"The Republican Party's Plan to Retake the Senate Is Falling Apart"

[applegrove]

The Republican Party's Plan to Retake the Senate Is Falling Apart

BY DANNY VINIK at the New Republic

http://www.newrepublic.com/article/117466/2014-midterm-odds-republicans-chances-taking-senate-are-falling?utm_campaign=mostpopular&utm_content=4935431&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter

"SNIP......................


The biggest Obamacare story of the summer and fall is likely to be "rate shock": The notion, pushed by conservatives, that health-care premiums will spike for people who buy coverage on their own. The likelihood of this is impossible to predict and will likely vary by state. Some will see large increases and others will not. Before the ACA, the annual changes in premiums were unpredictable, too—sometimes increasing by single digits, sometimes by double digits. Obamacare will undoubtedly take the blame for any large increases in rates this year. Nevertheless, there have been signs the past few days that conservative warnings of massive rate shock may never materialize.

Finally, on the economy, there are signs that the recovery is picking up too. The economic data has improved since a rough first two months of the year. Jobless claims fell to a post-crisis low last week, and for the first time since September 2008, no state has an unemployment rate above nine percent.

Of course, plenty of other things could happen in the next few months to hurt Democrats' chances of retaining the Senate. Russia could cut off oil and gas exports to Europe, sending gasoline prices skyrocketing and crushing the recovery. Republicans could be right about widespread rate shock. Half of the eight million Obamacare signups could decide not to pay their premiums. These developments would likely hand the Senate to Republicans, given that they already have a structural advantage.

For all these reasons, the odds are very low that Democrats pick up seats in the Senate, but the odds that Mitch McConnell becomes the majority leader in 2015 are falling as well. At the end of his piece, Trende warns that a poor performance by the GOP this year could lead to a filibuster-proof Democratic majority in 2017. For Democrats who argue that these midterms are meaningless because Obama’s legislative agenda is already dead, it’s time to reconsider.





......................SNIP"

[Dawson Leery]

1. kick

[yortsed snacilbuper]

2. "the odds that Mitch McConnell becomes the majority leader in 2015 are falling as well"

I doubt mitch(bozo)McConnell will even be in the Senate!

[Cha]

3. the gop banked on ACA's failure.. I see some dems are buying into that.. then there's Allyson

Schwartz!

Democratic candidate for governor proudly touts Obamacare

"Some Democrats may be reluctant to brag about their support for President Obama and his health care law in the 2014 midterm elections, but not Allyson Schwartz.

The congresswoman who is running for Pennsylvania governor revealed a new campaign ad Tuesday that highlights both her support of Obama and the national health care law, as well as the role she played in getting the law passed.

“I am proud to have worked with President Obama to write and pass the Affordable Care Act, landmark legislation that is helping 8 million Americans get affordable, quality health coverage,” she said in a statement touting the ad."

http://onpolitics.usatoday.com/2014/04/22/allyson-schwartz-obamacare-ad-democrats-governor/

mahalo apple~

[lonestarnot]

4. They gotsa plan for dat.

[Samantha]

5. But then there is ONE OTHER THING

The Administration has decided to postpone major initiatives with regard to making marijuana legal in these United States. The acceleration will come near and at the 2014 election. Many younger people support this idea, and it is believed that putting this option on the ballot will bring people out in great numbers -- a lot of younger voters who might otherwise have stay home.

Personally, I think the Democrat who thought this up is a political genius.

Sam