Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

When I decide to be condescending, you won’t have to dream up a fantasy about it.

I’d try pessimism, but it probably wouldn’t work.

FFS people, this was a good thing. take the win.

Good lord, these people are nuts.

Chutkan laughs. Lauro sits back down.

Meanwhile over at truth Social, the former president is busy confessing to crimes.

Oh FFS you might as well trust a 6-year-old with a flamethrower.

Never forget that he train is barreling down on Trump, even as he dances on the tracks.

It’s easy to sit in safety and prescribe what other people should be doing.

Insiders who complain to politico: please report to the white house office of shut the fuck up.

You don’t get rid of your umbrella while it’s still raining.

Within six months Twitter will be fully self-driving.

Come on, man.

Stamping your little feets and demanding that they see how important you are? Not working anymore.

Just because you believe it, that doesn’t make it true.

This isn’t Democrats spending madly. This is government catching up.

The words do not have to be perfect.

Nancy smash is sick of your bullshit.

Only Democrats have agency, apparently.

Wow, you are pre-disappointed. How surprising.

Is it irresponsible to speculate? It is irresponsible not to.

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

The gop is a fucking disgrace.

Cole, when it comes to calico cats, restraint is overrated.

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Archives for September 2018

Jacky Rosen said

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These Senate SCOTUS hearings got me thinking about doing more Senate fundraising, beyond Beto and Gary Traunor. The states most likely to be flipped by Dems are Arizona and Nevada. You can give below to the great Democratic candidates there, Jacky Rosen and Kyrsten Sinema. Donations are split between the two.

We can do stuff for incumbents too — let me know what you think. The endangered seats are ND, MO, and FL. I’m not doing FL because it’ll be a super-expensive race.

Give here to Rosen (NV) and Sinema (AZ). Would send a message to see a big uptick in Dem Senate fundraising right now.

Goal Thermometer

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“Fear” and Loathsome in the West Wing

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So, excerpts of Bob Woodward’s book about the Trump White House, “Fear,” were published at The Post a while ago. Woodward claims there’s been an “an administrative coup d’etat,” describing aides swiping papers off Trump’s desk and ignoring outbursts so he doesn’t precipitate World War III or crash the global economy in a fit of pique and stupidity. You know, the usual stuff. Here are some excerpts:

White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly frequently lost his temper and told colleagues that he thought the president was “unhinged,” Woodward writes. In one small group meeting, Kelly said of Trump: “He’s an idiot. It’s pointless to try to convince him of anything. He’s gone off the rails. We’re in Crazytown. I don’t even know why any of us are here. This is the worst job I’ve ever had.”

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How About Everyone Just Take a Deep Breath and Stop Borrowing Trouble?

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There’s a lot of whinging in the comments to the live feed post of the Kavanaugh hearings about the Democrats caving, the Democrats not being willing to fight even if they know they can’t win and beat back this nomination because they neither have the votes, nor the ability to set the committee’s rules or the Senates. And that if they won’t make this fight, then what good are they.

Are any of you actually watching the actual hearing? I realize I had to take a work call, so I’m about a 40 minutes behind and only just now in the middle of Senator Whitehouse’s opening remarks, but I haven’t seen any of the Democrats preemptively surrendering or going into duck and cover mode. Sure, Senator Duckworth hasn’t vaulted over the desk top and beaten Judge Kavanaugh to death with her prosthetic leg, nor have Kamala Harris and Corey Booker hit Ted Cruz with a metal folding chair. Nor has Senator Hirono and Senator Feinstein given Senator Grassley an atomic wedgy yet this morning,* but that doesn’t mean they’re not doing what they’re supposed to do. Nor does it mean they aren’t fighting this nomination appropriately. They’re making motions. They’re making their points. They’re arguing repeatedly that the hearings should be delayed, not cancelled, but delayed until the appropriate documentation from Judge Kavanaugh’s time as the Staff Secretary and Deputy White House Council in the Bush 43 administration is released and reviewed as part of the appropriate due diligence.

