Quote :

"GWB did a fair amount of good in Africa with the AIDS program"

and that’s about it

[Edited on October 19, 2017 at 5:14 PM. Reason : .]

10/19/2017 5:13:54 PM

He utterly destroyed a whole damn country and millions of lives over conspiracy theories and fabrications, and now he is speaking against conspiracy theories and fabrications?

Fuck off and die you hell-dwelling oppressive uncivilized scum.

At least his poodle Blair acknowledged they destroyed a country over lies (as if that's any use to the millions of victims of their war orgies), has he?

10/19/2017 6:11:10 PM

Hey trump I thought you were gonna make things better for us middle aged white men at least... why is my health insurance premium going from $222 to $600 a month in January that's way way more than it increased when Obama was in office... thanks Trump!

10/19/2017 7:00:45 PM

10/19/2017 7:03:09 PM

The Bush vs Trump test is the best way to determine if someone cares more about words or actions.

10/19/2017 7:06:05 PM

whether you are talking about words or actions the answer doesn't change, bush is better than trump

10/20/2017 12:11:38 PM

^^ Ted Cruz came off as slimy when he would commiserate with the audience members asking him questions. Not because he would sympathize with them, but he did it over and over again with each one, repeating himself multiple times. Obviously, that was all to score points.

Plus, he is seriously lacking in the reasoning and logic department.

10/20/2017 8:09:09 PM

^^Well Trump hasn't really "done" anything so....

He's said a lot of bad shit almost daily

[Edited on October 20, 2017 at 8:37 PM. Reason : bush DID a lot of REALLY bad shit that has lost an entire generation]

10/20/2017 8:36:51 PM

He hasn't accomplished anything, but he's done plenty of really shitty things.

10/21/2017 3:49:51 PM

insignificant compared to the things bush did

10/21/2017 4:10:49 PM

Give him time, it hasn't even been a year yet.

10/21/2017 11:02:01 PM

Quote :

"Hey trump I thought you were gonna make things better for us middle aged white men at least... why is my health insurance premium going from $222 to $600 a month in January that's way way more than it increased when Obama was in office... thanks Trump!"

this may be sarcasm but obamacare is to blame here. all trump did is say the executive branch cant steal from the treasury and give money to insurance company. congress has to appropriate funds

10/22/2017 7:21:15 AM

lol

sad!

10/22/2017 9:10:00 AM

Quote :

"this may be sarcasm but obamacare is to blame here. all trump did is say the executive branch cant steal from the treasury and give money to insurance company. congress has to appropriate funds "

Actually the insurance companies are to blame. No one is making them raise rates. They are choosing to do so on their own.

http://pulse.ncpolicywatch.org/2017/03/03/new-info-blue-cross-turned-185-million-profit-2016-minimized-aca-losses-86/#sthash.uo3xykEl.dpbs

Quote :

"On March 1, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina provided a year-end financial report for its health insurance business in 2016. What we learned is telling: after turning a small profit the prior year, Blue Cross produced a profit of $185 million in 2016."

10/22/2017 5:55:42 PM

That tells you all you need to know about Obamacare. Its success was based on hope that in return for a mandate and subsidies, insurance companies would simply differ billions in profits out of the good of their hearts.

10/22/2017 10:42:41 PM

I'm a fan of laissez faire (sp?) With the exception of health insurance. No way there should be that much profit. And they're raising their rates 14% this year???

10/23/2017 8:17:13 AM

^^ the intention was for there to also be a public option

Quote :

"I'm a fan of laissez faire (sp?) With the exception of health insurance. No way there should be that much profit."

you can thank nixon for that

10/23/2017 8:56:23 AM

How fucking easy would it be to simply say “While my tone and message was meant to be respectful I am sorry that the young widow did not think I was. It was never my intention and I apologize.”

That would get him some press adoration that he CRAVES.

10/23/2017 12:25:11 PM

People like that don't think anything they do is wrong and if they aren't wrong they damn sure aren't gonna apologize for not being wrong.

10/23/2017 12:44:42 PM

his base doesnt want him to appease the media, you do.

10/23/2017 3:37:03 PM

Pretty pathetic that apologizing to the widow of an US soldier would be considered a poor move politically to Trump's base.

10/23/2017 4:20:04 PM

nobody wants him to appease the media

10/23/2017 4:34:53 PM

Quote :

"his base doesnt want him to appease the media, you do."

