On This Day: Veterans applaud President Barack Obama as he departs the recognition ceremony honoring Troop A, First Squadron, 11th Armored Combat Regiment of the U.S. Army, recipients of the Presidential Unit Citation, in the Rose Garden of the White House, Oct. 20, 2009, (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
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According to @AP, under #ObamaCare, 476,000 health insurance applications have been filed.
Yes @GOP, Americans love #ObamaCare.
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Nerdy Wonka (@NerdyWonka) October 19, 2013****
TPM: AP Sources: 476,000 Obamacare Applications Filed
Administration officials say about 476,000 health insurance applications have been filed through federal and state exchanges, the most detailed measure yet of the rollout of President Barack Obama’s signature legislation. Of the 476,000 applications that have been started, just over half have been from the 36 states where the federal government is taking the lead in running the markets.
The rest of the applications have come from the 14 states running their own markets, along with Washington, D.C. The White House says it plans to release the first enrollment totals from both the federal and state-run markets in mid-November. An internal memo obtained by The Associated Press showed that the administration projected nearly a half-million people would enroll for the insurance markets during the first month.
More here (the piece is full of Julie Pace of AP’s doom and gloom crap; but the bottom line is Americans like ObamaCare)
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Republicans comparing millions of Americans getting health insurance to invading the wrong country is why people are terrified of the GOP.
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(@LOLGOP) October 20, 2013****
Trip Gabriel: A Governor’s Last Campaign – To Prove Health Law Works
Some 34,000 had begun applications, and more than 11,000 had signed up for plans, making Kentucky one of the most successful state-run insurance marketplaces under the new federal health care law. “You are all doing a fantastic job,” Mr. Beshear told two dozen bleary-eyed workers. “My message to Kentuckians is simply this,” Mr. Beshear said in his office in the State Capitol. “You don’t have to like the president; you don’t have to like me. Because this isn’t about him, and it’s not about me. It’s about you, your family and your children. So do yourself a favor. Find what you can get for yourself. You’re going to like what you find.” Kentucky is the only Southern state to operate its own insurance exchange as well as expand Medicaid coverage for the poor.
“To me this was a moral decision,” he said. “We’ve got 640,000 Kentuckians who don’t have access to any kind of affordable health care. The last ranking I saw, we’re 44th out of 50 in health status. You take any chronic disease or condition — heart disease, cancer, smoking, obesity, you name it — and we’re either the worst or close to the worst.” He also said the law made economic sense, citing a state-commissioned study that found that an expansion of Medicaid over eight years would “create a $15.6 billion economic impact” and almost 17,000 new jobs. “Most of these critics are going to end up with egg on their face,” the governor predicted. “People are finding that I can get health insurance for the first time in my life that I can afford. They’re going to look back at these folks after all the dust settles and say, ‘You misled us.’ ”
More here
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If your hatred for Obama keeps you from enrolling in the #ACA exchange then you deserve to pay high premiums for limited coverage. #tcot
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Dirk (@DirkZ1) October 20, 2013****
Max Fisher: Good News From Syria (Really): Chemical Weapons Being Dismantled On Schedule
The U.S.- and Russia-brokered deal to have Syria surrender its chemical weapons is proceeding on schedule, United Nations inspectors tell the Wall Street Journal, despite widespread predictions that Syria’s civil war would make the effort impossible. The U.N. team had set an ambitious goal of disabling all chemical weapons production equipment by Nov. 1 and said it’s on track to finish it in time.
More here
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A man tries to catch a glimpse of President Barack Obama during the President’s trip to New York, N.Y., Oct. 20, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
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CNBC: JP Morgan Chase Close To $13 Billion Mortgage Settlement
JPMorgan Chase, eager to put a raft of mortgage-securities litigation behind it, is close to reaching a $13 billion settlement with the U.S. government, according to people familiar with the situation. The probes are over its handling of mortgage-backed securities that plummeted in value during the housing crash of the late 2000s, according to one of these people.
During its protracted settlement negotiations with the government, which included a high-profile meeting in Washington last month between Dimon and Holder, the bank sought to insulate itself from criminal prosecution, said the people familiar with the matter. But the government was unwilling to provide assurances to that effect, these people said, leaving JPMorgan with the possibility of additional criminal probes or lawsuits down the road.
More here
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Chris Noth On GOP, Tea Party: ‘Racist,’ ‘UnAmerican’
Just 1 more day until you can sign up for the Health Insurance Marketplace! Check out Healthcare.gov to learn more #GetCovered
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Chris Noth (@RealNoth) September 30, 2013Why am I voting for @deBlasioNYC? It's because I want a New York where public schools are preparing kids for college. youtu.be/3uVcDlf4ajo
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Chris Noth (@RealNoth) August 27, 2013Everyone, the Health Insurance Marketplace is almost open. Any Questions you should check out Healthcare.gov & #GetCovered - SUPPORT
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Chris Noth (@RealNoth) September 29, 2013Highest level of racism was showed yesterday when Republicans forced a shutdown of our government. Mostly because our President is black.
