David Axelrod Sent Me this Stupid Email

David Axelrod sent me this email touting the purported benefits of Obamacare. The hashtag #IlikeObamacare has been an epic fail on Twitter as well, but I wanted to highlight how weak the case is for this pork laden, lobbyist written epic fail of a legislative effort.

B. --

I like Obamacare.

I'm proud of it -- and you should be, too.

Here's why: Because it works.

So if you're with me, say it: "I like Obamacare."

Obamacare means never having to worry about getting sick and running up against a lifetime cap on insurance coverage. It gives parents the comfort of knowing their kids can stay on their insurance until they're 26, and that a "pre-existing condition" like an ear infection will never compromise their child's coverage.

It's about ending the practice of letting insurance companies charge women 50 percent more -- just because they're women.

And Obamacare can save seniors hundreds of dollars a year on prescription drugs -- and gives them access to preventive care that is saving their lives.

President Obama never lost sight of the fact that this reform is about people. People like his own mother, who spent the last years of her life fighting cancer -- and fighting with insurance companies, too.

That shouldn't happen. And because of Obamacare, it can't.

So next time you hear someone railing against Obamacare, remember what they're actually saying they want to take away.

And, today, stand with me in saying, "Hell yeah, I'm for Obamacare":

http://my.barackobama.com/I-Like-Obamacare

Thanks,

David

P.S. -- Side note: Can you imagine if the opposition called Social Security "Roosevelt Security"? Or if Medicare was "LBJ-Care"? Seriously, have these guys ever heard of the long view?

The "long view?" That's exactly why we call it Obamacare, because we intend to fight until it is repealed and the label indicates the temporary nature of the bill. Let's take down some other aspects of his arguments.

It works? Rising premiums, people losing their coverage, cost curve bending upwards, adding to the deficit and trampling freedom of conscience. No I don't like Obamacare, but I like the snarky use of the #IlikeObamacare hashtag at Twitchy.

Lifetime cap on insurance coverage? In a truly free market, the public would have the right to make choices about the type of coverage needed. In fact, if we didn't tie health insurance to employment, and freed the marketplace, all sorts of innovative products might spring up.

Pre-existing conditions? This is the item that most resonates with Americans. But it is a red herring. The reason that pre-existing conditions are a problem is that health insurance is not portable. It ties people to their jobs and limits labor mobility. However, as part of a real health insurance reform package, the right to buy portability would overcome this problem. People could get started on their health insurance at birth, funded by their parents, and keep the insurance their whole lives. Wrecking the entire health care system over this one issue is a cover for stealth imposition of a socialist agenda by controlling this portion of the economy.

Charging women more? Free markets and transparency are the answer. Preventive care for seniors? How was this prevented under the previous system? Since Medicare was an existing program, why wouldn't changes to medicare have sufficed to fix any such problem? Again why wreck the entire nation's health insurance market, when a single reform to a single program would have sufficed.

Finally, with regards to the insurance companies, they are no different from any other business. Bad business practices are corrected by competition, sometimes by lawsuit for breach of contract and sometime by regulation. Obamacare did not solve this problem, in fact, it will probably make it worse, because of the nightmare thicket of regulations that will make it harder to understand actual standards of coverage. Contract law is a much more straightforward way to enforce standards of coverage. Further, because many people have little choice in who their insurance provider is, because it is tied to their job, competition on service, which drives auto insurance, isn't present in the health insurance market.

Obamacare is still not popular, and no amount of cheerleading will change the fact that it was a bad bill. I hope the Supreme Court will overturn it. The individual mandate is an unacceptable extension of the Commerce Clause. Further, the individual mandate is both legally and practically non-severable from the bill. We'll see what happens. I thought the court would go the other on Kelo vs New London, which ranks with Dred Scott and Plessy v Ferguson for horrible decisions, so what do I know?