Translation: I don't want him to behave like an unapologetic asshole, his base wants him to behave like an unapologetic asshole.

10/23/2017 4:37:31 PM

Quote :

"Blue Cross produced a profit of $185 million in 2016.""

$185 million profit on $7.8 billion in revenue, for a profit margin of 2.38%. Yep, those greedy insurance companies sure are raping and pillaging the helpless peasants.

10/23/2017 5:16:23 PM

What you've got to understand is that in 2016 BCBSNC completely botched the roll out of their new website/billing system. Bad enough the state Insurance Commish had to get involved due to the thousands of complaints. I'm sure that ate into profits considerably as they scrambled to "make things right."

I've been tracking BCBSNC's profits this year because of a contract dispute between them and the local hospital system where I live. Its the same shenanigans BCBSNC has pulled on Cone health in Gboro as well as multiple podunk systems out in ENC. But its important to me because both sides ALWAYS claim the other side is the bully. The only reason I bring it up are the claims from the hospital CEO as to the profits BCBSNC is bringing down this year:

http://www.citizen-times.com/story/opinion/2017/09/05/mission-ceo-compare-david-goliath/105281562/

Quote :

"Since reporting more than half a billion dollars of profit ($542 million) for the first six months of 2017"

I've been unable to verify this with googling (the article is an op-ed from the hospital CEO), but GOOD GOD if that's true.

10/23/2017 5:42:17 PM

Quote :

" Translation: I don't want him to behave like an unapologetic asshole, his base wants him to behave like an unapologetic asshole."

Yeah, the "apology tour" was one of their biggest criticisms of Obama so at least they are consistent there. Plus, they don't think Trump did anything wrong. They think the congresswoman lied about what he said. Under that premise, why would Trump apologize for a lie that was told in an attempt to slander him?

http://www.heritage.org/europe/report/barack-obamas-top-10-apologies-how-the-president-has-humiliated-superpower

They think apologies are a sign of weakness.

10/23/2017 6:57:35 PM

Kelly confirmed what he said. What are you talking about?

I don’t give a fuck what the media does but trump does.

^ “they” are fucking pieces of shit then who only have faux patriotism and don’t give a flying fuck about the military.

[Edited on October 23, 2017 at 7:52 PM. Reason : D]

10/23/2017 7:51:46 PM

He's saying his words are being inaccurately portrayed for political reasons but thats not even what this about. Its the constant distraction technique which to my surprise, continues to work. Trump has complete control over the media and many of you.

Once again, we are talking about some trivial statement trump made and debating an issue that trump literally created out of thin air. Its not that its directly harmful, but every day we talk about this is another day we didn't talk about important things like taxes. Trump knows this and then uses twitter to extend the amount of time we waste. He's got it down to a science and is repeating the same method over and over and over and over.

You're turning the election into a referendum on mean comments instead of actual governing and even I would vote for a progressive candidate if they were the only progressive candidate and said rude things everyday. Its a no-brainer for conservatives so stop letting him make it about that.

10/23/2017 8:18:37 PM

This science Trump has perfected has certainly been useful in helping him get things done.

Oh sorry, I meant to type useless.

These distractions you talk about have been completely ineffective and have only succeeded in making him look like an idiot.

10/24/2017 12:17:06 AM

Quote :

"for a profit margin of 2.38"

Cool meaningless statistic

[Edited on October 24, 2017 at 2:02 AM. Reason : And dumb commentary ]

10/24/2017 2:01:44 AM

^ profits are not meaningless. They can't pay the healthcare providers with fairy dust

10/24/2017 2:30:02 AM

^profit vs revenue. learn the difference.

Quote :

" and have only succeeded in making him look like an idiot."

and getting him in the white house.

Quote :

"helping him get things done. "

he never wanted to get things done which is why he never had actual plans. as long as he can make you attack him for every little thing he gets to keep the right. when he gets to distract the narrative, everyone loses because attention is diverted away from actual issues.

[Edited on October 24, 2017 at 2:51 AM. Reason : i wish they would mandate everyone shop at my business or pay a fine which they kick back to me]

10/24/2017 2:49:45 AM

Quote :

"Actually the insurance companies are to blame. No one is making them raise rates. They are choosing to do so on their own."

This.

Quote :

"Its success was based on hope that in return for a mandate and subsidies, insurance companies would simply differ billions in profits out of the good of their hearts"

The success was based on people not being able to afford the options that were out there. The insurance companies should have lowered their prices based on competitive costs. Instead, they all decided to charge more and blamed Obamacare for it, in hopes that the idiots out there would believe it...which they did.

