Cartoon Claims Obamacare Means Men Will Get STDs From Women Who Can Now Afford Birth Control

The Huffington Post  |  By Paige Lavender

 

A cartoon is claiming men can thank Obamacare for getting sexually transmitted diseases from "women who now get free birth control."
The cartoon depicts an angry man next to a woman holding a pack of birth control pills, both with sores on their mouths. Under the words "thanks Obamacare!" are the hashtags #gotbrokencondom, #gotherpes, #gotpregnant and #gotchildsupport.
The cartoon was done by A.F. Branco, whose work is published at a website called Comically Incorrect.
The cartoon is a parody of an ad for Obamacare from DoYouGotInsurance.com called "Let's Get Physical," showing characters named "Susie" and "Nate" described as "hot to trot." In the ad, Susie gives a thumbs up while holding a pack of birth control pills.
See the cartoon below:

UPDATE -- 12:26 p.m.: Branco gave the following statement on the cartoon to HuffPost:

I'm not against birth control or nor do I feel that it is any of my business what people do sexually. However, I do feel that contraceptives are inexpensive and accessible enough that I shouldn't have to pay for them through my taxes. I also feel that my government shouldn't be promoting promiscuous sex as though condoms are the answer to all STDs and promiscuous behavior.

This post has been updated with a version of the cartoon sent to HuffPost by Branco.

Read More

Rick Perry Is Quietly Encouraging Texans to Sign Up for Obamacare

Rick Perry Is Quietly Encouraging Texans to Sign Up for Obamacare 

Published October 23, 2013 - 3:30pm

Katie Singh
Burnt Orange Report

Governor Rick Perry has always been one of the Affordable Care Act's most vocal opponents. He's called it a "monstrosity," a "stomach punch to the economy," and a "felony." But that hasn't stopped him from telling Texans to sign up for health coverage from the law.

That's right — Rick Perry's administration is encouraging Texans to enroll in the ACA's health insurance exchanges.

As the Texas Tribune reported last week, Texas will soon be shutting down its high-risk insurance pool for residents with pre-existing conditions, pushing them to seek coverage in the federal insurance marketplace created by the Affordable Care Act. According to the Tribune, "the state has deemed the high-risk pool obsolete, as the Affordable Care Act prohibits insurance companies participating in the federal marketplace...from denying coverage to Texans with pre-existing conditions." Governor Perry signed the bill abolishing the high-risk pool into law in June, and it will be shut down by the end of the year.

This is just the latest in a series of hypocritical moves by Governor Perry regarding the Affordable Care Act. Though he's called the law a "criminal act," Perry certainly has no problem accepting money from it. As we reported last month, Perry has accepted over $100 million in ACA grants, and was asking for even more to help expand a state program providing insurance to those with disabilities.

Perry's actions make it utterly impossible to take his position on the ACA seriously. The crux of his argument against the Affordable Care Act has been that it's better for states to control health policy than the federal government. But by accepting ACA grant money, and now by encouraging high-risk patients to enroll in insurance exchanges, Perry's actions have totally undermined his words. In accepting these parts of the ACA, he's essentially acknowledged that federal grants will enhance the state's existing health programs, and that the health exchanges will provide better coverage for people with pre-existing conditions than what the state has now.

Perry's actions confirm what policy experts have known since the law was passed — it's a step forward for Texans. Stacey Pogue of the Center for Public Policy Priorities told the Texas Tribune she "think[s] that people are going to have many more options and many better options in the marketplace than they do in the health pool today."

Texans in the high-risk pool currently pay twice the market rate for health coverage, but they will be able to find much cheaper options in the health insurance exchanges. The ACA's tax subsidies will also make coverage more affordable. In addition, the insurance plans available in the exchanges will expand the level of care people with pre-existing conditions can receive, "as they must cover 'essential health benefits,' some of which, such as maternity care, aren't [currently] covered in the pool."

So, the next time you hear Rick Perry call the Affordable Care Act an "attack on freedom" or some other hyperbole, remember that even he doesn't really think that. Perry's presidential ambitions mean he'll never admit it, but he's repeatedly accepted parts of the Affordable Care Act as good for Texas. In doing so, he's not only recognized that federal assistance can strengthen state programs, but he's also proven himself to be a Texas-sized hypocrite.

Read More

Local News Station Busts Darrell Issa for Silencing Supporters During ACA Investigation

Local News Station Busts Darrell Issa for Silencing Supporters During ACA Investigation

By: Sarah Jones
Tuesday, November, 26th, 2013

The mainstream media might be letting the public down, but some local media outlets are still diligently reporting the news instead of chasing after Beltway Cool Kids with a GOP playbook in their front pocket.
Melissa Hankins at Charlotte, North Carolina’s WBTV 3 reported that Darrell Issa’s ObamaCare “hearings” in Gastonia called “Obamacare Implementation: Sticker Shock of Increased Premiums for Health Care Coverage” weren’t exactly unbiased.
In fact, people who had positive things to say about the ACA were not only told they couldn’t speak, but they were told that if they spoke “out of turn” they’d have to leave.

 Watch here:

WBTV 3 News, Weather, Sports, and Traffic for Charlotte, NC

 

The meeting got off to a contentious start on Friday, with people complaining that they won’t get a chance to be heard. People were told they would be removed from the meeting if they spoke out of turn. Residents were angry because Issa picked the five witnesses that we will hear from, all residents of North Carolina.

