpx5sOarYF&http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-obamacare-rollout-administration.html#morehttp://news.nationalreview.com/?VFI1X7wtc3CgglYy2-IhbAQFsx5sOAlYV&http://news.nationalreview.com/?FpISDfbUig1LIuhu-uNobwQgpx5sOarYF&http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-obamacare-rollout-administration.html#morehttp://news.nationalreview.com/?FFcpXOG6syCFglHy2VIhbAQgsxi4Oal0F&http://news.nationalreview.com/?FFIlDfqhLKpecVnu-uaobwlFsx54xAl0F&http://www.bloomberg.com/blogs/view/megan-mcardle/http://news.nationalreview.com/?FFcpXOG6syCFglHy2VIhbAQgsxi4Oal0F&http://news.nationalreview.com/?FFIlDfqhLKpecVnu-uaobwlFsx54xAl0F&http://www.bloomberg.com/blogs/view/megan-mcardle/http://news.nationalreview.com/?FFcpXOG6syCFglHy2VIhbAQgsxi4Oal0F&http://news.nationalreview.com/?FFIlDfqhLKpecVnu-uaobwlFsx54xAl0F&http://www.bloomberg.com/blogs/view/megan-mcardle/http://news.nationalreview.com/?VFI1X7wtc3CgglYy2-IhbAQFsx5sOAlYV&http://news.nationalreview.com/?FpISDfbUig1LIuhu-uNobwQgpx5sOarYF&http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-obamacare-rollout-administration.html#morehttp://news.nationalreview.com/?FpI177G6sVwFg7Y32-IUbAQgpn5sxar0F&http://news.nationalreview.com/?FFcS.jbhEg1iSbnu2uNobwQFpxi4OAr0F&http://andstillipersist.comhttp://news.nationalreview.com/?Vpc17OGtcdqgg7Hy2VSUbAQFpnisxArYV&http://news.nationalreview.com/?Fpcl.jbh5KnLSbhu2uaobwQgsnisOalYF&http://www.forbes.com/sites/theapothecary/http://news.nationalreview.com/?VFIl.fV6cyypPQHy--IhbAQFsx5sxarYV&https://twitter.com/mikememoli/status/410558649715531776


8/24

Another must-read guy on the health-care-reform beat,Phil Klein,points out that HHS is askinginsurance companies to ignore at least three major rules on the books, at least for Obamacare'sfirst month:

It is requiring insurers to accept payments until Dec. 31 for coverage starting onJan. 1. It is also "urging" insurers to give individuals more time beyond that to payfor coverage. In other words, if somebody pays for coverage in the middle ofJanuary, HHS is asking insurers to retroactively make that person's coverageeffective as of Jan. 1. HHS is also asking insurers to cover individuals who offer a"down payment," even if that payment only covers part of the first month'spremiums.

In a press release, HHS said it was also "strongly encouraging insurers to treatout-of-network providers as in-network to ensure continuity of care for acuteepisodes or if the provider was listed in their plan's provider directory as of thedate of an enrollee's enrollment."

HHS is also "strongly encouraging insurers to refill prescriptions covered underprevious plans during January."

Of course, for insurers who have spent years designing plans to comply with thelaw, this would present huge and unreasonable logistical hurdles.

But wait,there's more:

HHS is also allowing a "special enrollment period" that will give people who hadproblems with the federal and state-run Obamacare exchanges more time thanthey would have had to sign up and get coverage quickly.

Those problems could include so-called 834 file errors, which impact theelectronic transmission of enrollment forms to insurers from the exchangeserrors that could lead to delays in formal enrollments. Up to one in four of the365,000 enrollments as of Nov. 30 had such errors, and the error rate still maybe as high as one in 10 this month.

BusinessWeek:

The next big risk ahead for the Affordable Care Act: if people who believe they'veenrolled in insurance can't get care when they start showing up to clinics and hospitals inJanuary.

