Jonathan Allen
Insurers Get PR Victory; Republicans Get Talking Point
So predictable. And so wrong. Both Aetna and Humana have announced that they will follow the example of UnitedHealth, keeping in place some of the Affordable Care Act's provisions even if the Supreme Court strikes down the law. Sure enough, Republicans are calling this proof that the insurance marketplace works and that Obamacare is unnecessary. READ MORE >>
Bond Market Underestimating Nut Factor
The widespread assumption in the bond market that the debt ceiling showdown will, somehow, some way, end well strikes me as a classic underestimation of risk. We quietly assume that something terrible and pointless won't happen because it's never happened before, even if the potential causes of disaster are blindingly obvious. Jonathan Allen and Jake Sherman have a good story about the craziness of the Republican caucus. How crazy are these people? READ MORE >>
Medicaid in the Crosshairs
The Biggest Losers in the Budget Battle
Who's winning the political battle over the budget and federal spending? Damned if I know. READ MORE >>
We Should Have Dumped Pelosi
On Thursday, the House Democratic caucus selected Nancy Pelosi as the minority leader. A few hours earlier, Quinnipiac University released its latest survey, which sheds some interesting light on that decision. READ MORE >>
Alan Grayson: Republicans Want You to 'Die Quickly'
Republicans seem to think they’ve found a liberal equivalent to Joe Wilson in Alan Grayson, whom I profiled in our last issue for his brazenly bloggy temperament. Here he is last night on the House floor saying that the Republican health care plan is to “die quickly.” (Skip to1:52): READ MORE >>
