If You Don't Vote, You lose

++The media is piling on that the House election in FL-13 was a referendum on Obamacare. Alex Sink, the Democrat, lost by 2.5% points to David Jolly. Jolly ran the House GOP campaign on "replacing" Obamacare, when there is no replacement. The District had been Republican for 31 years and only had one Democrat in its history. David Jolly had more than $200,000 dollars advantage in outside funding. David Weigel said that both candidates were awful. The Republican areas of the District voted 50%, while the Democrats only 30%. 

++Why wasn't the Virginia gubernatorial race a referendum on Obamacare when the Cooch made it the centerpiece of his campaign and Terry McAuliffe made Medicaid expansion and support of Obamacare the center of his?

++Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo mentions that we are now in the Third straight election where Obamacare is a major issue. And Republicans think the third time is the charm. Since 2010 showed us that no matter how crazy Republicans are,they do not pay a price unless Democrats register and vote.

++Progressives have been wailing about the injustice of the Senate not approving Debo Adegbile as the head of the civil rights division of the Department of Justice. They should focus more on what that means. There will be no one in place to focus on the voter suppression efforts in NorthCarolina, Florida,Ohio,Texas,and Pennsylvania.

++The Republicans have so far successful recalibrated their framing of Obamacare as "Replacing it with the Republican Plan." Democrats must push them to explain that and cite the House plans and their ruinous effects on the average voter. Stop playing defense on this issue.

++Bloomberg today printed their poll on Obamacare. 64% of Americans support the law. 51% support it as is but with "small changes". 13% support it as is. 34% want it repealed. (Note--the 34% vote in midterms.) 52% said it would be a major factor in how they vote. 20% said a minor factor.

++With Obamacare,the number of uninsured fell to 15.9%, the lowest since 2008. Because of Obamacare,13 million are insured. 3.1 million adult children are insured through their parents plans. Healthcare costs have fallen 1% and premiums for insurance by 4%.

++Let's get personal. My musician son is insured on our plan. Obamacare puts caps on out of pocket expenses for illness. I am at the age where my health problems would cost real money. Without the protection afforded by the ACA, any remotely serious illness would mean I would have to become bankrupt and incur unpayable debt. 

++Now let's put this in perspective,I buy the equivalent of a good used car every year for healthcare insurance. So I expect that I will be covered in the event of real health issues. Under the old system, that was not true. 

++Bloggers have written how welcomed it was that the GOP in the Senate and in the House had begun to discuss their alternatives. I don't. In my earlier post, I showed you want these alternatives really mean. Increased premiums,less insured and the protections to Americans stripped from their policies.

++No, the Jolly victory was not a referendum on Obamacare but it might fueled the media and the GOP to frame this entire election as one--unless the Democrats fight back against the crazy.