If healthcare.gov were a for-profit corporation

[Tim Bonney]

I agree with your very clear analysis Sandy. You can't both split your core constituency and fail to pick up other voters and win with any consistency. Particularly if the Republicans want to start winning they have to attract the Hispanic/Latino vote or they'll never catch up. There isn't a day goes by hardly that I do not hear Spanish spoken as I'm out in public. I sure wish I'd taken Spanish in High School.

The stand the Republicans keep taking on immigration is part of what is hurting them. We have a very conservative Congressman Steve King in NW Iowa. He is very anti-immigration reform. He is very popular among the conservative base in the area. But as I watch the Latino community grow, I just can't imagine it won't catch up with him some day.

[Stephen Fox]

Just like Mike Hubbard, Bama House Speaker of Hartwell, Ga who defeated the Toccoa religious rightist Ralph Reed, debating in High School.

If Thornton is in anyway serious about an informed conversation on this topic he will make time to listen online to the conversation on http://www.drshow.org

[Sandy]

[Stephen Fox]

Time Mag cover story should be the template.

It will be interesting to see how "Christian" SEC Football and Bama Republicans going forward explain themselves to the extended family members of their gold mine on the field in the SEC.

[David Flick]

[Sandy]

[KeithE]

Like I’ve been saying, time for an INDEPENDENT.

[KeithE]

I got on healthcare.gov this morning. No “waiting” screen shots; quick response. You can now “shop” and get prices of multiple plans open in my county (at least) w/o application being made. The prices looked good (lower than COBRA plan) but I doubt the prices were correct in that I did not have to give my age and there was a warning that application has to be made to see final prices. Got bogged down in making a new application since I had previously registered my email and have forgotten my password. Not really seriously shopping until I decide to retire when I will compare OC with a COBRA Plan. It’s nice to have options.

[Sandy]

The President's job approval rating is at or around 43-45% depending on which poll you use, but you have to take a look and see how those pollsters are asking the question and what it pertains to at the time. Then again, compared to the job approval rating of Speaker Boehner and the Republicans in the House, or Ted Cruz and the Republicans in the Senate, 43% is an unattainably high number. The Democrats are at 34% and have been trending upward in the past three weeks. The Republicans, at 26%, are trending downward, in the teeth of a blitz of publicity attacking the ACA with money that has been taken directly out of what we pay for insurance premiums. I don't think I've ever heard of a campaign strategy that involves overcharging for insurance and using the proceeds to attack a policy that has been the standing law of the land for four years, and was approved by the voters via the 2012 election.

Keith, you may be right about the independents. This may be the time for them to carve out a niche and make a run.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/163244/ameri ... oorly.aspx