“A record 24 million people enrolled in Obamacare for 2025, with a vast majority receiving some tax credits.” These were disproportionately red state residents, many self-employed or working for a small employer exempted from providing insurance. (In other words, Republicans.) Without those subsidies, the cost of coverage will “more than double, increasing by hundreds or even thousands of dollars a month.”
Though this is GOOD for the American people, I very much worry that Republicans will spin out the propaganda machine, taking credit for it and continuing to blame Democrats for our horrible healthcare system.
I almost hope the Senate tanks it, because only when Trump voters get burned to a crisp will they start to realize just how little their guy cares if they suffer.
Good point and if you are correct, repost this and show how predictable they are. It will be interesting to see if any of the Republicans who voted for it are the megaphones for their claim
Steve, you're right of course. But even this is positive: we still have a way of commandeering GOP votes, if we can convince them that without votes they lose.
By all means let them think that, although many R’s are deciding not to run again. But they ALL need to lose anyway despite this self-serving, craven, vote that finally helps people. They voted for the budget that cancelled the subsidies in the first place, as well as SNAP benefits and Medicaid. Their voting record in favor of trump all along says more than this one. Now, if they vote en mass to impeach trump and prosecute his cabinet where ever possible I might reconsider.
The only thing I might say about that is that the other common tactic is to vote for something that will play well in your district or state even though you might personally be against it because you're confident that the other chamber or the president will kill it.
How true. My key takeaway to this is that the voters are more powerful than Trump. Trump can withhold his endorsement of a candidate (a benefit to the candidate, if you ask me) or withhold RNC funding, which means the candidate has to listen and actually hear his constituents so they will contribute to his/her campaign. Failure to recognize this will result in two possibilities, (1) the Republican constituents will vote democratic or (2) they won't vote at all. Sounds like win-win to me!
Well, I guess one can ask, why does it matter? This is politics, and political decisions are the foundation of a democracy, and have always been that way. I suggest we see this as a step forward, rather than one that may question morals.
It also seems that for many white Trump voters, self-interest matters more than racism and "owning the libs" (I still don't get exactly what that means). That's something. Not a lot, but something.
He’s desperate, and his mental health is failing; expect even more chaos, chaff, and flying squirrels, and whatever dangerous antics are necessary to provide distractions from what he thinks genuinely threaten him. A total blizzard/hurricane/tornado of chaos is incoming.
I think you were correct the first time; when I think of his promises to oil companies, that amounts to payola going outbound as as well as as incoming.
You, too, have remained undaunted, Ms. Rubin. I got my notice for annual renewal a few days ago, and I'm happy to do my small bit to support The Contrarian. Democracy Dies in Darkness? Not while you guys are around.
I never ever thought that the Republicans won the shutdown. The Democrats set the trap and Trump gleefully took the bait. The voters are fed up with Trump and the Republicans. If the Democrats continue their focus on affordability and Trump keeps attacking US citizens and Allies then both Houses should flip in the midterms. Remember all the experts were sure that the New Jersey Governor's race would be a toss up and it turned out to be a romp for the Democrat.
I so totally agree. We liberals love to beat on our representatives for weak, confusing complex messaging that doesn't connect with enough voters. On the shutdown, both Jeffries and Schumer stuck to the easy to understand issue of affordable healthcare and WON the shutdown battle. Go no further than MTG's comments in her resignation memo to understand how hard it is to hide everyday reality. The same will play out with the MAGA propaganda machine trying to demonize Renee Good's murder or sell America on Trump's colonial ambitions.
If all things were equal, you would be correct. However, a declaration of a security threat, supported by the SCOTUS, will "delay" any Mid-Term election. I would say that Trump has already planned that, and his people will act in the same way as they have done with every single issue we have faced! That includes the invasion of Venezuela, and that has happened without any real way to stop him!
We need to have people in power who can foresee this threat and have a plan to thwart it if possible.
It might come as a surprise to MAGA that killing mothers,brutalizing brown immigrants and invading foreign nations DOESN'T lower thecprice of eggs OR provide heakth insurance.
Well Alan, maybe they really that ignorant! There is clear cause and effect here, meaning that if you watch Fox News 24/7 you will become increasingly detached from reality, deranged, etc. Turn off the TV save yourselves!
