Year: 2013
Romneycare Architect: 3% of Americans Will Lose Their Junk Health Insurance Plans
University of Michigan professor and senior Brookings fellow Justin Wolfers on Thursday created a chart depicting the “winners and losers” under the Affordable Care Act, sourced to a Ryan Lizza article that used estimates from M.I.T. economist Jon Gruber, a former adviser to Mitt Romney.
The chart portrays the degree to which Republicans and critics of Obamacare have amplified the media’s coverage around the relatively small percentage of Americans who have received cancellation notices for stripped-down individual market plans that failed to meet the benefit requirements of the ACA.
Gruber, called the architect of Romney’s successful health care plan in Massachusetts, argues that of the six percent of Americans who buy their own health care on the individual market, three percent would have negligible change to their policies.
Sounds More Like Hillary’s Running
I’m minded to do it.
— Hillary Clinton, quoted by the New York Post, at a private reception on whether she will run for president in 2016.
We’ve Entered a New Era of Voter Suppression
It is becoming increasingly obvious that the Supreme Court decision in Shelby County v. Holder, which eviscerated the Voting Rights Act, is leading to a new era of voter suppression that parallels the pre-1960s era–this time affecting not just African-Americans but also Hispanic-Americans, women, and students, among others.
— Norm Ornstein, writing in the National Journal.
Republican Party’s ‘Business Model’ Is Broken
Republicans need to ask what’s wrong with our business model here. This should have been a slam dunk. Virginia almost always votes against the president’s party … All we needed was a mammal up there.
— Former Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA), quoted by National Journal, on the Virginia governor’s race.
No Free Lunches in Politics
In politics, nobody does something for nothing.
— Connecticut Democratic Party Chairwoman Nany DiNardo, quoted by the Connecticut Post.
Republicans’ Favorability Rating Hits Another All-Time Low
22%
Of Americans see the GOP in a positive light and 53% view it negatively — another all-time low — in the latest Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll. Also, 63% of voters want to replace their own member of Congress, which is the highest percentage ever recorded on this question that dates back to 1992.
Ried: Candidate Cruz Would Be the ‘End of the Republican Party’
If I didn`t care so much about our country, I would hope he will get the Republican nomination for president, because that would be the end of the Republican Party.
— Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV), quoted by The Hill, on Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX).
News You Won’t See on Fox: U.S. Deficit Is Now at a Five-Year Low
According to the Associated Press:
For the first time in five years, the U.S. government has run a budget deficit below $1 trillion.
The government says the deficit for the 2013 budget year totaled $680.3 billion, down from $1.09 trillion in 2012. That’s the smallest imbalance since 2008, when the government ran a $458.6 billion deficit.
Steve Benen at MaddowBlog:
