CALIFORNIA YANKEE

People Still Have to Buy ObamaCare Despite UnitedHealth’s Best Efforts

Democrats constantly push their narrative that more people are covered by health insurance now than before ObamaCare was implemented. There are, of course, a plethora of problems with this argument. ObamaCare is unequivocally bad for the healthcare system and for patients. Once again, we are reminded just how bad.

UnitedHealth, is now forecasting that it will lose $500 million this year on its so-called Affordable Care Act plans. That's up from $475 million loss in 2015. The nation’s largest insurer is also dropping products and hiking premiums in an effort to discourage individuals from buying its health plans. "But despite its best efforts," Politico said, "executives still project that 200,000 additional customers will sign up for UnitedHeath plans during the current open enrollment."

This is worth reiterating – UnitedHealth is making its health insurance coverage worse AND more expensive, yet consumers are still buying. Why? Because they have to. If they don’t, the full weight of the Democrat-politicized IRS will weigh down on them.

Don't feel bad for UnitedHealth, they can pull out of the exchange at any time – and are even considering doing so in 2017 if losses continue to mount. The individual American, though, will be forced to participate in exchanges that will continue to grow even more expensive.

That will lead more individuals into financial hardships, and ultimately into a growing government crutch.

Earlier this month, a study by The New York Times and the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 20 percent of people under 65 with health insurance still struggled with paying their medical bills – the result of high premiums and gaps in coverage:

In recent years, health plans have come with growing deductibles and narrowing networks of providers, provisions devised to lower the cost of premiums. Those features have made health insurance accessible to a larger share of the population, but may also be leaving more insured Americans vulnerable.

This translates to real challenges for the average American, according to the survey:

We found that medical bills don’t just keep people from filling prescriptions and scheduling doctors’ visits. They can also prompt deep financial and personal sacrifices, affecting their housing, employment, credit and daily lives.

And that scathing critique is from The New York Times.

Cross posted From RedState.

Why Did Palin Endorse Trump

We know why Donald Trump endorsed New York Mayor Bill di Blasio. But why did Sarah Palin endorse Donald Trump? It's sad to admit but after yesterday's endorsement, cynics wondered what why it happened and what was in it for Palin. Yes, some of us have become that cynical, especially when it comes to some politicians.

After poking around, doing research, it became apparent that Palin's endorsement should have been old news. Palin made it very clear on at least three occasions that she was a big Trump fan. It was there for all to see last August when she interviewed Trump on One America News Network and in a separate interview on Fox News. Then there was another interview on CBN in January. But being a Trump fan isn't necessarily the reason Palin made the endorsement. D.C. McAllister says there may have been some old fashioned horse trading involved. Maybe Palin was offered the vice presidential spot or a cabinet position.

Doug Ross notes there was a quid pro quo for Palin’s endorsement:

On August 14th of last year, Kit O'Connell reported that Palin had endorsed Trump "[after he] recently promised to give ... Palin a Cabinet-level position in his administration."

So there you have it. That's consistent with what Trump is now saying, "Sarah Palin could 'play a position' in my administration:"

"I haven't discussed anything with her about what she'd do, but she's somebody I really like and I respect, and certainly she could play a position if she wanted to," Trump said of the former Alaska governor, who threw her backing behind the real estate mogul on Tuesday.

While Trump insisted he hasn't considered vice presidential candidates yet, he said he doubts Palin would be interested because "she's been through that," referring to her role as the 2008 running mate of Sen. John McCain.

At least Palin's rational for endorsing Trump, is much more understandable than the Donald's reason for backing di Blasio.

Cross posted from RedState.

 

Senate Democrats Block Bipartisan Law Requiring Enhanced Background Checks For Syrian Refugees

Senate Democrats continued pandering to Muslims and blocked the American SAFE Act. The 55-43 vote largely split down party lines and fell short of the 60 votes needed for the bill to advance. The bill passed the House in the wake of the Paris terrorist attacks with a bipartisan "veto-proof" vote of 289 to 137, which included 47 Democrats. The bill would require the Obama administration to certify that any Syrian or Iraqi refugee admitted to the United States is not a national security threat. Ted Cruz of Texas, Marco Rubio of Florida and Rand Paul of Kentucky -- all returned to Washington, D.C. from the campaign trail to cast their votes in favor of advancing the bill.