The piece goes on to list several supporters of the ACA whom Issa refused to let speak.
Allison Ward, who says the ACA offers her insurance she can afford for the first time ever, wanted to be heard. If she had been chosen to “testify” (is it really a hearing if it’s all staged? Not so much), she would have said, “My president has said I hear you, I’m going to help you and frankly the way I see it is that other people are getting in the way.”
You can see why Issa wouldn’t let Ms. Ward speak.
Another Charlotte resident wanted to speak about how no one would give her insurance because she was diagnosed with MS. Dana Wilson said the ACA changed the fact that no one would insure her. Ms. Wilson thinks if it’s a real hearing, then all sides should be heard. “I think if it’s a true hearing than all sides should be heard and they don’t want to hear us,” she told WBTV 3.
The reported explained that the area has seen some of the highest increases in premiums in the country, and that’s why Issa was there. Fair enough. But that’s no reason not to hear from supporters of the law.
Issa claims that no Democrats picked any witnesses and that is how he justifies not using supporters of the law. But see, that’s an admission that Issa is not trying to get at the truth, as he claims he is. He’s got a show to put on, and he can only use haters in this script. It’s called propaganda, and it’s following the GOP playbook exactly. The main messages of the GOP attack ACA playbook are: “Because of Obamacare, I Lost My Insurance”, “Obamacare Increases Health Care Costs” and “The Exchanges May Not Be Secure, Putting Personal Information at Risk”. ”
Good old Issa is up to his usual tricks, where he only lets the people who he knows will say what he needs them to say in front of the cameras, and then he blames Democrats when he’s busted Issa got busted doing this on Benghazi as well. Issa refused to let the experts on the Benghazi attacks speak in front of the cameras, and then blamed the White House for not inviting them:

While the rest of the media is reporting that the co-chairmen of the independent review on the Benghazi attacks, Ambassador Thomas Pickering and former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen, have finally agreed to testify, in truth Pickering was not invited by Darell Issa (R-CA) to testify at the televised hearing. When called out on his lies on national TV, Issa finally tried to blame the White House for not inviting Pickering.

Darrell Issa wants you to believe that he is wasting all of this money just to get the truth, but the truth involves refusing to let anyone with a dissenting point of view be heard. It’s just like the founders envisioned…
Only not.
h/t Diane Sweet at Crooks and Liars

Local News Station Busts Darrell Issa for Silencing Supporters During ACA Investigation was written by Sarah Jones for PoliticusUSA.

© PoliticusUSA, Tue, Nov 26th, 2013 — All Rights Reserve

Read More

Ted Cruz Quite Possibly Just Made His Most Ridiculous Statement — Ever

November 26, 2013

By Allen Clifton


It’s no secret that I absolutely cannot stand Texas Senator Ted Cruz.  I still go back and forth between him and Sarah Palin when trying to figure out who I loathe more.  Currently the edge goes to Cruz simply because he’s actually a senator, whereas Sarah Palin is nothing more than a failed vice presidential candidate and the Alaska governor who quit before her first term was up.
That being said, it’s not difficult at all to find ample quotes from Ted Cruz that are completely absurd.
But while there are plenty of quotes proving Ted Cruz is an idiot, the context of his recent comments about Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid using the “nuclear option” to change the rules of the Senate might just be his most ridiculous ever.
During an exchange with Bloomberg News’ Al Hunt, Hunt asked Cruz about the change in the rules made by Senator Reid:

Hunt: Will it complicate passing budgets or debt ceilings or anything?
Cruz: Of course it will. I mean, it will poison the atmosphere of the Senate.

Yes, that’s Ted Cruz accusing Harry Reid and Democrats of poisoning the atmosphere of the Senate.  The guy who many within his own party can’t stand.  The man who staged a fake 21-hour filibuster where he tried to compare “Obamacare” to Darth Vader and misconstrued the meaning of Green Eggs and Ham on the Senate floor.  The same Senator who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to force a government shutdown, knowing that it stood absolutely zero chance at accomplishing his ridiculous “goal.”
The same Senator Cruz who, in his very brief time in the United States Senate, has done absolutely nothing except use his position as senator to set himself up for a 2016 presidential bid – at the cost of the taxpayers, of course.
Ted Cruz epitomizes “poison” in the Senate.  It’s clear to anyone with any kind of common sense that Cruz only ran for the Senate because he had presidential ambitions for 2016 and needed a way to get his name known to voters.  And since his election he’s taken up the strategy that the only thing he’ll do is pander to the tea party, hoping that if he builds enough support with far-right Republicans, he’ll set himself up to claim the GOP nomination in 2016.
But like I said, you don’t have to believe me – many within his own party can’t even stand him.  Look at how quickly many leading Republicans emphatically denounced the idea of shutting down the government again once another vote on the budget will have to be held in a couple of months.
So while what he said wasn’t the most asinine thing he’s ever said, the context behind what he expressed might just be the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard him say.
Of all people, for Ted Cruz to accuse anyone of introducing poisonous behavior in the Senate could be a definition for hypocrisy.  And while this just might rank at the top of my list for ridiculous comments from the Texas senator, I’m sure it won’t be long before he says something else outrageous to trump its stupidity.

Read More

Media Manufactures GOP 2016 Front-Runner From Abject Failure

Media Manufactures GOP 2016 Front-Runner From Abject Failure

Would you buy a used car from this man?
Is this what an "ideal" president looks like?

Scott Walker will fail miserably on his promise to create 250,000 jobs in Wisconsin -- his austerity agenda, entirely from out-of-state multinational corporate interests, is a documented train wreck.

His job-growth stunt is so out-of-whack, that now Scott Walker is falsely puffing up numbers for business growth -- fraudulently counting nonprofits like girl scout troops, little league baseball, and other service groups as business entities.

Walker's "flagship" economic development agency, Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, is a fiscal disaster that has lost track of more than $19 million dollars of taxpayers money.  Fully 36% of its loans are uncollectable.  Is WEDC just a failure or is it actually a campaign laundering scam and pay-to-play?

There are multiple criminal investigations into Walker's ascent to power -- at least one, which no one talks about, resulted in the FBI obtaining and executing a search warrant to seize computers and evidence from one of Walker's top associates, Cynthia Archer.

Objectively, Scott Walker can be shown to be a most dishonest and disingenuous politician -- perhaps even making habitual liars like Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan look "truthful" by comparison.

And then there's the fact that Scott Walker positioned himself squarely in the middle of the republican War on Women, signing, over the long 4th-of-July weekend, a vaginal ultrasound bill -- one of the most controversial in the nation.  Women's groups, a vocal voting block, are up-in-arms about it -- Scott Walker proclaims it is unfair to talk about.

Scott Walker dropped out of college after pulling illegal campaign stunts on campus that resulted in Marquette Tribute proclaiming him "unfit for office".  Walker would not only be the first president in modern times to have not earned a degree -- but his peers on campus still remember Walker's disgraceful conduct.  Walker recently lied to Time that that he left college for the birth of his son -- four years before he was born.

