18 | November | 2013 | The Obama Diary

On This Day: President Obama greets the children of U.S. embassy staff during a reception at the Chulalongkorn University Sports Center in Bangkok, Thailand, Nov. 18, 2012 (Photo by Pete Souza)

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Today (all times Eastern):

The President has no scheduled public events

12:30: First Lady Michelle Obama attends DSCC event in New York

1:0: Press briefing by Jay Carney

3:0: First Lady tapes an episode for BET

There’s a special guest on our call TONIGHT (Monday) — You really don’t want to miss this: http://t.co/jYoex2JTkS pic.twitter.com/3FaC6lRmJt

— OFA PA (@OFA_PA) November 18, 2013

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Tuesday: The President will deliver remarks at the Wall Street Journal’s CEO Council’s annual meeting

Wednesday: Awards the Presidential Medal of Freedom; the First Lady will also attend

Thursday: Attends meetings at the White House

Friday: Hosts King Mohammed XI of Morocco at the White House

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Washington Post: How we got Obamacare to work

By Jay Inslee, governor of Washington. Steve Beshear, governor of Kentucky and Dannel P. Malloy, governor of Connecticut.

In our states — Washington, Kentucky and Connecticut — the Affordable Care Act, or “Obamacare,” is working. Tens of thousands of our residents have enrolled in affordable health-care coverage. Many of them could not get insurance before the law was enacted.

People keep asking us why our states have been successful. Here’s a hint: It’s not about our Web sites..

Sure, having functioning Web sites for our health-care exchanges makes the job of meeting the enormous demand for affordable coverage much easier, but each of our state Web sites has had its share of technical glitches. As we have demonstrated on a near-daily basis, Web sites can continually be improved to meet consumers’ needs.

The Affordable Care Act has been successful in our states because our political and community leaders grasped the importance of expanding health-care coverage and have avoided the temptation to use health-care reform as a political football.

More here

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Eclectablog: I’m the story Obamacare’s opponents don’t want you to hear

I’ve officially enrolled in coverage through the marketplace. It was easier than I expected — and will save me about $10,000 a year.

I just got covered under Obamacare. I already had insurance, but it was breaking my piggy bank. Now I have coverage with almost identical benefits, for less than half the price I’m paying right now.

Even better, my coverage can’t be canceled or limited if I get sick, and I could choose any plan I wanted, despite living with type 2 diabetes. That’s all thanks to the Affordable Care Act or, if you prefer, Obamacare.

More here

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Steve Benen: Why Vance McAllister’s win matters

When Republican Rodney Alexander resigned from Congress a few months ago, there wasn’t any real doubt that his Louisiana district would remain in GOP hands. The only question was which Republican would replace him in Louisiana’s ruby-red 5th district.

State Sen. Neil Riser (R) looked like he’d win easily – he received endorsements from Alexander, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, the NRA, and nearly all of Louisiana’s Republican congressional delegation. But then the votes were tallied in Saturday’s run-off election, and Vance McAllister (R), a first-time candidate, crushed Riser by nearly 20 points.

In terms of the national significance, there’s one key takeaway from the results….

More here

More at ThinkProgress: Louisiana Republican Who Backs Obamacare’s Medicaid Provision Wins Seat Over Party Favorite

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Political Carnival: Tea Party, Jindal, Cantor Get Slapdown From Duck Dynasty And Voters

Who’d have ever thought you’d find the Tea Party, Gov. Bobby Jindal (La.), U.S. House Majority Leader Cantor and the guys from Duck Dynasty dueling in a Louisiana election? It happened yesterday.

The winner is, Duck Dynasty. Well, to be more specific, their backed candidate, Republican businessman Vance McAllister. He’s a political newcomer who boasts of never having visited Washington, D.C., yet won a special election in Louisiana on Saturday to fill the congressional seat formerly held by fellow Republican Rodney Alexander.

The man McAllister beat was a fellow Republican, Neil Riser, the Tea Party candidate….

More here

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Parents: Give your children the information they need to get covered. http://t.co/UhI6QdpCv5 #GetTalking pic.twitter.com/N8NeG7rz0v

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) November 17, 2013

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Bob Cesca: Fact: The GOP Wants to Cancel Tens of Millions of Health Insurance Policies (That People Like)

Since 2009, the opponents of healthcare reform have successfully circulated a lengthy roster of narratives and agitprop against the policy and, eventually, the Affordable Care Act itself. You know the list. “Death panels,” “government takeover,” “failed law,” “socialized medicine,” and so forth.

The latest is that the ACA is “Obama’s Katrina,” followed by the inevitable “Obama’s Watergate” on Fox News Sunday over the weekend. Regarding the latter, I thought Benghazi, the IRS scandal, Fast and Furious and, I don’t know, Solyndra were supposed to be Obama’s Watergate(s). Sorry, folks. Repeatedly comparing every presidential scandal to Watergate will never change the reality of Nixon’s dreadful, malevolent legacy.

More here

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DOW crosses 16,000. Obama is the worst Socialist ever.

— CJ Werleman (@cjwerleman) November 18, 2013

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Breaking News USA: Democrats have out-raised Republicans in a key Congressional test of strength

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) will announce that it has raised $4.8 million in October. By comparison, the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) raised $3.8 million.

The funds are key in the 2014 race to determine control of the Senate, currently in control by the Democrats with 55 votes (53 Democrats and 2 Independents) to 45 GOP votes.

More here

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TPM: Republican Rep: ‘The GOP Coalition Constitutes A Shrinking Portion Of The Electorate’

The Republican Party is at serious risk of running out of Republican voters, according to a senior GOP lawmaker.

“Republicans need to understand that their political problems are neither tactical nor transitory,” Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) said, as quoted by the Washington Post. “They are structural and demographic. The hard truth is the GOP coalition constitutes a shrinking portion of the electorate. To change that daunting reality, Republicans must appeal to groups that are currently outside their ranks or risk becoming a permanent minority.”

More here

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Morgan Freeman Is. A. Boss. pic.twitter.com/wPATPRjfep

— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) November 18, 2013

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On This Day:

President Obama tours the Great Wall in Badaling, China, Nov. 18, 2009 (Photo by Pete Souza)

President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton tour the Viharn of the Reclining Buddha with Chaokun Suthee Thammanuwat, the Dean, Faculty of Buddhism Assistant to the Abbot of Wat Phra Chetuphon at the Wat Pho Royal Monastery in Bangkok, Thailand, Nov. 18

President Obama talks with Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra before departing the Government House in Bangkok, Thailand, Nov. 18, 2012 (Photo by Pete Souza)

President Obama and Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra greet young performers during a dinner at the Government House in Bangkok, Thailand, Nov. 18, 2012 (Photo by Pete Souza)

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MoooOOOooorning!