That's what happened to Medicare patients in 2006, when a new drug benefit took effect.As the New York Timesreportedat the time:

People who had signed up for coverage found that they were not on the government's listof subscribers. Insurers said they had no way to identify poor people entitled to extra helpwith their drug costs. Pharmacists spent hours on the telephone trying to reach insurancecompanies that administer the drug benefit under contract to Medicare.

Given the depth of the technical failures that plagued Healthcare.gov and some statemarketplaces, the risk of the same thing happening to Obamacare enrollees next monthis real. In cases where the government website sent bad or incomplete information aboutapplicants to insurers, government workers are correcting the records by hand, Healthand Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius testified Wednesday.

"The risk is real." Thanks, Carnac. I suppose I shouldn't complain too much; Robert Laszewski,who knows about as much about this stuff as anybody, thinks no one actually knows how manypeople will find themselves without coverage starting in January:
http://news.nationalreview.com/?VpIp7OG6cVAFK7Hy--ShbAQFpx54xAr0V&http://washingtonexaminer.com/hhs-encourages-insurers-to-fix-problems-created-by-obamacare/article/2540658http://news.nationalreview.com/?VpIp7OG6cVAFK7Hy--ShbAQFpx54xAr0V&http://washingtonexaminer.com/hhs-encourages-insurers-to-fix-problems-created-by-obamacare/article/2540658http://news.nationalreview.com/?VpIp7OG6cVAFK7Hy--ShbAQFpx54xAr0V&http://washingtonexaminer.com/hhs-encourages-insurers-to-fix-problems-created-by-obamacare/article/2540658http://news.nationalreview.com/?Fpc1XOw6wdAgglH3-VShbAQgpxisOarYF&http://www.cnbc.com/id/101268945http://news.nationalreview.com/?Fpc1XOw6wdAgglH3-VShbAQgpxisOarYF&http://www.cnbc.com/id/101268945http://news.nationalreview.com/?Fpc1XOw6wdAgglH3-VShbAQgpxisOarYF&http://www.cnbc.com/id/101268945http://news.nationalreview.com/?VFc1X7w6IywS-Xb32VIhtAQgsn54Oal0V&http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-12-12/signed-up-for-obamacare-how-to-make-sure-youre-really-enrolledhttp://news.nationalreview.com/?VFc1X7w6IywS-Xb32VIhtAQgsn54Oal0V&http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-12-12/signed-up-for-obamacare-how-to-make-sure-youre-really-enrolledhttp://news.nationalreview.com/?FFI1XOGts3qS-Xty-VIhtAQFpx54OArYF&http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/16/politics/16drug.html?_r=0http://news.nationalreview.com/?FFI1XOGts3qS-Xty-VIhtAQFpx54OArYF&http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/16/politics/16drug.html?_r=0http://news.nationalreview.com/?FFI1XOGts3qS-Xty-VIhtAQFpx54OArYF&http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/16/politics/16drug.html?_r=0http://news.nationalreview.com/?Vpcp7OGtcdqSPQby2VShtAQgpn5sOarYV&http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/192771-sebelius-hhs-hand-matching-thousands-ofhttp://news.nationalreview.com/?Vpcp7OGtcdqSPQby2VShtAQgpn5sOarYV&http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/192771-sebelius-hhs-hand-matching-thousands-ofhttp://news.nationalreview.com/?FpIp77G6sVwpPQt32-IhtAQFsni4OAlYF&http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2013/12/obamacare-week-10a-dearth-of-enrollment.html?spref=twhttp://news.nationalreview.com/?FpIp77G6sVwpPQt32-IhtAQFsni4OAlYF&http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2013/12/obamacare-week-10a-dearth-of-enrollment.html?spref=twhttp://news.nationalreview.com/?FpIp77G6sVwpPQt32-IhtAQFsni4OAlYF&http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2013/12/obamacare-week-10a-dearth-of-enrollment.html?spref=twhttp://news.nationalreview.com/?Vpcp7OGtcdqSPQby2VShtAQgpn5sOarYV&http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/192771-sebelius-hhs-hand-matching-thousands-ofhttp://news.nationalreview.com/?FFI1XOGts3qS-Xty-VIhtAQFpx54OArYF&http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/16/politics/16drug.html?_r=0http://news.nationalreview.com/?VFc1X7w6IywS-Xb32VIhtAQgsn54Oal0V&http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-12-12/signed-up-for-obamacare-how-to-make-sure-youre-really-enrolledhttp://news.nationalreview.com/?Fpc1XOw6wdAgglH3-VShbAQgpxisOarYF&http://www.cnbc.com/id/101268945http://news.nationalreview.com/?VpIp7OG6cVAFK7Hy--ShbAQFpx54xAr0V&http://washingtonexaminer.com/hhs-encourages-insurers-to-fix-problems-created-by-obamacare/article/2540658