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Chris Noth (@RealNoth) October 01, 2013****
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Caitlin MacNeal: White House Tours To Resume In November
The White House will resume public tours starting on Nov. 5, according to a White House statement. The tours will be limited to the East Wing and the Executive Residence. The grounds and gardens will also be open to visitors on Oct. 26 and 27. The White House halted public tours in March due to automatic budget cuts known as sequestration.
More here
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TPM: Wasserman Schultz Blames McConnell’s ‘Utter Lack Of Leadership’ In Shutdown
Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz told TPM on Friday that she thinks McConnell showed an “utter lack of leadership” that contributed to the federal government partially shutting down for 16 days.
“Mitch McConnell deserves as much blame as anyone for the government shutdown. I mean his utter lack of leadership and his allowing his conference to be essentially taken over by Ted Cruz and the Tea Party because he’s petrified that he has a Tea Party primary himself shows where his priorities were,” Wasserman Schultz said. “His priorities were focused on his own power and not on making sure we did the right thing for the country even while trying to, at the end of all this, make it appear as thought this was a lesson he was trying to teach his new members.”
More here
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This is the Tennessee Supreme Court. Any questions?
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Josh Israel: Tennessee Supreme Court Upholds Voter Suppression Law, Despite Lack Of Voter Fraud In State
Tennessee’s Supreme Court upheld a voter photo identification law on Thursday, deciding unanimously that because the state law included an exception for those voters who are “indigent and unable to obtain proof of identification without payment of a fee,” it did not impose an undue burden.
But the court acknowledged that in-person voter fraud is rare and has only been “documented in other parts of the country” — not in Tennessee. The state law was enacted in 2011. After local libraries began issuing free photo identification cards, the GOP-controlled state legislature amended the law in April to exclude these as a valid form of voter identification.
More here
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Associate Director of Press Advance Katie Hogan, right, listens as President Barack Obama delivers remarks during a Democratic National Committee fundraiser at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York, N.Y., Oct. 20, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
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Ian Millhiser: What The New York Times Gets Wrong About The Roberts Court
Adam Liptak, the New York Times’ excellent Supreme Court reporter, posed the question “How Activist Is the Supreme Court?” in a piece that ran last weekend. His answer: not so much. Despite high profile cases such as the Citizens Unitedopinion injecting unlimited corporate spending into elections and the Shelby County decision striking an important provision of the Voting Rights Act, Liptak argues that “these decisions are outliers when measured against the court’s overall record over the last nine years.”
The Court’s attack on the Voting Rights Act has already emboldened conservative lawmakers to enact sweeping voter suppression laws that never would have survived scrutiny prior to the Roberts Court’s decision. In recent years, they’ve handed down decisions making it easier for bosses to get away with racial or sexual harassment. They’ve limited the rights of older workers and victims of workplace retaliation to be free from discrimination. They’ve erected new barriers to workers seeking to sue their employers, and, of course, there was the Ledbetter case.
More here
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Hats are checked in the Family Theater of the White House, Oct. 20, 2009, prior to the recognition ceremony honoring Troop A, First Squadron, 11th Armored Combat Regiment of the U.S. Army, recipients of the Presidential Unit Citation for their actions in the Republic of Vietnam. (Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton)
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NPR: Syrian Peace Talks To Start In November
Negotiations to try to broker a political solution to Syria’s bloody civil war will begin in Geneva on Nov. 23. These meetings have been a long-time coming, but until now have not materialized because at different points, the Syrian regime and the Syrian rebels have refused to come to the table. Al Jazeera reports foreign ministers from Britain, Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United States will meet with the Syrian opposition on Tuesday in London to try to lay the groundwork for Geneva II.
More here
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Guests arrive at the White House, Oct. 20, 2009, for a recognition ceremony to honor Troop A, First Squadron, 11th Armored Combat Regiment of the U.S. Army, recipients of the Presidential Unit Citation for their actions in the Republic of Vietnam. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)
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Ian Millhiser: Ted Cruz Single-Handedly Blocks FCC Nominee Over Concerns That He’ll Make Elections More Transparent
Fresh off a failed effort to defund the Affordable Care Act that shutdown the government, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) is has found a new — albeit smaller scale — way gum up the wheels of governance. His latest tactic is a single-senator hold he’s placed on the nomination of Tom Wheeler to be Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission.
Under the Senate’s arcane rules, a single senator can delay a nomination and force a lengthy process to bring the nomination to the floor which requires the support of 60 senators. Cruz’s stated reason for blocking Wheeler is that he’s concerned the FCC nominee may try to make spending by corporations and millionaire donors seeking to influence elections more transparent.
