Friday the 13th - Nothing Bad Whatsoever Happens Again

Friday the 13th carries a certain amount of weight in our culture as a superstition, but I have never experienced anything  bad on the 13th and yesterday was no exception. Why is this? Perhaps because I place no weight on superstition. I think some people effectively give themselves self-fulfilling prophecies about Friday the 13th with their fears and superstitions. To me, the 13th is just another day, no different from any other. Numbers carry the meaning we assign them.

Supreme Court Wars: The Democrats Started It! Really, they did.

Today's environment on the Supreme Court is a very partisan one, with people voting for and against nominees based on their decisions rather than qualifications or ethics. Qualifications and ethics used to be the only objections that would win a majority vote in rejecting a nominee. For instance, in 1968, Lyndon Johnson nominated Abe Fortas to be Chief Justice, but was denied because of ethics issues and the potentially disturbing implications for the separation of powers given his close connections to the Johnson White House. Nixon had two consecutive rejections, Clement Haynsworth and G. Harrold Carswell. Nixon had promised a Southern Justice and selected Haynsworth, a Southern Democrat. However, there were concerns over civil rights and allegations that he was anti-labor, but this wasn't enough for the Senate to reject his nomination. A Senate inquiry revealed ethics concerns (which didn't turn out to amount to anything) and he was rejected on a 45-55 vote. Nixon tried again with Florida's Republican G. Harrold Carswell. Although details emerged of Carswell advocating segregation in 1948 and reportedly being very rude to blacks as a judge, he had a 58% reversal rate as a judge and was regarded by a number of Senators as "mediocre". Carswell was rejected as well. His subsequent picks were easily confirmed.

However, everything changed in 1987. Ronald Reagan nominated Robert Bork, an ultra-conservative federal judge. Democrats threw everything they had at Bork even though he was rated "qualified" by the ABA with 10 out of the 15 members of the panel viewing him as "well qualified".  Senator Ted Kennedy claimed that Judge Bork would have us return to the time when women would have to get back alley abortions and when segregated lunch counters existed. Ultimately, Bork was rejected. Democrats tried again with ideological attacks on Clarence Thomas combined with a claim of sexual harassment, but this time Republicans were able to get a narrow majority to confirm him. Republicans did not initially respond in kind; both Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer were easily confirmed with less than ten Senators opposing in both cases even though they were known to be liberal.

The ideological sniping continued with Democrats, fighting against the nominations of both John Roberts and Samuel Alito, with the opposition more intense with Alito. Ultimately many Democrats yielded with Roberts and he was voted in 78-22. With Alito, the vote was 58-42. The opposition to Obama's nominees, Sotomayor and Kagan, faced Republican opposition. Sotomayor however made it with a 68-31 vote and Kagan made it with a 63-37 vote.

If Democrats bemoan the "litmus tests" that exist for the Supreme Court, all they need to do to find blame is look in a mirror. 

The Obamacare Fiasco

I have returned from my long absence and a lot has happened. I am in the process of writing a book about the people who opposed the New Deal from the right and I have made good headway so far. Anyway, I have been of the belief that if Obamacare is to be anywhere near as bad as Republicans claimed, Republicans need not worry about their electoral future. So far it looks like I'm right. Republicans now have an advantage in polling (although the American people still largely are viewing them under a "lesser of two evils" lens) and will be making probably some good gains in the 2014 midterms. Anyway, on to Obamacare!

Let's face it...Obamacare is a disaster. The botched website was only the tip of the iceberg and a bad omen for the law's implementation. The leftist pundits such as Krugman, Chait, and others have tried their best to spin it, but with premiums rising and plans being cancelled...this spells bad news for the President and the American people. After all, it is his signature law and in this sense it can be compared to Iraq. Yes, Iraq was a war and not a healthcare law, but the fate of Bush's legacy hinged on Iraq and Obama's legacy here hinges on Obamacare.

Many people now face higher premiums and an unfortunate number face cancellations of their plans because they were insufficient for Obamacare's minimum required plans. This is what happens when you game the market...unintended consequences.  Also, how could they not see that premiums would rise from this law? When insurance companies are forced to accept anyone who comes to their door and prohibit rate discrimination based on pre-existing conditions the costs for the insurance company rise and they need to make up the difference by charging higher premiums. I similarly don't see how this fiasco with cancellations couldn't be seen. People should be allowed to buy crappy plans that only cover emergency visits at low prices...not be forced to buy what the government thinks is a sufficient minimum plan. Any pundit who says otherwise is of the belief that government knows what's good for these people and that they do not.

I hope the next President is a Republican who repeals this law and replaces it with a better one that is more free market-oriented and focused on reducing premiums.