9/24

There have been reports of HealthCare.gov enrolling exchange eligible people inMedicaid instead of the private plan they want (Federal Exchange SendsUnqualified People to Medicaid). No one seems to know how big a problem thisis.

How many people's enrollmentsMedicaid and private planshave beenjeopardized by these backroom issues? Until the federal government can do atimely and efficient reconciliation of those who have applied compared to thosewhose coverage has actually been established by the health plans and stateMedicaid programs, there is no way to know.

But hey -- I'm sure Sebelius is optimistic.

Democratic Pollster: Relax! Voters Aren't Willing to Punish Democrats over Obamacare!

On that note, sometime Democrats' optimism can end up working for us:

Alex Roarty:

How much should Democrats worry about Obamacare politics in 2014? Even the party'stop political minds can't agree.

On Thursday, senior Democratic pollster Stan Greenberg told reporters that theRepublican focus on hitting Democrats over Obamacare was a political "trap." Citing anew Democracy Corps pollhe helped conduct, Greenberg said if Republican dwell onrepealing the law while Democrats focus on fixing the economy, Democrats will come outon top.

"I know there is an initial opportunity in going after the rollout I would argue this is atrap," he said. "The more they're on this, the more voters say they're just part of thisextreme partisan gridlock [in Congress], and they're not addressing the economy andjobs."

Greenberg acknowledged the law troubled rollout had cost President Obama and his

party, and that, on a substantive level, the law needed to perform better. But his bottom-line assessment sounded like a relatively sanguine one: Don't worry, Democrats, you canwin this fight against a still deeply unpopular Republican Party.

Roarty notes that if Mary Landrieu running ads suggesting she's an opponent of Obamacare . . .those red state Democrats see an environment completely different from the happy vision ofGreenberg.

How Do We Recharge a Burned-Out Conservative Grassroots?

A friend and fellow righty recently wrote to a group of conservative bloggers and activistsdiscussing burnout, exhaustion, a declining interest or passion in politics. I responded with the

following:

Spend a few days away from politics -- the holidays, watching sports, gettingaway on a trip -- and you're struck by how nice everyone is. Good-natured.Easygoing. Capable of laughing at themselves. Life is full of a lot of things thatare very easy to enjoy without anyone arguing about anything. Good food. Agood walk. Nature. Movies. Family. Friends.