Because they are. It's all very simple. Simple-minded people who believe anything and everything they are told. They don't watch real news. They watch bathroom podcasts. They continue to vote Republican because their great-granddaddy and their granddaddy and their daddy all did so and it would be so horrible for them to see the light! I have one question for all of them now: so, how happy are you now with your vote for DT??
That's a broad-brush generality and stereotype. The seven million and more since then who are writing letters, sending emails, standing at rallys, and objecting to the illegal acts of our government by filing lawsuits don't demonstrate stupidity - more a conviction to support and defend democracy and the Constitution.
At least some of the MAGA base are becoming disallusioned. Trump promised to save them money and they can see from their own dwindling resources that he didn't do it. When they lose their more affordable healthcare, that should also serve as a warning. Starved dogs become mean. People aren't much different. The French Revolution proved it.
I am glad that some are becoming disillusioned with their trump vote. But these people don’t think, they feel and react to things that directly impact them with no understanding of how it all works. There was global inflation post Covid, bird flu and our President was putting policies in place that made us the economic envy of the world. These people believed a proven felon snake-oil salesman who said he would lower the price of eggs on day one! They’ll do it again with some other charlatan when this one is finally gone and that’s why the rest of the world will never trust us again.
It is, however, easier to observe in a small town. People who previously had Trump signage in their yards have been attending our protest rallys, also carrying signs, that support the resistance. There are some cracks forming in the cult; belief in lies work in the short term, but faiil to be sustainable.
I am glad that Jeffries has shown his grit and competence. What I thought was just sticking to talking points turned out to be the kind of message discipline we need: Don't expect immediate results and don't be afraid to repeat yourself.
In August, 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait, where one of Saddam Hussein’s primary missions was to seize Kuwait’s vast oil fields and reserves. President Bush condemned the takeover of Kuwait to run their oil fields as a “Brutal Aggression.”
However, his son (spurred by Cheney and others) herded us into Iraq on the false threat of WMD, and said that Iraqui oil would pay for the mission. Now just how did that work out?
That was the second Iraq war—very different circumstances from the Kuwait invasion. Iraq 2 was really the beginning of the end of the era of “Americans as the good guys.” We’ve never really recovered from that stain on our national reputation.
Others would say that we never totally recovered from Vietnam. That may have been where the distrust of the government started, where what was reported didn't agree with what people returning from missions said, and they were there.
The question of whether Democrats can win the Senate really needs to be a front and center issue right now. To my knowledge there's no major activist group like SwingLeft focusing on Senate races (SwingLeft focuses on the House). I think this is crucial to our chances of defeating MAGA. Remember we've seen the movie where Democrats control the House and not the Senate before (recent history). We have no reason to believe that control of the House by itself would be sufficient to bring down an authoritarian, lawless regime that controls all other levers of federal power. All of us need to ignore the pundits and work relentlessly to flip the Senate. It may be long odds, but it is really necessary if we are to have any chances of re-establishing something democracy-like this election cycle.
At some point subsidies become so large and numerous that national health slips in the back door. We’re about there because there isn’t enough margin in the system for the insurance companies to cut prices and continue to profit. Forget about the big CEO salaries, the insurance industry profits by denying services. Way back in the Tea Party days they complained that the ACA would result in healthcare rationing. It’s here now, just not in the way forecasted by the Luddites.
I believe Americans are weary of the daily maelstrom of the tRump era. Not a day passes where he and his dark servants don't do and say multiple things which would have brought down a president in the good old days... I have stood in zoos and watched monkeys flinging sh*t and I have that same sensation here. Even many in the MAGA crowd are becoming disaffected. They know exactly where this ill and stinky wind blows from. It is up to all of us to call out when they spew the talking points from Faux Snooze and remind them that they are being bamboozled.
In the meantime, check out the national debt! Orange face wants to increase military spending by half again as much. Where are those pesky Republicans who always cry about the debt? Nowhere
This column leaves me cold, which is very unusual. I generally agree with Jen.
The problem is that this is a typical Dem political “victory,” should it somehow pass the senate.
1) This bill is a “fix” that’s still worse than what existed before - why agree to minimum premiums?
2) If it’s passed and signed, Dems will get no credit for having done this. MAGA party congresscritters will scream about their accomplishment in helping people afford healthcare, even when they voted against it. The legacy media will bothsides it and nod sagely.
