2nd Term, Part VI: Burnin' down the House

[Rover]

Slightly off topic--interested in how you all feel about Gov. Christie, particularly the conservatives. This is a pragmatic guy and viable candidate who appears unwilling to let the social cons and tea partiers dictate his policies. Certainly, being gov of New Jersey is a lot different than getting the nomination in that party, but he seems like one who will refuse to be taken hostage by narrow but vocal interests. I doubt many in the midwest or west know much about him though, other than what they heard after Sandy and the comments on his weight. It just seems that Republicans and getting tired of losing battles as a result of strategies designed to accommodate social conservatives, and nearly everybody is tired of standoff politics. No doubt tea partiers will claim he is a go-along compromiser who will change nothing.

Chris Christie = John Hunstman. A moderate guy that the press loves but has the same chance that I do of winning the GOP nomination. This is a party that ran Charlie Crist out because of the way he greeted the President. What will GOP primary voters do in Texas, etc when they see ad after ad showing Christie and Obama touring NJ after Hurricane Sandy, an act widely perceived in conservative circles as having cost Mittens the election?

Christie will be sworn in for his second term in Jan 2014. By mid year 2015, only 1 1/2 years into his second term, he'll have to start prepping for a Presidential contest especially since he doesn't have boots on the ground like a Rand Paul does. What's the point? He's only about 50 years old. Sit this race out, serve out your fill term, let Cruz/Paul/etc get crushed in 2016, and then in your late 50's and after having lost 100 pounds, run against a then 70-something year old Hillary.

It would be nice, and the political press longs for, living in a country where a guy like Chris Christie could win the GOP nomination. We ain't living in that country anytime soon.

 

[Priceless]

Re: 2nd Term, Part VI: Burnin' down the House

Has anyone here actually gone to the website and created an account? Signed up for coverage? Obtained the golden "tax credit"?

I have created an account but have not signed up for coverage yet.

 

[unofan]

I'm kind of curious about the sign up myself. I personally don't know anyone who has signed up, but admittedly I have a limited number of acquaintances.

Has anyone here actually gone to the website and created an account? Signed up for coverage? Obtained the golden "tax credit"?

I'm part of the 85% covered by an employer, so no, I haven't.

 

[joecct]

Re: 2nd Term, Part VI: Burnin' down the House

I have created an account but have not signed up for coverage yet.

Priceless

Can you keep us posted on progress? Maybe you can wrangle a free trip to DC for a photo op!

 

[ScoobyDoo]

Re: 2nd Term, Part VI: Burnin' down the House

I'm part of the 85% covered by an employer, so no, I haven't.

Me too.

 

[joecct]

Re: 2nd Term, Part VI: Burnin' down the House

Slightly off topic--interested in how you all feel about Gov. Christie, particularly the conservatives. This is a pragmatic guy and viable candidate who appears unwilling to let the social cons and tea partiers dictate his policies. Certainly, being gov of New Jersey is a lot different than getting the nomination in that party, but he seems like one who will refuse to be taken hostage by narrow but vocal interests. I doubt many in the midwest or west know much about him though, other than what they heard after Sandy and the comments on his weight. It just seems that Republicans and getting tired of losing battles as a result of strategies designed to accommodate social conservatives, and nearly everybody is tired of standoff politics. No doubt tea partiers will claim he is a go-along compromiser who will change nothing.

Wish he had challenged the decree as it should be the legislature rather than the courts who decide stuff like this. It would also have gone to the Supreme Court and SCOTUS would have to decide whether Kennedy's 14th Amendment citation in DOMA really meant what he wrote.

However, he bowed to the (unfortunate) inevitability of SSM in NJ. Why spend State $$ to hold back the tide? So pragmatic it probably a good word.

 

[SJHovey]

Re: 2nd Term, Part VI: Burnin' down the House

I'm part of the 85% covered by an employer, so no, I haven't.

Employer based health insurance doesn't cover anywhere close to 85% of the population. It's probably closer to 55%.

Edit: I was slightly off, but nowhere close to 85%.

http://www.rwjf.org/en/about-rwjf/n...ining-health-insurance-through-an-employ.html

 

[Priceless]

Re: 2nd Term, Part VI: Burnin' down the House

Priceless

Can you keep us posted on progress? Maybe you can wrangle a free trip to DC for a photo op!

Sure. I'm already covered by Medicare so I'm not sure how all this will work. Waiting for all the dust to settle before I go any further. I expect that my private disability insurance will put me over the income limit for a subsidy anyway.

 

[Rover]

Re: 2nd Term, Part VI: Burnin' down the House

I thought 85% was the figure for people who have employer or govt insurance (Medicare, Medicaid, etc), leaving 15% eligible for the exchanges. There's about 310M people in the country of which 10M are here illegally, so that leaves 300M looking for insurance. If 15% aren't covered we're at 45M. 30M were supposed to get expanded Medicare, and 7M thru the exchanges, leaving 8M without insurance for whatever reason (surprisingly this happens in European countries as well that have universal health care. A steady 2% of the populace isn't covered in each year according to The Economist).

The trick now is the people in states that refuse to expand Medicare. They are most likely too poor to pay a fine, but will have to migrate to the exchanges. Tough to say what that total amount is going to be. I've seen estimates from 3M to 15M mostly in the South.

 

[ScoobyDoo]

Re: 2nd Term, Part VI: Burnin' down the House

Oh, man, the Repubs crack me up.

At a speech to a conservative audience in Falmouth last week, Governor Paul LePage made a statement that is deeply revealing.

Informed that the event was wrapping up, LePage said he had two more points to make. The first was just one word: “energy.” The second was, he said, in reference to “workforce development.”

“About 47% of able-bodied people in the state of Maine don’t work,” said LePage.

