Clueless-in-the-White-House Obama May Have Delivered the KO Punch to Obamacare

NBC News reported today that President Obama's unexpected decision Thursday to permit insurers to extend until the end of 2014 the healthcare insurance of Americans who have existing policies has done one thing - kick the cancellation decision back to state insurance commissioners and to the insurance companies themselves. “It was a blame-shifting exercise,” says Dr. Scott Gottleib, a health policy expert at the American Enterprise Institute. But, asks NBC, can you get your policy back if it was cancelled? Their answer : "That’s complicated. It’s not so easy for an insurance company to reinstate policies it was planning to discontinue, because the firm must plan premiums and budget for expenses far in advance. Florida Blue said it would reinstate cancelled plans, and Florida’s insurance commissioner, Kevin McCarty, said he’s working with any companies that wanted to go that route." A lot is up to state insurance commissioners - something that gives cover to both the White House and to the insurance companies. Obama hastily arranged a meeting for Friday at the White House with insurance company CEOs, as the industry and state insurance commissioners tried to figure out how to adjust to the abrupt shift the President announced Thursday. Under the shift, Obama said insurers should be permitted to continue to sell to existing customers individual coverage plans that would be deemed substandard under the health care law. Without the change, many existing plans would have been banned beginning in January because they do not meet the minimum coverage requirements of Obamacare. The president admitted in his press conference to announce the change that he was responsible for the Obamacare catastrophe and that America was looking to him to fix it. He said the shift was an attempt to respond to the public and political furor triggered by millions of cancellation notices. But, CBS News reported Friday that insurance officials and industry analysts are warning that letting people keep their current coverage as the new Obamacare marketplaces open could weaken them because healthier and younger Americans would choose the less expensive current non-Obamacare coverage and that would leave only the sickest consumers buying policies and coverage on Obamacare marketplaces. That could, in turn, lead to higher future premiums in the insurance market for almost everyone. Obama has in reality proposed the creation of two parallel markets operating under different rules, causing a "death spiral" that will kill Obamacare unless the federal government greatly increases subsidies to the sole remaining groups who would continue to buy health insurance under Obamacare - those who are eligible for Medicaid and those who cannot buy non-Obamacare insurance because of pre-existing conditions. America's Health Insurance Plans' (AHIP) President and CEO Karen Ignagni warned in a statement that premiums have already been set for next year based on the assumption that those on the individual market would join Obamacare. "If now fewer younger and healthier people choose to purchase coverage in the exchange, premiums will increase and there will be fewer choices for consumers," she said. "Additional steps must be taken to stabilize the marketplace and mitigate the adverse impact on consumers." ~~~~~ AND while the insurance industry and its state-level regulatory commissions are trying to deal with Barack Obama's latest folly, CBS News reported that the Washington politicos are hot at each other. Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, insisted on Thursday that Democrats "are going to run on the advantage that Obamacare will be going into the 2014 election." Meanwhile, the Republican National Committee mocked the Democratic Party for "doubling down" on its support for the controversial health law. In the midst of increasing turmoil, and ignoring a White House veto threat, the Republican-controlled House voted Friday to let insurance companies sell individual health coverage to all comers, both current and new, and forever, even if it falls short of the required standards in "Obamacare." The GOP vote was significant because 39 Democrats broke rank to vote with the Republican majority that did not need their votes for passage. The Democrat bolt underscored the political importance of the controversial Obamacare issue rhat is likely to be front and center in next year's elections for control of Congress. The House measure that now goes to the Democrat-majority Senate was passed to help Americans reeling from cancellation notices. Those cancellations have been arriving from companies despite President Barack Obama's oft-made promise that anyone who liked his plan could keep it. Thursday, the White House accused the Republicans of trying to sabotage the law and said their measure would not make coverage available for people with pre-existing conditions. Republicans answered that the pre-existing condition problem is dwarfed by the flood of cancellations issued due to Obamacare. ~~~~~ Dear readers, instead of helping, the stupifyingly uninformed and ill-considered proposal of President Obama has just compounded the problems inherent in Obamacare. WHEN will Barack Obama get out of the healthcare arena and let professionals deal with the monumental mess he has created? It is clear that he is "Clueless in the White House."