3) As Jen notes, this will primarily help largely red state voters. In other words, once again Dems will be using political capital to protect MAGA from the consequences of its own choices. Once those voters no longer have to worry about their medical expenses, they can go back to voting based on what they truly care about - hate and violence toward non-whites, nonconforming women, the Trans community and blue states.
And in the meantime, the Trump regime will keep using its secret police to murder innocent Americans in Blue States, while simultaneously illegally denying those states access to federal funds for things like child care.
This is a deal that makes sense in a normal country.
This is not that country. Not anymore.
Jeffries needs to go. We need a wartime consigliere.
(Posted in memory of Renee Good. May her memory be a blessing.)
Thank you for the note about Ms. Good. However, even if Democrats receive no credit at all for forcing ACA subsidies through Congress, it would still be the right thing to do. Everyone should have health care available, and the more people who have insurance, the lower premiums will be overall, since not everyone uses the full cost of their policies. I want my MAGA neighbors and their children to be as healthy as possible.
I totally get it. This is the conundrum that Dems have been in for decades at this point.
But your argument is the same one Dem leadership used for ending the shutdown last year, just as it appeared to be putting real pressure on MAGA.
We are the anti-fascists. We want people to be healthy, safe and happy. Including those with whom we disagree. This is the morally correct choice.
The problem is that, by choosing to be the better people, we help largely those who look to harm us, while doing nothing to help and protect ourselves.
As long as my city is under violent federal occupation, I refuse to prioritize the needs of those who support that occupation.
I agree with Steve D. This isn't good politically. If "moderate Republicans" get an ACA extension through, it won't do a thing for Democrats. I mean, its good for normal people who would otherwise suffer but politically, it is not good for Democrats. People who would be the worst off when ACA subsidies expire don't read Jen or MSNBC or CNN or any news outlet that associate the extension with Jeffries and Democrats. They'll either be fed a line of BS from Fox that it was Republicans once again saving the day by finally coming up with a health plan that MAKES SENSE (crazy Democrats!). Or, they don't follow this stuff at all...they'll just carry on and vote Republican like they have for generations and thank their lucky stars they have always been taken care of by their representatives.
The information in the Epstein files must be dynamite if the Felon, demented as he and Miller are, have to go to such lengths to deflect (unsuccessfully) the public's demand to see the records. I have held that the Democrats are not stupid nor are they naive. Sen. Schumer is an experienced hand at politics and Rep. Jeffries has a spine. Can't wait to see how they turn the tables on the MAGA rats again and again and again until the Felon, Miller, Musk, Noem, Bondi, Patel and the rest of the MAGAs get the f**k out of DC.
I’m glad to see that Hakeem Jeffries has been doing his job, because it has not been readily apparent. Now let’s see if Schumer can prove he is capable of leadership. I doubt he will, but I hope I am pleasantly surprised.
I expect there will come a time when Denmark's health care system will be held up as an alternative path to the path chosen by the GOP. That'll certainly be ironic. Especially if Greenlanders find themselves vying for ACA credits just to care for their families in a new Trumpified world.
You got 17 Republicans to sign because of the threat of losing their next election, not because of any concern for their constituents.
Congress was ever thus. As Mark Twain once declared, "To my mind Judas Iscariot was nothing but a low, mean, premature, Congressman."
Mark Twain also said, "Reader, assume you are a Congressman. And assume you are an idiot. But I repeat myself."
Love it!
“A record 24 million people enrolled in Obamacare for 2025, with a vast majority receiving some tax credits.” These were disproportionately red state residents, many self-employed or working for a small employer exempted from providing insurance. (In other words, Republicans.) Without those subsidies, the cost of coverage will “more than double, increasing by hundreds or even thousands of dollars a month.”
Though this is GOOD for the American people, I very much worry that Republicans will spin out the propaganda machine, taking credit for it and continuing to blame Democrats for our horrible healthcare system.
I almost hope the Senate tanks it, because only when Trump voters get burned to a crisp will they start to realize just how little their guy cares if they suffer.
My family’s premiums doubled. And I hope the Senate rejects it.
Good point and if you are correct, repost this and show how predictable they are. It will be interesting to see if any of the Republicans who voted for it are the megaphones for their claim
But then they’d also have to take “credit” for their atrocious performance under T…p.