Then you log back on to your computer Monday and your e-mail, comments section, Twitter feed,etc. are varieties of the same: "YOU'RE A @#$%^& SELLOUT GO &^%$ YOURSELF I HOPE
http://news.nationalreview.com/?VFIpX7wtc3CSPXb3--IUbwlFpni4xArYV&http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/12/08/healthcaregov-medicaid-eligibility-questions/3871113/http://news.nationalreview.com/?VFIpX7wtc3CSPXb3--IUbwlFpni4xArYV&http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/12/08/healthcaregov-medicaid-eligibility-questions/3871113/http://news.nationalreview.com/?VFIpX7wtc3CSPXb3--IUbwlFpni4xArYV&http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/12/08/healthcaregov-medicaid-eligibility-questions/3871113/http://news.nationalreview.com/?VFIpX7wtc3CSPXb3--IUbwlFpni4xArYV&http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/12/08/healthcaregov-medicaid-eligibility-questions/3871113/http://news.nationalreview.com/?FFc17OG6syCpPXty2VIUbwlgpn54xar0F&http://www.nationaljournal.com/hotline-on-call/democrats-divided-on-how-to-recover-from-obamacare-20131213http://news.nationalreview.com/?FFc17OG6syCpPXty2VIUbwlgpn54xar0F&http://www.nationaljournal.com/hotline-on-call/democrats-divided-on-how-to-recover-from-obamacare-20131213http://news.nationalreview.com/?VpI1X7G6cVAp-Xby--SUbwlFsxisxAlYV&http://www.nationalmemo.com/carville-greenberg/what-republican-rebound-new-battleground-survey-finds-gop-vulnerable/http://news.nationalreview.com/?VpI1X7G6cVAp-Xby--SUbwlFsxisxAlYV&http://www.nationalmemo.com/carville-greenberg/what-republican-rebound-new-battleground-survey-finds-gop-vulnerable/http://news.nationalreview.com/?VpI1X7G6cVAp-Xby--SUbwlFsxisxAlYV&http://www.nationalmemo.com/carville-greenberg/what-republican-rebound-new-battleground-survey-finds-gop-vulnerable/http://news.nationalreview.com/?VpI1X7G6cVAp-Xby--SUbwlFsxisxAlYV&http://www.nationalmemo.com/carville-greenberg/what-republican-rebound-new-battleground-survey-finds-gop-vulnerable/http://news.nationalreview.com/?VpI1X7G6cVAp-Xby--SUbwlFsxisxAlYV&http://www.nationalmemo.com/carville-greenberg/what-republican-rebound-new-battleground-survey-finds-gop-vulnerable/http://news.nationalreview.com/?VpI1X7G6cVAp-Xby--SUbwlFsxisxAlYV&http://www.nationalmemo.com/carville-greenberg/what-republican-rebound-new-battleground-survey-finds-gop-vulnerable/http://news.nationalreview.com/?FFc17OG6syCpPXty2VIUbwlgpn54xar0F&http://www.nationaljournal.com/hotline-on-call/democrats-divided-on-how-to-recover-from-obamacare-20131213http://news.nationalreview.com/?VFIpX7wtc3CSPXb3--IUbwlFpni4xArYV&http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/12/08/healthcaregov-medicaid-eligibility-questions/3871113/http://news.nationalreview.com/?VFIpX7wtc3CSPXb3--IUbwlFpni4xArYV&http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/12/08/healthcaregov-medicaid-eligibility-questions/3871113/


10/24

YOU EAT $*&^@% AND DIE !!!!!!" Usually over something as consequential and earth-shatteringas whether or not the president was flirting with the Danish prime minister.

And those are the people who care. Deep down, we all know that the vast majority of thepopulation isn't paying any attention to what we care about. We see something likeRepresentative Kuster having no idea what or where "Benghazi" is , a level of ignorance andobliviousness and incompetence that defies belief and yet there are no immediately discernibleconsequences.

At one of our conservative blogger gatherings from earlier this year, someone observed that with"local crime story" (a Post reporter's dismissal of the horrific abortionist/ghoul Kermit Gosnell) wecan really get something out there when we're all pulling in the same direction. But of course, it'stough to get us all pulling in the same direction. Yes, we're all on the right, but we're a collectionof different world views, priorities, and perspectives, and we have different ideas about whatconstitutes a big deal or a cause worth fighting for.

We're used to the Left hating us, denouncing us, mocking us, etc. Part of the job. But when wefind ourselves in disagreement with other folks on the right, there's this sense of betrayal. "Ithought you were with us!" And pretty quickly, we end up with folks accusing each other ofextremism, irrationality, hobbit-hood, angry-bird-hood, selling out, servitude to the ruling class,

etc.

