General Politics Discussion [ARCHIVED] • Page 317

The media going crazy over Trump's "ISIS founder" line is so dumb and just feeds the folks that feel like the media isn't giving the Donald a fair shake. It's fairly obvious to everyone that he was hyperbolizing the opinion that Obama and Clinton's continuation of involvement in, and gross mishandling of, the Middle East was crucial in I

Honestly, the absence of a public option forfeited any long-term utility for the ACA for me. Without it, it's subsidizing the corporate hold on public health.

 

Every time I get closed to submitting an application to open a DSA chapter, shit like this reassures that I never do until, at the very least, I've already established my career.

 

I mean, he stuck to his guns when Hugh Hewitt tried to say what you just said, saying they literally founded ISIS. so nah I think he's a fucking idiot who legitimately believes our president is a Kenyan Muslim insurgent.

Best case scenario, he's a fucking idiot who has no idea how sarcasm or interacting with the public work in any way.

 

I agree with all of this. Obamacare is in no way or shape a perfect system and needs to be fixed. I was just saying it's not reasonable to blame Obamacare for rising premiums without factoring in how awful capital-based healthcare is in the first place.

 

Haha, that was a post that I had started typing late last night and bailed on but stuck in my reply box.

I don't think he's saying Obama was there as a founding member. The insinuation that Obama's mishandling of the Middle East can be summed up as founding ISIS is less morally offensive (Carson's "Obamacare is the new form of American slavery") and factually offensive (Fiorina's "I saw a baby trembling on a table" PP quote, Romney's 47% quote) to me than plenty of conservative candidate soundbites. This one is fairly innocuous and brings attention to the impropriety of constant foreign intervention.

 

Anna addressed some of this, but no I don't really see how that statement means that the ACA is directly causing premiums to rise. Both employer sponsored plans and individual market plans are increasing at slower rates now than they were pre-ACA, and when you include the premium support from ACA for the individual plans, the rate of growth is even slower for those people.

You can make the case that companies like Aetna will raise premiums in the employer market to pay for losses in the individual market, but that's not really the ACA's fault so much as Aetna just being fucking terrible at getting a business plan together for the individual market. As Anna said, the companies that are used to serving the consumers that the ACA markets are attracting (poor, sicker, etc) are finding ways to make profits, probably because it's been their business in the past and they've grown efficient at serving that population.


All that being said, that still doesn't mean I'm some ACA champion. I want a public option. I just don't like reading false narratives about the law and it's effects.

 

Gotcha.

Admittedly the GOP has a history of ridiculous things, but I would say that this happening to a person this close to the white house and to making decisions about this group... It's worth the blast he's getting.

 

A major insurer is pulling back on Obamacare in a big way

Aetna’s exit will make some markets less competitive. But the bigger question is whether other plans will begin to look at the marketplaces differently. They’ve now watched United and Aetna — two of the country's largest insurance plans — decide that the marketplaces were not a good opportunity. And that could give other insurers a reason to pause and reevaluate their options.

To be sure, there are some insurance plans that are succeeding in the Obamacare marketplaces. These are insurers who have experience helping states insure low-income Medicaid patients — not those who have sold contracts to large companies. These insurers had already set up narrow insurance networks that are especially adapted to the needs of lower-income consumers.

But there are also a decent number of losers in the marketplaces. And it’s fair to say that at this point, Obamacare is going through a major test of its viability. It relies on private insurers to willingly participate, and it is not clear they want to keep participating — or at least it is not clear that enough of them want to keep participating to create the nationwide coverage and competition Obamacare envisions.

 

We've been discussing it like all day get w the program jason

 

lol. Thought that would clear up the current convo.

 

While I don't think Obama was ignorant in allowing those companies to have a seat at the table, it seems that they have even become a fetter upon this market-oriented framework. This seems like a good opportunity to dissolve private insurance and nationalize those companies.

 

does he think the US still shoots people for treason. i mean it doesn't even make sense at that, utterly bullshit, level

 

"Lesser evil":

Clinton campaign transition chief has pushed for TPP

 

Relevant

The Conservative Movement Has No Decency | Jacobin

 

I have to say, after a few missteps, Jacobin has really been on point as of late.

 

We gave up shooting people for treason a long time ago. Now we just bomb them along with anyone unfortunate enough to be close to them.

Americans Warren Weinstein and Adam Gadahn Killed in U.S. Drone Strikes

U.S. officials told NBC News that the hostages were killed in a controversial tactic known as a signature strike — when the CIA attacks based on a pattern of behavior of people on the ground, even if it doesn't know who it's targeting.

"Sometimes you may not see the al Qaeda leader but there was demonstrated al Qaeda behavior consistent with the presence of a senior Al Qaeda person," the U.S. official said.

Wow.

 

"There is an American imprint on every civilian life lost in Yemen...Another example of a war being conducted by this administration without prior approval by congress"

The lesser evil.

 

Unbelievable. I love when we says we don't know whether the Saudis are deliberately targeting schools/civilians or if it's the result of shitty targeting. Someone had better answer that question so the families can get some closure!

 

Nothing unbelievable about that at all. Literally the most believable fact of the past few decades.

 

Maybe he is getting back at Trump by keeping this story going? Or he's as dumb as I expect.

 

Okay...

Unconscionable then. Better?