Steve, you're right of course. But even this is positive: we still have a way of commandeering GOP votes, if we can convince them that without votes they lose.
By all means let them think that, although many R’s are deciding not to run again. But they ALL need to lose anyway despite this self-serving, craven, vote that finally helps people. They voted for the budget that cancelled the subsidies in the first place, as well as SNAP benefits and Medicaid. Their voting record in favor of trump all along says more than this one. Now, if they vote en mass to impeach trump and prosecute his cabinet where ever possible I might reconsider.
The only thing I might say about that is that the other common tactic is to vote for something that will play well in your district or state even though you might personally be against it because you're confident that the other chamber or the president will kill it.
That was because they were (finally) more afraid of their constituents than they were of Trump. That’s the key takeaway from this.
How true. My key takeaway to this is that the voters are more powerful than Trump. Trump can withhold his endorsement of a candidate (a benefit to the candidate, if you ask me) or withhold RNC funding, which means the candidate has to listen and actually hear his constituents so they will contribute to his/her campaign. Failure to recognize this will result in two possibilities, (1) the Republican constituents will vote democratic or (2) they won't vote at all. Sounds like win-win to me!
Well, I guess one can ask, why does it matter? This is politics, and political decisions are the foundation of a democracy, and have always been that way. I suggest we see this as a step forward, rather than one that may question morals.
Whatever works at this point.
It also seems that for many white Trump voters, self-interest matters more than racism and "owning the libs" (I still don't get exactly what that means). That's something. Not a lot, but something.
We’ve got to cut through the noise, chaff and constant White House-launched squirrel system…
He’s FLAILING. One desperate, foul little, tyrannical idiot on the verge of losing EVERYTHING big time.
Let’s double-down and make absolutely sure it happens.
He’s desperate, and his mental health is failing; expect even more chaos, chaff, and flying squirrels, and whatever dangerous antics are necessary to provide distractions from what he thinks genuinely threaten him. A total blizzard/hurricane/tornado of chaos is incoming.
You write: We know that “negotiation” for Trump usually entails bullying and threats.
You left out "and payola."
I should clarify: receiving payola.
I think you were correct the first time; when I think of his promises to oil companies, that amounts to payola going outbound as as well as as incoming.
Yes.
Phew!
You, too, have remained undaunted, Ms. Rubin. I got my notice for annual renewal a few days ago, and I'm happy to do my small bit to support The Contrarian. Democracy Dies in Darkness? Not while you guys are around.
I never ever thought that the Republicans won the shutdown. The Democrats set the trap and Trump gleefully took the bait. The voters are fed up with Trump and the Republicans. If the Democrats continue their focus on affordability and Trump keeps attacking US citizens and Allies then both Houses should flip in the midterms. Remember all the experts were sure that the New Jersey Governor's race would be a toss up and it turned out to be a romp for the Democrat.
I so totally agree. We liberals love to beat on our representatives for weak, confusing complex messaging that doesn't connect with enough voters. On the shutdown, both Jeffries and Schumer stuck to the easy to understand issue of affordable healthcare and WON the shutdown battle. Go no further than MTG's comments in her resignation memo to understand how hard it is to hide everyday reality. The same will play out with the MAGA propaganda machine trying to demonize Renee Good's murder or sell America on Trump's colonial ambitions.
If all things were equal, you would be correct. However, a declaration of a security threat, supported by the SCOTUS, will "delay" any Mid-Term election. I would say that Trump has already planned that, and his people will act in the same way as they have done with every single issue we have faced! That includes the invasion of Venezuela, and that has happened without any real way to stop him!
We need to have people in power who can foresee this threat and have a plan to thwart it if possible.
"Republicans are now in a no win situation: put themselves at risk with the voters or defy the MAGA base."
I feel bad for generalizing, but why does it seem that the "MAGA base" is composed of the stupidest folks in the nation?
Some are stupid, others are just mean. Others are stupid AND mean.
And voting republican makes it a trifecta.
It might come as a surprise to MAGA that killing mothers,brutalizing brown immigrants and invading foreign nations DOESN'T lower thecprice of eggs OR provide heakth insurance.
or release the "nonexistent" Epstein evidence as required -
OR to PROPERLY and timely review and release the MILLIONS
of "SUDDENLY DISCOVERED boxcars full of STUFF that will
(inevitably) take years to review, redact, purge, and falsify --
CONTEMPT for all responsibles!
