Yet Another Obama Believer Finds Out How Naive She Was
Carol Marin writes in the Chicago Sun-Times about a woman who used to work for Rep. Bill Foster of Illinois, a Democrat who lost his seat mainly because of voters pissed off about Obamacare.
Marin quotes this email she recently sent to Foster and other Democratic colleagues:
"I spent two years defending Obamacare. I had constituents scream at me, spit at me and call me names that I can't put in print. The congressman was not re-elected in 2010 mainly because of the anti-Obamacare anger. When the congressman was not re-elected, I also (along with the rest of our staff) lost my job. I was upset that because of the health care issue, I didn't have a job anymore but still defended Obamacare because it would make health care available to everyone at, what I assumed, would be an affordable price. I have now learned that I was wrong. Very wrong."
Marin continues:
For Klinkhamer, 60, President Obama's oft-repeated words ring in her ears: "If you like your health plan, you will keep it."Well, possibly not.
When Klinkhamer lost her congressional job, she had to buy an individual policy on the open market.
Three years ago, it was $225 a month with a $2,500 deductible. Each year it went up a little to, as of Sept. 1, $291 with a $3,500 deductible. Then, a few weeks ago, she got a letter.
"Blue Cross," she said, "stated my current coverage would expire on Dec. 31, and here are my options: I can have a plan with similar benefits for $647.12 [or] I can have a plan with similar [but higher] pricing for $322.32 but with a $6,500 deductible."
She went on, "Blue Cross also tells me that if I don't pick one of the options, they will just assume I want the one for $647. ... Someone please tell me why my premium in January will be $356 more than in December?"
Um, because, for example, my 60-something friend, who, after having three children, went through menopause some years ago, is now forced to have maternity care and prenatal care. To name one example.
Not everybody wants the plan with everything. But now we're all being forced to have it.
Obi-Wan Obama:
"If you like your healthcare plan, you can keep it"
(subtle hand motion)
"You do not like your healthcare plan."
Dwatney at October 31, 2013 4:56 AM
"Someone please tell me why my premium in January will be $356 more than in December?"
Just what did she think people were trying to tell her for the last few years?
Clearly there is a reason she and her former boss lost their jobs - they didn't listen to some of the voting public.
Sadly, WE all have to pay the price for her and her former boss being so ignorant.
Charles at October 31, 2013 6:26 AM
How did Klinkhamer ever think Obamacare was going to actually work? Oh, that's right, the SMcDMB.
Cousin Dave at October 31, 2013 6:54 AM
The only quality that can describe Obi is that he is a marxist. As such, he is ignorant and ass backwards, and like most know it all marxists, he is paranoid (see Mao, Stalin, Pol Pot). It's creepy how this is all looking like the cultural revolution in China.
Not sure whether Obi is an outright racist or just a race baiter.
Stinky the Clown at October 31, 2013 7:18 AM
Googled SMcDMB, and apparently that stands for
Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board
Still not sure I understand :(
jerry at October 31, 2013 7:56 AM
Let's note that she supported the plan when she thought it wouldn't affect HER.
This morning on the way into the office I heard some fool on the radio explaining how all of the insurace policies that are being cancelled "weren't really insurance" because they didn't always cover certain routine care or prescriptions. I suppose some people are stupid enough to believe it. If I have $20k in the bank and make enough money to pay for the one or two doctor's visits a year I make (plus $10 a month for generic birth control at Target or Wal-Mart), a cheap plan with a $10,000 deductible is just fine.
The conspiracy theorist in me thinks that, since the insurance companies are the only ones who will benefit off of this whole deal (since we're forced to buy their product), that eventually the liberal populists will move to further regulate those companies and eventually force a single-payer system. That is, after all, the administration's goal, right?
ahw at October 31, 2013 7:58 AM
Jerry:
Scrooge McDuck Money Bin
It was mentioned a few days ago in another post.
Jazzhands at October 31, 2013 8:40 AM
White House 'putting massive pressure' on insurance companies to stop publicly trashing Obamacare'
Jim P. at October 31, 2013 8:43 AM
Thank you, I was a little worried SMcDMB was some rap artist I had overlooked.
jerry at October 31, 2013 8:48 AM
I would like to know how that former Foster staffer is going to vote in the 2014 and 2016 elections.
