The Opinionator

Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!

In yet another entry in the "no shit" chronicles, insurers are requesting huge rate increases for ObamaCare policies due to a insurance pool that was older and sicker than expected. From Megan McArdle,

"So the proposed 2016 Obamacare rates have been filed in many states, and in many states, the numbers are eye-popping. Market leaders are requesting double-digit increases in a lot of places. Some of the biggest are really double-digit: 51 percent in New Mexico, 36 percent in Tennessee, 30 percent in Maryland, 25 percent in Oregon. The reason? They say that with a full year of claims data under their belt for the first time since Obamacare went into effect, they're finding the insurance pool was considerably older and sicker than expected."

Clearly a year of data is worth more than promises from politicians. Add to this the millions who lost insurance policies they were happy with, the extremely high deductibles, people paying for care they do not need (single men do not need OB-GYN care, etc.) and the failure of the website and enrollment infrastructure, and you can see why Ocare is such a success <sarc>. Of course to liberals, intentions are really what we should measure and by this metric of success, it is doing just fine.

Let me add that I think this is all part of the plan. The rate increases will lead to the call for more subsidies to make Ocare affordable and once you have turned the middle class into dependents of the state, it will be easy to summon the support to single-payer healthcare and, in the words of Mark Steyn, change the relationship between the government and the governed forever. We will have been boiled like the proverbial frog...slowly. In the meantime, cue Gomer:

 

The Technical Term For What The Obama Campaign Is Doing Is...Lying

This ABC News report on Yahoo actually makes the point that the Obama Campaign is not being truthful about Romney's record on outsourcing. The best parts,

Undeterred by independent fact-checkers that have debunked the thrust of their claims, the Obama campaign is redoubling attacks on Mitt Romney as an "outsourcer" in a new TV ad airing in eight battleground states.

"We found no evidence to support the claim that Romney — while he was still running Bain Capital— shipped American jobs overseas," FactCheck.org concluded in a report last month.

Washington Post fact checker Glenn Kessler also concluded that while Bain-owned companies may have engaged in outsourcing, Romney's ties to the practice are tenuous.

Romney's campaign needs to punch back twice as hard because the POTUS does not care, he will do whatever it takes to get re-elected. This is so bad liberals I know are complaining. They think he is mileading voters. Where I am from we have a technical term for what the Obama Campaign is doing...Lying.

Poll Results

This USA Today poll has Obama ahead 47-45 in the 12 swing states and 48-44 in the other states. While I would prefer that Romney be in the lead, I also see that these polls are Registered Voters, not Likely Voters. Republicans tend not to do as well in these polls. That means that Romney is in the game. BUT, he needs to come out swinging on the Outsourcing issue. He just needs to say Obama is lying, which he is, in the most direct, but nicest way possible. 

Open Wide Mr. President!

In this ad the RNC reminds us of Candidate Obama's remarks about the debt and rams them down President Obama's throat. How does that taste, Mr. President? Feeling patriotic?

 

 

Hat Tip: Ace of Spades.

Please Forward This to Mitch McConnell

On the subject of repealing ObamaCare, Senator McConnell said this yesterday, 

"If you thought it was a good idea for the federal government to go in this direction, I'd say the odds are still on your side," McConnell said. "Because it's a lot harder to undo something than it is to stop it in the first place."

I have news for you Senator, Keith Hennessey has laid out the roadmap for you to follow in repealing ObamaTax, er...ObamaCare. If you are not up to the job, please step aside and let someone else do the job.  Lead, follow, or get the hell out of the way!

A Simple Compare and Contrast

To see the difference between Romney and Obama, one merely need to go to this post at Potluck Bloggers and it becomes clear. 

Romney asks you to donate essentials to the victims. Obama wants you to buy a campaign shirt. As usual, it is all about him. Is anyone surprised? 

Jack Lew is a Liar

Here is the video of White House Chief of Staff and lying crapweasel Jack Lew being embarrassed by Chris Wallace on Fox News. Is the Administration really stupid enough to run with this line of "reasoning"?

 

(Hat Tip to Instapundit and Gateway Pundit)

Rubbing Our Noses In It

This may not be the smartest idea they have had at Obama 2012. But I am glad they are doing it. Make the contrast as stark as possible. 

Heath Shuler Retires...Or...The Importance of Voting

Heath Shuler has always been a bit of a conundrum in western North Carolina. He was a Democrat, albeit more Conservative than your average one, in a very Conservative area of the state. And like his fellow members of the "Blue Dogs" he was usually fell in line to support Pelosi and Company after much public "Discussion" that helped make him look more Conservative than he is in actuality. Now his time has come and he will be retiring at the end of this Congress. However, this is not the result of a popular uprising in Asheville even though the Tea Party is active in that area. Rather it illustrates the importance of voting and highlights one of the most overlooked results of the 2010 elections; the takeover of several state legislatures by Republicans just in time for re-districting. 

In North Carolina, Republicans took control of the legislature in the 2010 elections and this has allowed them to drive Brad Miller and now Shuler from office. The Congressional delegation will be more representative of the state in general as Republicans get their chance to gerrymander. As a resident of NC-4, a district set up to be Democrat district forever, I am a beneficiary of the Republican majority as I will now be in NC-2 represented by Renee Ellmers. This is a great thing as is the retirements of Miller and Shuler. And David Price in NC-4 will be where he belongs, in Chapel Hill and Durham. 

The lesson for all of you that are complaining about our potential nominee in the race for POTUS and threatening to stay home (I am looking at you Newt supporters) is to get out and vote no matter who that nominee is in November. Not only can we send Obama back to Chicago, we can extend our control over state houses and local politics which is vital as I am seeing firsthand in North Carolina. 

Cross-posted at Red State. 

 

Rush is Right...Barack Obama is the Problem

Amen brother Rush! 

None of the Republican candidates are responsible for the 16% real unemployment in this country. They are not responsible for the increased fuel and food costs. They are not responsible for any of this. That would be Obama, who pretends to care about the middle class but lives like a king at the public trough. Mitt Romney's not the problem. Newt Gingrich is not the problem. Rick Santorum is not the problem.