And let's face it, there are pretty strong incentives to pick a "Tea Party" or "Establishment" sideand make that a part of your brand or approach to the world. If you're "Tea Party," you getauthenticity points. You're part of the Real America outside of the Beltway. You get to proclaimyou're standing on principle. You get to believe that you're saving this country from a corruptclass of insiders running it into the ground. You're the Rebel Alliance, the plucky underdogsfighting for all that's right who will someday overcome overwhelming odds.

If you're "Establishment," you get to be reasonable and sensible. Democrats and/or MSNBC maylike you or praise you for your willingness to compromise and focus on getting results. You get tobelieve that you're serious, and dealing with the facts as they are, instead of living in a make-believe world of imminent revolution. You're the professional, who knows how to get actualresults, as opposed to the amateur who dresses up and pretends to understand politics and

government.

Our country has fewer people focused on solving the outrageous problem and more peoplefocused on monetizing the outrage over the problem.

That's why you can stand with [INSERT POPULAR FIGURE HERE] by donating now...

December 16, 2013Tough Weekend for Dallas Cowboys Fans, Tougher Weekend for Obamacare

The insured are finding their premiums, deductibles, and co-pays are going up, and their spousal

coverage is disappearing -- and they're not happy about it.

AP:

Americans who already have health insurance are blaming President BarackObama's health care overhaul for their rising premiums and deductibles, andoverall 3 in 4 say the rollout of coverage for the uninsured has gone poorly.

In the survey, nearly half of those with job-based or other private coverage saytheir policies will be changing next year -- mostly for the worse. Nearly 4 in 5 (77
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percent) blame the changes on the Affordable Care Act, even though the trendtoward leaner coverage predates the law's passage.

Sixty-nine percent say their premiums will be going up, while 59 percent sayannual deductibles or copayments are increasing.

Only 21 percent of those with private coverage said their plan is expanding tocover more types of medical care, though coverage of preventive care at nocharge to the patient has been required by the law for the past couple of years.

Fourteen percent said coverage for spouses is being restricted or eliminated, and11 percent said their plan is being discontinued.

"Rightly or wrongly, people with private insurance looking at next year are reallyworried about what is going to happen," said Robert Blendon, a professor at theHarvard School of Public Health, who tracks public opinion on health care issues."The website is not the whole story."

But at least the uninsured are happier, right?Nope, not really.

Uninsured Americans have soured on the Affordable Care Act in the past threemonthsand that bodes ill for the law's popularity and financial underpinnings.

Less than a quarter24%of uninsured Americans think the health care law isa good idea, and half think it's a bad idea, according to a Wall StreetJournal/NBC News poll released Wednesday. That's an 11-point dive in supportfrom three months ago, when a September poll before the troubled rollout oftheHealthCare.govmarketplacefound that 35% of the uninsured thought it wasa good idea, and 32% thought it was a bad idea.

The claims of a fixed website, coming through the weekend from the administration,don't matchwhat the insurance companies are reporting:

Insurers said they had found many discrepancies and errors and that thegovernment was overstating the improvements inHealthCare.gov.

In some cases, they said, the federal government reported that the homeaddress for a new policyholder was outside an insurer's service area. In othercases, a child was listed as the main subscriberthe person responsible forpaying premiumsand parents were listed as dependents.

In some cases, children were enrolled in a policy by the federal government andparents were left off, or vice versa. In other cases, the government botched upthe members of a family: A child or spouse was listed two or three times in thesame application in late November. Such errors can have financial implications,increasing the amount of premiums that a family is required to pay.

While some of the problems were discovered in the last few days, insurers saidthat they had previously reported many of the errors to the "help desk" at theCenters for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and that the problems remainedunresolved.

Federal officials, insurers and health care providers said they were concernedabout confusion and possible chaos in the early days of January, when peopletry to use the new insurance coverage they believe they have.
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Hear that? "Chaos." We've got good seats with an unobstructed view of America's MedicalArmageddon.

Meanwhile, remember the worries from a few weeks ago about whether volunteer firedepartments are required to offer health insurance to their firefighters? Those fire departmentsarestill waiting for answers from the administration and IRS.

