President Steps Up Defense Of Health Reform
Obama increasingly confident during West Coast swing. Reuters: "Although he occasionally referred pejoratively to the 'darn' website, HealthCare.gov, he made a point of shifting his message to the positive benefits his law had achieved and piling on Republicans for rooting for its failure ... 'The website is continually working better, so check it out,' Obama said to laughter from the crowd ... [He] adopted a more assertive tone when discussing it with donors and supporters - signaling he hoped his fellow party members would follow suit."
Though health officials trying keep web traffic manageable. NYT: "... the administration is trying to strike a delicate balance. It is encouraging people to go or return to the website but does not want to create too much demand. It boasts that the website is vastly improved, but does not want to raise expectations that it will work for everyone ... Officials said the website was now able to handle 50,000 users at a time, providing enough capacity on a daily basis to enroll millions of people in the next four months. But those charged with fixing the site worry that 250,000 people might try to use the site simultaneously at times ... pent-up demand for insurance in the federal marketplace, combined with a surge of interest among people merely curious about whether it is working, could bring the website to a crawl."
"State successes show health law can work" reports Politico: "There are states that are running their own websites and enrolling a lot of people ... Medicaid enrollment, another part of the law, is going significantly better than the signups for private insurance — nearly 400,000 people were determined to be eligible in October ... Medicaid enrollment is going faster because it’s easier. Under Medicaid, you either qualify or you don’t. If you’re eligible, they just sign you up. You don’t have to choose from a variety of health insurance plans, and there are no complicated calculations to figure out whether you get a subsidy. And you don’t have to pay your first premium before you’re officially enrolled."
Supreme Court case regarding contraception coverage in Obamacare should not expand corporate power, argues W. Post's Harold Meyerson: "If you thought this 'corporations are people' business was getting out of hand, brace yourself. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court accepted two cases that will determine whether a corporation can deny contraceptive coverage to its female employees because of its religious beliefs ... Judge Timothy Tymkovich wrote [in a lower court ruling]: 'We see no reason the Supreme Court would recognize constitutional protection for a corporation’s political expression but not its religious expression.' ... what a mess such a ruling would create!"
Pressure On Obama and Christie To Deliver on Immigration
Some immigration activists pressure Obama for executive action. The Hill: "Pro-immigrant activists argue the president has more authority over deportations than he acknowledged Monday ... [But] Brent Wilkes, national executive director of the League of United Latin American Citizens, warned the president could sink the chances of passing legislation if he acted too aggressively to limit deportations."
First lady tweets support of fasting immigration activists reports The Hill.
Gov. Christie may be backing away from pro-immigration stance. The Hill: "New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) said Tuesday he would not sign a bill to grant in-state tuition to some illegal immigrants unless lawmakers close loopholes in it ... Christie opposes a provision that would allow boarding school students in New Jersey who came to the country illegally to qualify for in state tuition as well ... Democrats in the state have accused him of going back on his word after expressing support for the proposal during his gubernatorial campaign."
Breakfast Sides
City of SeaTac, WA votes in $15 hourly minimum wage. NYT: "Labor union officials who focused on SeaTac as a template for wage battles yet to come around the country said the results would be a thunderbolt and a call to action. The vote means thousands of airport workers here, the host city to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, could see substantial pay raises starting next year. It also sets the stage, union organizers said, for a battle to advance a $15 wage in Seattle, where the mayor-elect, Ed Murray, has pledged support for the idea."
Obama administration proposes regulatory crackdown on secret campaign donations. W. Post: "Under the proposed rule, groups such as Crossroads GPS, co-founded by GOP strategist Karl Rove, and the Democratic-allied League of Conservation Voters would no longer be able to claim some of their routine activities as part of their work as 'social welfare' organizations. Instead, the new Treasury Department regulation would define things such as distributing voter guides, registering people to vote and running ads that mention elected officials close to Election Day as 'candidate-related political activities.' The rule would substantially roll back the level of political activity open to 'social welfare' groups."
Next year Democrats will run all America's biggest cities. Bloomberg: "Twenty years ago, half the 12 largest U.S. municipalities had a Republican mayor. When Bill de Blasio takes office in New York on Jan. 1, none will. As middle-class residents moved out of cities and immigrants and young people replaced them, the party lost its grip on population centers even as it increased control of governor’s offices and legislatures. The polarization has pitted urban interests against rural areas and suburbs, denying Republicans a power base."