Cruz said  the Democrats, "obstructionism is especially egregious given that earlier this month, two terrorists, who came to the United States as Iraqi refugees, were apprehended in Sacramento and Houston." Cruz went on to criticize the Obama administration and the ObamaCrats:

The Obama administration continues to allow thousands of insufficiently vetted refugees to flood our borders. Their plans to import refugees from war-torn Islamic nations not only make our country less secure, but also endanger American lives.  Unfortunately, due to the obstruction of Sen. Harry Reid, Democrats appear to have a greater allegiance to President Obama than to the safety and security of the American people.  

According the Washington Post’s Karoun Demirjian, many Republicans see the House bill as a reasonable middle ground between Barack Obama’s plans to expand Syrian refugee resettlement, and Donald Trump’s proposal to temporarily ban all Muslims from the U.S. I saw it as a common sense approach to defend America from Paris-like attacks, more San Bernardino-like attacks and to prevent sexual attacks like those being conducted by migrants invading Europe. It was an attempt at real immigration reform.

Cross posted from RedState.

Pandering to American Muslims Democrats Plot To Kill Bipartisan Bill To Toughen Background Checks On Syrian Refugees

Today Senate Democrats plan to try and kill the bipartisan legislation to enhance background checks on Syrian and Iraqi refugees. In November a bill that would require FBI and other federal security certification of each new incoming refugee from the two countries easily passed the House on a veto-proof vote of 289 to 137.  Republicans were joined by 47 Democrats who voted for the more thorough background checks in response to the terrorist attacks in Paris, which were carried out in part by Syrian passport holders posing as refugees.

According the Washington Post's Karoun Demirjian, many Republicans see the House bill as a reasonable middle ground between Barack Obama’s plans to expand Syrian refugee resettlement, and Donald Trump’s proposal to temporarily ban all Muslims from the U.S.:

Trump sparked a firestorm following the ISIS-inspired attack in San Bernardino when he called for a “total” ban on Muslims entering the United States, at least for a while. Other Republican leaders raced to disavow his comments and distance themselves from Trump on the issue.

I see it as a common sense approach to defend America from Paris-like attacks, more San Bernardino-like attacks and to prevent sexual attacks like those being conducted by migrants invading Europe. That is real immigration reform.

Nevertheless, Democrats' pandering began immediately as soon as the bill passed the House. Allegedly in response to bellyaching from pro-immigrant, refugee, and Muslim groups, Democrats promised to block the bill with a filibuster and President Obama has threatened to veto the bill. But that was just the start of the pandering.

Shortly after the House passage of the common sense bipartisan immigration reform, it was revealed by the Orlando Sentinel that the American Muslim Democratic Caucus of Florida became the newest officially recognized caucus of the Florida Democratic Party. The purpose of this new arm of the Florida Democrats is to get Muslim-Americans registered to vote — as Democrats. Why, when Muslims make up less than 1 percent of the state's population, according to the Pew Research Center? According to the Sentinel, "even relatively small constituencies can have a big impact on elections. Florida is an evenly divided state in presidential election, and small number of votes can determine who wins the state's 29 electoral votes — more than 10 percent of the total needed to win the presidency."

The Democrats didn't stop the pandering there. During a Democratic National Committee (DNC) Executive Committee meeting the DNC made the pandering official policy of the Democrats' national party by adopting a resolution condemning the anti-Muslim rhetoric of the 2016 presidential campaign. If you care to you can read the pandering resolution here.

Nor did the Democrats' pandering start after the passage of the House bill. In October Hillary Clinton Tweeted a campaign video containing this shot of Hillary wearing a hijab. And don't forget Muslims played a critical role in Democrat James Webb ousting then incumbent Republican Sen. George Allen.

Cross posted from RedState.

It Would Be Just Like the GOP Establishment To Back Trump

As the battle for the Republican presidential campaign defied conventional wisdom and devolved into a two-man race between two non-Establishment candidates -- Sen. Ted Cruz and Billionaire Donald Trump, the Republican Establishment has panicked. That's right the Party and Congressional leadership, the donor class and even the dreaded consultant class have started to "cozy up" to Trump any way they can. At the Atlantic, Molly Ball writes that the GOP Establishment prefers Trump to Cruz. And at the Resurgent, Erick wasn't so delicate about it. In two different pieces Erickson made it very clear that even though they don't think Trump can beat Hillary, the Establishment choose Trump over Cruz in order to preserve their status quo because they hate Cruz.

This comes after months and months of the Establishment saying Trump would not and could not be the nominee because of his bellicose and hateful campaign rhetoric. This is what the GOP Establishment seems to do best these days. They say one thing and then do the opposite. Unfortunately we have seen this all to often. Cruz said it best last July on the floor of the Senate:

There is a profound disappointment among the American people because we keep winning elections and then we keep getting leaders who don't do anything they promised ...