Well Alan, maybe they really that ignorant! There is clear cause and effect here, meaning that if you watch Fox News 24/7 you will become increasingly detached from reality, deranged, etc. Turn off the TV save yourselves!
Because they are. It's all very simple. Simple-minded people who believe anything and everything they are told. They don't watch real news. They watch bathroom podcasts. They continue to vote Republican because their great-granddaddy and their granddaddy and their daddy all did so and it would be so horrible for them to see the light! I have one question for all of them now: so, how happy are you now with your vote for DT??
in general america is a very stupid country
That's a broad-brush generality and stereotype. The seven million and more since then who are writing letters, sending emails, standing at rallys, and objecting to the illegal acts of our government by filing lawsuits don't demonstrate stupidity - more a conviction to support and defend democracy and the Constitution.
I said in general...eg it's better to be the quarterback than the valedictorian in america
Again, that depends upon which circles you are watching. Trump's approval rating continues to drop.
america reads at a 6th grade level
At least some of the MAGA base are becoming disallusioned. Trump promised to save them money and they can see from their own dwindling resources that he didn't do it. When they lose their more affordable healthcare, that should also serve as a warning. Starved dogs become mean. People aren't much different. The French Revolution proved it.
I am glad that some are becoming disillusioned with their trump vote. But these people don’t think, they feel and react to things that directly impact them with no understanding of how it all works. There was global inflation post Covid, bird flu and our President was putting policies in place that made us the economic envy of the world. These people believed a proven felon snake-oil salesman who said he would lower the price of eggs on day one! They’ll do it again with some other charlatan when this one is finally gone and that’s why the rest of the world will never trust us again.
It is, however, easier to observe in a small town. People who previously had Trump signage in their yards have been attending our protest rallys, also carrying signs, that support the resistance. There are some cracks forming in the cult; belief in lies work in the short term, but faiil to be sustainable.
I am glad that Jeffries has shown his grit and competence. What I thought was just sticking to talking points turned out to be the kind of message discipline we need: Don't expect immediate results and don't be afraid to repeat yourself.
TRUMP: IF SADDAM HUSSEIN COULD DO IT, SO CAN I !
In August, 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait, where one of Saddam Hussein’s primary missions was to seize Kuwait’s vast oil fields and reserves. President Bush condemned the takeover of Kuwait to run their oil fields as a “Brutal Aggression.”
However, his son (spurred by Cheney and others) herded us into Iraq on the false threat of WMD, and said that Iraqui oil would pay for the mission. Now just how did that work out?
That was the second Iraq war—very different circumstances from the Kuwait invasion. Iraq 2 was really the beginning of the end of the era of “Americans as the good guys.” We’ve never really recovered from that stain on our national reputation.
Others would say that we never totally recovered from Vietnam. That may have been where the distrust of the government started, where what was reported didn't agree with what people returning from missions said, and they were there.
The question of whether Democrats can win the Senate really needs to be a front and center issue right now. To my knowledge there's no major activist group like SwingLeft focusing on Senate races (SwingLeft focuses on the House). I think this is crucial to our chances of defeating MAGA. Remember we've seen the movie where Democrats control the House and not the Senate before (recent history). We have no reason to believe that control of the House by itself would be sufficient to bring down an authoritarian, lawless regime that controls all other levers of federal power. All of us need to ignore the pundits and work relentlessly to flip the Senate. It may be long odds, but it is really necessary if we are to have any chances of re-establishing something democracy-like this election cycle.
At some point subsidies become so large and numerous that national health slips in the back door. We’re about there because there isn’t enough margin in the system for the insurance companies to cut prices and continue to profit. Forget about the big CEO salaries, the insurance industry profits by denying services. Way back in the Tea Party days they complained that the ACA would result in healthcare rationing. It’s here now, just not in the way forecasted by the Luddites.
patients should not have shareholders hoping for their demise
or causing their demise
I believe Americans are weary of the daily maelstrom of the tRump era. Not a day passes where he and his dark servants don't do and say multiple things which would have brought down a president in the good old days... I have stood in zoos and watched monkeys flinging sh*t and I have that same sensation here. Even many in the MAGA crowd are becoming disaffected. They know exactly where this ill and stinky wind blows from. It is up to all of us to call out when they spew the talking points from Faux Snooze and remind them that they are being bamboozled.
edit: added the word 'know'.
