{"id":14619,"date":"2015-01-30T14:37:45","date_gmt":"2015-01-30T22:37:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/?p=14619"},"modified":"2015-01-30T14:37:45","modified_gmt":"2015-01-30T22:37:45","slug":"open-thread1302015","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/2015\/01\/30\/open-thread1302015\/","title":{"rendered":"Open Thread–1\/30\/2015"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s day 86.  I was up most of the night working on my network and will be doing the same today, so I\u2019m feeling totally pooped and this is today\u2019s only article.<\/font><\/p>\n

Jig Zone Puzzle<\/strong>:<\/font><\/p>\n

Today\u2019s took me 2:24 (average 4:41).  To do it, click here<\/a>.  How did you do?<\/font><\/p>\n

Short Takes<\/strong>:<\/font><\/p>\n

From Daily Kos<\/a>: <\/font>Former Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson has been a key part of the legal challenge to subsidies under Obamacare, and figures prominently in the King v. Burwell case before the Supreme Court. The Democrat had been a key holdout in the Senate during debate, and was insistent that states be given as much autonomy as possible under the federal law. That included separate state health insurance exchanges. The House Democrats’ bill had one exchange, and it was largely Nelson’s holding out that forced the state exchanges in the Senate bill and the eventual law. The King plaintiffs are using Nelson’s position to support their theory that Congress intended to withhold subsidies from the states unless they established their own exchanges, in an attempt to force states to do it. <\/p>\n

They just lost the Ben Nelson argument<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n

Nelson, who announced his retirement in 2011, speaks for himself in a brief filed by Democratic congressional leaders and others. <\/p>\n

"I always believed that tax credits should be available in all 50 states regardless of who built the exchange, and the final law also reflects that belief as well," Nelson wrote in a letter<\/a> to Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) who sought Nelson’s view. [\u2026]<\/p>\n

Nelson said he wanted only for the exchanges to be tailored to the needs of each state.<\/p>\n

"In either scenario\u2014a state or federal exchange\u2014our purpose was clear: to provide states the tools necessary to deliver affordable healthcare to their citizens, and clearly the subsidies are a critical component of that effort regardless of which exchange type a state chooses," Nelson responded.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

If SCROTUS (Republican Constitutional VD) decide against the ACA now they will broadcast that they are legislating from the bench. Is is also the first time I have ever been thankful for something said by "Benedict Arnold" Nelson.  He may have just saved our bacon.<\/font><\/p>\n

From MoveOn<\/a>: <\/font>Republicans in Congress want to work with the Obama administration to fast-track the passage of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).<\/p>\n

The TPP is the largest\u2014and worst\u2014trade deal you\u2019ve never heard of, having been devised in secret by representatives of some of the world\u2019s largest corporations.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s so big and has the potential to do so much damage, it\u2019s been likened to \u201cNAFTA on steroids.\u201d<\/p>\n