More here
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A photo of President Barack Obama appears on a photographer’s computer as he delivers remarks during a Democratic National Committee fundraiser at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York, N.Y., Oct. 20, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
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CNBC: ObamaCare Is The Chance Of A ‘Lifetime’ For Venture Capitalists
“Obamacare will do a couple of different things. The No. 1 thing it has already done is it has brought the health-care system to the national stage. People are thinking about how health care is brought to them,” said Ted Maidenberg, a general partner at The Social+Capital Partnership. “People will be thinking about better ways to consume and manage health, their pocketbook will be more affected and in general that will have consumers wanting more options. And health-care providers, they are going to to have to find new ways to inject millions of people into the system through technology.”
Companies that help make the health-care industry more consumer friendly will likely also get a boost, experts said. And this starts with educating people about their options, Yang said. “Consumer education and marketing of these exchanges is so underserved,” Yang said. “The advertising and marketing world could do a lot to help private exchanges and the government market to advertise these exchanges.”
More here
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On This Day:
President Barack Obama delivers remarks at a fundraiser for Bill Owens, the Democratic candidate running for New York’s 23rd Congressional District, at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in New York, N.Y., Oct. 20, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
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The Obama Diary 
seriously? first?
G’morning UT, Chips, TOD, lurkers, everyone and congrats 57 on #1 🙂
Thanks Ut for yet another excellent R & S round up!! 🙂
First all the Way, 57!!
Yes, you are, 57!
Congrats 57!
I also missed all the Danny the new arrival hoopla yesterday — darn it! Have fun with that rambunctious best friend, Chips! Toby, Haley and Darby said they’d love to meet him and have a full-out babydog rumpus!
I hope Luis Gutierrez sees this, and puts the blame where it belongs – instead of running on cable TV and bashing PBO over immigration reform.
gutierrez is on record during the ACA fight that he was willing to jettison ACA unless the undocumented were included. He eventually voted for it, but he didn’t give a damn about his constituents.
he wasn’t my congressman during that fight but I’ve been gerrymandered into his district now. I follow my city’s politics closely, and I will never forget his stance on ACA over this and how pissed my Hispanic neighbors, who elected him, were over this.
Indeed 57, he is a poser – and nothing more. And his supposed “stance” for undocumented immigrants was nothing but an opportunistic excuse to oppose the ACA.
The broader Hispanic community does not care for him because they can see through his BS!!
I’m not a fan of Gutierrez either.
hopefruit2, Just when I think the Republicans couldn’t sink any lower, “SURPRISE”. Comments like this by Rubio is just plain stupid. Did Rubio really think President Obama was going to get rid of the Affordable Care Act just to please the crazy ass Tea Republicans?
annbebella, I have been say the following for about a year: Marco Rubio, is a dim-wit that’s 2-watts brighter than Sarah Palin. He’s a beltway media creation like Lying-Ryan.
GOP BUDGET CONFEREES RYAN & SESSIONS VOTED “NO” ON CR & DL BILL
Paul Ryan’s ‘No’ Vote Concerns Pelosi, Hoyer
By Emma Dumain
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But the center of their worries is House Budget Chairman Paul D. Ryan, R-Wis., a leader of the bicameral, bipartisan budget conference who also voted “no” on the Senate deal.
Pelosi and Hoyer fear that Ryan’s unwillingness to vote for the Senate-negotiated fiscal package on Wednesday could portend an unwillingness to engage in the kind of frank, bipartisan compromise necessary to finalize a fiscal 2014 budget by the Dec. 13 deadline.
“I was very disappointed that Paul Ryan voted against keeping the government open and paying our bills. It was a tough vote, but this time he took a hard-line path,” Hoyer said. “I hope after he goes into negotiations with [Senate Budget Chairwoman] Patty Murray and others in the conference, he will take a more constructive, positive solution.”
Pelosi agreed, adding that she was also bothered by the “no” vote of Senate Budget Committee ranking member Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., a leader on the budget conference as well.
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http://blogs.rollcall.com/218/paul-ryans-no-vote-concerns-pelosi-hoyer/
Bernie Sanders is on the committee as well. he will make mincemeat out of Ryan, who is a pseudo-intellect. Ryan’s arguments cannot stand the tests of logic and math. I’d love to see some Bernie take-downs of Ryan’s nonsense in 2014 ads in Wisconsin!!
I just hope every one of the conference committee meetings will be televised on CSPAN.
Paul Ryan wouldn’t know a constructive, positive solution if it jumped up and bit his nose. Rational arguments will not be effective.
And so, I see all is well, have spent a while catching up with the puppy-warming partay! Chipsticks, I can see and feel from the fantastic phot gallery that you and your DannyBoy are a perfect match!! I laughed out loud at the pics, he is a little bundle of happiness! How delightful to take such a big step in your life. Just think, every day now you will get to take a walk, and will have a dear little fellow at your feet to keep an eye on you while you are working on your computer. All just so very fine!! Well done! 🙂
Morning TOD!! Happy Sunday:) Here’s a MUST SEE THIS MORNING…..Man in CA gets medical insurance in CA for $1/ month….
http://america.aljazeera.com/watch/shows/live-news/2013/10/california-man-secureshealthinsurancefor1permonththroughobamacar.html
Thank you, President Obama!!!
