Paul Krugman: The Whole Horrors-of-Obamacare Meme Will Be Gone in Weeks, Not Months

[Hissyspit]

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/11/26/the-obamacare-worm-turns/?smid=tw-NytimesKrugman&_r=0

Paul Krugman - New York Times Blog
November 26, 2013, 2:42 pm

The Obamacare Worm Turns

I suggested yesterday that we’re probably heading for a turning point in the health reform discussion. Conservatives are operating on the assumption that it’s an irredeemable disaster that they can ride all the way to 2016; but the facts on the ground are getting better by the day, and Obamacare will turn into a Benghazi-type affair where Republicans are screaming about a scandal nobody else cares about.

And it’s already starting to happen.

White House officials are sounding increasingly upbeat. They could be deluded or spinning; but after what happened two months ago one suspects that the last thing they want is to inflate expectations unduly.

Meanwhile, media coverage is shifting fast. It’s still mostly trying for equivalence — each positive story of people being helped matched by a negative story of people hurt. But the stories don’t actually match up at all.

- snip -

I don’t know about you, but these don’t sound to me like equivalent stories.

At this rate, the whole horrors-of-Obamacare meme will be gone in weeks, not months. But the GOP echo chamber won’t be able to let it go.

MORE

[Skittles]

1. I believe he is correct

to the absolute horror of repukes who feel they have received a Bhengazi break

[napkinz]

2. By early spring, Republicans will have to go back to screaming ...

Benghazi!!!!!!!

[spanone]

18. fantastic toon!!!!!

[napkinz]

3. ACA Signup Success Stories!

https://www.facebook.com/acasignupsuccessstories

[PATRICK]

4. The trouble is the entire mainstream

IS the GOP echo chamber and will not let up. The viewers will do the walking but the Medicare public opinion effect will have to really bury the garbage. The mistake is that the rhetoric and the Obama tag keeps them from gaming the system as they have attempted to chip away at other programs in the past. They can't get enough from hurting the actual system now and they won't touch it which in practice helps the system. They are postponing defeat and abandoning the long term with high stakes pouting.

This is for all, all issues, even those that that ordinarily they support- as most ironically is this Republican modeled ACA in the first place.

Fewer votes for the GOP every day. More hardcore abandonment. Fewer viewers of the fraudulent media. More hardcore searchers for the truth online. They have to be willing to take those losses, abandoning and fighting the American people totally, because that is what the big money wanted with equal desperation and risk.

[mdbl]

8. Thanks for pointing out that this is a repuglican health care plan

What a bunch of idiot hypocrites - the repuglicans. The ACA was an idea of their peers. They couldn't tell a truth if it kicked em' in the rear.

[Bortman33]

9. Just pointing out a spelling error

It's rethugliCONs

re is for regressive
thug is for the way the operate
ugli is for the blackness of their hearts
CON . . . this means their lips are moving

[valerief]

5. Some folks are going to have VERY happy holidays. nt

[Mr.Bill]

6. It's like the president said,

You'll know it's working when they stop calling it Obamacare. I figure in a few months we will start seeing individual pub legislators taking credit for it's success in their districts/states.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

7. saving this one! nt

[napkinz]

10. "start spreading the news ..."

[napkinz]

11. ACA: "failure is not an option" "will be our finest hour"

[Chathamization]

12. It'd be nice if Krugman had checked the website before calling the rollout an "epic disaster"

Apparently it was positive comments regarding healthcare.gov that people posted in response to his latest editorial (calling the rollout an "epic disaster&quot that lead him to try to enroll. And he found that enrollment went fairly smoothly. Which didn't lead him to reconsider whether or not the criticism has been a bit exaggerated, but rather to assume that it used to be a "black hole" but now they've fixed it.

[Hissyspit]

13. I checked the website two weeks in.

It was an epic disaster. I was furious. It sounds like they are fixing the black hole. Good.

[A Simple Game]

20. Krugman was right, it was a disaster, I know, I was there, you may be the only one denying that.

Hopefully he is still right and it is on it's way to being fixed.

It was still sporadic when I went through a couple of weeks ago, but I'm all the way through now, just have to pick out a plan.

[Cha]

14. US corporatemediawhore$ scraping bottom of barrel to

keep "Katrina=the website" going and coming up with lies and more lies.





Thanks for reporting Krugman, Hissyspit

[Jackpine Radical]

15. So now they're starting a whole new wave of "death panel" rumors and scares.

The usual tactic--Make shit up & FUD the public with it.

[AlbertCat]

26. The usual tactic--Make shit up &.....

You mean....

The usual tactic--retread the same ol' crap that they thought was great the 1st time..... but obviously didn't work... because THEY GOT NOTHIN'

[Grins]

16. "the whole horrors-of-Obamacare meme will be gone in weeks, not months." I hope not.

"the whole horrors-of-Obamacare meme will be gone in weeks, not months."

I hope not. I hope Democrats bring up the Reich-wingers lies every damn day through 2014 and 2016 and show who has been helped, and do it so often Rethuglican eyes and ears start to bleed.

In fact, there are plenty of examples where people have signed up and received enormous health care benefits despite a sloppy federal website, examples the Dems should be pushing 24x7 right now.

So why aren't they?

[AlbertCat]

27. So why aren't they?

Because they don't own the MSM.

[spanone]

17. don't worry mr krugman, the right wingers will find another faux crisis to hang on President Obama

you can bet your ass.

[napkinz]

19. latest news from HHS

https://www.facebook.com/HHS

[DallasNE]

21. I Hope That Is True But I Don't Share The Optimism

Even with getting the web site working better there are still so many issues. I fear that staffing is inadequate to handle the work load and later claim processing will not be smooth. This bill is just too big and complex and will probably have a bad rap for years to come because of that. Indeed, there will be pressure from both the right and the left to replace it. The left will want a single payer, which would greatly simplify things and the right will push for insurance companies working across State line and let people fend for themselves without any government tax credits to help lower income people. This will be touch and go for several years.

[Jack Rabbit]

22. What scandal?

Looking back on my career as a computer programmer, I never once thought of a buggy program as a scandal, just something that needed to be fixed.

[JEFF9K]

23. When Krugman talks, people listen ...

... smart people, anyway.

[Hekate]

24. Thank you, Hissyspit. I am thankful for Paul Krugman.

[Turbineguy]

25. The wingnuts are good at conjuring up imaginary foes.

[arely staircase]

28. recommended nt