But perhaps most disturbing is how Wisconsin's self-proclaimed "divide and conquer" Governor, admitted deceiving the electorate and "dropping the bomb" with extreme and controversial legislation.  On multiple occasions, Walker has admitted considering crimes against our democracy by planting "troublemakers" in crowds of peaceful crowds expressing their Constitutional Rights to seek redress of grievances.

A fiscal conservative? -- HA!  Walker's budgets are not balanced and greatly inflate debt-service taxpayers will be saddled with in the future -- interest and expenses that create the illusion of fiscal responsibility.

So just how does the media snooker the public into falsely believing that a man with this track record, Scott Walker, is an "ideal" presidential candidate?  It takes a lot of propaganda.

Scott Walker is in need of some "big guns" to create and disseminate propaganda -- but have no fear -- the media is here!  A rational & objective analysis of Scott Walker's record in Wisconsin proves he is not presidential timber -- however, no one has told the media yet.

It will take a lot of propaganda, heavy-hittin' propaganda artists, and a massive right-wing media echo-chamber to catapult Gov. Scott Walker across the Badger State and the Nation as a credible presidential candidate.

Putting him in the White House will take another stolen election -- but here in Wisconsin, election irregularities and downright fraud are the norm.  It can be scientifically demonstrated that Scott Walker stole the 2012 recall.

FAIL:  Economic Austerity Crashes Wisconsin Economy

Let's begin with the massive job failure -- and this isn't just about Scott Walker's 2010 signature 250,000 job promise.  Wisconsin is also falling far behind its neighboring states in economic growth -- our economy is one of the worst in the nation -- all after implementing Walker's austerity agenda.

Click to enlarge, source:  Cap Times
Interactive Data -- Job Growth

Maybe turning to radical extreme out-of-state multinational corporate agendas via one-party rule isn't such a good idea after all.

In the coveted private sector manufacturing arena -- Wisconsin has actually LOST jobs (NOTE:  Please read that last link carefully, Journal Communications headline is extremely misleading -- more HERE).

We know why Scott Walker left his job growth promise out of his ghost-written and "not-a-tell-all" book -- by every assessment -- Walker is going to fail to grow the Wisconsin economy and will miss his jobs goal by a huge margin.

In fact, now that they are done promoting Walker's dishonest book, Sunday's New York Times outlines the differences in political philosophies in the Midwest, documenting that, compared to every nearby state, Walker's austerity is an utter failure.

NYT held these facts back until after Walker's book bamboozle tour was over.  Please note that NYT has not yet challenged the false notion that Walker is the "ideal" presidential candidate in 2012.

FAIL:  Business Growth

Lesser known than Walker's signature promise to create 250,000 jobs in Wisconsin during is first term is that he would also create 10,000 new businesses.  We know he is not going to come anywhere close to the 250,000 jobs -- and this does matter, despite Walker's attempts to roll-back those claims.

But Walker is also failing to create 10,000 new businesses -- and don't believe Journal Communications' propaganda artists at PolitiFact.  Not only is Walker falling short, but he (and Journal Communications) fraudulently prop up Walker's deceptive numbers by misusing what Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions (WDFI) terms "business entities.  These are not all businesses -- not even close.

When Walker saw he was falling almost 6,000 businesses short of his goal, he turned to WDFI to orchestrate a great deception and is now counting Girl Scout troops and Little League teams as new business creations in the state.

FAIL:  Wisconsin Economic Development Agency, Walker's "Flagship"
& Misappropriate of Federal Community Development Block Grants

Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, will not be able to collect more than 1/3 of the loans it has made, according to the most-recent audit by Schneck SC, which states that WEDC's internal accounting controls over loans were not in place and that loan agreements did not all have required performance reviews.  So what does Scott Walker have to say about?

He claims that having more than 1/3 of WEDC's loans, all taxpayer money, uncollectible is just a "boo-boo" that couldn't have been anticipated and that it's the computer's fault. And when the public found out about this mess, Walker proclaimed:

The vast majority of the people at the WEDC are doing good work. We've just got to make sure that the other things are corrected so that stays the focal point now and in the future.

The Schneck audit identified other "material weaknesses":

• No procedures were established to monitor loans
• Financial transactions were regularly recorded wrong or not at all
• Accounting journal entries were made without any documentation and often entirely without approval.  This may be an indication of fraud and cover up.
• Almost one-quarter of all credit card uses during the year were not approved.

Walker's Department of Administration was forced to respond by announcing that DOA would administer Community Development Block Grants.  H.U.D. had suspended the grant program because WEDC was not in compliance with state and federal statues, rules and regulations.  The law demands that these grants be administered by state agencies.  Since Walker created WEDC as a quasi-private agency to replaced the former Wisconsin Department of Commerce, he was afoul of federal laws.

But even after taking remedial action, Scott Walker and his WEDC are not off the hook, because HUD is investigating previous grants WEDC improperly awarded and reserves the right to demand Wisconsin pay-back any funds that were disbursed inappropriately.  If laws were broken, there could be other repercussions -- is any of this related to ongoing criminal investigations?

FAIL:  Multiple Ongoing Probes into Walker's Ascent to Power

The closed Milwaukee County John Doe probe resulted in 6 people being convicted of 15 felonies and 3 misdemeanors -- those top Walker aides are still in jail. Walker's right-wing supporters and media shills are worried and now screech lies that the whole process is unfair.

We now know that there are multiple ongoing probes -- all stemming from the original Milwaukee County John Doe probe. And we still do not know the results from the Federal search warrant that the FBI used to raid close Walker associate Cynthia Archer's Madison home.

With people currently serving time for felonies and with so many open investigations, how can the media tell us that Scott Walker is an "ideal" GOP candidate for 2016? 

This looks more like a train-wreck than a ticket to the White House.

FAIL:  General in War on Women & Reproductive Rights

Scott Walker is proclaiming to attendees at a recent Christian Science Monitor breakfast that he does not expect the "War on Women" to be an effective line of attack against him in his 2014 re-election campaign.  Christian Science Monitor's report reads like pure propaganda -- all but anointing Walker the next President of the United States.