In the meantime, check out the national debt! Orange face wants to increase military spending by half again as much. Where are those pesky Republicans who always cry about the debt? Nowhere
Republican cries about the debt only take place when they are not in the majority. We've seen this go on for years.
Don't forget all those trashy White House 'renovations' he's sticking taxpayers with.
This column leaves me cold, which is very unusual. I generally agree with Jen.
The problem is that this is a typical Dem political “victory,” should it somehow pass the senate.
1) This bill is a “fix” that’s still worse than what existed before - why agree to minimum premiums?
2) If it’s passed and signed, Dems will get no credit for having done this. MAGA party congresscritters will scream about their accomplishment in helping people afford healthcare, even when they voted against it. The legacy media will bothsides it and nod sagely.
3) As Jen notes, this will primarily help largely red state voters. In other words, once again Dems will be using political capital to protect MAGA from the consequences of its own choices. Once those voters no longer have to worry about their medical expenses, they can go back to voting based on what they truly care about - hate and violence toward non-whites, nonconforming women, the Trans community and blue states.
And in the meantime, the Trump regime will keep using its secret police to murder innocent Americans in Blue States, while simultaneously illegally denying those states access to federal funds for things like child care.
This is a deal that makes sense in a normal country.
This is not that country. Not anymore.
Jeffries needs to go. We need a wartime consigliere.
(Posted in memory of Renee Good. May her memory be a blessing.)
Thank you for the note about Ms. Good. However, even if Democrats receive no credit at all for forcing ACA subsidies through Congress, it would still be the right thing to do. Everyone should have health care available, and the more people who have insurance, the lower premiums will be overall, since not everyone uses the full cost of their policies. I want my MAGA neighbors and their children to be as healthy as possible.
I totally get it. This is the conundrum that Dems have been in for decades at this point.
But your argument is the same one Dem leadership used for ending the shutdown last year, just as it appeared to be putting real pressure on MAGA.
We are the anti-fascists. We want people to be healthy, safe and happy. Including those with whom we disagree. This is the morally correct choice.
The problem is that, by choosing to be the better people, we help largely those who look to harm us, while doing nothing to help and protect ourselves.
As long as my city is under violent federal occupation, I refuse to prioritize the needs of those who support that occupation.
I agree with Steve D. This isn't good politically. If "moderate Republicans" get an ACA extension through, it won't do a thing for Democrats. I mean, its good for normal people who would otherwise suffer but politically, it is not good for Democrats. People who would be the worst off when ACA subsidies expire don't read Jen or MSNBC or CNN or any news outlet that associate the extension with Jeffries and Democrats. They'll either be fed a line of BS from Fox that it was Republicans once again saving the day by finally coming up with a health plan that MAKES SENSE (crazy Democrats!). Or, they don't follow this stuff at all...they'll just carry on and vote Republican like they have for generations and thank their lucky stars they have always been taken care of by their representatives.
A healthy dose of wrapping yourself in the flag draped coffin.
Personally, I don't want to be led by a consigliere
I might...they bring new meaning to FAFO. HA HA
FAFO can also apply to healthcare and SNAP...
The information in the Epstein files must be dynamite if the Felon, demented as he and Miller are, have to go to such lengths to deflect (unsuccessfully) the public's demand to see the records. I have held that the Democrats are not stupid nor are they naive. Sen. Schumer is an experienced hand at politics and Rep. Jeffries has a spine. Can't wait to see how they turn the tables on the MAGA rats again and again and again until the Felon, Miller, Musk, Noem, Bondi, Patel and the rest of the MAGAs get the f**k out of DC.
We can only hope and pray AND VOTE BLUE IN 2026!!!!!!!!!!!
I’m glad to see that Hakeem Jeffries has been doing his job, because it has not been readily apparent. Now let’s see if Schumer can prove he is capable of leadership. I doubt he will, but I hope I am pleasantly surprised.
I expect there will come a time when Denmark's health care system will be held up as an alternative path to the path chosen by the GOP. That'll certainly be ironic. Especially if Greenlanders find themselves vying for ACA credits just to care for their families in a new Trumpified world.