Good Morning TOD Family, Chips and Danny!
Finally catching up!
Hope you all have a wonderful day!
Chips, saw your comment to Jovie which was so nice. I hope with daily news about Danny he may overcome with his new dog, Cheyenne.
Of the 476,000 applications that have been started, just over half have been from the 36 states where the federal government is taking the lead in running the markets.
The rest of the applications have come from the 14 states running their own markets, along with Washington, D.C.
So half of the enrollments of the last two week ran through the healthcare.gov site (= 250,000). No wonder it crashed.
This is a really meaty R&S which I shall digest carefully after the Viking Breakfast I promised to take my husband to in the old Norse Lodge. They better not make me eat lutefisk!
omg…..lutefisk……cooked it one night many years ago, for my hubby and his dad (Norwegians) felt nauseous, discovovered 2 days later, i was pregnant!!!!!!!!!!!
where do you live?
Ahoy my fellow citizens. Tis a new day on the planet and it’s still infested with rwnj insects. Does anyone have some Raid? 😀
Ha!
Do you have some Raid?
Ha!
Well howdy doody all you O’s!!!!! What a great getting up day in TOD town wouldn’t you say?
I missed the welcome home Danny party Chips, but from the looks of it, a good time was had by all…especially Danny!!
morning TOD. Read the title of the article up top about Cruz. sigh…. can’t he be fired or impeached or censured? I think he’s very destructive.
I think he needs to be kept front and center at every opportunity. He and $arah Pay’em are the best we have in our campaign arsenal.
you know that’s actually a good way to look at it CookeM. Cruz is so nuts and so horrible that any “saner” Republican voter has got to look at him and just shudder at what their party has become. (and then vote democrat or LEAST vote SANE person)
And maybe it’s because of what I know about him, but every time I see him, repugnant registers in my brain—–he gives off a slimy, sinister vibe. Whenever he pops up on our teevee screens, mr. dotster and I both respond with Ewwwww! and Ack! And Grossy Gordo!
Ha! OMG I do that too. I see him and I just go eeewwwww and my skin crawls. 😀
The really scary part is that Cruz represents a segment of the population! Some Americans are actually fundraising and voting for this jerk – and cheerleading his destructive actions. He’s not alone – and that’s the scary part.
Good morning everyone! It’s a bright sunshiney morning in Chicago! Some of you might recall I applied on healthcare.gov about a week or so ago and while my application took less than 15 minutes to complete I ran into a circle of tech issues trying to go to Step 2 on the website to compare plans. Well the good news is I was finally able to do that yesterday!!! The website needs major tech work as I spent about 2 hours getting to Step 2. I work at a major financial company and spend all day on the computer so am very familiar (unfortunately!) with internet tech problems so I was able to finally figure out how to trick it into letting me go to Step 2. The average person wouldn’t have the knowledge and/or time to play around with it. BUT, I was SUPER IMPRESSED with the formatting of Step 2 Shop for Plans. You can click save or compare and there are tons of sort options that are really easy to use. It’s REALLY good and I can see it being pretty easy for anyone of any age.
In terms of Plans I honestly wasn’t expecting to find out the Exchange would be cheaper as my company health care is pretty good. My company plan covers up to 80% and the Exchange is at 70% for the same monthly premium. I know if I was younger the Exchange option would be cheaper however.
Because I’m going to stay on my company plan I didn’t go to Step 3 which is Enrolling. I would love to test Step 3 for tech issues but I’m afraid I will get signed up without intending to lol. A very minor but helpful enhancement would be an alert on the “Enroll Now” page that says “until you hit Final Purchase you are not signed up”. Otherwise it just says “Enroll Now” and I’m sure there are many who want to take a few minutes/days to do all but the final “Done” and it doesn’t let you know if you are there or not.
p.s. I was on the healthcare.gove Chat Line 3 times (basically instant messaging with their Help Desk) trying to solve the tech issues on my application and did ask if I could apply over the phone or in person instead (Illinois). That’s not an option — at least in Illinois. The only options are to apply online. There is a list of health care clinics, etc in your area on the website that you can physically visit to to get assistance but you can’t fill out a manual application there — it would still be done on the website. I’m pointing that out because I’ve seen some tweets that say you can use the phone instead of the website. In many states that isn’t true. A health clinic visit or phone call would just provide technical assistance for the website or help you understand heath care terms, etc.
Have a great day everyone!
I think access, something similar to IRS forms and instruction booklets available at libraries, fed buildings, post offices may have helped relieve some of the pressure on the online system. At least for the first year enrollment. Today, we can file our taxes online or by snail mail and the instructions are pretty easy to follow.
btw Nancy Pelosi is on This Week and doing a good job with this person who’s sitting in for the regular host. This woman sitting in is not very bright, but is doing what they do.
