“ObamaCare”

Historic Year For Supreme Court, With Eyes On Chief Justice John Roberts!

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The new term of the Supreme Court will be an extremely crucial one, just months after Chief Justice John Roberts shocked the world by siding with the liberals, and backing the Affordable Care Act, known colloquially as “ObamaCare”!

The question that arises is will Roberts be continuing his tilt toward the center, or go back to the right wing view that he and the majority of Court have been following?

Crucial cases are coming up on such issues as affirmative action, the Voting Rights Act, and gay marriage, and the split could be 5-4, but with Roberts and or Justice Anthony Kennedy being the decisive vote on these hot issues.

And it reminds us about the odds of one to four new Supreme Court Justices in the next four years, and who will be selecting them, and how the Senate will be constituted after the elections, is going to be an issue that needs to be emphasized by President Obama in this last month of the campaign, as it is this precise matter which will have a greater effect on the future than anything else in domestic or foreign policy!

Theodore Roosevelt Became President On This Day In 1901: Transformation Of The American Presidency!

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On this day in 1901, the first year of the 20th century, Theodore Roosevelt became President of the United States upon the death of President William McKinley, who died of gunshot wounds suffered eight days earlier in Buffalo, New York, perpetrated by the assassin, Leon Czolgosz!

TR becoming President turned out to be transformational, as he became an advocate of an activist Presidency, and became a model for both Republican Presidents and Democratic Presidents of the future!

TR helped to make America a world power, and would be shocked at the thought of many today who would advocate withdrawing from the world.

TR would be proud of President Barack Obama in his handling of the Middle East crisis that emerged this week with the death of Christopher Stevens, the US Ambassador to Libya, and would be shocked at the reaction of his fellow Republican, Presidential nominee Mitt Romney.

Also, TR would be proud of Barack Obama for accomplishing what he first brought up as an issue a century ago–national health care for all—and would be disappointed that his party has set out to repeal “ObamaCare”!

It is clear that TR, were he alive today, would be a Democrat, not a Republican, as TR’s Progressive beliefs have been repudiated by right wing conservatives, and TR would be furious at social conservatives trying to control the American people’s private lives, and promoting religion in government, rather than the tradition of the Founding Fathers, to have separation of church and state!

And TR, were he here now, would love to punch Glenn Beck and other right wing extremists who have attacked him because he was a Progressive, who believed that government was designed to make life better for the people, not for the corporations and the wealthy!

Yes, TR had his faults, as we all do, but he stands out as one of our greatest Presidents, who might never have ascended to that job, but for the evil deed of one man, who murdered William McKinley.

Just the same, Barack Obama will not let a small band of terrorists and thugs in Libya to upend our foreign policy, and he will show resolve and principle in dealing with the issue, just as TR always did in the Presidency!

Barack Obama is a worthy successor to the heritage of Theodore Roosevelt!

There He Goes Again: Mitt Romney Now Says He Would Keep Portions Of “ObamaCare”!

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Republican Presidential nominee was on Meet The Press this morning with David Gregory, and he ‘flip flopped” again for the umpteenth time!

A massive liar and deceiver, Romney spent the last year saying he would repeal “ObamaCare”, even though he had pushed through a plan strikingly similar in Massachusetts when he was Governor in 2006–what is known as “RomneyCare”! With that stand, he gained support of skeptical conservatives on his way to the Republican Presidential nomination.

But now he sees that millions of Americans actually like “ObamaCare”, particularly the coverage of young people on their parents’ plans until age 26; and the coverage of preexisting conditions for children and adults; and the closing of the “donut hole” for millions of senior citizens.

So suddenly, he says with a straight face that he would wish to keep those portions of the plan, but fails to acknowledge that if the plan is not kept in its entirety, then these provisions cannot be sustained financially for the long term.

He is, of course, probably going to alienate his conservative base by “flip flopping”, and it still is the case that how can anyone trust anything Romney says? Even Senator John Kerry, the 2004 Democratic Presidential nominee, accused of “flip flopping”, which doomed his candidacy, joked about Romney being on all sides of every question, in his speech at the Democratic National Convention last week!

At the same time, Paul Ryan, the Vice Presidential nominee, seemd uncomfortable and stuttered a lot on This Week with George Stephanopoulos, as he was challenged on his voting record and his own “flop flopping”. Ryan is competing with Romney for how much he can lie and deceive, and refuse to accept when he is called out for inaccuracies, insisting he is correct when he is not!

Romney and Ryan are competing with Richard Nixon and Spiro Agnew for the most dishonest, deceptive Presidential-Vice Presidential team in modern American history!

David Stockman And Bruce Bartlett, Former Reagan Economic Policy Advisers, Condemn The Romney-Ryan Republican Ticket As Out Of Mainstream!

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The Republican Party loves to invoke Ronald Reagan as their patron saint, even though his record clearly shows he would not be very happy with the trend in the GOP, as even his son Ron Reagan Jr claims.