This despite the fact that Walkersigned one of the Nation's most divisive and extreme vaginal ultrasound bills -- trying to hide it from the public by delaying signing it until the long Fourth of July 2013 weekend.  We know why Scott Walker tells lies -- in this case -- insisting he has no responsibility for taking away reproductive rights and signing into law state sanctioned rape.  Why does the media endlessly repeat these lies?

Reproductive rights are not just a women's issue either -- women and men have a vested interest in being able to determine when the time is right to raise a family.  Walker is thumbing his nose at the majority of Americans of reproductive age -- is this a stepping-stone to the White House?

FAIL:  Disgraceful Electioneering at Marquette University

Scott Walker, a man that can be objectively demonstrated to tell many lies, has a long history of being a political bully and has a track record of dirty campaign tactics & illegal campaigning.  Dr. Glen Barry, a former classmate at Marquette University, spoke out about the recall and Walker's disgraceful political roots which began at that school.  Read more of the sultry details of Scott Walker's life running for Marquette student government HERE.

FAIL:  Divide and Conquer Politics

Scott Walker, in January 2011, was asked by Diane Hendricks, a Wisconsin billionaire who is his largest campaign donor and who paid no state taxes in 2010, if he could make Wisconsin a "right to work state"  (video HERE).  His reply was, speaking in hushed tone was:

Well, we're going to start in a couple weeks with our budget adjustment bill.  The first step is we're going to deal with collective bargaining for all public employee unions, because you use divide and conquer. So for us, the base we've got for that is the fact that we've got – budgetarily we can't afford not to. If we have collective bargaining agreements in place, there's no way not only the state but local governments can balance things out.

Proclaiming to your wealthiest in-state donor that you will fail to serve large blocks of your constituency, declaring intentions to "divide and conquer" them instead, does not qualify one as the "ideal" presidential candidate.  Why does the media consistently proclaim otherwise?

FAIL:  "Drop the Bomb" -- Extreme & Divisive Legislative Agenda,
Hidden from the Electorate

Scott Walker has been lying about the most embarrassing mistake he has made as governor -- getting punked by a prank phone call by blogger Ian Murphy who pretended to be David Koch.  Murphy claims to have been "fairly stoned" when he made the call.  What was Scott Walker's excuse for falling for the prank?

Here's what Scott Walker said:

[…] the Monday right after the 6th. Came home from the Super Bowl where the Packers won, and that Monday night I had all of my cabinet over to the residence for dinner. Talked about what we were gonna do, how we were gonna do it. We’d already kinda built plans up, but it was kind of the last hurrah before we dropped the bomb.

As Governor, Scott Walker declared war on the people he has a sworn oath to serve.  He literally described his strategies as dropping "the bomb" on Badger Citizens.  But it gets worse, much worse.

FAIL:  Admits to Crimes Against Democracy -- Agent Provocateurs.

In that same prank phone call, Gov. Scott Walker admitted that state authorities had “thought about” using troublemakers -- actually agent provocateurs -- to infiltrate the crowds demonstrating against his effort to eliminate collective bargaining rights.

During a press conference that followed, Walker defended these remarks, stating “The bottom line is, the things I said are things I said publicly all along.”

We are talking about serious federal crimes here -- violating laws that go back to the Civil War era and protect citizens from direct attacks by their government -- even admitting thinking about these great crimes against our democracy is criminal. But to potential GOP presidential hopeful, Scott Walker, its all-in-a-days-work.

On February 23, 2011, Walker appeared on Fox News with anchor Greta Van Susteren -- she asked Walker if he and his aides had considered employing agent provocateurs to play “dirty tricks in the crowd.”  Walker openly confirmed -- yes indeed, he had, going so far as to explain: “I even had lawmakers and others suggesting riling things up.”

While Walker said that he rejected the idea, he has never expressed moral concerns about “riling things up”, potentially creating a dangerous situation for the for crowds that included children, elderly folks and people with disabilities. 

How can this episode reinforce Walker's front-runner status as the "ideal" GOP candidate for President of the United States in 2016?

FAIL:  Budget Shenanigans -- Deficits and Massive Debt

In 2011, Gov. Scott Walker needed a crisis to exploit, so he ginned up a budget deficit to enable his attack on public unions.  Then, in In May 2011, the state issued additional debt of approximately $558.3 million, which will cost state taxpayers an additional $156.2 million interest costs.

Gubernatorial opponent, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, was correct  when he pointed out Walker's deception -- to help balance the 2011-13 budget, Gov. Scott Walker used "a credit card" approach that "pushed over $500 million in debt onto our children and our grandchildren" costing state taxpayers "more than $150 million in interest."

Even the conservative pro-business journal, Forbes, had to call out his lies on balancing the budget:

In fact, we now know that the Governor is either being untruthful with the good people of Wisconsin on the whole ‘I balanced budget and wiped out the deficit’ thing or he’s been, shall we say, stretching the truth when speaking to Uncle Sam on the same topicv 

In a letter sent by Mike Huebsch, Walker’s Administration Secretary, to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services just two months ago, Huebsch disclosed that the state of Wisconsin would have an ‘undisclosed deficit’ from January, 2012 through June, 2013.

Kathleen Vinehout points out the myths in the current 2-year budget:

1. The 2013-15 budget spends $4 billion more than the previous one. In fact, state spending is greater than it has ever been in Wisconsin’s history.
2. Walker's 2013-2014 
3. budget spends more than it is projected to collect in revenue.  When spending is greater than revenue, a deficit exists
4. In the 2011-13 legislative session, Gov. Scott Walker did not pay an even larger amount of debt payments coming due. Because debt payments were not made, more money goes to pay off debt in the current budget than ever before.

Scott Walker is not a fiscal conservative.  He is a flim-flam man that panders to a compliant media to generate misleading headlines -- one of his most outrageous shams was loading up the the Badger State's rainy day fund in a publicity stunt that the media promoted.  This borrowed money is not an asset set aside for future use -- it is a liability that taxpayers get stuck with while Walker struts around like a genius.


Fraudulently Creating a Republican "Rock Star"

So how can anyone look at each of these failures and objectively proclaim Scott Walker is a republican "rock star"?  How is Scott Walker the "ideal" candidate for GOP in 2016?  Why did the national media prop Scott Walker up for an entire week to let him promote his misleading and deceptive ghost-written biography?