"It would be just devastating to our budget," Burlington Township Fire DirectorJohn Stewart said Friday. "Right now, we have three full-time employees and 90qualified volunteers. I don't know what we would do."

Pemberton Township Fire Chief Craig Augustoni said informal estimates werethat the mandate might cost the municipality an additional $2 million to insure itsvolunteers.

"That, or pay a fine of $2,000 per worker," Augustoni said

Among their questions: Would the 30 hours a week include training or just timespent at fires and other emergencies? Will it be based on the hours of eachvolunteer or the entire department or company? Will it apply to all volunteers orjust those who don't already receive coverage elsewhere?

"We know about (the possible mandate), but we can't really plan for it becausenobody can say what it really means," said Scott Jones, administrator for theMount Laurel Fire District. "We went to our attorney with it, but he says there's nosense worrying about it until the IRS spells out its rules."

Kathleen Sebelius,what do you have to say about all this?

Q: Madam Secretary, PolitiFact, which is based here, just found that theadministration committed the lie of the year by saying, 'if you like your plan, youcan keep it.' As the person in charge of the agency at the heart of that lie, whatdo you think of it?

Sebelius: I think that, um, the statement about keeping your plan was one that isapplicable to the vast majority of Americans in the health insurance market. Whatwe know is that we also designed the implementation of the Affordable Care Actto make sure that plans that were in place in March of 2010 that kept the samebenefits in place, didn't shift costs to consumers, and stayed in place wereactually eliminated from needing to conform to any of the consumer protectionsin the uh, 2014 Affordable Care Act. So a number of customers in the individualmarket had those grandfathered plans in place, it varies by company and bymarket. I think the president felt it was important to make sure that individuals asmuch as possible did not lose coverage that they had, so in addition to earlyrenewals, which I think virtually every company in this market offered to theirconsumers, he asked us to use our discretion authority and asked insurers to

consider allowing their customers, if they were interested in staying in thosesame plans. And that's happening across the country. Florida has decided totake up that transition plan, so a number of individuals who are in individualmarket that they like, which certainly is not 100 percent of all the people in theindividual market, will be able to work with their insurers choosing a new plan inthe marketplace, choosing a competitive plan, or staying in their same plan.

Clear as day, huh? The reporter continues: "So you don't think it was a lie? (Sebelius ignoresquestion) You're not going to answer that?"
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Finally:

Another reporter: At any point during the initial rollout, or after the rollout did you ever offer yourresignation to the president?

Sebelius: I'm not going to discuss what I talk about with the president.

There really is nothing she can do to get canned, is there?

Bruce Webster notes, "I'm not sure how much new IT-related systems analysis I have to give.TheIT problemsare allpretty much unfoldingas I and many, many others said they would, whichis probably why the Obama Administration is resorting to its current measures. It is, perhaps, timeto sit back a bit and see what happens next," but sends in this image.

December 17, 2013

Obama: In Worse Shape than George W. Bush in December 2005

Do you ever get tired of the headline, "Obama Numbers Hit New Low"?Nah, I didn't think so.

President Obama is ending his fifth year in office matching the worst public

approval ratings of his presidency, with record numbers of Americans saying

they disapprove of his job performance and his once-hefty advantages over

Republicans in Congress eroded in many areas, according to anew Washington

Post-ABC News poll.

His position is all the more striking when compared with his standing a year ago,

as he was preparing for his second inauguration after a solid reelection victory.

That high note proved fleeting as the president faced a series of setbacks,

culminating in the botched rollout of his Affordable Care Act two months ago.

The president's overall approval rating stands at 43 percent, while disapproval is

at 55 percent. Those numbers are virtually identical to a poll taken a month ago.

At this time last year, 54 percent approved of Obama's overall performance and

42 disapproved. Even after the huge losses his party suffered in the 2010

midterms, Obama's approval rating was higher, at 49 percent, than it is today

and was slightly more positive than negative.

