Tom Blumer:
On February 10, in a rare moment of candor which was quickly edited away in subsequent revisions, Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar at the Associated Press, aka the Administration’s Press, wrote that President Obama had unilaterally instituted delays and revisions in Obamacare’s employer mandate because he was “angling to avoid political peril.”
Of course he was. Postponing and revising the requirement that firms cover their employees “or face a $2000 fine per employee, after the first 30,” delays the decidedly negative impact of the statist healthcare scheme until after November’s elections. But in a Friday evening report, Politico’s David Nather essentially tried to claim that Obama really acted against his own best interest (links are in original; bolds and numbered tags are mine):
The politics of Obamacare delays
… every time the Obama administration bends a deadline for the Affordable Care Act — delaying the employer mandate for the second time, putting off parts of the enrollment launch, or giving customers just a little more time to sign up — it fuels the perception that the administration is just winging it [1], and gives Republicans new fodder to accuse the White House of rewriting laws too casually. [2]
That doesn’t mean the busted deadlines always matter in the real world, though. Some matter more than others. Insurers have been genuinely put out by all the rules that have been changed along the way, which has dumped more work in their laps. That raises the risks of enrollment errors and other problems down the road, like price increases because insurers didn’t get the mix of customers they expected.
Business groups, however, don’t seem bothered by the latest delay in the employer mandate. In fact, they’re saying the employers who are getting the extra time will be happy to have it. [3]
… And vulnerable red-state Democrats — the ones who have the most incentive to protect themselves from the clunky Obamacare rollout — aren’t piling on the White House over the employer mandate extension. [4]
… The biggest impact the delays will have, then, is political — as they help Republicans revive the image of an Obama administration that just never had its act together as it launched its signature health care initiative.
They’ll keep firing up the base by accusing President Barack Obama of ignoring the law, even though it’s not a law they support in the first place. [5] And every time Democrats point to the signs that things are going better — especially the surging enrollment numbers [6] that were announced earlier this month — Republicans will use the busted deadlines to try to revive the image of incompetence.
Democrats insist it’s just part of the messiness of launching a major new social program and making sure it works — and that it’s natural for Republicans to take advantage, but that task will become harder as the implementation gets back on track. [7]
Notes:
[1] — It isn’t a “perception” that the adminstration is winging it; it’s reality.
[2] — This isn’t about “rewriting laws too casually.” It’s about rewriting them illegally, unconstitutionally, and often in direct contradiction to the laws which Congresses have passed.
[3] — Employers are naturally not going to be vocal in an administration which sics the dogs on its critics. I’ll betcha they’d be a lot happier if Obamacare is completely repealed.
[4] — Vulnerable red-state Democrats aren’t even thinking about “piling on.” They know that Obama threw them a lifeline. Whether it’s enough to save them remains to be seen. The idea that they would in any way be unhappy about the administration’s unilateral delays and revisions is ludicrous.
If the WH keeps its word (for a change) we will get the first REAL numbers of those who actually paid their first premium, in mid-April, not just those who shopped and put a policy in an imaginary cart.
Obama has been short-sighted, to be sure.
Many of his decisions on delays have been political.
And, as such, he deserved criticism.
To falsely claim he should not be criticized for changing a law that Republicans don’t like is just plain silly.
Of course Republicans should do this.
The more loudly and shrilly, the better.
Leftists cannot ever be trusted….whether when holding elected office or when pretending to be journalists while being leftwing propagandists.
There is no benefit to conservatives in the repeated (what 29 plus) illegal delays in the LAW OF THE LAND!!! It is a vile, dishonest political shell game designed solely to delay the pending economic and medical resource apocalypse that obamacare inherently causes once all of the insanity is activated. The delay is only to get past the upcoming elections, and I challenge any leftist still supporting this socialist failure to provide any other explanation for Obama unilaterally delaying the employer mandate until after the 2014 elections.
Obama is the epitome of the leftist politician, a blatant liar, a totally dishonest and unreliable criminal who is incapable of being ashamed of the harm he causes with his lies and insane policies. He cares only about building his political power and personal fortune, quite content to steal from others while pretending he does so “to help the poor”.
To our Democrat politicians: When you chain an anvil to your ankle and hold it close to your heart whilst jumping from your high places, releasing it and flapping your arms will not save you from your downfall.
Nor will the drawn masses of like-minded people who supported your jump, break your fall or halt the eventual destruction. All they will do is share in being covered with the bloody splatter of gore that will ensue.