Pretty powerful propaganda -- but we haven't see the worst of it yet. The media is, after all, anointing Scott Walker as the "ideal" GOPPER for the White House.

Posted by Voices Newspaper Blogat 6:41 PM

Read More

Fox News host: Obamacare ‘touches so many people’s lives’ unlike ‘Katrina or the Iraq war’

Fox News host: Obamacare ‘touches so many people’s lives’ unlike ‘Katrina or the Iraq war’ (via Raw Story )

Fox News host Martha MacCallum on Monday suggested that President Barack Obama’s health care law was even worse than devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina or the Iraq War because it “touches so many people’s lives.” In a segment on America…

---

---

Read More

John Cornyn, Texas Senator, Says Iran Deal Is Obamacare Distraction

By Benjamin Hart Posted: 11/23/2013 11:51 pm EST  |  Updated: 11/25/2013 12:19 pm EST 

It was predictable that GOP hawks like Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC) wouldn't love the historic deal the Obama administration reached with Iran on Saturday night.
But Texas Senator John Cornyn had a unique, if completely bizarre, take on the agreement:
 

Amazing what WH will do to distract attention from O-care
— JohnCornyn (@JohnCornyn) November 24, 2013

 Among the many politicians and journalists to counter Cornyn's wacky assertion was David Plouffe, Senior Advisor to President Obama:

No, a real distraction would be war. Like Iraq. RT@JohnCornyn: Amazing what WH will do to distract attention from O-care”
— David Plouffe (@davidplouffe) November 24, 2013

Read More

Fact-checking the Sunday Nov. 24 shows

By Aaron Sharockman
Published on Sunday, November 24th, 2013 at 11:07 a.m.

Related rulings:

The Affordable Care Act alters the "sensible doctor-patient-relationship-centered health care program ... we see today."

Sarah Palin, Sunday, November 24th, 2013.
Ruling: False | Details

"Harry Reid was against (the nuclear option) before he was for it. Mitch McConnell was for it before he was against it. President Obama was against it before he was for it."

Matthew Dowd, Sunday, November 24th, 2013.
Ruling: True | Details

Share this article:

On "Fox News Sunday," former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said: "There will be fewer people being covered under a sensible doctor-patient relationship centered health care program under Obamacare than what we see today."

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin returned to the Sunday news show circuit to pitch a new book and talk about the health care law with Fox News Sunday’s Chris Wallace.
In a taped interview, Wallace asked Palin about the issues of the moment -- the problems surrounding the rollout of the health care law and the decision by Senate Democrats to stop the ability of Republicans to filibuster judicial and presidential appointments.
On health care, Palin said she didn’t believe Congressional Budget Office projections, which show approximately 30 million uninsured Americans will receive health care as a result of the Affordable Care Act.
"I am one to question those numbers that 30 million more people will receive health care coverage under Obamacare. ... I don't believe a doggone thing coming out of Washington D.C. anymore," she said.
Moments later, Palin said: "There will be fewer people being covered under a sensible doctor-patient-relationship-centered health care program under Obamacare than what we see today. I guarantee you that."
PunditFact zeroed in on the idea that the health care alters the "sensible doctor-patient-relationship-centered health care program ... we see today."
That claim rates False.
There are reports that insurance companies are shrinking their networks, including excluding certain hospitals from coverage. This is particularly the case for insurance plans sold on the new state and federal marketplaces created by Obamacare. That means some people could be forced to switch doctors.
One insurance company, Anthem, told the Washington Post that it "still covers 74 percent of all primary-care providers and 78 percent of specialists," and that smaller networks would drive down the cost of their plans.
Some of this maneuvering was going on for years, and a trend already taking place in the industry may have just been accelerated by the law. In the spring of 2011, the Los Angeles Times reported on insurance companies in California offering a narrower list of providers to thousands of customers.
That’s a far cry from Palin’s actual words, however, which suggest a government intervention in the doctor-patient relationship. The health care law leaves the currently doctor-patient relationship in place.
Other pundits focused on the decision of Democrats to invoke the so-called "nuclear option." On ABC’s This Week, former George W. Bush adviser Matthew Dowd suggested it’s difficult for anyone to claim the political high ground.
"There's a virus going around Washington, D.C., and it's a virus of hypocrisy," Dowd said. "Harry Reid was against this before he was for it. Mitch McConnell was for it before he was against it. President Obama was against it before he was for it."
Dowd has history correct.
Back in 2005, a Republican was in the White House, Republicans controlled the Senate, and Democrats were being criticized for blocking judicial nominations.
McConnell, then the majority whip, said he supported using the nuclear option. Back then, Reid and Obama said they opposed the rule change.
"The American people want less partisanship in this town, but everyone in this chamber knows that if the majority chooses to end the filibuster, if they choose to change the rules and put an end to democratic debate, then the fighting, the bitterness, and the gridlock will only get worse," Obama said in 2005.
Last week, Obama said something quite different.
"I support the step a majority of senators today took to change the way that Washington is doing business -- more specifically, the way the Senate does business," Obama said.
Dowd’s claim rates True.
Steve Contorno and Julie Kliegman contributed to this report. Aaron Sharockman is the editor of PunditFact.com. Note to readers: PunditFact and PolitiFact will be off next Sunday Dec. 1, 2013. We'll return to live fact-checking the Sunday news shows Dec. 8. 

Read More

Leaked: The Republican Obamacare Sabotage ‘Playbook’

Leaked: The Republican Obamacare Sabotage ‘Playbook’

posted by Dylan Hock November 23, 2013 

CNN recently obtained a copy of a House Republican strategy memo released late last month titled, “Because of Obamacare… I lost my insurance.” Referred to as the Republican Obamacare “playbook”, the memo contains samples for everything from talking points, social media, op-eds, videos… you name it, including a “fact” sheet for Republican lawmakers fighting the Affordable Care Act.

