Tiny Terrors

Unqualified
The announcement itself was vague, saying only that if website problems had prevented any consumers from enrolling, they might qualify for what the government has called “a special enrollment period.” The administration did not say how long that would last. Nor did it define what website errors might be involved. 
...
In its effort to help consumers and to avoid political damage to the president, the administration has announced a series of policy changes, delays, extensions and clarifications in recent months. (New York Times, 12/24/2013)

Vague...undefined...changes...delays...extensions...clarifications. It's Obamacare!


Early Bird
Imagine a candidate who comes out early, and strong, for adding a public option to the ACA exchanges. It could become a signature issue with the liberal grass roots during the primaries, and it wouldn’t be a bad general election issue either — the polls in 2010 showed support for a public option among Republicans and independents as well as Democrats. (George Zornick, Washington Post, 12/24/2013)

There is cluelessness and then there is Liberalism. Still poverty after 50 years and hundreds of billions of dollars in aid? The Liberal answer is that we are not spending enough. Millions of illegal immigrants in the U.S.? Answer: wave a wand and decree them to be legal. Obamacare imploding? Take the next step and make the entire health care system government-run. Yes, the same government that has so effectively managed the U.S. Postal Service. (New postal rate hike imminent.) 

Speaking for the other side, RedStateVT strongly strongly strongly encourages Democrats to take up Zornick's charge. Demand that single payer be on the Democrat party platform and insist that all Democrats running for office sign on. 

(Republicans would have a super-majority for a hundred years...)


Swept Away
Taken together, they amount to a sweeping exercise of executive power — what Prof. Jonathan Turley of George Washington University Law School describes as a “pattern of circumventing Congress in the creation of new major standards, exceptions or outright nullifications.” (New York Times, 12/24/2013)

And once again, it is important to point out the obvious. For all the Liberal outrage about abuse of executive power by George Bush, it is Barack Obama who has repeatedly and shamelessly upped the game.

Meanwhile, Bernie Sanders is quiet as a church mouse.


Math Problem
Stories Add Up as Bully Image Trails Christie (New York Times headline, 12/25/2013)

Time for the Times to start roughing up Chris Christie. Can't let those numbers get too high. They've got a female Democrat to get elected.


More Math
There are ten stories featured in the POLITICS section of the 12/24 edition of the New York Times. Three of the ten are about same sex marriage. Reached for comment, a Times spokesperson said: "Yeah, that's about right."

(OK, we made that last part up.)