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Posted by Mandy Nagy on October 27, 2013 8 Comments
This upcoming week is going to be an interesting one, as more hearings are scheduled on the Hill to address the troubled rollout of the Obamacare website. From the StarTribune:
Republicans said Sunday they intend to press Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on the Obama administration's troubled launch of healthcare.gov, the online portal to buy insurance, and concerns about the privacy of information that applicants submit under the new system. The Obama administration will face intense pressure next week to be more forthcoming about how many people have actually succeeded in enrolling for coverage in the new insurance markets. Medicare chief Marilyn Tavenner is to testify during a House hearing on Tuesday, followed Wednesday by Sebelius before the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The officials will also be grilled on how such crippling technical problems could have gone undetected prior to the website's Oct. 1 launch. "The incompetence in building this website is staggering," said Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., the second ranking Republican on the panel and an opponent of the law.
Democratic Senator Jeanee Shaheen of New Hampshire, a supporter of the Affordable Care Act, told Face the Nation on Sunday that “The rollout has been a disaster,” and proposed that the enrollment period be extended beyond the March 31st deadline. (h/t Washington Free Beacon) Indeed, other Senate Democrats have joined Shaheen in support of such a proposal. Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia has also joined with Republicans in calling for a one-year delay of the individual mandate.

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Posted by David Gerstman on October 27, 2013 13 Comments
Recently, after the first round of nuclear talks with Iran had concluded one of the American negotiators said: "... I have never had such intense, detailed, straightforward, candid conversations with the Iranian delegation before." The word that bothered me most in that declaration was "candid." How did Iranian foreign minister start kick of the negotiations? He started it with a widely reported PowerPoint presentation titled "An End to the Unnecessary Crisis and a Beginning for Fresh Horizons." There's a word that sticks out there too, "unnecessary."

Posted by Leslie Eastman on October 27, 2013 5 Comments
I have been following the disturbing news from Egypt closely; while it was hoped that a new president and a ban on the Muslim Brotherhood might stem more violence against its Coptic Christians, it looks like that is not to be:
The wedding party stood outside the church, eagerly awaiting the ceremonious arrival of the bride. Instead, drive-by shooters killed four, including two children and the groom's mother, and injured 18. Beyond its poignancy, the attack in Cairo's industrial neighborhood of Warraq was significant for being one of the first to target Egypt's Christians specifically, versus the now-common attacks on their church buildings. "Since the revolution, this is the first instance Coptic people were targeted randomly in a church, with weapons," said Mina Magdy, general coordinator for the Maspero Youth Union, a mostly Coptic revolutionary group formed in response to church burnings in 2011 after the fall of President Hosni Mubarak.
Interestingly, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul spoke about the issue of Muslim violence against Christians at a Value Voters summit earlier this month:
“Christians are being attacked around the world, but you won’t hear much about it on the evening news because the answer’s not convenient,” Paul continued. “It doesn’t fit the narrative we have been told about radical Islam. The president tries to gloss over who’s attacking and killing Christians. The media describes the killings as sectarian. But the truth is, a worldwide war on Christians is being waged by a fanatical element of Islam....”

Posted by William A. Jacobson on October 27, 2013 20 Comments

David Frum at The Daily Beast, and Alex Pareene at Salon.com, each write about Elizabeth Warren and Ted Cruz, and 2016. Frum sees a Warren run ending in defeat at the hands of the Clinton machine, How Ted Cruz Can Win in 2016: Democrats liked Hillary personally. But...

Posted by Leslie Eastman on October 27, 2013 36 Comments
Meghan McCain says her Arizona senator dad is “depressed” and “frustrated” with the tea party faction of the Republican Party, which she called “the hyper-conservative wing.” The comments were part of Meghan's promo for her new show, which no one will watch, Raising McCain. As a Tea Party activist, I am all for making both McCains even more frustrated. One of the most important developments in the new conservative movement has been encouraging regular Americans to participate directly in politics. In California, that has meant many have gotten involved in local Republican groups and have become versed in the ways of state party politics and its Byzantine rules. Recently, the Tea Party California Caucus  formed in response to the state Republican Party's continued lack of enthusiasm for formulating and implementing conservative policy. On Canto Talk, I recently had a chance to interview its founder Randall Jordan, as well as California Tea Party coordinator Dawn Wildman.  The caucus recently participated in the California Republican convention in Anaheim; Jordan says they met with "100 % more success" than they were anticipating and now the GOP establishment "can't ignore us and knows we are not going away."