We've had a Republican majority in both houses of Congress now for about six months. What has that majority done? First thing we did, in December, is we came back and passed a $1 trillion ‘cromnibus' plan filled with pork and corporate welfare. That was the very first thing we did. Then this Republican majority voted to fund ObamaCare, voted to fund President Obama's unconstitutional executive amnesty. And then leadership rammed through the confirmation of Loretta Lynch as attorney general. Madam President, which of those decisions would be one iota different if Harry Reid were still majority leader? Not a one. Not a one. This Senate operates exactly the same -- the same priorities…

And it all got even worse when the GOP-controlled Congress passed the omnibus spending bill last month. To show they could get things done they passed what Democrat Sen. Chuck Schumer said was basically the Democrats' agenda. So yes, it would be just like the GOP Establishment to back Trump.

I can't think of a better endorsement for Ted Cruz than the GOP Establishment coalescing around Trump. 

Cruz Gains On Trump In Georgia

A new post-debate Insider Advantage poll of likely Georgia primary voters finds Donald Trump leading with 33 percent and Sen. Ted Cruz closing to within 10 points of the Donald with 23 percent. All the other candidates were in single digits:

• Trump: 33%
• Cruz: 23%
• Rubio: 8%
• Bush: 7%
• Carson: 7%
• Christie: 4%
• Fiorina: 4%
• Kasich: 4%
• Paul: 4%
• Huckabee: 3%
• Santorum: 0%
• Undecided: 3%

According to analysis by Insider Advantage Founder Matt Towery, the debates continue to have an impact on voters. Of those who watched the Fox Business Network debate, 35 percent said Trump won the debate and  20% said Cruz won the contest. The survey was conducted Sunday, January 17, 2016 and has a margin of error of 3.5%.

This a big move by Cruz. Before this poll the Real Clear Politics Average for the Georgia Republican Presidential Primary had Trump leading Cruz by 23 points. The Georgia primary is one of 12 to be held on March 1.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why Trump Endorsed Bill de Blasio

Courageous Conservatives is a political action committee that supports Ted Cruz and other conservative candidates who support Conservative principles and defend the Constitution of the United States. It has just released a new video weighing in on Donald Trumps New York values, which Sen. Ted Cruz has made a major issue by turning the Donald's words against him. As Cruz has been doing the Courageous Conservatives PAC uses Trump's own words against him. Watch the video:

Fred Dicker: What is it going to mean for Donald Trump to have Bill de Blasio as Mayor?”

Donald Trump: “He’s a smart guy that knows what’s going on really big league and I think he is not going to want to destroy New York.”

Voice Over: That was Donald Trump a little over two years ago, endorsing PC Socialist Bill de Blasio for New York Mayor.

Donald Trump: “I think pretty strongly that he’ll end up being a good mayor, maybe a very good mayor.”

Voice Over: De Blasio ran on class warfare, sanctuary cities and ending stop and frisk. De Blasio’s sided with looters and cop killers against the police, with teachers unions against schoolchildren and with PC liberals to let the homeless run wild on city streets.

Donald Trump: “I think he is going to want to make New York great.”

Voice Over: So just why did Trump endorse Bill de Blasio?

Donald Trump: "He actually said some very nice things about me at a recent cocktail party I was told by somebody and I thought that was very nice."

That's right, Trump supported Bill de Blasio because Trump was told by somebody that de Blasio said some very nice things about him at a cocktail party.  That's basically the same reason Trump calls Putin a real leader. Yes, Trump is apparently that shallow.

Cross posted from RedState.

Cruz Makes A Move In New Hampshire

Ted Cruz has launched a five-day, 17-event New Hampshire bus tour that will hit all ten counties in the Granite State. According to CNN's Theodore Schleifer, the tour is likely to be dominated by the Cruz feud with Donald Trump. The first question asked of Cruz on the New Hampshire tour invited him to again offer his "apology" for his comment about Trump's New York values. Cruz's first crowd on the  New Hampshire tour was eager to hear Trump needled hollering their approval during the few times Cruz or fellow audience members ribbed him.

In the Boston Herald, Antonio Planas reports that the prospects for Cruz in New Hampshire seem mixed. Planas quotes a former chairman of the New Hampshire Republican Party, saying  it’s "too little too late" for Cruz to catch up to Trump in the state’s Feb. 9 primary. But a New Hampshire Republican activist and former state representative, who backs Cruz, said Cruz has time to steal votes from Trump:

New Hampshire voters will be looking very closely in the next three weeks .... A lot of them may be changing their minds about Mr. Trump. It’s going to be hard for him to maintain his lead with more intense scrutiny. That’s how Ted Cruz closes the gap.