But beyond Ron Reagan, Jr., two leading economic policy advisers under President Reagan, Bruce Bartlett and David Stockman, have condemned the Republican Party and its candidates and economic policies as out of the mainstream of American politics.

Bartlett says the party has gone insane, dreams of anarchy and the end of government, and has lost all reasonableness.

Stockman has ridiculed the Ryan budget plan, and condemns the idea of Ryan that more defense spending is necessary, and more tax cuts to the wealthy, while the middle class and the poor are victimized. Stockman see the Ryan Plan as not serious, and lacking any common sense!

It is not just Bartlett and Stockman who are critical of the Ryan Plan, and of the turn of events in the Republican Party.

Many past Republican leaders are privately shaking their heads, and see an electoral disaster coming, and we are seeing moderate conservative Republican Senators such as Olympia Snowe of Maine, Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas, and Richard Lugar of Indiana, all three leaving, with Lugar not by his own choice, bemoaning the turn of events toward unreasonable extremism, and failure to be willing to cross the aisle for support from Democrats.

Former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee is one of many former Republican leaders who have promoted that states led by GOP Governors stop fighting ObamaCare, and to start exchanges for the uninsured, required under the law by 2014, or else the federal government will do so for those states against their will. Frist, himself a surgeon, says these Republicans leaders are misguided, and that the Obama plan was originally a Republican idea in the mid 1990s., an absolutely true statement!

Former Senator Wyoming Senator Alan Simpson is another Republican who has condemned present Republican attitudes, and many former George H. W. Bush aides quietly have joined the Reagan former advisers in calling for an end to the extremism of the present Republican Party.

But, as in 1964, when we had an ideological election defeat for the GOP with Barry Goldwater, it is clear that there will be a need for a defeat of the ideological environment that Mitt Romney has provoked by selecting ideological Congressman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin as his running mate!

Wisconsin: The Home Of Progressivism, Now A Center Of Right Wing Conservatism

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Wisconsin was the birthplace of modern progressivism, with the Governorship of Robert La Follette, Sr. from 1900-1906.

Regarded by scholars as the greatest Governor in the history of all states throughout American history, La Follette promoted regulation of corporations, labor protections, environmental conservation, the direct primary, and the role of women and intellectuals in government policy making.

A Republican, when many believed government was good, he would go on to the US Senate, and be regarded as one of the top five US Senators of all time, and his son Philip would promote progressive reform as Governor in the 1930s.

Others would be in state government and in Congress promoting what La Follette believed in, including Democrats such as William Proxmire, Gaylord Nelson, Russ Feingold, and Herbert Kohl.

But two years ago, Wisconsin took a sharp turn to the right, defeating Russ Feingold for reelection to the Senate, and putting into office a Tea Party activist, Ron Johnson.

At the same time, Scott Walker was elected Governor, and declared war on labor rights, women, and education, and was able to win a recall election through the power of the funding of the Koch Brothers and other right wing interests.

Reince Preibus, the Republican state chairman, succeeded Michael Steele as Republican National Chairman.

And Paul Ryan, in the House of Representatives since 1998, became head of the Budget Committee, and promoted the Ryan Plan, which wishes to destroy Medicare as we know it, and calls for major cuts in Pell Grants, the end of ObamaCare, privatization of Social Security over time, the gutting of Medicaid, and massive cuts in Food Stamps, among other aspects of the plan.

And now, Ryan could be a heartbeat away from the Presidency next January 20, were Mitt Romney to win the Presidency on November 6.

The battle between progressivism and conservatism is in full heat, and Wisconsin is the center of the battle, and one wonders what Robert La Follette, Sr. is thinking in the afterlife, as he realizes what has happened in his beloved state!

Papa John’s CEO Complains That ObamaCare Will Raise Pizza Prices By 11-14 Cents! So What?

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The CEO of Papa John’s, John Schnatter, has made a public complaint that “ObamaCare”, requiring him to give health insurance to all uninsured, full time employees by 2014, will raise pizza prices by 11 to 14 cents.

There is doubt as to whether that is really the case, but even if it is, is it not worth it for customers to be willing to pay such a measly amount extra for their pizza?

Is anyone going to decide not to buy pizza because of having to pay a dime and four pennies more as a maximum?

Actually, deciding not to buy Papa John’s would probably, long term, be better for one’s health, as it certainly is not, by any stretch of the imagination, a superior pizza that everyone must have!

If the price is to pay a bit more for those who consume Papa John’s, so be it, for the good of the full time employees of the company, who deserve consideration by their employer, instead of public complaints!

Conservative Outrage Against Mitt Romney Over Reaction To Barack Obama Campaign Ad On Health Care An Indication Of The Nightmare Facing Romney If He, Somehow, Wins The Presidency!

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A campaign ad by a group loyal to Barack Obama, describing the death of a woman who lost her health care under Bain Capital’s takeover and closing of a company her husband had worked for, is causing a literal nightmare for Mitt Romney.

