Monday Open Thread [10.28.13]
When most will sign up for the Exchanges, from the experience of RomneyCare in Massachusetts:
U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander, a two term Republican from Tennessee first elected in 2002 after inexplicably running for President in 1996 and 2000, is your typical Establishment Republican. He is up for reelection in 2014. He has a Tea Party primary opponent. But he is not running scared.
“As he seeks a third term in the U.S. Senate, Lamar Alexander is doing something few other incumbent Republicans have tried recently: Instead of running scared of the tea party, he’s running hard against it.”
“Independent analysts and strategists in both parties think Alexander has a good chance of winning his primary against a low-profile state representative. He is far ahead in early polling, but Alexander’s willingness to confront the tea party makes it one of the most important bellwether races in the country.”
Finally. A Republican who is not a coward.
For some reason, Blood Red Kansans like to elect Democratic Governors from time to time. Remember, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius was a former two term Governor there. Well, lookey here:
KANSAS–GOVERNOR–SurveyUSA: Paul Davis (D) 43, Gov. Sam Brownback (R) 39.
WISCONSIN–GOVERNOR–Wisconsin Public Radio-St. Norbert College: “Asked whether Walker deserved reelection were the gubernatorial election held today, 49 percent of respondents said no, while 46 percent said yes. Six percent were unsure.”
Yeah, after the Recall election, I’ll believe it when I see it. He and Christie have teflon on them.
NEW HAMPSHIRE–U.S. SENATE–WMUR Granite State Poll: Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D) 51, Rep. Charlie Bass (R) 34; Shaheen 53, former state Sen. Jim Rubens (R) 28.
Nate Cohn: “We’ve reached the point where there should be no surprise if a major national politician embraces marijuana legalization. Without any large-scale campaign on its behalf, surveys show that approximately half of Americans now support marijuana legalization, including 58 percent in a recent, but potentially outlying, Gallup poll. Regardless of the exact support today, marijuana is all but assured to emerge as an issue in national elections–it’s only a question of how and when.”
Vermont is moving ahead with single payer universal healthcare.
As states open insurance marketplaces amid uncertainty about whether they’re a solution for health care, Vermont is eyeing a bigger goal, one that more fully embraces a government-funded model. The state has a planned 2017 launch of the nation’s first universal health care system, a sort of modified Medicare-for-all that has long been a dream for many liberals.
If the experiment goes well, my prediction is that President Hillary Clinton will implement it nationwide in her second term.
Sometimes during Halloween, people let their inner racist flag fly:
Jay Carney still delusional about the Unaffordable care act. Even with all that is being reported about sky rocketing premiums, Jay Carney makes the following statement today.
6 out of 10 people will pay less than $100.00 per month. What Universe is he living in?
I played golf with a fellow who just retired, and he checked out the information for himself and his wife, both retired, their premiums together will be $12,000 per year.
That is $1,000 per month, or $500.00 each per month. That is in a cheap state like New Mexico. Where does Jay Carney get his information that he passes on at these press conferences. I guess the 6 out of 10 people he is talking about are not any of the hundreds of thousands of people who have already reported on sky rocketing premiums