Begich Bucks Austerity To Win In 2014
Red state Dem bets on expanding Social Security. W. Post's Greg Sargent: "'When you tell seniors, "We want to make sure your dollars rise as your costs do," there is automatic excitement because they recognize we understand what they’re going through,' Begich told me today. 'Are we for or against helping seniors have a dignified life in their later years? I’m for that.' Begich noted that the Republicans vying in a primary to face him either support Chained CPI, or voted for the Ryan budget to cut entitlements, or were backed by outside groups that want to cut Social Security. He added that calling for expanding benefits would sharpen the contrast with them..."
Do Republicans really have the edge in the Senate midterms? Bloomberg's Jonathan Bernstein explores: "It’s possible for Democrats to gain a seat…or for Republicans to gain more than 12. It’s still too early for anything more definitive. In fact, the margin of error involved means there isn't much difference between a toss up with a slight edge for Republicans and one with a slight edge for Democrats ..."
House Dems Try To Force Immigration Vote
House Dems push discharge petition for immigration reform. Politico: "...successful petitions are notoriously rare. A member of the majority party signing onto a discharge effort is considered a significant breach of party loyalty. Still, the strategy brings more attention to comprehensive immigration reform, an issue that House Republicans are letting fade from the spotlight."
"WH has tough choice on deportation policy. National Journal: "If he does too much to curb enforcement, he runs the risk of making it tougher for Republicans to back comprehensive immigration reform. But his administration has overseen a record number of deportations, so if he doesn't do enough, he could alienate reform advocates and Hispanic voters..."
Obamacare Is Working
Obamacare is working, declares WH's Phil Schiliro, in Politico oped: "...in more than 30 years in government, I’ve never seen a law get so little recognition for doing so much good so quickly ... More than 5 million Americans have signed up for coverage through federal and state marketplaces; millions have been determined eligible for Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program; and 3 million young adults gained insurance through their parents’ coverage ... a lasting record of the life-changing—and often lifesaving—impacts ... At the same time, costs are coming down..."
Obamacare helping the underinsured too. TNR's Jonathan Cohn: "...some 32 million non-elderly Americans were in households that spent a 'high share of income on medical care' during 2012 ... Not only does the law subsidize the purchase of insurance, providing greater assistance to people with low incomes that need it ... It also subsidizes out-of-pocket spending—significantly reducing what less affluent people could pay in co-payments, deductibles, and the like. The truly poor, meanwhile, are supposed to end up on Medicaid, which nearly eliminates personal spending altogether."
Conservatives push one more Obamacare legal challenge. Bloomberg: "The missing number, 1321, refers to a section of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that directs the federal government to establish an insurance marketplace in states that decline to create the exchanges ... Key passages of the law, including who’s eligible for a subsidy, are missing that reference. That’s provided an opening for Obamacare opponents to argue today to the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington that millions of otherwise qualified people in the 36 states that haven’t set up marketplaces are ineligible to receive the subsidies ... Their argument hasn’t found traction in courts."
Government is good for your health. Mother Jones: "...a new study ... looks at how each US state fares when it comes to the health of its residents. And they find that 'the presence of a more liberal government is related to a higher rate of reported health, a lower rate of reported smoking, lower BMI, and fewer numbers of days with poor health.'"
Revolving Door Spins
Wall Street reformers turn into bank advisers. The Hill: "Many of the officials who were foot soldiers in the Dodd-Frank effort have moved on to law firms, with several now advising clients on how to comply with the complex rules that they themselves had helped to write. Critics of the 'revolving door' between government and the private sector bemoan the trend, arguing it helps financial institutions move the levers of federal policy ... Dodd-Frank veterans who left government reject the suggestion they are cashing in and say it’s preposterous for critics to think they are helping clients find loopholes in the law."
House Ways and Means Chair wants to restore lapsed tax breaks and make them permanent. WSJ: "The temporary breaks include some important ones for business, such as the research credit and breaks for overseas financing operations. They also include more targeted breaks, such as for race tracks and restaurants ... The cost of extending all of the expiring breaks now totals around $1 trillion over 10 years. No one really expects Congress to extend all of them, but the cost of any package is still likely to be large."