I don't think Trump is actually against Obamacare. He's just against anything with Obama's name on it.

10/24/2017 3:34:15 AM

Quote :

"Trump has complete control over the media and many of you."

This may be true but the only time I really think about him is when I’m on TWW. It makes me sad that good people (many who voted for him) will likely be hurt by his lack of policy nuance but as far as me? Nothing he says or does has any direct influence. The first thing that may have was the 401k thing that he tweeted yesterday he wouldn’t touch. Of course that had to be a Paul Ryan thing to get more taxes from workers..

^ it’s absolutely that. Everything he does, when looked at from not Obama, begins to make more sense. He’s angry Hollywood likes him, he’s angry the media likes him and he’s angry his approval was higher

[Edited on October 24, 2017 at 7:55 AM. Reason : But most of all he’s angry about the roast at the correspondents dinner]

10/24/2017 7:54:14 AM

Quote :

"Its the constant distraction technique which to my surprise, continues to work. Trump has complete control over the media and many of you."

Strong statement from a guy who created a thread based on discussing this exact issue

10/24/2017 8:51:23 AM

Trump didn't win because he created distractions, he won because of antipathy towards Hillary from nearly half of America and apathy from a good number of the rest.

His numbers rose when he kept his mouth shut and Twitter fingers cool, and they fell when he created distractions. In the lead up to election day he kept quiet while Comey made a bunch of meaningless noise about emails and he swing enough states to scrape a win together.

10/24/2017 9:54:53 AM

Snowflake taking the Corker bait again it seems..

[Edited on October 24, 2017 at 10:22 AM. Reason : But Earls right, it’s political genius and not mental illness and poor impulse control]

10/24/2017 10:18:38 AM

Read this interview transcript (with commentary)

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/10/23/16522456/trump-bartiromo-transcript

10/24/2017 10:49:42 AM

But but but, he's not a politician, he doesn't talk politics too good.

10/24/2017 11:21:34 AM

Quote :

" The success was based on people not being able to afford the options that were out there. The insurance companies should have lowered their prices based on competitive costs. Instead, they all decided to charge more and blamed Obamacare for it, in hopes that the idiots out there would believe it...which they did. I don't think Trump is actually against Obamacare. He's just against anything with Obama's name on it."

The thing people need to remember is that Obamacare was never allowed to function as intended. The first hit was the SCOTUS striking down the Medicaid mandate, allowing states with governors or legislative bodies hostile to President Obama to refuse the expansion. Multiple studies have shown many positive economic effects in expansion states vs non-expansion states, including lower premiums, lower per enrollee spending, and massive reductions in uncompensated care (basically going to the ER and not paying the bill). Expansion states literally saved taxpayers billions of dollars. This isn't really rocket science, bigger pools = lower costs is the most basic rule of any insurance.

The second hit which has been underreported, was dealt by Little Marco Rubio in the FY2015 budget. The people who wrote this law weren't idiots, they knew that many insurers were likely to lose money in the first few years of implementation due to a disproportionate share of sicker enrollees. They included a provision called "risk corridors" which was basically a fund to compensate insurers for those losses. This was an important part of the "deal" struck with insurance companies during the drafting of the law, they agreed to insure sick people and the government would pick up the tab. Well, when Rubio included language in a spending bill which defunded those payments, insurance companies were left holding the bag. This is why many insurers abandoned rural areas, the non-profit insurance co-ops went out of business, and we saw larger than expected premium increases last year.

Despite all that, the law still managed to reduce the uninsured rate to historical lows and create downward pressure on the cost of healthcare. We're still trillions of dollars in the black on overall healthcare spending vs. prior law. There has been no "death spiral" or any of the dozens of terrible outcomes predicted by Republicans, despite their best efforts at sabotaging the law. The CBO even said during the scoring of all the shitty repeal bills that left to it's own devices, the system setup by Obamacare would continue to chug along for the foreseeable future.

[Edited on October 24, 2017 at 12:00 PM. Reason : .]

10/24/2017 11:56:40 AM

Quote :

"The thing people need to remember is that Obamacare was never allowed to function as intended."

Bingo.

10/24/2017 12:04:31 PM

Quote :

"Cool meaningless statistic "

thin profit margins are meaningless statistics? Have you gone full-blown communist?

10/24/2017 12:26:36 PM

Quote :

"The thing people need to remember is that Obamacare was never allowed to function as intended."