In a second article, Schleifer wrote about how the Cruz campaign now sees the early states playing out. Cruz will edge out Trump in Iowa, suffer a drubbing to Trump in New Hampshire, and then be locked in the "two-man race" in South Carolina. Based on polls it looks like a difficult task to dethrone Trump in South Carolina. But we know there is more to presidential primaries than just polling. In South Carolina It may depend on how many voters actually come to understand what Trump actually described his New York values. It's all about gay marriage, abortion, and as Trump said little bit different than if Trump lived in Iowa. Yup, just a little bit different.

Team Cruz Makes It Trump against Trump

Reigniting the Promise, one of the Super PACs supporting Sen. Ted Cruz, has released a great ad using Donald Trumps own words to counter Trumps recent maniacal attacks against Cruz. The ad uses the audio of Trump introducing Cruz at a Lincoln Day fundraising dinner in Palm Beach Florida, on February 21, 2014:

Now one of the reasons I like Ted Cruz so much is that he is not controversial.

(Laughs)

But the truth is he shouldn't be controversial because what he's doing is right.

(Applause)

He took a stand recently and it was a brave stand.

And had he really had a little backing it might not have ended ObamaCare, but you would have really gotten a big chunk out of it.

And I just watched him. I watched what he was saying and I listened very carefully. And I don't understand the controversy.

It's common sense.

It's good government.

It's so many good things.

But he really is a special guy.

He is now a very very popular and important figure in all of our lives.

So, with that I'd would like to introduce a very special guy, Senator Ted Cruz.

The Donald is referring to the Cruz effort to defund ObamCare. During that effort more than a million people signed the Don't Fund It [ObamCare] petition.

Team Cruz is doing a masterful job of using Trump's own words against Trump. The entire New York values issues is based on Trump's rendition of his New York Values as stated by Trump during the  interview Tim Russert did with Trump on Meet the Press, which the Trump campaign released two days ago. During that interview Trump makes Cruz' point about Trump's New York values by asserting that New York "views" and "attitudes" are different than other places in the country, such as Iowa:

"I live in New York City. There is a tremendous movement on to have and allow gay marriage."

"Hey, I lived in New York City and Manhattan all my life so my views are a little bit different than if I lived in Iowa, perhaps, but [gays openly serving in the military] is not something that would disturb me."

 

"I'm very pro choice. And again it may be a little bit of a New York background because there is some different having attitude in different parts of the country and you know I was raised in New York, grew up and work and everything else in New York City."

 

But you would not ban partial-birth abortion? 

 

"No."

It's fun listening to Trump vs. Trump. Hopefully, it has the effect of working against Trump.

Trump Gets Booed During His Very Bad Week

Donald Trump has had a horrific week. It's been so bad that the Donald is now getting booed when he tries to criticize Sen. Ted Cruz. NBC News reports that at a rally in Myrtle Beach, SC, Trump was booed when he attempted to attack Cruz:

According to the NBC report, Trump drew boos for his attack on Cruz's previously undisclosed loans:

"You give a campaign contribution to Ted Cruz, you get whatever the hell you want," he said, before boos erupted from the crowd.

Trump went on as the boos grew louder: "Say whatever you want, it's okay, he didn't report his bank loans. He's got bank loans from Goldman Sachs, he's got bank loans from Citibank, folks, and then he acts like Robin Hood?"

Trump's terrible week began with the shellacking Cruz gave the Donald over Trump's descent into birtherism.

It continued with Cruz criticizing Trump for his New York values. The values attack was especially priceless because after Democrats complained bitterly about what the perceived as a Cruz faux pas, Cruz made his fabulous apology to New Yorkers. Then Cruz released an interview Tim Russert did with Trump on Meet the Press during which Trump makes Cruz' point by asserting that New York "views" and "attitudes" are different than other places in the country, such as Iowa. That's right, the New York values Cruz complained about were highlighted by Trump:

"I live in New York City. There is a tremendous movement on to have and allow gay marriage."

"Hey, I lived in New York City and Manhattan all my life so my views are a little bit different than if I lived in Iowa, perhaps, but [gays openly serving in the military] is not something that would disturb me."

 

"I'm very pro choice. And again it may be a little bit of a New York background because there is some different having attitude in different parts of the country and you know I was raised in New York, grew up and work and everything else in New York City."

 

But you would not ban partial-birth abortion? 

 

"No."

Erick has high praise for Cruz's take down of Trump. He should it was masterful.