Everybody needs to get a grip. Getting discouraged, freaking out, being paralyzed by fear isn’t going to help the situation. This fight may not be winnable, but it doesn’t look like the Democrats on the Senate Judiciary committee have surrendered preemptively. You shouldn’t either.

Open thread.

* This is sarcasm. I am neither advocating violence by Democratic senators, nor would I expect them to actually engage in it.

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The Kavanaugh Hearing Live Feed

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Not to pile on to BettyC’s post, but the live feed to the first day of the Judiciary Committee’s hearing on Judge Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings is below. I’ve got it set to start with Senator Durbin asking a very important question, which is: who is the attorney that has determined which of Judge Kavanaugh’s work product documentation from his time as the Staff Secretary in President Bush’s administration can be released and which will be withheld under executive privilege? The short answer is that the attorney in question, Bill Burck, is not a Federal employee. He is neither a civil servant, nor is he a presidential appointee. He does not work for the White House Counsel’s Office, nor does he work for the Department of Justice. He is, however, the White House Counsel, Don McGahn’s, private attorney. He represents Mr. McGahn in his dealings with the Special Counsel’s Office and investigation, as well as several other administration officials in their dealings with the Special Counsel’s Office and investigation.

Also, it is never a good sign, but it is always amusing, when Senator Grassley gets completely whiny before 11:00 AM EDT (immediately after Senator Durbin and then Senator Kennedy’s follow on).

Open thread!

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Kava-nope (Open Thread)

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Just called both of my senators to urge them to vote against Trump’s wingnut SCOTUS nominee. I feel confident that Rubio will vote YES and Nelson will vote NO and Kavanaugh will be confirmed anyway. That’s what happens when people 1) don’t vote, 2) are prevented from voting, or 3) consider their franchise a form of performance art.

That said, I was encouraged that I wasn’t able to get through to an intern and had to leave a message for both senators. That means people are calling. Maybe give your senators a jingle too? The US Capitol has a main switchboard that will connect you if you don’t have your senator in your contacts list. The number is (202) 224-3121.

Open thread.

UPDATE:

Good for them!

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ACA optimal pricing: 3 views

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We’re about to enter the final pricing season for the 2019 ACA individual market.  Insurers submitted their last and best rates for approval in the last couple weeks of August.  States and insurers have been having a six month discussion on pricing.  The general tone of that discussion is that 2018 most likely was overpriced so near inflation level price increases are likely for 2019 to let the Medical Loss Ratios get back to where they should be in the low 80s instead of where they are (high 60s and low 70s).

Optimal pricing varies by view point.  I want to sketch out an overly simplistic pricing model from three viewpoints in a single rating region with a single insurer with hypothetical premiums.  I’m also assuming similar networks and plan types.

The first view is from a state insurance commissioner who is relying on federal pass through funding for either a 1332 reinsurance waiver or a 1331 Basic Health Plan.  The second view is from an individual who receives subsidies.  The final view is from an individual who does not qualify for subsidies.

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What have the alien pod-people done with Chuck Todd?

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Just read a piece in The Atlantic by Chuck Todd and came away impressed. I know — I’m as surprised as anyone. A few excerpts:

Some of the wealthiest members of the media are not reporters from mainstream outlets. Figures such as Rush Limbaugh, Matt Drudge, and the trio of Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson, and Laura Ingraham have attained wealth and power by exploiting the fears of older white people. They are thriving financially by exploiting the very same free-press umbrella they seem determined to undermine…

I’ve seen a nearly 50-year campaign to delegitimize the press, and I’m saying so. For years, I didn’t say a word about this publicly, and at times I even caught myself drawing false equivalencies because I was afraid of being labeled as biased. I know that stating the obvious will draw attacks, but I’ve also learned that the louder critics bark, the more they care about what’s being reported.

I’m not advocating for a more activist press in the political sense, but for a more aggressive one. That means having a lower tolerance for talking points, and a greater willingness to speak plain truths. It means not allowing ourselves to be spun, and not giving guests or sources a platform to spin our readers and viewers, even if that angers them. Access isn’t journalism’s holy grail—facts are.

Emphasis mine because damn! Todd sounds almost overly prepared.

What have the alien pod-people done with Chuck Todd?Post + Comments (100)