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November 16, 2012 1:51 PM Lunch Buffet

By Ed Kilgore

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A rainy day here on the Central Coast of California, but still beautiful. Here are a few mid-day news bites in another slow day for anything other than symbolic gesturing and spin:

* At The Atlantic, Alexis Madrigal has a fascinating account of Obama 2012’s tech team, and how it ran circles around Mitt’s.

* FDL’s Jon Walker makes case that federally-run health insurance exchanges in recalcitrant Republican-run states better for all concerned.

* Harkin and Sanders formally call for taking Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid off the table in fiscal talks.

* Krugman blasts idea of boosting Medicare eligibility age.

* Democratic Senators join House Dem George Miller in proposing a new national voting minimum-standards law. Crickets from GOPers so far.

And in (maybe) non-political news:

* Another oil platform explosion in the Gulf; two people missing. We are told no oil leakage.

Back after some more holiday travel planning.

Ed Kilgore is a contributing writer to the Washington Monthly. He is managing editor for The Democratic Strategist and a senior fellow at the Progressive Policy Institute. Find him on Twitter: @ed_kilgore.
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Comments

  • MikeBoyScout on November 16, 2012 2:18 PM:

    The Atlantic piece, When the Nerds Go Marching In, is a must read.

  • maggie on November 16, 2012 2:30 PM:

    If the Feds are going to run the exchanges, I want to see them add medicare (for all) to that mix. It would be a great way to begin to move to single payer.

  • CDW on November 16, 2012 3:47 PM:

    I'm trying one more time to post a comment. The only reason I'm here at all is because I thought you were going to another comment platform and I keep hoping. If my comment doesn't go through this time, I'm outta here never toreturn. You'll never even know that I was here, of course, which is sadder for you than it is for me.

    Just want to point out that Krugman also blasted raising the Social Security age - called it cruel.

  • N.Wells on November 16, 2012 4:25 PM:

    I too was listening to news about all the states that are dumping health insurance planning onto the federal government, and was thinking that this might be a great route to single-payer. With lots of states depending on federal bureaucracy here, won't that make it much easier for someone to decide to save a few bucks by cutting out the middlemen, along the lines of cutting the banks out of federally guaranteed student loans?

  • RepublicanPointOfView on November 16, 2012 4:38 PM:

    We republicans will be pleased to have democrats agree to minimum voting standards of white, male, over 40. Bipartisanship is easy to accomplish when the demoncrats give us everything we want.

  • Peter C on November 16, 2012 4:48 PM:

    I wish they'd add VVPAT to the voting law.

  • Joe Friday on November 16, 2012 6:18 PM:

    "Another oil platform explosion in the Gulf; two people missing. We are told no oil leakage."

    Famous last words.