Obama ends his fifth year in office with lower approval ratings than almost all

other recent two-term presidents. At this point in 2005, for example, former

president George W. Bush was at 47 percent positive, 52 percent negative. All

other post-World War II presidents were at or above 50 percent at this point in
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14/24


15/24

"We are completely marginalized until the [s-word] hits the fan," says one

former Cabinet deputy secretary, summing up the view of many officials I

interviewed. "If your question is: Did the president rely a lot on his Cabinet as a

group of advisers? No, he didn't," says former Obama Transportation Secretary

Ray LaHood.

It's hard to believe Obama really thinks of Sebelius or anyone else in his cabinet as indispensible.

Of course, Obama's not the first president to demand loyalty from his staff and repay it in kind.

George W. Bush was loyal to "his guys" and "his gals." That wasone factor in how Harriet Miers

came to be nominated by the Supreme Court.

The advantages of the Bush-Obama loyalty approach are obvious, but let's imagine the opposite.

Imagine you had a president who wasn't afraid to fire any member of the cabinet who turned

into a liability. Imagine a presidentbold enough to say he likes being able to fire people for bad

service. Imagine a president known for cutting people loose, quickly and coolly, after any

massive foul-up with big consequences.

Don't you think that might cut down on the number of massive foul-ups with big consequences?

Speaking of which . . .

Your Tax Dollars at Work: The EPA's Absentee Wannabe-Spy

So, what would it take to get an agency's secretary or administrator to really overhaul the

culture, fire those who can be fired --despite difficulties-- offer scathing performance reviews

for poor performers, light fires under butts, and generally right the ship?

Would it takean unbelievably embarrassing disaster like this?

The EPA's highest-paid employee and a leading expert on climate change

deserves to go to prison for at least 30 months for lying to his bosses and saying

he was a CIA spy working in Pakistan so he could avoid doing his real job, say

federal prosecutors.

John C. Beale, who pled guilty in September to bilking the government out of

nearly $1 million in salary and other benefits over a decade, will be sentenced in

a Washington, D.C., federal court on Wednesday. In a newly filed sentencing

memo, prosecutors said that his lies were a "crime of massive proportion" that

were "offensive" to those who actually do dangerous work for the CIA.

In September, Beale, who served as a "senior policy adviser" in the agency's

Office of Air and Radiation, pled guilty to defrauding the U.S. government out of

nearly $900,000 since 2000. Beale perpetrated his fraud largely by failing to

show up at the EPA for months at a time, including one 18-month stretch

starting in June 2011 when he did "absolutely no work," as Kern, Beale's lawyer,

acknowledged in his court filing.

To explain his long absences, Beale told agency officials -- including McCarthy --

that he was engaged in intelligence work for the CIA, either at agency

headquarters or in Pakistan. At one point he claimed to be urgently needed in
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16/24

Pakistan because the Taliban was torturing his CIA replacement, according to

Sullivan.

"Due to recent events that you have probably read about, I am in Pakistan," he

wrote McCarthy in a Dec. 18, 2010 email. "Got the call Thurs and left Fri. Hope

to be back for Christmas . . . Ho, ho, ho."

In fact, Beale had no relationship with the CIA at all. Sullivan, the EPA

investigator, said he confirmed Beale didn't even have a security clearance. He

spent much of the time he was purportedly working for the CIA at his Northern

Virginia home riding bikes, doing housework and reading books, or at a vacation

house on Cape Cod.

Sure, throw the book at Beale. But will there be any consequences for any of Beale's bosses at

the EPA? Did any of them ever ask why an alleged climate change expert would be running

around Pakistan for the CIA?

Imagine any of your co-workers trying this at your job. "Boss, I can't come in today, or

tomorrow, or anytime in the near future. I've been recruited to the CIA. Also, you have to keeppaying me. It's a matter of national security." Now imagine your workplace's highest-paid

employee pulling that stunt.

Merry Christmas Happy Generic Late-December Holidays from the DNC!

Getting down to the wire for Christmas shopping! Let's check out the DNC's store to see what

they're offering as last-minute gift ideas. . .

