SCOTUS shoots down the Teabirthers' Lawsuit. Again.

It's a relief of course that the Supreme Court has ruled 6 to 3 AGAINST the umpteenth corporate-financed lawsuit against the Affordable Care Act.  But this decision was such a no-brainer, how else could they rule?

If six million Americans had had their health insurance yanked away from them because a 5-word phrase in the middle of the 2,000-page Affordable Care Act might, just might, might could mean something slightly different than what was clearly spelled out in that phrase:  imagine the ripple effect...

When you pull up to a Stop sign, you can no longer just stop, look to make sure there's no oncoming traffic, and then go.  Nope.  That was then.  From now on, a Stop sign means STOP.  That's it.  So you pull up, Stop, and then sit there until you receive further instructions.

And pronouns would pretty much disappear from people's conversations.  When you say Johnny stubbed his toe, the listener is 99.99% certain that you mean Johnny stubbed Johnny's toe.  But you can't assume.  From now on, that obvious fact will have to spelled out every time.

Etc.

Democratic Strategy for 2014 Elections: Focus on Obamacare

With the upcoming mid-term elections, Democratic politicians are in their usual predicament:  Voters agree with them on most of the issues, but they're more likely to vote for the Republican candidate instead.  Yes it sucks, but what're you gonna do?

At a recent three-day retreat for Democratic VIPs, Joe Biden told the audience:

“On every major issue, the American people agree with the Democratic Party.  I can't think of a time when the issues that most affect the American people, most affect the middle class, overwhelmingly, overwhelmingly, they support us.”

He's right. Income inequality, a higher minimum wage, infrastructure spending, gun control, immigration reform, abortion, same-sex marriage — for that matter, the entire rightwing Biblehump agenda that Republicans keep trotting out — the public is with the Democrats on all of these issues.  That and four dollars will get you a cappuccino at Starbucks.

If agreeing with the public on the issues was any sort of guarantee, the Democrats would be assured of winning the House and strengthening their control of the Senate this November.  And Jimmy Carter would have trounced Ronald Reagan in 1980.

A Republican consultant responded to Biden's comments with:

“Biden's comments reflect a 50,000-foot view rather than political realities on the ground in key states that will determine control of the Senate.”

He's absolutely right, like it or not.

In a recent survey, 52% of the public named the Affordable Care Act — whether pro or con — as the most important issue.  Therefore, what should the Democrats be focusing on?

Obamacare.  This is what Democratic candidates need to talk about — the Affordable Care Act, with all its good and bad points. Talk about the millions of previously uninsured Americans who finally have health insurance; people with pre-existing conditions who, for the first time in their lives, can NOT be turned down by an insurance company.  Insurance companies are no longer allowed to cancel your coverage AFTER you've gotten sick.  Talk about this!  Shout it from the rooftops.

And since millions of voters are pissed off about Obamacare — acknowledge this.  Listen to their complaints and explain how it happened and what you'll do (or have done) to fix the problem.

The GOP is planning to sweep the 2014 election by hammering away at Obamacare — the millions of glitches and crashes, people's genuine fears of losing their current coverage or having to pay more for less coverage, the evils of socialized medicine, etc.  Democrats can NOT let the Republicans frame this debate.

If the Democrats try to avoid talking about Obamacare and instead just bask in the glow of “the public is with us on the issues” — we're looking at a Republican Senate next year.

Join Lawsuit Against Obamacare, Then Go Bankrupt from Medical Expenses

OUCH!  Talk about taking one for the team.

Mary Brown, a 56-year-old Florida resident, became the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit against Obama’s Affordable Care Act.

According to a spokesperson:

“She doesn't have insurance. She doesn't want to pay for it. And she doesn't want the government to tell her she has to have it.”

First things first — why spend money on health insurance when you can spend it on an exciting high-profile lawsuit instead?

Last Fall Mary Brown and her husband filed for bankruptcy.  They have $4,500 in unpaid medical bills.

Jane Perkins, a health law expert in North Carolina, said:

“This is so ironic.  It just shows that all Americans inevitably have a need for health care. Somebody has paid for her health care costs. And she is now among the 62% whose personal bankruptcy was attributable in part to medical bills.”

It's not nice to point out someone's personal problems just to make a political point, but...

Repealing “Obamacare” More Important Than Preventing America’s Default

It’s all over the news that the debt ceiling negotiations have collapsed. But the mainstream “media” didn’t bother to mention the reason.

When it looked like they had almost reached a deal, Republicans threw a wrench in the gears: Any possible deal would have to include the repeal of Obama’s Affordable Care Act.

At least the Republicans have their priorities straight. It’s OK if America turns into the world’s largest third world deadbeat nation, as long as their HMO pimps can keep on gouging and killing.

Oh, and there was one other reason John Boehner stormed out of the conference room so suddenly: “I needed a drink.”

Rep. Anthony Weiner to Democrats: “Stop Cowering”

It needed to be said. And our spinally challenged Democrats need to hear it and act on it.

Most Democrats have spent the last few years lying in bed, curled up in the fetal position, thinking “if I pull the covers over my head and stay perfectly still, Republicans won’t see me and they won’t be able to get me.”

Dana Milbank described the Democrats as being “passive to the point of wimpy” on the first anniversary of the Affordable Care Act. He quotes Anthony Weiner as saying:

“If Democrats believe it’s going to go away, they’re wrong. I don’t represent the hide-under-the-desk wing of the Democratic Party. I believe we’ve got to lean into this fight.”

He says Nancy Pelosi has been “inartful,” and President Obama hasn’t provided “air cover” for Democrats in Congress. The White House “hasn’t done a very good job” of confronting critics. And referring to the Democrats in general: “We have to stop cowering.”

He says Democrats should be actively promoting and celebrating the health care reform law. “It’s not enough just to say, ‘Here’s this great bill.’ We haven’t done a particularly skillful job in the last year of rebutting some of the basic thrusts of the Republican opposition to the bill.”

Dana Milbank says the Democrats are “answering the opposition’s often-scurrilous allegations with earnest pleas not to ‘relitigate’ the past. In wishing away the fight, they are losing it.”

In other words — Stop Cowering!