An aide to Romney made the statement today that IF that woman had been in Massachusetts, she might not have died, because she would have had health care!

It is not clear if the aide flubbed in making that statement, or was authorized to do so by Mitt Romney, but it has caused a firestorm of conservative protest today!

Romney has been trying to deny that what was good for Massachusetts is good for the nation on health care, and has campaigned on getting rid of ObamaCare. Now this comment by his aide seems to suggest otherwise!

Rush Limbaugh sputtered when he heard of the comment by the Romney aide. Sean Hannity was angry, and Ann Coulter, a guest on his show was livid, and said why should conservatives campaign for Romney anymore, since he is as unreliable as John McCain was in 2008. Erick Erickson, a leading conservative blogger, also displayed anger and exasperation.

The reaction of these ideologues, in just a few hours after the statement by the Romney aide, is clearly a demonstration of what will happen regularly if Mitt Romney, somehow, wins the Presidency!

Romney will NOT have a day of rest or peace as President from his own party, much of it way to the far right of him!

Were Romney to win, he would be better off with a Democratic Congress, who he could use as a whipping boy when he runs for a second term, but at the same time, he could actually get something done, as he did with an 85 percent Democratic state legislature when he was Massachusetts Governor.

Mitt Romney is probably, secretly, hoping the Tea Party Movement and the far right evangelical Christian influence would just go away, but it will not, and that means a nightmare of massive proportions awaits him if he is elected President on November 6!

The “Old Confederacy”, Republicans, Health Care, And HIV AIDS Infections

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The “Old Confederacy”, the states that broke away from the Union during the Civil War, remain the poorest part of the nation even in 2012, in all social and economic statistics.

Once held back by the Democratic Party before the era of civil rights, now it is the Republicans who dominate in these states, and are holding back progress through their propaganda on race and religion, and resentment of the federal government.

So it is the governors of these states that refuse to move ahead on health care coverage for their poorer citizens, of all races, rejecting Medicaid expansion and forming health care exchanges to enforce ObamaCare in 2014 and beyond. They have no concern about the welfare of their less fortunate men, women, and children, while always professing their ‘Christian values”!

In the midst of this hypocrisy, Dan Rather, former CBS News anchor and journalist, has revealed new evidence that HIV AIDs infections are spreading most rapidly in these states, much more than in New York City and San Francisco, the typical stereotype that it is only gays that have this disease, when it is actually spreading among uneducated white and minorities and in the heterosexual community at a far greater rate.

Does one think that these state governments and their representatives in Congress have any concern or interest in combating this epidemic?

The clear answer is NO, as long as race and religion can be manipulated for political power by the GOP!

Medicaid Expansion And State Governors: Reaction Based On Party Affiliation!

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The federal government has offered to cover Medicaid expansion for the poor and uninsured in 2014 and after, because otherwise, millions of Americans will have no health care coverage, and that will increase the number of serious illnesses and deaths long term.

But predictably, and sadly, we find most Republican Governors refusing to expand their Medicaid system, including Bob McDonnell of Virginia, Nikki Haley of South Carolina, Rick Scott of Florida, Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, Rick Perry of Texas, Jan Brewer of Arizona, Paul LePage of Maine, and Scott Walker of Wisconsin, among others.

Meanwhile, most Democratic Governors, including Andrew Cuomo of New York, Deval Patrick of Massachusetts, Dan Malloy of Connecticut, Martin O’Malley of Maryland , Jack Markell of Delaware, Mark Dayton Of Minnesota, Pat Quinn Illinois, and Jerry Brown of California, among others, have made it clear they will expand the Medicaid coverage.

The contrast is startling, as GOP Governors, following in tune with the Republican House and Senate minority members, are in lockstep, making it clear they will not support expanded medical coverage, as part of their plan to wipe out ObamaCare, despite the Supreme Court decision last month!

The fact that the federal government would pay most of the costs, an estimated $931 billion through 2022, with the states only having to pay $73 billion, has had no effect on the Republican Governors!

Tremendous Benefit Of “ObamaCare”: Full Coverage For Mental Illness!

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One of the unsung benefits of the Affordable Care Act, better known as “ObamaCare”, is the fact that the vast number of Americans with mental illness, a psychological or psychiatric disorder, will now be covered by the new law, liberating them from the burden of not being covered, because of what is termed a “pre-existing condition”.

People with mental illness suffer in silence much too often, and the rate of suicide is very high, and their lives have not meant much to the general public.

Now we have a humane policy, which one would think NO ONE would argue against, but yet Mitt Romney and his Republican party are determined to obliterate the health care bill, if they gain power!

What else is needed to shout into the ears of all Americans who have any sense of common decency, that the Republicans must be punished for their mean spirited, uncaring attitude toward those who need medical help, even if their illness is not obvious in a physical sense that all can see?

Barack Obama will go down in history for many things, not the least that he became the President who cared enough, and his Democratic party also caring enough, to enact legislation to cover mental health issues!