A mug that says "Happy Holidays" and offers greetings in many languages, but not "Merry

Christmas." Perfect for that decorated veteran of the War on Christmas!

A "Speaker Pelosi" magnet pin. What, are these left over from 2010? $1.99. If you find one of

these in your stockings, it is a sign Santa just didn't give a damn this year.
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17/24

"I heart Obamacare" sweatshirts. Can't believe they didn't sell out!

You love equality, but not capitalization.

For $49.95, you can buy a framed photo of President Obama and Nancy Pelosi at the signing

ceremony for Obamacare:


18/24

You know, the National Republican Senatorial Committee might buy one; they'll be using that

image in their ads over and over again in the coming year . . .

ADDENDUM:An unfortunate, or perhaps revealing, metaphor from Irish journalist Niall O'Dowd:

"Waiting in line to meet President Obama and First Lady Michelle is a little like waiting for

communion."

They're "a little like" each other in the sense that both involve waiting, yes. Then again, so doesa late-night run to the convenience store.

A comparison of the president to the Eucharist would be a little easier to take if, say, the U.S.

Embassy in London hadn't just installed giant tapestries depicting several portraits of our

president,reminding us that the cult of personality is alive and well:

Before you lash into O'Dowd, note his deep appreciation for the home of our presidents:

You can never say enough about the magic of theWhite Houseat Christmas; it is truly the most

magnificent venue in the world to observe the festivities.

It makes you incredibly proud of this country as your stroll the halls Lincoln walked, the rooms

the Kennedy family gathered in, the East Room where Reagan spoke on so many occasions.

Now it is the realm of the Obamas, but the history of the place overwhelms any single president.

December 18, 2013

A Bad Day, Even by the Standards of Obamacare's Bad Days

President Obama probably can't wait to get away on that17day vacation.Because Obamacare

just continues to careen from success to success:
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19/24

Some frustrated consumers are sending premium payments to insurers who

have never heard of them. Others say they will pass up federal subsidies and

pay full price through insurers, while still others have given up altogether on the

promise of health insurance by Jan. 1.

Consternation and confusion over applications sent through the federal

HealthCare.gov website continue into the last seven days before the Dec. 23enrollment deadline. Consumers with health issues are particularly nervous

about the prospect of not having insurance at the start of the new year. Federal

assurances last week about a "special enrollment period" for people whose

applications have been hung up on the site are little comfort as neither insurers

nor consumers have any idea how this will work and who will qualify.

The Department of Health and Human Services recommends people call its help

line with questions and concerns about applications on HealthCare.gov. But that

suggestion is also proving less than helpful for many.

"Logic tells you I'm the target population for the law," said Nelson, a Lombard,

Ill., resident and Affordable Care Act supporter. But when people seek help from

the call center, "you're just being shuffled back and forth nobody owns the

callers."

Experts are divided on another possible solution for those hanging in the

balance: sending premium payments before bills arrive from insurers.

Sentara Health, which offers the Optima health insurance plans for Virginia on

HealthCare,gov, is hanging onto payments it can't match with new customers

yet. But Aetna warns that consumers should wait until they get a bill in the mail

before writing any checks.

That's a heck of a strategy for getting insurance: "Pay and pray."

Oh, hey,more bad information on the sites, too:

In the latest round of difficulties with Obamacare in Wisconsin, plans offered by

at least three insurers temporarily disappeared from the online insurance

marketplace last week.

Before they came off the federalHealthCare.govwebsite for about a day, some

of the plans from one company posted incorrect information about deductibles,

according to the insurer.

Oh, hey,more sudden resignations of state directors:

MNsure's top official resigned Tuesday following a Watchdog Minnesota Bureau

report that she took a two-week Costa Rica vacation in late November, during

the rocky rollout of the state $150 million health insurance exchange.

April Todd-Malmlov's abrupt resignation came during a closed emergency

session of the agency's board of directors. Subsequent reports revealed that

Todd-Malmlov was accompanied on her tropical getaway by Jim Golden,
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Acton-Items XV

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