Obama under Pressure Clings to Obamacare Catastrophe

There's movement today in relation to the Affordable Care Act - a laughable title for the catastrophic attempt of President Obama, Senate Majority leader Harry Reid and then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to push a bitter socialized medicine pill down the throats of unwilling Americans who didn't want to swallow it. Speaker John Boehner came out of the White House today to tell America that the Obama administration has not told the truth about Obamacare, that they cannot be trusted and that the only viable solution is to repeal the ACA (a.k.a. Obamacare). Then, President Obama called a press conference to announce that insurers should, or can, re-issue the mllions of health insurance policies cancelled under Obamacare's unrealistic and naive minimum coverage requirements. That Obama felt compelled to intervene in the critically important confirmation hearings of his nominee to succeed Ben Bernanke as Federal Reserve chairman is an indication of the Obamacare quagmire Obama and his administration find themselves in with Americans, and also now with Democrat Congress members who fear for their re-election prospects. Insurers are already calling the President's 'tweek' a joke meant to shift blame for Obamacare from the White House to the insurance industry. ~~~~~ The latest Fox News poll results reported by Newsmax show just how angry Americans really are with Obamacare and President Obama and the Democrat Party for foisting Obamacare on them. 56% of those polled, all of whom are registered voters, think President Obama "knowingly lied" when he repeatedly assured Americans they could keep their own health plans under the Affordable Care Act - that "if you like your health care plan, you can keep it. Period." 50% think the President knew he was lying, while 40% think Obama had no idea the law would cause people to lose their insurance. The breakdown of these results : 79% of Republicans, 51% of independents, and 22% of Democrats think Obama knowingly lied to get his signature law passed. 59% think the Obama administration knew ahead of time that people would have their insurance plans cancelled, and 55% think the White House has "tried to deceive" people about it. 38% say the administration has been honest. President Obama's personal favorability has plummeted. A record 61% disapprove of the President's performance on healthcare, up 10% since October 1st. Concerning the President's Obamacare mea culpa, 58% feel Obama's apology was "mostly for political reasons," while 38% think he was "sincere." Overall, 46% want to throw out the healthcare law and "start over." 42% say "keep trying to fix it," and 10% say, "Leave it alone." 39% of voters blame the Obama administration for the website glitches, while 20% blame the designers of the bug-plagued website. 11% of voters blame congressional Republicans, and 10% blame insurance companies. 50% think Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sibelius should "stay and try to fix things," while 24% would rather have her fired and 19% think she should resign. ~~~~~ These poll results have had a serious impact on Democrat Congress members, who are in a "near panic" over the botched launch of the Affordable Care Act and may soon be asking Republicans to help them repair the nation's mangled healthcare system, according to Texas GOP Senator John Cornyn. "The Democrats own this. They made a mistake at the very beginning because there was no bipartisan support for Obamacare. Every Republican voted against it. Every Democrat voted for it. So they own it," Cornyn told "The Steve Malzberg Show" on Newsmax TV. "At some point, Democrats are going to come to Republicans and say, you know what, we were big cheerleaders for this legislation and it isn't working; what can we do to protect our American people, our constituents from the hardship that is resulting from this failure? We're going to have to listen and try to figure something out." But, Senator Cornyn makes an excellent point when he says that Republicans must "hammer out" their own distinct, workable plan to replace Obamacare. "People need to hear from us that we're not just against Obamacare with all of its flaws, we are for people getting affordable, quality healthcare and we can do it a whole lot better than this government takeover," he said. Cornyn tokd Newsmax he was stunned to hear former President Bill Clinton this week say that President Barack Obama should keep his promise to let those who like their current insurance policies keep them, even if it means changing the law. "I nearly fell out of my chair but I bet I wasn't the only one. I bet there were a number of people at the White House who thought, okay, President Clinton just threw us under the bus," he said. But even if Obama were to take Clinton's advice to heart, keeping his promise may no longer be possible to those who have seen their policies cancelled. "I am sure that you can't force insurance companies to re-issue policies they've now cancelled because the [law] of the land tells them they have to," Cornyn said. ~~~~~ Dear readers, it is now time for Obama and Democrats in the Senate to stop papering over the fundamental flaws in Obamacare. It is time to repeal the (Un)affordable Care Act - go back to a bipartisan approach - and deal with the real American healthcare problem, which is the 30-40 million Americans who need basic, quality healthcare insurance. And we should all be careful not to fall for Obama's folksy news conference tidbits about how he sympathizes and what he wants for Americans. If he really cared about Americans, Obamacare would not exist because Obama would have led the charge to solve the real problem - uninsured Americans. Once again, Obama is playing fast-and-loose with the truth about his goals and allegiances. Obama wants socialized medicine in America. And even if you don't like it, Obama wants you to keep it. Period.

