(Via Washington Post)  […]   [President Obama’s Plan is to] Allow insurers to renew existing plans in 2014 (which means they could continue into 2015) while forcing them to send Landrieu-like letters explaining why their plans don’t conform to the Affordable Care Act’s standards.

This doesn’t really ensure anyone can actually keep their plan — which means it also doesn’t affect premiums in the exchanges. But it makes it easier for Democrats to blame insurers for canceling these plans. And it perhaps makes it easier for the White House to stop congressional Democrats from signing onto something like Landrieu or Udall.
The insurance industry is furious. They’ve been working with the White House to get HealthCare.Gov up and running and they’ve been devoting countless man hours to dealing with the problems and they’ve been taking the heat from their customers over canceled plans, and now the Obama administration wants to make them into a scapegoat. (more…)

I’m not good enough with photo shop or visual skills.   But when I saw the latest Obamacare ad campaign I had an idea.   First, here is the Obamacare ad:

Every article I have read about this campaign is focused to the crass, rude and inappropriate advertising construct.   Actually, that was not what caught my attention.
What caught my attention was an immediate recognition of how successful a counter campaign would be using images to reflect  the opposite truth.
Rather than deconstruct a “Got Insurance” campaign of keg stands and sex parties.   Why not focus on the reality of Obamacare:   “Got Cancellation”?
(more…)

Yesterday we mentioned the CNN Jake Tapper interview of Leader Eric Cantor.  Tapper continues to repeat a common White House meme about “Junk Plans” as he questions Cantor.   Here is the video:

“[00:50] now these plans are being cancelled because they don’t meet the standards of Obamacare, the standards that would allow more / higher quality of quality care the administration says; Better care, covering more things”.
“Is that not a good goal to have fewer of what the Obama administration would call “junk plans”?”

Ergo some of these insurance cancellations are good for the insured, the ObamaCare plan is better for them, and the policy deserves to be cancelled. (more…)

If a Shoe Drops On The Horizon Will Anyone Notice ?  The Independent Payments Advisory Board (IPAB), Obamacare’s “Death Panel”, issue is a looming thunder-cloud way off on the horizon of public attention.  But one Democrat Senator has been put on notice, and shares his admission of concern. 
(Via Brietbart)  Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) said on C-SPAN Wednesday morning that the Independent Payments Advisory Board (IPAB) –the so-called “death panel” of Obamacare, which will cut Medicare costs by restricting care– should be “revisited.”

His comments came as more Democrats are joining calls to amend Obamacare, in particular by supporting the Keep Your Health Plan Act, proposed by Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI), which would fulfill President Barack Obama’s oft-repeated promise that patients could keep their existing health insurance.
Cardin was responding to a caller who had expressed concerns about the constitutionality of the IPAB, which former White House Office of Management and Budget director Peter Orszag has championed as a central part of Obamacare. (more…)

Forward the video to 2:15 for a chuckle…

Internal polling numbers (DNC) in the states with Senators up for re-election, must be beyond terrible.   “Panicking”: a sudden, overpowering terror, often affecting many people at once.  Horrific Fear – A sudden widespread alarm.

WASHINGTON DC – Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Thursday will convene a special meeting of the Senate Democratic caucus and senior White Officials  ( <—  Denis McDonough / ValJar ) to discuss the troubled rollout of ObamaCare.

Reid on Wednesday told reporters he would not answer questions about the hundreds of thousands of insurance policy cancellations or other issues until he has further discussions with the White House.

The Senate leader said President Obama called him Tuesday evening to discuss healthcare and other issues. (more…)

(Washington Post)  Putting a statistic on disappointment, the Obama administration revealed Wednesday that fewer than 27,000 people signed up for private health insurance last month in the 36 states relying on a problem-filled federal website.
States running their own enrollment systems did better, signing up more than 79,000, for a total enrollment of over 106,000. (continue reading)
(Forbes)  In the market for individually-purchased health insurance, more than 4.8 million Americans have received notices that their preexisting plans are soon to be illegal, and will be cancelled. Many more cancellation notices are imminent. (link)
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The latest Poll from Quinnipiac was released yesterday. [ AVAILABLE HERE  ]Obviously the media headlines are filled with uncomfortable to report on catch lines about President Obama, their chosen one,  polling with his lowest favorability 39%, and highest unfavorability 54%, of his entire presidency.
More people distrust President Obama 52%, than view him as honest 44%.
More people think he is “incompetent” 53%, than view him as capable 43%.
And surprisingly 51% to 43% say the media is not paying enough attention to what he is doing.
Many people reflect on these public opinions and ask what will Obama do to turn it around?
However, that’s perhaps directing the question to the wrong person. The real question should be WWDMD? What will Denis McDonough do? Or, What will Valerie Jarrett do?   Together, they are the real decision makers.

Typically, their approach is to deflect attention quickly.    However, the media is unable to ignore the millions of people impacted by Obamacare.
So, I ask you guys – what do you think Denis McDonough and ValJar will do?    What direction do you think they will take?    What narrative will they stimulate to create the needed diversion?

CALIFORNIA – Health insurer Anthem Blue Cross of California has agreed to a two-month extension of about 104,000 individual policies after failing to give the required 90-day cancellation notice.
The policies had been set to expire on Dec. 31 but will be extended until Feb. 28.
State Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones announced the extensions Tuesday. He said the company notified the Department of Insurance that it failed to give enough notice because of a computer glitch.
Jones says more than 1 million cancellation notices have been sent to Californians as the Affordable Care Act begins allowing individuals to buy insurance through exchanges. The federal law requires policies to offer minimum levels of coverage, forcing companies to terminate many existing plans.  (READ MORE)
(more…)

Two, not-so-dissimilar stories.   To a semi-engaged electorate these might seem unrelated.   To a Lo-Fo  it’s “huh”?   But to others the visible “Big Picture” ideology is self-evident:  My way or DIE.
John Kerry, and White House Spokesperson Jay Carney, warns congress if they oppose a deal with Iran it will lead to WAR. 
Vis-a-vi if you don’t agree with our decision to allow Iran to engage in nuclear production, our only option is to ATTACK them to stop it:
WASHINGTON DC – The White House Tuesday warned lawmakers mulling tougher sanctions on Iran that thwarting US diplomacy could leave President Barack Obama little option but to use military force against Tehran’s nuclear program.
“The American people do not want a march to war,” spokesman Jay Carney said, in a significant stiffening of US rhetoric towards opponents of a proposed interim agreement with Tehran on Capitol Hill.  (read more)

Meanwhile – in Ohio, a 62-year-old Director of Animal Rights, Sandra Lertzman, decided to commit suicide.   It’s not what she did, but how she did it. (more…)