health care reform

The Democratic Party Establishment, worried that too much democracy could upset their profitable little racket, instituted the idea of "super-delegates" in 1982 to gives themselves some control over the nomination process. Originally the party bosses demanded 30% of all the delegates but today the super-delegates-- current and former Democratic Party officials-- comprise 20% of the convention delegates.

 Chelsea Clinton, left, and her mother, Hillary Clinton. Photograph: Jason Decrow/AP (source)by Gaius PubliusSomeone seems to be pulling out all the stops:

The DWT art department never tells the editorial department what to write about; they just send subtle hints that we'll not covering an important story well enough by sending photos that they think need to be seen, like the picture above one of them snapped while he was out selling books.

Have Oklahoma City voters had enough of congressional mad dogs like Clyde Russell?Imagine a candidate's platform making this promise: "If elected, I promise to never vote to shut the government down!" As odd as it seems, it makes sense in the context of the infantile and nihilistic Republican response to not getting their way.

 Coffeyville, Kansas, where nearly one in five people lives in poverty (source)by Gaius PubliusI want to present this story as a story first, before I let the writer make an analytical point and I make one of my own.

I've never been a tremendous fan of the ACA (Obamacare)-- I favor letting everyone buy into Medicare (single payer universal)-- but I think it makes the dysfunctional American health care system a lot better than than it was before 2010.

Justices Thomas, Scalia, and Alito (l-r) lick their wounds after being on the losing side of the 6-3 ruling upholding ACA-authorized subsidies for those purchasing health insurance on the federal exchange.

Thom Hartmann discussing the Sanders campaign and media silence with Ari Rabin-Havtby Gaius PubliusI have to thank Daily Kos diarist james321 for this find. But first, some setup.I'm certain that Hillary Clinton is a classic "Davos Democrat," a neo-liberal savior of the world for the investor class. Krugman with a definition:

There are few Democratic incumbents more in need of a primary than Chicago Blue Dog Dan Lipinski. This session, when it came to crucial roll calls, Lipinski has voted more frequently with Boehner and the GOP than with progressives. His ProgressivePunch crucial vote score is an abysmal 41.94-- among the 10 worst Democrats in Congress. And, as we discovered this week, he finally does have an opponent: Oren Jacobson, the son of a teacher and a self-employed immigrant. Oren is a progressive tech entrepreneur with over a decade of leadership experience in the private sector.

If the Supreme Court gives the wingnuts their way in the King v. Burell challenge to the ACA, it will mean a mess, yes, says James Surowiecki, but not the end of Obamacare."Obamacare’s opponents may win when the Supreme Court finally decides King, sometime next year.