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Posted by William A. Jacobson on October 27, 2013 6 Comments

From Henry, taken in Ojai, CA: I hope this one is a bit more clear. Upper left sticker says, "Vote Obama" Sticker below plate says, "The Bush Legacy: No Child Left A Dime." I should have jumped out and offered to scrape off the Bush sticker for $20.  LOL  ...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on October 26, 2013 27 Comments
Dick Durbin's Facebook comment that a senior House Republican told Obama "I cannot even stand to look at you" was exposed as a lie. The lie did not originate with Durbin, he merely passed on what Harry Reid told the Senate Democratic caucus based on information provided to Reid by The White House. That White House lie, now admitted but chalked up to a "miscommunication," inspired Chris Matthews and guests David Corn and Cynthia Tucker, to lash out at Republicans for demonizing the President:

Hardball - A Pattern Of Disrespect Screen Shot

A main focus was the disrespect shown by Republicans by repeatedly calling Obama a liar, which the panel agreed was because of hatred of Obama for the "other" and not one of us, and in the case of Tucker, coming right out and calling it racist:

Posted by Leslie Eastman on October 26, 2013 6 Comments
California Governor Jerry Brown's had a mixed reaction to several pieces of gun control legislation that recently hit his desk:
California Gov. Jerry Brown split the difference Friday on the pile of gun-control bills sitting on his desk, opting to sign five but veto seven, including a bill that would have banned the sale of many popular hunting rifles. “The state of California already has some of the strictest gun laws in the country, including bans on military-style assault rifles and high-capacity ammunition magazines,” said Mr. Brown in his veto message. “While the author’s intent is to strengthen these restrictions, this bill goes much farther by banning any semi-automatic rifle with a detachable magazine.”
Yet, Brown still managed to sign bills that prohibit the use of lead ammunition for hunting, ban kits that convert ammunition magazines to hold more than 10 rounds, make it a crime to leave a loaded gun in an area where it may be accessed by a minor without permission, and a bill that prohibits gun ownership by people who make serious threats to psychoanalysts. Dawn Wildman, President of San Diego's SoCal Tax Revolt Coalition, noted that without the help if the National Rifle Association working with Californians, the results could have been much more restrictive. She cites a list of items that were defeated before hitting Brown's desk, including:
Assembly Bill 174: This bill would have banned the possession of any firearm, magazine, or ammunition that was previously “grandfathered in” by previous legislation. Assembly Bill 108: This bill would have placed criminal liability on gun owners for failing to lock their firearms away every time they left the house, regardless of whether anyone would be present in the home.
In response to the legislation that did garner Brown's signature, a California Assemblyman is using Colorado's recent recall elections as a model for sending a message to elected advocates of excessive gun restrictions.

Posted by Mandy Nagy on October 26, 2013 5 Comments
#StopWatchingUs, the Rally Against Mass Surveillance, kicked off Saturday morning in Washington DC and continues into the afternoon.  It's been an interesting mix of demographics, with people there from both left and right.  The StopWatching.us coalition includes an equally (and oddly) diverse collection of organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union, FreePress, FreedomWorks, Competitive Enterprise Institute, Young Americans for Liberty, the Electronic Frontier Foundation and CAIR, among others. Some of the speeches have been well-grounded and interesting, others amusing and light-hearted, and there have been some with a bit more fiery rhetoric, many with mostly left-leaning viewpoints. You can watch the ongoing rally below, as well as view a collection of various photos, tweets and the hashtag feed.  [rally over, live feed removed] obamacam nsa-protest-banner

Posted by William A. Jacobson on October 26, 2013 25 Comments
Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, brother of Rahm Emanuel, was on Kelly File last night. (Video embed at bottom of post.) You may not remember Ezekiel. He was the Dr. Death Panel referred to by Sarah Palin in early August 2009 (emphasis added):
The Democrats promise that a government health care system will reduce the cost of health care, but as the economist Thomas Sowell has pointed out, government health care will not reduce the cost; it will simply refuse to pay the cost. And who will suffer the most when they ration care? The sick, the elderly, and the disabled, of course. The America I know and love is not one in which my parents or my baby with Down Syndrome will have to stand in front of Obama’s “death panel” so his bureaucrats can decide, based on a subjective judgment of their “level of productivity in society,” whether they are worthy of health care. Such a system is downright evil. Health care by definition involves life and death decisions. Human rights and human dignity must be at the center of any health care discussion. Rep. Michele Bachmann highlighted the Orwellian thinking of the president’s health care advisor, Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, the brother of the White House chief of staff, in a floor speech to the House of Representatives. I commend her for being a voice for the most precious members of our society, our children and our seniors.
In response to Palin's us of the term "death panel," we explored Ezekiel's writing to which Palin was referring, Principles for Allocation of Scarce Medical Interventions (full embed at bottom of post). On August 8, 2009, we wrote An Inconvenient Truth About The “Death Panel”:

Posted by William A. Jacobson on October 26, 2013 23 Comments
Republican split! Rift! Schism! The media is already salivating, Immigration Poses Threat of Another Republican Rift:
A push to bring immigration legislation to the House floor, led by an unusual coalition of business executives, prominent conservatives and evangelical leaders, threatens to create another schism in the Republican Party and could have a noticeable effect on campaign contributions before the midterm elections. Several Republican executives and donors who are part of a lobbying blitz coming to Capitol Hill next week said they were considering withholding, or had already decided to withhold, future financial support to Republican lawmakers they believe are obstructing progress on immigration. “I respect people’s views and concerns about the fact that we have a situation in the United States where we have millions of undocumented immigrants,” said Justin Sayfie, a lawyer from Florida who said he helped Mitt Romney raise more than $100,000 for his presidential campaign last year, in addition to helping other Republican candidates. “But we have what we have. This is October 2013. And the country will be better off if we fix it.”
In reality, the split, rift and schism is mostly over one issue: Amnesty. Democrats repeatedly have said no amnesty, no immigration "reform." It's their hill to die on, much as no meaningful changes to Obamacare was their hill to die on when it came to the "shutdown" and debt ceiling. Republican business interests and money men are willing to give amnesty in order to obtain other non-controversial immigration reforms. And in so doing, the Republican business interests and money men make it less likely they will get anything.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on October 26, 2013 5 Comments