First reported by Roll Call, a GOP source responsible for providing the strategy memo to CNN stated that it would be updated as of Thursday.
“The administration now has a serious competence problem.  Healthcare.gov is so much more than a website.  The website should have been the easy part,” a portion of the playbook reads.  The conservative angle present in even that small section should come as no surprise.  Republicans have been quite clear and vocal about their disdain for the Affordable Care Act.
The playbook was drafted by the office of House Republican Conference Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers amid a Republican fairytale regarding the stumbled roll-out of the Affordable Care Act.  President Obama noted at a Wall Street Journal event last Tuesday, speaking to some of America’s top CEO’s, “One of the problems we’ve had is one side of Capitol Hill is invested in failure.”
White House spokesperson Eric Schultz echoed President Obama, stating that the Republican “18 page playbook of partisan attacks is 18 pages longer than their health care plan.”  He went on to say, “There’s not a single word devoted to helping constituents enroll or offering an alternative idea to help Americans gain access to quality, affordable care.”
Democrats plan to continue supporting the Affordable Care Act a spokesperson for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi affirmed.
“While Republicans continue to fixate on sabotaging health reform and root for failure, House Democrats will continue to stand tall in support of the Affordable Care Act, work to strengthen the health reform law as implementation continues, and ensure that millions of uninsured Americans get coverage,” Drew Hammill stated.
Blind party politics is nothing new, but the Republican Obamacare “playbook” demonstrates the new depths of cynicism and partisanship of Republican efforts to sway the American perspective and dialogue.
Be sure to watch for similar Republican practices on every other important issue.  You can bet nothing is done without a playbook at the ready.
CNN reports on GOP playbook for Obamacare sabotage:

Read More

BUSTED! Proof John Boehner Faked Obamacare Sign-Up Problems

BUSTED! Proof John Boehner Faked Obamacare Sign-Up Problems 

Posted by: Richard Rowe
November 24, 2013

Obamacare is a FAILURE!! Obamacare is a FAILURE!! Kneel before Koch!Oh, the right-wing fantasy machine is a powerful beast, capable of moving mountains (of stupid). And that machine burns loads of high octane furl in the form of bias, ignorance and (preferably) outright lies. John Boehner knows the good stuff when he sees it…unfortunately for him, we all saw him coming, too. On November 21st, Boehner managed to set down his glass of Koch-niac long enough to post “My Attempt to Sign Up For Health Care” on his (government sponsored) blog, Speaker.gov. Here he is, not posing for a picture while extremely hung over:


(Please note, no red lights on the phone.) The Speaker of the Keystone XL wrote:

“Earlier this afternoon, I sat down to try and enroll in the DC exchange under the president’s health care law. Like many Americans, my experience was pretty frustrating. After putting in my personal information, I received an error message. I was able to work past that, but when I went to actually sign up for coverage, I got this “internal server error” screen. Despite multiple attempts, I was unable to get past that point and sign up for a health plan. We’ve got a call into the help desk. Guess I’ll just have to keep trying…

Updated (5:35 pm ET:) Kept at it, and called the DC Health Link help line. They called back a few hours later, and after re-starting the process on the website two more times, I just heard from DC Health Link that I have been successfully enrolled.”

Oh, those liberal BASTARDS. If the Speaker of the House himself can’t get through, what chance do the rest of us have? Obama has failed…all hail Overlord Charles Koch!

Oh, wait…what do you mean “this call is being recorded for quality assurance?“

Indeed, this little stunt backfired big time on the Speaker…”Boehned” him, if you will. Scott MacFarlane, an NBC affiliate reporter broke the news on Twitter:

“Scott MacFarlane @MacFarlaneNews: DC health exchange spokesman says Speaker Boehner office kept DC representative on hold 35 minutes, “lots of patriotic hold music,” hung up.”

What? John Boehner is a lying sack of crap deliberately misleading the public in a blatant attempt to push his own agenda?
Say it isn’t so.

(If you look closely in the reflection on the back of Boehner’s computer monitor, you can see Charles Koch standing by the painting. Actually, you can’t, because Kochs don’t cast a reflection…but he’s definitely there. You can tell by that vacant ‘I will obey’ look in Boehner’s eyes.)
h/t: Politicus USA

Read More

Michele Bachmann: ‘If God Wanted Everyone To Have Insurance, Why Did He Invent Miracles?’

Michele Bachmann: ‘If God Wanted Everyone To Have Insurance, Why Did He Invent Miracles?’

Posted on November 20, 2013 By WG Healthcare, Politics

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Michele Bachmann, after complaining to CNN’s Wolf Blitzer that her insurance had been cancelled because of Obamacare, was asked later in the day about the people who have been uninsured and would now have insurance because of the Affordable Care Act. She was much less sympathetic toward them.
“It’s obvious that God put two types of people in this world,” said Bachmann. “There are hardworking Americans like myself, who have never taken a dime of taxpayer money and there are the people who should just hold their hands out to God.”
“If God wanted everyone to have health insurance, he wouldn’t have made those wonderful things called, ‘miracles,’” Bachmann continued. “He gave me the good fortune to have health insurance, for now, but even I’ll be losing it, thanks to Obamacare.”
When informed that the majority of the uninsured are working people and self-employed people, Bachmann said, “that’s terrific, but if they were truly hardworking, like I am, they would have insurance. But I don’t judge. That’s up to God and he told me that he’s going to get to work performing miracles for the luckiest of those people. You never know. Maybe He’ll heal a wart. Maybe  He will heal a poor person’s dandruff. Maybe He will even cure some cancer.”
When asked if perhaps it was God’s will that she would be losing insurance, Bachmann replied, “no, that’s Obamacare. It’s all Obamacare. He’s the anti-christ, you know. Oh, wait, I wasn’t supposed to say that out loud.”
“Anyway,” Bachmann continued, “God has granted me my miracles for my life. He gave me my Marcus and you’d better believe he left his share of broken hearts before I managed to snag him.”

Read More

House Speaker John Boehner successfully enrolled in Obamacare

November 21, 2013

By Anomaly

Congratulations House Speaker John Boehner for successfully enrolling in the Affordable Care Act; Aka: Obamacare.
It was about an hour after Boehner’s office said he couldn’t sign up for Obamacare coverage on the District of Columbia’s exchange, that his office said, he had officially enrolled.