I have taken the training to be an enrollment assister. My certification should be soon, and I will volunteer with my church and the country health dept. to assist people. We an use both paper forms and online application, which for us involves using a portal at the website to enroll people. People are also have the option of working with insurance agents who are certified to be enrollment assistants. This is in Oregon. The online process has had its difficulties but will soon be fully operational, but presently a paper application can be faxed or sent in by mail.
Bill, that’s fantastic. I wish I could get trained to be an enrollment assister…….I think it would be very satisfying.
Thank you for this great service to our country.
Thank you Bill R. for all of the great work that you are doing for all of us. I always take a mental note of the positive and goodness of spirit that you carry within your beautiful spirit. Your brilliant thinking of how to solve situations and move us to a more positive mental setting of the situations leaves me with a grateful heart for your service and your explanations that are easy to follow. May you be tremendously blessed in all that you are doing to move us on to a better place concerning our ACA law that will surely help so many people.
TY, Bill R. You are wonderful. HZ
That’s fantastic Bill. Thank you for volunteering for this important project. Every chat I’ve had with the healthcare.gov website folks I’ve always made sure to tell them thank you for all their wonderful work. Let us know how it all works out!
that is a major failing. no one has been more supportive of ACA than me. But knowing that tech problems were going to arise under the best of circumstances, and that millions of people who need ACA do not have access to a computer – no option for a paper application is inexcusable.
This is obviously an Illinois problem in this case, but HHS should have made this option mandatory. It is a major screw up.
I have been furious at Rahm and our Chicago city government that mailings, advertsement, and the option to go to an alderman’s office have not been available. If PBO’s former chief of staff couldn’t lift a finger, I’m seriously pissed.
Right?! What the hell is Rahm doing in general that he couldn’t get personally involved? And Gov. Quinn hasn’t done shit either. It so pisses me off. Illinois should have been the FIRST state with its own website. Not only did we not get that but they haven’t lifted a finger on the whole rollout. Shameful.
I’m furious. Quinn got some huge grant to promote ACA. I have seen absolutely no evidence of it.
I can guarantee you I’m calling both their offices this coming week to give them a big time rant. I’m not hanging up until they hang up on me. Both of them owe PBO for their elected office as loyal Obama voters voted for them. I hope they are both primaried with a strong contender.
me, too!
I wonder if the fact that the GOP refused to allocate funds for advertising enrolling in ObamaCare has had an impact on the type of options and resources available
Hi globalcitizenlinda. I have felt that this has been one of the biggest reason contributing to the less than POB’s brand of doing things. One thing, POB has had so much on his plate from the moment that he walked into that Oval Office, and some of the people who are in charge of allocating the funds for this law knew that because they made so much of this crap to be on that plate. One way to not get something moving, especially if it requires great people and good funds to get it off of the ground is, not have the resources there for the people to get it off of the ground. I read so where(I do not have the source now) that Congress cut so much out of HHS’s budget for this very issue that we are now dealing with. That is one of the reasons that HHS Sec., had to seek funds from other places.
These awful people know what happened and they will pay for this evil act because many people who really do need this great opportunity to get needed insurance will and are being hurt. That is what makes all of us feel so awful about how all of the noise that is being heard about “awful rollout of ACA’ is constantly being heard.
My prayer is that on Monday, President Obama will clear the air so that we who really want to help will be able to move with a little more confidence in our steps as we move FORWARD. I trust out president and our HHS Sec. HZ
ait had a huge impact. unfortunately, ithas not been part of the ACA story. I don’t want Dems whining like GOP, but there should have been a healthy dose of, Republicans made it impossible to do this job right. Bush had ample funds and support for medicare part D. Romney had tons of funds and support for MA rollout. We had limited funds and nothing but sabotage.
Congrats on getting to step 2 and thanks for sharing such great info; my husband and I would save half of what we pay for monthly premiums through employer-provided insurance and receive about ten times the benefits under the marketplace exchange: better choice in doctors, lower deductibles, better pricing for meds, better yearly and lifetime caps, multi-line, better coverage for certain procedures, cheaper copays and percentage payments, and, as I previously stated, cheaper monthly premiums.
Perhaps the chatline person was trying to convey this: no matter how one applies, it will still eventually go online, whether a person helps over the phone, in person, or whether you send in a paper application, because there are four ways to apply, as stated on healthcare.gov.
I just want to point out one thing that might be a good argument to those in the twitter-verse and in what passes as journalism (a.k.a. Koch-funded media) who are discussing the temporary glitches: the IRS, SSA, and Medicare function just fine; so will President Obama-implemented healthcare. It’s barely been three weeks, with staff working through a governmental shutdown (thanks a lot gop) for almost the entire time. Many of the agencies and staff which assist with healthcare.gov were furloughed.
That’s fantastic that you and your husband will be saving so much through the Exchange! Obamacare truly is a lifesaver for thousands. And for sure it will all work out. I think we are all so used to anything involving Barack Obama to be first class. I have to believe that there was some foul play in this; contractors who were paid to sabotage it. But POTUS will get it under control that we can be assured of.