The Obama Military Purge, Benghazi and History

There is little need to prove that President Obama is incompetent to provide leadership for items on his own political agenda - Obamacare, the US economy, alternative wind and solar energy, corn-based fuels, the Middle East. And we are becoming increasingly aware that Obama is incompetent to manage matters that requires presidential leadership - Afghanistan, Syria, Iran, North Korea. In fact, it is now evident that Barack Obama cannot even manage a White House cover-up - Fast and Furious, NSA, IRS, Benghazi. We have learned this week that there is a secret diplomatic cable sent two weeks before the September 11, 2012, murder of US Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens and three other American diplomats. The cable warned that the Benghazi consular compound could not withstand a “coordinated attack.” It is just more evidence underscoring the Obama administration’s inability to respond to intelligence. The White House knew the situation in Benghaz was dangerously unstable. Earlier in 2012, a series of attacks had taken place against western interests, including the American consulate itself. Repeated requests were made for increased security and were denied on the basis that the threat wasn’t sufficient to justify it. The new cable reveals there were “approximately ten Islamist militias and al-Qaida training camps inside the city of Benghazi.” If this newly revealed cable wasn't sufficient proof that increased security was needed, especially around the September 11, 2001, anniversary of 9/11, what would Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have found sufficient for taking Benghazi security more seriously. Once the crisis broke, the administration simply set out - almost certainly under Obama's orders - to cover up their failure. ~~~~~ BUT, cover-ups require control of those who were involved. AND Obama could not control at least one major element - the senior United States military officers who were trying to protect those trapped in the Benghazi consulate. Perhaps never before in American history has a President created a second scandal to cover the first one. The second scandal concerning Benghazi was to fire a number of US military general officers to hide Obama’s dereliction of duty in refusing heightened security to the Benghazi consulate and then refusing to try to save the Americans trapped by the ensuing predictable terrorist attack. The Benghazi-related firings were : (1). US Army General Carter Ham who led the US African Command when the consulate was attacked. General Ham was highly critical of State Department refusal to send in reinforcements. Obama has insisted there were no reinforcements available that night. But Ham contends timely reinforcements could have been sent and he said he never was given a stand-down order, while others say he was given the order but refused it. He was later relieved of his command and retired. But, new information in the Washington Times reveals there were Delta Force personnel in Tripoli at the time of the attack and two members volunteered to be dispatched to Benghazi to assist in protecting the Benghazi compound contrary to stand-down orders from the State Department. (2). Another flag officer involved in the Benghazi matter, which is still under congressional investigation – was Rear Admiral Charles Gaouette, commander of the Carrier Strike Group. He contends aircraft could have been sent to Libya in time to help the Americans under fire. He later was removed from his post for alleged profanity and making “racially insensitive comments.” (3). Army Major General Ralph Baker was the commander of the Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa at Camp Lemonier in Djibouti, Africa. Baker contended that attack helicopters could have reached the consulate in time on the night of the attack. ~~~~~ The general officers fired because they disagreed with the Obama-Clinton decision to abandon American diplomats in Benghazi under al-Qaida attack are just the tip of the iceberg in what is becoming known as "The Obama Military Purge." More than 197 general and senior officer level military have been fired under Obama - one every 8.8 days - unheard of until now in American history. Military purges are not unknown historically. Stalin systematically imprisoned and/or executed thousands of his own military officers in the 1930s. The majority of these executions and imprisonments were the result of Stalin’s discomfort with the growing modernization and strength of the Red Army. Stalin saw Army leaders as potential political threats. The loss of nearly the entire command structure of the Red Army had great negative effects on the ability of the Soviet Union to win a war, first with the Russo-Finnish war in 1939 and then during the first month of Russian involvement in World War II. Tiberius' political inability, poor judgment and jealousy led Rome into a dark age of political purges, murder and terror when Tiberius, who had waited a long time to be emperor and only became heir after the death of his two sons, realizing he was not the preferred successor, nevertheless with Augustus' death in 14 AD, claimed power and then purged the military to prevent its alliance with the Roman Senate to overthrow him. Most military purges have been political in nature - to protect a weak or unpopular leader. Unfortunately, bloodless purges can end up being bloody at one point or another. Worse, once one side or the other becomes dominant, the purge is extended from the national to the local, and from there, down to every day citizens. Thus purges throughout history have often led to shifts in power to an actual or de facto authoritarian dictatorship. The classic example would be found in the  Russian Communist Revolution, which actually evolved as successive political leaders reshaped ‘the revolution’ to suit their own needs. But you find the same things generally true in the French Revolution and in Mao’s Red China. ~~~~~ Dear readers, here is a Barack Obama quote from early in his first term : "We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we've set. We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded." It would not take great imagination to see a darker goal to the Obama Military Purge.

Can France Save Obama from the Iran Nuclear Mess He Has Created?