Boehner’s office wrote, “Kept at it, and called the DC Health Link help line. They called back a few hours later, and after restarting the process on the website two more times, I just heard from DC Health Link that I have been successfully enrolled.”
Politico reports:

 Responding to Boehner’s earlier failed attempts to sign up for coverage, the District’s exchange — known as DC Health Link — said it recently identified some system errors after enrollment.
“We recently discovered the fact that after enrollment, some users have been receiving a random error message,” DC Health Link communications director Richard Sorian wrote in an email. “Despite the message, these individuals have been enrolled. Our call center has been able to quickly resolve these matters. We are working on a system-wide update that will eliminate this soon. Users will be able to verify their enrollment in their secure, online account.”
Boehner’s office on Thursday afternoon said he originally received an error screen when he tried to sign up for coverage. “Guess I’ll just have to keep trying…” his office wrote at the time.

I plan to enroll too, but I’m not a ‘shop on Black Friday’ kind of person. I’ve been waiting for things to settle down. After I enroll, it will be like Boehner and I are BFFs. Isn’t that exciting?
Stuff not covered: How long did it take to enroll for coverage by an insurance company before Obamacare?

Read More

STUDY: Nearly Three-Quarters Of Americans With Individual Plans Qualify For Obamacare Subsidies

By Sy Mukherjee on November 21, 2013 at 1:11 pm

"STUDY: Nearly Three-Quarters Of Americans With Individual Plans Qualify For Obamacare Subsidies"

CREDIT: AP Photo/J. David Ake

Over 70 percent of Americans under age 65 who buy insurance through the individual market will either qualify for Obamacare subsidies or the health law’s expansion of Medicaid in the states that accept it, according to a new study by Families USA.
Obamacare provides insurance subsidies to Americans making up to 400 percent of the poverty level — about $94,200 for a family of four — who enroll in plans through the health law’s statewide marketplaces. The new study finds that 71 percent of current individual policyholders have annual incomes that fall below this threshold. Earlier estimates by groups like the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) estimated that just under half of these Americans could qualify for subsidies.
Families USA’s study also confirms earlier reports that the current individual market burdens consumers with uncertainty. For instance, a full “64.5 percent of consumers with individual market insurance kept that insurance for a year or less” irrespective of income, according to study authors. Many of these plans also skimp on the types of benefits that Americans actually need when they get sick, such as maternity, mental health, prescription drug, and even hospitalization coverage, while placing annual and lifetime caps on coverage. The health law has far more robust minimum coverage requirements, outlaws benefit caps, and doesn’t allow insurers to drop customers or raise their premiums based on health status.
Researchers also noted that just a fraction of a percent of all non-elderly Americans have individual plans that they keep for more than a year but won’t qualify for a government subsidy when they go out to buy new plans through the Obamacare marketplaces.
“[U]nder the ACA, only 0.6 percent of Americans under age 65 will be at risk of losing their current individual market plan and will not be income-eligible for financial assistance that will make their new insurance plan more affordable,” concluded the authors. “Even among this 0.6 percent, some have insurers who will not or cannot cancel their plans. Others will decide that they are better off with higher-value plans in the new insurance marketplaces.”

Read More

Latest Koch Brothers Trickery: Actress Fakes Testimonial in Anti-Obamacare Ad

Latest Koch Brothers Trickery: Actress Fakes Testimonial in Anti-Obamacare Ad 

Not that false advertising bother the rabidly right-wing billionaire brothers.

AlterNet / By Rod Bastanmehr

November 21, 2013    

Koch Brothers ad fake Alaskan.

Americans for Prosperity, the arch-conservative advocacy group backed largely by the Koch Brothers, released their latest attack ad against Obamacare on Wednesday, criticizing Alaskan Democratic Senator Mark Begich for his support of the Affordable Care Act. 
The commercial in question appears to feature an unidentified Alaskan voter, who complains about the betrayal at the hands of both Begich and Obama, while walking leisurely around her kitchen with a cup of coffee. But Connie Bowman, the woman in the video was interviewed  by the New York Times, and she said she's “just an actress,” with a fairly prolific voice-over and commercial career.
And she doesn't live anywhere near Alaska. She lives in Maryland.
“Today’s misleading ad from the Koch brothers is just more evidence that even billions of dollars can’t buy integrity,” Begich spokeswoman Rachel Barinbaum said in a statement. 
The ad comes days after the billionaire brothers announced their $4 million anti-Obamacare advertising campaign, sponsored by the Americans for Prosperity, which plans to target six congressional democrats who supported the Affordable Care Act. Begich is just the first.
Begich, who is currently up for reelection in the red state, described his plans on Tuesday for legislation that calls for creating a new category of insurance plans within Obamacare that would offer citizens lower premiums with higher out-of-pocket costs. 

Rod Bastanmehr is a freelance writer in New York City with a passion for music, film and culture. Follow him on Twitter @rodb.

Read More

Sean Hannity's Call To Obamacare Hotline Gets Employee Fired

When Sean Hannity called the Obamacare hotline, not only did he not get the answer he wanted, but he also got a woman fired. Luckily for her, Hannity had the money to help her out.

Read More

Right-Wing Hackers Create ‘Destroy Obamacare!’ Program, Hope To Disrupt Website

Author: T. Steelman November 20, 2013 11:31 am

A new DDos tool looks to cripple or shut down the healthcare.gov website.
“Destroy Obamacare!” is highly illegal but the right will probably try to use it.

The right really, really wants to destroy Obamacare. Sure, the Obamacare website has had its problems since the roll-out. We’re all disappointed and discouraged that, after all the work we’ve done to get this up and running, we are having to defend the entire idea of health care reform. Because we all know that if a website ever has problems, it should immediately be shut down. Just like YouTube was Monday when it went down for a while. Oh, it wasn’t shut down? Well, I’m sure that was an oversight.

The Obamacare website is being attacked by hackers

Last week, Department of Homeland Security official Roberta Stempfley told the
monkey circusHouse investigative committee that the Healthcare. gov website had been the target of at least 16 cyber-attacks. These occurred between Nov. 6th and Nov. 8th and are currently under investigation.
But things may escalate if some on the right have their way. Recently, Arbor Networks, an online security firm, discovered a tool called “Destroy Obamacare!” It is being distributed (by whom is not yet known) so it can be used to overload the Obamacare website. According to Arbor, the program is written to perform constant, layered requests to get on two healthcare.gov web pages: the home page and the “contact us” page. The tool is a Distributed Denial of Service program. My IT friends tell me that…
“… the extra D in DDoS that makes a DDoS attack so effective — the first D stands for “Distributed” and means that the attacks would be coming from a variety of different IP addresses, making it hard to block the traffic without completely turning off the website (which is the goal of a “denial of service” attack to begin with).”
In other words, tens of thousands (or more) of computers will try to use the website over and over and over again, automatically. Think of having thousands of cars trying to use the same exit on the highway at the same time and you’ll get the idea.