Forus50, thank you for your comment. Your knowledge of the use of websites and technology really does make this a well of knowledge to share with others. I do appreciate you taking the time to explain this phase of this so that we all can take away those parts that will help us to help others as they try to sign up for the ACA online.
This is another reason that I love our TOD family. We come here to converse on matters that lifts the wonderful accomplishments of our president. We come here to lift up the spirits of our TOD family members so that we can continue to work hard to help our president move forward with his agenda that will move our nation to a place where we all can live and work for our families and our friends. We also come here to share with deep respect for President Barack H. Obama and his staff information, opinions, and great knowledge that is fitting for such a brilliant man who is trying to do his job even though there are so many who are still trying to be obstructionists.
Thank you so much for all that you shared in your comment, Forus50. I deeply appreciate you taking the time to share with all of us. It helps a lot. HZ
You are too kind HZ but thank you. We are all huge supporters of POTUS (and now Danny! 🙂 ) and your beautiful comments here on TOD are something I always enjoy reading.
UT! Great R and S. Love the one endorsement ad of deBlasio by Harry Belafante and friends.
Thanks.
Congratulations to Chips on the arrival of her pet dog. May he fill your days together with sheer joy and love.
Morning everyone. I will say it again. Ezra Klein is getting on my very last working nerve.
What exactly is his point? The fact that 476 applications have started means there is enough interest in the product (even though a tiny fraction comes from folks like Klein who simply are testing out the system with no intention to complete enrollment).
Klein is looking plain stupid and spiteful at this point – as you said, very much like the Teabagger faction of the GOP
He’s hitched his wagon to the roll out being a disaster. Now, he must look for ways to prove his point. Meanwhile, he looks silly. It’s all about his own agenda. He is really angling for his own TV show. He won’t get my eyeballs, ever.
Yes, I suspect that he was banking on PBO nominating someone other than Yellen for Fed , so he and his wife could start another BS narrative about PBO. Then he was hoping that PBO would have given in to the GOP when they tried to hold the country hostage in exhange for defunding/delaying Obamacare. That didn’t work out either. So he’s now lashing out, and becoming increasingly unhinged about it.
He keeps failing. He will fail on this one, too. He is a poser.
Absolutely!
here’s a good one from borowitz
2014
I can’t wait Anniebella!!
I won 4 tickets to take my family to the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra’s halloween event today. Yay!!! They’re going to perform music from the Harry Potter movies and the audience will all dress as characters from the story. I’m gonna miss football (boo!), but the kids will have fun and maybe get some culture too.
AWESOME!!! If you haven’t heard the Phoenix Symphony, they’re wonderful:) My husband took me on a date to see them and I thoroughly enjoyed myself…..when IS that? My daughter is a HP freak:) She might like to see that!
Never mind…sold out!
Your daughter has got good taste. J.K. Rowling is one great story teller.
I also won 2 tickets to next weeks Cardinals v Falcons game. My son and I are going. I looked into ticket for she and my wife. It’s fairly expensive. I will have to come up with something special to do with my baby girl for a daddy/daughter day.
You’ve been on a winning streak, Locke!
I know! It’s awesome. We have this group at work called the “great place to work” group. They have bunches of stuff to give away to employees. We just visit their web page, sign up for individual prizes and hope that our name gets drawn.
How fun!
Congratulation lockewasright! We would love to see a picture outside of the Phoenix Symphony Hall and people in their costumes. Hope you and your family have a wonderful time. P.S. buy a Power Ball ticket because you are a winning streak…
Congrats to Chips on your lil pooch!!
“I’m so surprised says no one”. And gee, I wonder if this goes on elsewhere……
The person who unearthed that was just on CNN’s ” Reliable Sources “…..
The host was rather dismissive to him….The reporter pushed back.
many “liberal” blogs are filled with these people too, and many are paid by the various “wingnut welfare” funders such as the koch bros and a couple others. there was a report like this a year or two ago about the republican “think” tanks doing this everywhere. these fakers are actually getting paid to fill up comments sections everywhere, from youtube to “liberal” blogs to yahoo news. of course, “the news” mostly ignored this and doesn’t want people to know about it.
http://jimstuartnewblog.blogspot.com/2013/10/good-news.html
Frank Luntz according to Robert Costa is predicting a good chance that Nancy will be the next Speaker!
According to the folks above in this thread almost 1/4 of a million applications on the US Gov’t ACA website and another 25,000 on States sites.
No wonder RW Bloomberg propagandist Ezra is sounding so desperate.