Fayd at October 31, 2013 8:52 AM
I didn't have a job anymore but still defended Obamacare because it would make health care available to everyone at, what I assumed, would be an affordable price
Why the FUCK would you assume that???
Sosij at October 31, 2013 11:39 AM
On another note, after reading the original article, I see that Klinkmeyer only says that she was wrong about her assumptions of what Obamacare would accomplish and her defending the ACA. She does not say that those people screaming, spitting and calling her names were right. She does not say that she should have freed herself from the Democrat mindset and listened to those people the first time around.
This was the problem the whole time the ACA was being presented to the public. The Democrats in Congress were so gung-ho about supporting the President that the attitude was "If you're against Obamacare, you're a Republican" and you would be ignored.
Most Democrats tend to forget that the majority of voters are not affiliated with any party, but tend to lean Democrat. These were independent thinkers who knew a bad deal when they saw it. Those who spoke out against the ACA were still seen as Republicans.
Even if you went up to them and said, "I am a Democrat and I think Obamacare is a bad idea," the response would likely be, "Then you are not really a Democrat."
Fayd at October 31, 2013 11:41 AM
"Scrooge McDuck Money Bin"
Yep. That's the mythical infinite supply of money that a lot of people just know that the bad guys (take your pick on who the "bad guys" are) have hidden away somewhere and aren't sharing. Since the supply is infinite, they could easily share and pay for every single thing that every peson wants, and never miss it. But they won't do that because they're a bunch of big ol' meanies.
Scrooge McDuck is a character from Disney's old Donald Duck comics and animated shorts. As implied, he's very wealthy. He owns a building called the Money Bin; it's a huge, tall building that is literally a big tank filled with money. He swims in the money. The Money Bin has a spigot at the bottom that you turn and money pours out. The thing is, the Money Bin's supply is essentially infinite; any amount of money can be withdrawn without having any effect on the level of money at the top of the bin. However, Scrooge is very stingy about withdrawals. A recurring theme of the cartoons is people trying to find ways to get money out of the Money Bin.
The thing is, Scrooge isn't really portrayed as evil. A tightwad yes, but evil, no. It often involved Scrooge saying no to various requests for money from Donald and others, but this was usually portrayed as teaching the value of frugality and of earning rather than being given. Scrooge is tight but he never stiffs anyone on a deal.
Cousin Dave at October 31, 2013 12:07 PM
Fox News has it figured out.
Women should pay more for insurance than men.
Gog_Magog_Carpet_Reclaimers at October 31, 2013 1:21 PM
You can see in the news now that the President is changing his lies, to call the plans being cancelled as "substandard".
This is Newspeak. "Substandard" actually means, "does not cover the things we want to cover for everyone, so that everyone is forced to pay for the procedures that only some use", or, "does not pay enough into the pot we intend to dole out to those who please us".
Radwaste at October 31, 2013 2:38 PM
Dear Ms. Marin:
Welcome to I Know Better How To Run Your Life Than You Do World. Only in this case, the people running this world couldn't take a dump without written instructions.
Live and learn. Don't vote Democrat in the future. Don't vote RINO in GOP primaries, either. Thanks in advance.
mpetrie98
mpetrie98 at October 31, 2013 4:20 PM
Gog, I'm certain that there wouldn't be such an uproar on Salon if some feminist battleax asserted that men should pay more for insurance than women. But who knows, maybe they should, or maybe women should. I'm not the one to decide that, since I don't run an insurance company.
mpetrie98 at October 31, 2013 4:23 PM
Reminds me of a great line from Animal House:
Flounder (Klinkhamer), you can't spend your whole life worrying about your mistakes! You fucked up... you trusted us! Hey, make the best of it! Maybe we can help.
bob at October 31, 2013 4:24 PM
And the Tea Party types are saying to America:
Jim P. at October 31, 2013 9:13 PM
@ Gog_Magog_Carpet_Reclaimers
Point out to any feminist that men pay more for car insurance, and she will quickly point out that male drivers are more expensive to cover and deny there is discrimination.
I don't always agree with Marc Rudov, but I think he had a point when he said feminists love capitalism when it benefits them (like paying less for car insurance) and love socialism when it benefits them (like men paying more for health insurance to offset their higher use).
This selective capitalism/socialism is chaotic.
Trust at November 1, 2013 8:00 AM
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