“Destroy Obamacare” isn’t too much of a threat unless…

As it stands, this “Destroy Obamacare!” tool wouldn’t be able to do much to the Obamacare website. But, of course, there are a couple of caveats:

“… if this were developed into something more malicious (and rewritten to fire off more requests, more regularly), spread throughout servers and users online without adequate security, and launched from machines worldwide simultaneously, it would be catastrophically effective (especially if the program was smart enough to change IP addresses when blocked).”

The IP address issue, while not insurmountable, presents a problem for the people who would be using “Destroy Obamacare!” Their computers can be identified and blocked and the users prosecuted. But, as my sources say, if an enormous number of people (say, several million) decided to run the program or if someone with enough money were to rent a bot-net (a robot network), then they could wreak havoc. But, unless that were to happen, these website requests would maybe slow the site down a little. But everyone who ran it would be easily found and blocked.

It’s obvious the program came from someone on the right

Though it is rather like “one-legged dogs trying to take down a pride of lions” (as one of my sources compared it), “Destroy Obamacare!” could still be troublesome. But anyone who wishes to use it should know that it is highly illegal and easily traced. As you can see by the text which accompanies the tool, those who use it may not be smart enough to realize either of these things.

Looks like a Tea Party thing to me. Arbor says on their website coverage of this subject that they have no information on the active use of this software — yet — but that they have:

… seen site specific denial of service tools in the past related to topics of social or political interest.  This application continues a trend ASERT is seeing with denial of service attacks being used as a means of retaliation against a policy, legal rulings or government actions. (source)

They may be referring to Anonymous, who has targeted websites before. But this is, as far as we know, the first time that the right-wing has tried to use cyber-attacks.

My IT sources say it’s poorly written

For the coders among you, here is a screen shot of some of “Destroy Obamacare!” code:

My very smart IT sources assure me that this is nothing to worry about. Any well-written high-capacity website could easily handle this. Unless, of course, the Koch brothers decide to rent that bot-net…
What is frustrating for me, and for many of you, is that the media is focusing on the healthcare.gov website having problems. Yet nobody mentions the attacks that have already occurred nor this nascent, though probably toothless, concerted attack. “Liberal media” my arse.
 

Read More

Paul Ryan’s Poverty Plan Includes Religion, But No Real Help For The Poor

Author: Rika Christensen November 20, 2013 10:04 pm

 

Will Paul Ryan’s poverty plan actually help the poor, 

or is it more of the same old Tea Party rhetoric 

regarding cuts to the social safety net? 

Congressman Paul Ryan. (R-WI). 

Image from Neon Tommy

In the run-up to the 2014 election cycle, Congressman Paul Ryan (R-WI) will set his sights on fighting poverty. As a Tea Party crusader, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Ryan’s poverty plan will call for more cuts in the social safety net, and more assurances that such cuts will free people of dependency on the government.
Of course he believes that the social safety net merely creates a culture of dependency. That’s not a surprise at all. To him, government programs designed to help the poor actually hold the poor back. They keep the poor from being able to empower themselves, so they can’t lift themselves out of their bad situation. Government programs are what make the poor lazy, they are why the poor don’t have the will to take charge of their lives.

Paul Ryan’s poverty plan is part of a bigger plan to push the GOP away from hateful Tea Party rhetoric.

Paul 

Ryan’s poverty plan is part of a larger effort to steer the GOP away from the “angry, nativist inclinations of the tea party movement and toward the more inclusive vision of his mentor, Jack Kemp.” There’s an ongoing perception that the GOP doesn’t care about people. That was made clear in RNC Chairman Reince Priebus’ so-called “autopsy report” after the massive failure of the 2012 elections. Paul Ryan’s poverty plan may be the response to the rising poverty rate and increasing income inequality that the GOP has been looking for.

The Washington Post article quotes conservative strategist Bill Bennett on the plan, who says, “You can’t be the governing party unless you offer people a way out of poverty.” This is all well and good, however, when that vision means taking away much-needed help, this type of fight will fail. You can’t maintain an appearance of helping people when you keep cutting the very things that help them in times of crisis.

Contrary to the cold, religious beliefs of people like Paul Ryan, the social safety net is necessary.

The average family is on food stamps for about 9 months. For welfare, 19% of recipients get benefits for less than 7 months, which is about the same as those that get benefits for more than 5 years. 26% get benefits for 2 to 5 years. There is no time period encompassing a majority of welfare recipients.
Bishop Shirley Holloway, from City of Hope, said that Paul Ryan wants people to dream, and people on food stamps don’t dream. Government benefits only speed up people’s downfalls, rather than lifting them up. Ryan himself says that spiritual redemption is what will save people. With that statement, he implies that the social safety net will never save people.
That may be true, but it’s also true that government programs must be there. Paul Ryan’s poverty plan likely will not take this into account. It’s also true that spiritual redemption won’t lift people out of poverty. Some of the most pious people out there receive assistance. People in emergency situations, such as suddenly losing a job or losing the ability to work, need these programs. Besides that, charity experts say that existing charities cannot fill the gaps created by cuts to government programs. When it comes to food, for instance, charities can’t make up the $4 billion per year food stamp cuts that went into effect at the beginning of November. For major disasters, such as the Oklahoma tornadoes and Superstorm Sandy, the donations may be incredible. But these experts say that for “steady-state emergencies” like hunger, there isn’t enough money coming in to compensate for government budget cuts.
If Paul Ryan’s poverty plan focuses on spiritual redemption as the primary path out of poverty, he has a sorry grasp of the actual problem.
His plan will likely boil down to more volunteerism, more charity, more tax credits and even vouchers. In other words, Paul Ryan’s poverty plan is same old story. Get rid of the safety net, cut taxes, and let charity help the poor. There aren’t many details available yet (there actually aren’t any), but it’s easy to figure out at least some of what it will have based on previous attitudes of his.

Read More