Our issue with Ezra and his wife is that maybe we mistook them for allies or even intelligent commentators. Now we know better.
with this ezra nonsense, hopefully more people will realize what the actual game is now. anyone who is given a national megaphone in the major “news” is compromised. you don’t get that megaphone and keep it for any length of time unless you tacitly agree to the BIG CON – which is that “the news,” nowadays owned by a few billionaires, exists to promote republicans and their ideas. it’s that simple.
hence we get the “dissapointments” such as rachel and melissa harris-perry and ed schultz and so on. some networks try to cover it up more than others and have at least some semblance of “liberal” talkers, with msnbc being the most noticeable example, since they don’t want to be TOO obvious about it, but overall it’s clear even msnbc is about 90% an obama derangement syndrome place. mission accomplished for the billionaire owners, who decide who gets a paycheck or not from their networks.
ed schultz was literally telling democrats not to vote in the 2010 midterms, was constantly complaining about about president obama leading up to the 2012 election, and he’s starting down that same path right now for the next midterms. if joy-ann reid does get promoted, i predict we’ll see her start being more like melissa perry and complaining irrationally about about president obama and democrats in general, or if she doesn’t do that, she won’t have a show more than 1 year or so. it’s all a big charade to promote republicans.
Good Morning TODville Community.
Happy to see all the Danny Pics. Congrats again Chips.
FLuntz was the organizer of the Political Coup d’etat against pres Obama on Jan 20, 2009.
What we see today. The hatred. The wickedness. The disrespect. The willingness to torpedo out Gov’t started before Nov 2008…..but was officially codified as a political tactics by Frank Luntz and Newt Gingrich. Until he owns his part in all of this…….his words are full of sound and fury, signifying Nothing. Luntz is a green snake under a green grass.
Screeeeeeech! 😀 Made it in BEFORE noon! 😛
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Morning, Danny, Chips, and Chips’ nephew (relief assistant, I figured out)!
Morning TODobots! Evening/Night Todobots in different time zones!
Wow, is Ezra sitting there with his greenshade counting by the hour tic tac toe on this thing? Get a life!
GM TOD. Wonderful R&S UT!
According to one survey by The Future of Music Coalition, about 43% of artists and musicians currently lack health insurance. This is roughly 2.5x higher than the average national rate. It seems natural to assume that as musicians and freelance creative workers, we’re going to be among those who are most affected by the new reforms around health care. As of 2014, many of us will not only be able to afford health insurance for the first time, most of us will be required to buy it, or face a small tax for choosing to forgo the stuff.
How beautifully and accurately stated. Thank you.
I posted the link below last night. It is mind blowing to see the state health insurance exchange map. The list of states that were UNABLE or UNWILLING to set up their own state based exchanges is very informative.
http://obamacarefacts.com/state-health-insurance-exchange.php
Thank you. I tweeted it. Stunning!!
SO COOL…….
wow! Cool!
OK—-Here’s my last post on Ezra and if I’m lucky, the last time I think about him.
His recent (3 days ago) article on Bloomberg View is a Mitt Romney like argument. If you have even the tiniest lingering doubt about what a POS this twerp is read this bilge.
left my opinion about this under one of your comments above…;)
I appreciate your comments 4morefor44 and couldn’t agree more.
I too worry that if Joy gets her own show it will be a way for the Powers That Be to put a damper on her own opinions. I’d rather that Joy be a frequent guest who gets to speak her mind rather than a host with a diluted view and a GOP agenda paying for it.
I dunno, Rev. Al, has his own show and I see it hasn’t hampered him.
You are definitely right about the Rev.
I have the same fear.
I can’t believe this little article….then again….yeah, I believe Rand Paul is this way….WOW!!!
http://freakoutnation.com/2013/10/19/sen-rand-paul-sometimes-i-spread-misinformation-this-is-a-great-tactic/
This is my first time posting a link to an article. I hope I did this correctly. Please let me know if I have goofed. Thanks TOD Family.
Nothing surprises me about the sliminess of this Rand Paul character – except the fact that a man so lacking in character and integrity thinks he can be President. One would think that they’d be dissuaded from such a goal after seeing an upstanding example like President Obama – knowing they’ll never follow in his footsteps.
Willfully, happily and cheerfully…..they were aware. Even Chris Matthews said one day why doesn’t “Obama” just release his birth certificate. When told that sen Obama did, he said, no he didn’t…not the long form. The next day…..Matthews showed the Copy of the birth certificate and was pretending that what he said the day before didn’t matter.
These people are complicit, willingly and gleefully.
I do believe deep in my heart, many are not unlike the Tea Party and GOP. Only difference is that the latter do not hide their feelings. The former is dangerous.
Perhaps the most intriguing question facing the Democrats is whether they will abandon their insistence on higher taxes for the affluent in exchange for cuts to Medicare and Social Security. With the deficit falling, Democrats could change their focus from tax increases to spending increases on their biggest priorities. They could push for Mr. Obama’s “Preschool for All” proposal, along with a partial reversal of the recent sequestration cuts and more money for climate research, college financial aid and highways.
If the deal did not seem good enough — or if Mr. Obama decided that tax increases had to be part of any budget deal — Democrats could then turn their attention to the public debate and the midterms.
Throughout his career, Mr. Obama has shown an openness to conservative ideas (like cutting Social Security and overhauling public schools) that sometimes vexes his allies. But he has also come to believe that much of the modern Republican Party is broken, reliant on an aging minority of voters and hobbled by leaders who cannot reliably deliver their rank and file even when the leaders want to deal. The man who once dismissed talk of red and blue America now sees the divide as a central aspect of American life. He has begun to act accordingly. For the moment, the strategy is working.