GTFO. When Obamacare was fully implemented, premiums sky rocketed, people lost access to their providers, and insurers left the marketplace.

Thats the thing with ALL government programs, bureaucrats have only the best of intentions, and never consider the unintended consequences. According to liberals, Communism is also a great idea, but has never been allowed to function as intended. (Note: communism is actually an immoral idea, but that's for another thread).

10/24/2017 12:36:10 PM

Not sure what good a ton of revenue is if you have exorbitant costs. Margin is far more important, unless you’re an Amazon who is just pouring $$$$ in to M&A and content.

Insurance companies are not raking in profit which is the whole point of the CSRs in the first place. Whether or not you like the ACA is kind of irrelevant to this point but without the CSRs the entire system collapses as structured more or less. Why would any company stay in exchanges if they are just taking massive losses.

10/24/2017 12:36:52 PM

Quote :

"When Obamacare was fully implemented"

It's never been fully implemented. The time horizon was far longer than that which has elapsed to date and that's ignoring the obstruction from the GOP. Factor that in and it never stood a chance.

https://obamacarefacts.com/health-care-reform-timeline/

Quote :

"A Timeline of Health Care Reforms 2010 – 2022 Here is an easy to understand Health Care Reform Timeline 2010 – 2022. The healthcare reform timeline lays out health insurance reforms and health care milestones contained within the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare). Find out how the new health care law affects healthcare in the United States and you each year."

http://www.factcheck.org/2017/03/cbos-obamacare-predictions-how-accurate/

http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/issue-briefs/2015/dec/cbo-crystal-ball-forecast-aca

https://economics.mit.edu/files/11416

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patient_Protection_and_Affordable_Care_Act#Implementation_history

[Edited on October 24, 2017 at 12:45 PM. Reason : a]

10/24/2017 12:44:53 PM

^^ republicans own the shortcomings of ACA, they are responsible for the problems

10/24/2017 12:45:48 PM

Quote :

"Insurance companies are not raking in profit which is the whole point of the CSRs in the first place. Whether or not you like the ACA is kind of irrelevant to this point but without the CSRs the entire system collapses as structured more or less. Why would any company stay in exchanges if they are just taking massive losses."

Eh, not really, the effect of Trump ending the CSR payments has been overblown. Remember, insurers are statutorily required to provide the cost sharing reductions to eligible enrollees whether they are reimbursed for them or not. If they don't get them, two things will happen. First they will raise premiums on marketplaces, but since most marketplace enrollees receive subsidies and those subsidies increase with premiums, the net increase to enrollees would be minimal. Secondly, they would probably sue for them, and likely win since the law is pretty clear about the government's obligation to provide them. So basically Republicans would be creating a massive bureaucratic and legal boondoggle that does nothing but increase the federal government's health care tab vs simply appropriating the CSRs.

The only individuals who would really be hurt by this are the same people who've been getting the short end all along: people on the individual market who aren't eligible for subsidies. But hey, that population is primarily Republicans who voted for Trump, so........lol.

10/24/2017 12:56:31 PM

Those Trump supporters are the same people that will be voting for senate and congressional seats in 2018, so removing the CSR payments will light a fire under their asses to actually work on a health care bill. It also sends a signal to the insurance companies that this administration has no intentions of running the open marketplaces fairly or efficiently, so they'll be just as likely to abandon them as take the two options you laid out.

Also keep in mind that part of Obamacare involved a requirement for members of Congress and their staff to get healthcare through the open exchanges. So when the rates go up due to lack of CSR payments, it will directly affect the paychecks of the roughly 11,000 congressmen and staffers getting their healthcare through the exchanges. While the increased payroll deduction for healthcare costs may not make much of an impact to most of our multimillionaire congressmen, it will definitely impact the majority of their staff. A little bit of disgruntled workplace staff may be what's needed to sway a couple of votes across the aisle towards working on a real solution.

10/24/2017 1:41:13 PM

Quote :

"A little bit of disgruntled workplace staff may be what's needed to sway a couple of votes across the aisle towards working on a real solution."

Solution?

I don't understand.

Are you saying Obamacare isn't as great as people (Democrats) said it was when it was implemented?

10/24/2017 10:08:17 PM

Democrats are still in denial that Obamacare is why they lost control of every branch of government. There are leftists in this thread trying to blame the failures of Obamacare on the Republicans - anything to save face.

10/25/2017 11:56:00 AM