On the recording you can hear a member of the audience ask “what?” LePage repeats himself: “About 47%. It’s really bad.”

Just to be absolutely clear, LePage’s statistic is completely wrong. Currently, around 65% of Mainers over the age of 15 are working or are unemployed and actively seeking work. Of the remaining 35%, almost all are retired, are caring for children or other family members, are pursuing education or training or have a disability that prevents them from working. Only a tiny fraction aren’t working for other reasons. The conservative Heritage Foundation, using U.S. Census data, puts this number at 1.1% nationally.

Maine is known for our strong Yankee work ethic and we have a higher labor force participation rate than the rest of the country, despite our more elderly population. We work harder, longer and often in more dangerous occupations than people almost anywhere else.

http://thetippingpoint.bangordailyn...lip-what-he-really-thinks-about-maine-people/

And this guy is the Governor of Maine? Who elects these clowns?

And check out his other comment.

Gov. Paul LePage told a group of Republicans last week that President Obama “hates white people,” according to two state lawmakers who say they heard the remark directly.

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maines-lepage-thinks-obama-hates-white?lite

 

[Rover]

Re: 2nd Term, Part VI: Burnin' down the House

After Mittens made his comment, I took the time to break down who the 47% were, and yeah most are working but too poor to pay income tax or retired. Once you were done with students as well you were down to single digits, and that's even before you get to people who are looking for work but can't find it. 1% doesn't surprise me at all.

 

[BassAle]

Oh, man, the Repubs crack me up.





http://thetippingpoint.bangordailyn...lip-what-he-really-thinks-about-maine-people/

And this guy is the Governor of Maine? Who elects these clowns?

And check out his other comment.



http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maines-lepage-thinks-obama-hates-white?lite

He narrowly won a 3-way race (actually 5-way I think but only 3 were credible candidates) with about 35% of the vote. It looks like the ME-2 congressman Mike Michaud is the favorite to win the next election, but Elliot Cuttler is running again and was good for over 30% last time.

The guy is an embarrassment.

 

[joecct]

Re: 2nd Term, Part VI: Burnin' down the House

...And this guy is the Governor of Maine? Who elects these clowns?...

The citizens of the great State of Maine. If they have a problem with his stewardship, they can toss him in the next gubernatorial election. If you're not living there, then poke fun at the remark, but you (and I) can't do a darn thing about it.

 

[ScoobyDoo]

Re: 2nd Term, Part VI: Burnin' down the House

The citizens of the great State of Maine. If they have a problem with his stewardship, they can toss him in the next gubernatorial election. If you're not living there, then poke fun at the remark, but you (and I) can't do a darn thing about it.

Poke fun at the remark?

It appears we now have progressed into a period in our history where facts are irrelevant in any and every conversation. Sad.

 

[Priceless]

The citizens of the great State of Maine. If they have a problem with his stewardship, they can toss him in the next gubernatorial election. If you're not living there, then poke fun at the remark, but you (and I) can't do a darn thing about it.

I can. Going door to door is no longer easy for me, but this absolute embarrassment of a governor has motivated me to help get Mike elected. November 2014 cannot come soon enough.

 

[joecct]

Re: 2nd Term, Part VI: Burnin' down the House

Poke fun at the remark?

It appears we now have progressed into a period in our history where facts are irrelevant in any and every conversation. Sad.

That's politics. I can say a truthful statement and the opposition can snicker or ridicule. We have a whole industry who does not let the facts get in the way of a story

But, I have no way to verify the veracity of the governor's statements. But I reserve anyone's right to say something about it (true or false) as long as it is in good taste and not slander or libelous.

 

[ScoobyDoo]

Re: 2nd Term, Part VI: Burnin' down the House

That's politics. I can say a truthful statement and the opposition can snicker or ridicule. We have a whole industry who does not let the facts get in the way of a story

But, I have no way to verify the veracity of the governor's statements. But I reserve anyone's right to say something about it (true or false) as long as it is in good taste and not slander or libelous.

How about this for veracity. The Governor of Maine is a complete moron.

Can't verify???

Common sense verifies enough for me to call him a buffoon.

 

[Priceless]

Re: 2nd Term, Part VI: Burnin' down the House

That's politics. I can say a truthful statement and the opposition can snicker or ridicule. We have a whole industry who does not let the facts get in the way of a story

That's the point. It was as truthful as saying the sky is white.

 

[Rover]

Re: 2nd Term, Part VI: Burnin' down the House

I can appreciate the appeal of a 3rd party candidate sometimes, but in the end you get what you vote for. A lot of whiny liberals bought into Little Ralphie Nader's schtick 13 years ago and thought they were so brilliant voting for him. Well, that got us George W Bush. Similarly, it always seemed to me that LePage was nuts. It also seemed obvious that splitting the vote would get him elected. Therefore, people need to pick one horse (Ind or D) and ride it all the way.

Back when Jeffords retired in Vt, and when Snowe retired in Maine, there was an independent running in both races. In those races the Dems made the decision to step aside and live with a Socialist and an indepdenent (not sure what King's leanings were before he became gov) instead of running their own person and it by and large worked out. Same thing applies here.

 

[BassAle]

The citizens of the great State of Maine. If they have a problem with his stewardship, they can toss him in the next gubernatorial election. If you're not living there, then poke fun at the remark, but you (and I) can't do a darn thing about it.

More Mainers didn't want LePage than did. In a run off there is no way he would have won. He won in part by making Cutler look like his #1 opponent causing voters to abandon a weak democrat (who would have won in a 2-way race) out of fear that Cutler had the best chance of winning. Cutler was behind until very late in the race.

The guy is an idiot. He did play the election well for someone with a 37-40% vote ceiling though.