President Barack Obama's may have permitted his desire for a nuclear agreement with Iran to get ahead of the reality of domestic American and allied politics. And it also may have provided a rapprochement in the enduring but always delicate French - American relationship. In the aftermath of the Geneva meetings that ended Sunday without an agreement, conservative American congressional leaders, fond of France-bashing in recent years, praised Paris for blocking an agreement between western powers and Iran over Teheran's nuclear program."Vive la France!" Republican Senator John McCain, the Senate's expert on national security issues, wrote on his Twitter account. "France had the courage to prevent a bad nuclear agreement with Iran," he said, referring to the Sunday announcement of the failure to reach an agreement with the United States, China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany. During the three days of non-stop negotiations in Geneva, France repeatedly voiced concerns over the emerging deal and its lack of guarantees, causing Iran to call France a negotiations spoil sport. GOP Senator Lindsey Graham didn't see it that way : "Thank God for France and thank God for push back," he said on "State of the Union," the CNN Sunday political events show, suggesting he favored more sanctions against Iran. "My fear is that we're going to wind up creating a North Korea-type situation in the Mideast, where we negotiate with Iran and one day you wake up...and you're going to have a nuclear Iran," Graham said. ~~~~~ So now, it would appear that President Obama's desire to get an Iran nuclear deal will depend on his ability to keep a lid on both conservatives in Congress and worried allies abroad. They are all worried that Obama may want a nuclear agreement with Iran so badly that he is willing to accept a deal that eases economic pressure on Iran too soon and gives it time to complete the development of a nuclear weapon. Republican Senator Bob Corker reflected the congressional tension over Obama's negotiating stance with Iran when he told NBC News, "But we're also concerned about an administration that seems really ready to jump into the arms of folks and potentially deal away some of the leverage we have." The truth may be close to Senator Corker's summary because Barack Obama is in the second year of his second term with nothing positive to show for his presidency. His health care law, never favored by a majority of Americans, is unravelling rapidly. He is mired in what conservatives and some moderates in Congress call lies and cover-ups over the Benghazi attack, the IRS political harassment program, the NSA worldwide electronic spying systems, and a failed Middle East policy, especially in Syria. An Iranian nuclear deal may be his last chance for a positive footnote in US presidential history. But Congress and US allies do not agree. According to those present, the talks in Geneva ended without agreement partly because American allies refuse to formally recognize Iran's right to enrich uranium, although Iran insists it does not have a nuclear bomb program and is enriching uranium for energy and medical uses. And France said it has concerns that proposed limits on Iran's ability to make nuclear fuel don't go far enough. France also balked over a planned heavy water reactor that would produce greater amounts of by-product plutonium that can be used to make nuclear weapons. US Secretary of State John Kerry later tried to minimize the French concerns, but the public comments of French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius raised questions about cracks in the coalition. In exchange for nuclear concessions from Iran, the US and world powers are offering Teheran limited and reversible relief from sanctions that have strained its economy. But this is largely an Obama strategy and he faces opposition from both the US Congress and allies for his willingness to ease sanctions on Iran, even temporarily. Some, in fact, want to impose new economic sanctions on Iran. At Obama's request, a sanctions bill in the Senate Banking Committee is on hold, but it's unclear how long the Senators are willing to wait. Vice President Biden, Secretary Kerry and White House chief of staff Denis McDonough have talked with lawmakers and the White House is sending Kerry to Capitol Hill on Wednesday to ask the Senate Banking Committee to hold up the legislation once again. ~~~~~ American ally Israel sees Iran's pursuit of a nuclear weapon as a threat to its existence. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu characterized the outline of the agreement that emerged last week as "the deal of the century" for Iran. His comment prompted Obama to call to reassure Netanyahu that the US still agrees about the need to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. And Obama must also assuage the fears of other US Middle East allies, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which have expressed their concerns about interim agreements that would allow Iran to keep enriching uranium. Kerry visited Saudi Arabia last week and stopped in Abu Dhabi on Monday after the Geneva talks recessed. Negotiations will resume in Geneva on November 20. ~~~~~ Dear readers, the Iranian nuclear deal seems very much to be turning into another Obamacare. President Obama would not and still will not listen to reasonable requests to alter course on Obamacare because he is determined to win on the basis of his first conception, flawed as it was by ignorance of the health care industry and economics and by inept leadership by his White House and departmental leadership. Concerning Obamacare, he appears to be willing to destroy the American health care system rather than admit he was wrong. And now, with the Iranian nuclear negotiation, Obama may be headed down a similar path. He does not accept the advice of those in the Middle East who understand Iran. He refuses to admit that France is in disagreement with his idea. He continues to assure Israel that he will protect its vital interests even while ploughing ahead with an idea that will put those interests in jeopardy. Only France has the power to save Obama from himself this time. I hope it works. As John McCain said, Vive la France!