He did not act stupidly, this time: Black Harvard Prof Says it’s Time to End Race-Based Affirmative Action Post Title of the Week Award goes to Aleister: OOPS! College TA Emails T and A Pics to Class Brought to you by the good folks at healthcare.gov: Brown’s $400,000 NIH Study:...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on October 26, 2013 3 Comments

From Bill in Walnut Creek, CA: Wonderful Bumper Sticker Juxtaposit​ion NRA on a Prius in Walnut Creek, CA!! I'm definitely starting to think Priuses are getting a bum rap. We're seeing a lot of good bumper stickers on them....

Posted by Mandy Nagy on October 25, 2013 6 Comments
The Polk County Sheriff's Office on Friday released private Facebook chats of two middle school girls, aged 12 and 14, who were recently charged with aggravated stalking in connection with the bullying case of Rebecca Sedwick. Sedwick, 12, who was allegedly bullied by the two for months, took her own life in September. video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsvideo player The Facebook chats reveal the reactions of the two girls after learning about Sedwick's death.  In one chat with an unidentified friend, the 14 year old defendant says, "it was best for everyone that she went to hell , no one [will] ever know the truth."
14 year old defendant: Cant believe Rebecca is dead , I thought they wouldn't find the body Friend: What r u talking about u thought they never find the body? Ik she died but what u mean by that Defendant: They found her body , I thought they weren't they "think" its sewcide hope it stays that way. Friend: Y u talking like that? What's wrong with u Defendant: No reason it was best for everyone that she went to hell , no one with ever know the truth
In a separate chat with the 12 year old defendant, the 14 year old initially seemed remorseful. (Excerpt)

Posted by William A. Jacobson on October 25, 2013 18 Comments
Ever since Legal Insurrection broke the story that NY-23 Democratic challenger Martha Robertson sent a fundraising email claiming that “GOP Ops” had been “caught” trying to take down her website, Robertson has been on the defensive. The Robertson campaign has not provided any proof that GOP operatives attempted to hack her website and has backed off that claim.  The website never was down, and the “hacking” claim may have been nothing more than routine server problems.  A local Republican leader asked for an investigation by the FBI and U.S. Attorney's office as to whether the Robertson campaign violated any laws. Now even Roll Call is raising the issue, Democrat Will Hire Cybersecurity Firm for Alleged Website Hack:
Tompkins County Council Chairwoman Martha Robertson, a Democrat challenging GOP Rep. Tom Reed in New York’s 23rd District, called the recent brouhaha over an alleged hacking of her campaign website “a distraction” from the race in an interview with CQ Roll Call earlier this month. Republicans have been pressuring Robertson to provide proof that GOP operatives attempted to hack her campaign website. Robertson made that claim in a Sept. 30 fundraising email. “We’re working to hire a cyber-security firm to take a serious look at that and investigate everything that happened. Beyond that it’s really better to leave it up to them,” Robertson said. “At the end of the day I think … it’s beyond a distraction. [Voters] are concerned about their pocketbook issues — whether or not their Social Security and Medicare payments are going to be there as they depend on them.” New York’s 23rd District is rated a Lean Republican contest by Rothenberg Political Report/Roll Call.
Robertson's statement that the campaign is hiring a cybersecurity firm to investigate is an implicit admission that she still does not have any proof to back up her fundraising claim that GOP operatives were caught trying to take down her website.

Posted by Mandy Nagy on October 25, 2013 22 Comments
A few more updates today on the ongoing healthcare.gov website issues and what's apparently being done to address them. The most important of those being that the administration says the site will be in proper working order in a month, and that QSSI - which has been one of the contractors on the current website project - will serve as a general contractor in overseeing this cleanup phase. From USA Today:
The troubled HealthCare.gov website will be running properly by late November, said Jeffrey Zients, President Obama's appointee to fix the problems that have plagued the site since its Oct. 1 opening. "By the end of November, HealthCare.gov will work smoothly for the vast majority of users," Zients said Friday. "The HealthCare.gov site is fixable. It will take a lot of work, and there are a lot of problems that need to be addressed." Zients, former acting director of the Office of Management and Budget, was called in Monday to help with the site until it is fixed. He helped with other website glitches during Obama's first term. QSSI, a division of UnitedHealth Group, will serve as a general contractor to oversee the effort, he said. Their existing contract for the site has been renegotiated.
Philip Klein over at Washington Examiner was on a conference call this afternoon with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and Jeff Zients, and offers a few additional pieces of information. (This is only an excerpt of several he mentions):
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