Colorado May Go Single-Payer
Colorado to have 2016 ballot initiative establishing single-payer. Politico: "Supporters, who won approval this week for a 2016 ballot measure after securing nearly 110,000 signatures deemed valid, will sell the overhaul as an Obamacare replacement plan designed in Colorado, instead of in Washington."
Republicans start to flinch at repealing Medicaid expansion. The Hill: "Senate GOP leaders have told their members they will repeal as much of the 2010 healthcare reform law as possible, but some Republicans are balking at a proposal to repeal the expansion of Medicaid. 'I am very concerned about the 160,000 people who had Medicaid expansion in my state. I have difficulty with that being included,' said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, a Republican from West Virginia."
Republicans Stick With Old Ideas
Republican shift on economic rhetoric not matched by policies. Bloomberg: "With the Iowa caucuses less than three months away, the Republican presidential candidates have suddenly begun discussing income inequality a whole lot more ... But Republicans have resisted policy shifts to match the change in rhetoric, and remain committed to lower taxes and fewer regulations..."
"The G.O.P. Tax Debate: Low or Lower" says NYT's Josh Barro: "...Donald Trump has proposed a tax cut that would appear to lose about $11 trillion in revenue ... Kasich ... is proposing to cut taxes more deeply than George W. Bush did ... Rubio has proposed a plan that combines big tax cuts for the rich (such as abolishing taxes on capital gains altogether) with big tax cuts for families with children ..."
Intra-party debate over the meaning of conservatism. NYT: "The Republican hopefuls are sparring over such high-fiber fare as tax policy: whether to adhere strictly to the party’s supply-side creed or move at least modestly toward policies aimed at bolstering lesser earners. They are clashing over the role America plays in the world, and whether fiscal conservatism is compatible with a drastically enlarged military."
Kochs likely won't endorse. USA Today: "Billionaire industrialist Charles Koch said Wednesday he’s unlikely to back a candidate in the crowded Republican presidential primary, the latest sign that one of the most influential figures in conservative politics seems less than enthusiastic about his choices."
Bernie Gets Union Nod
Postal workers back Bernie. Reuters: "The endorsement was a setback for Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton, who has been vying with Sanders, her chief rival, for the support of organized labor."
Hillary holds lead in CBS/NYT poll: "Mrs. Clinton has support from 52 percent of Democratic primary voters, while Mr. Sanders has backing from 33 percent, the poll found. In an early October CBS News poll, she led Mr. Sanders 56 percent to 32 percent."
Breakfast Sides
Anti-austerity protests in Greece. NYT: "The 24-hour walkout shut down public services, forced the cancellation of flights and disrupted public transportation across the country ... the first [general strike] under the Syriza-led government of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras ... An indication of [the] deep rift in the party was evident this week as Syriza’s labor policy department called for 'mass participation' in Thursday’s strike..."
"We need a new trust-busting movement in America" says W. Post's Harold Meyerson: "October was the fifth-biggest month ever for mergers and acquisitions ... American business understands the power to be gained from concentration. It’s why companies concentrate themselves, and why they deny that power to their consumers through the fine print in their contracts, and to their workers through outsourcing their jobs to contractors, labeling them independent contractors or obstructing their efforts to form unions."