Not sure I buy this angle. I think the President is appealing even more on NOT dividing the country into red and blue, but making people see that they are Americans first. He keeps telling us he’s willing to work with anyone who wants to work for the betterment of the country. He’s used Republican ideas in legislation that he’s pushed forward – only making it not as harmful to everyday Americans as the GOP would have it. He’s appealing to whatever reasonable Republicans might still exist. I don’t think President Obama is using a strategy of a divided America. I see him as using a strategy of calling on Americans to unite, despite party lines.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/10/20/cruz-gop-lost-because-they-didnt-accuse-dems-of-holding-children-hostage/
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) says that Republicans could have won the fight to derail President Barack Obama’s health care law by shutting down the government if they had just accused the Democrats holding children with cancer “hostage.”
In an interview that aired on Sunday, CNN’s Dana Bash asked Cruz if he was bothered on a “human level” that so many colleagues in his own party were angry at him for instigating the shutdown.
“Not remotely,” Cruz insisted. “I work for 26 million Texans, that’s my job to fight for them. I don’t work for the party bosses in Washington… The reason people are frustrated all over the country is that far too many people get elected and they think they’re there to be part of the club.”
He’s the biggest POS ever.
He is a very dangerous man and a terrorist; he should be treated as such!!!
TOTALLY! http://election.democraticunderground.com/1017152422
Ted Cruz’ father indicates Ted anointed king as part of the 7 Mountains Mandate.
http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/david-barton-advocates-seven-mountains-dominionism
Seven Mountains dominionism seeks to place Christians in control over the seven forces that shape and control our culture: (1) Business; (2) Government; (3) Media; (4) Arts and Entertainment; (5) Education; (6) Family; and (7) Religion. The reason for this, as Lance Wallnau, the leading advocate for Seven Mountains theology, explained is that Jesus “doesn’t come back until He’s accomplished the dominion of nations.” And the way “dominion of nations” is accomplished is by having Christians gain control of these “seven mountains” in order to install a “virtual theocracy” overseen by “true apostles” who will fight Satan and his Antichrist agenda. – See more at: http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/david-barton-advocates-seven-mountains-dominionism#sthash.I2pVOjtJ.dpuf
Cruz insisted. “I work for 26 million Texans, that’s my job to fight for them.
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I bet Dana did not mention the fact that Rick Perry is encouraging Texan’s to sign up for Obamacare or the Perry took over 100 million from the Medicaid expansion program for the disabled in Texas.
26M in TX didn’t vote for Cruise Missile Rafael.
Less than 20% of the electorate elected Cruz in 2012, I think.
that doesn’t even make sense. Denying those children health care – elimination of preexisting conditions, lifetime caps, insurance security if Dad gets laid off – Cruz would eliminate That in exchange for a few (dwindling) dollars of research?!?
cspan 3 is doing a history of the ” Saturday Night Massacre ” that happened under Nixon…. (on now )
I watched it last night and it is amazingly detailed.
They showed a clip of Elliot Richardson testifying at the Robert Bork confirmation hearing when the committee was chaired by VP Biden and Ted Kennedy . Richardson and Kennedy really go at it.
Chips? More videos/pics of Danny pretty please? 😀
I second that emotion!
Idaho tea party candidate has 10 kids on Medicaid but hates government
Greg Collett happily calls his political views “extreme.” But he wasn’t prepared for condemnation from his allies after word that all his home-schooled children are on Medicaid became an Internet sensation.
Collett, twice a candidate for the Idaho Legislature in Canyon County, isn’t surprised he’s been excoriated on left-wing websites including Gawker, BuzzFlash, Daily Kos and Americans Against the Tea Party.
But he’s also heard criticism from those who share his anti-government views for having taxpayers foot medical bills for eight adopted and two biological children, ages 4 to 17.
In contrast, Collett and his wife, Kelly, say they will pay the fine rather than buy insurance for themselves under the Affordable Care Act.
Read more here: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2013/10/18/2821050/10-kids-on-medicaid-but-hates.html#storylink=cpy
Linda, I saw that and I could not believe this guy Collett, I believe Rachel Maddow did a story about him. I have no doubt that there are plenty like him, yelling how much they hate Government, but yet taking advantage of everything they can get from Government.
Here is what I think! We should have a post with ONLY good news!!!!
New post.
http://theobamadiary.com/2013/10/20/a-picture-or-two/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/20/bush-official-iraq_n_4132719.html#comments
FINALLY The TRUTH is spoken by an insider.///////
A senior official from former President George W. Bush’s administration is quoted in “Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House” saying American troops went into Iraq because the U.S. was looking for a fight.
“The only reason we went into Iraq, I tell people now, is we were looking for somebody’s ass to kick. Afghanistan was too easy,” the anonymous official said, according to Politico.