Archive for the 'Political Powwow' Category

Obamacare Will Not Be defunded (Thankfully!)

Posted by Michelle Moquin on 25th September 2013

Good morning!

But some GOP are still trying. And a number of the key GOP players are not so keen at “defunding at all costs.” Did they finally get smart? Or are they just trying to protect their party because almost six in ten Americans oppose defunding the health care law if it means a government shutdown, while just 19 percent support? And a poll released last week found that only 23 percent of Americans want to make the health care law fail. I think the previous stat says it all.

Here’s a write from The Progress Report:

$#!^@#%!

BY CAP ACTION WAR ROOM ON SEPTEMBER 23, 2013 AT 5:01 PM

GOP Takes Obamacare Meltdown To A Whole New Level

A mere seven days remain for Congress to pass a spending bill in order to avoid a government shutdown. But Republicans are farther away than ever from agreeing to a reasonable plan that would keep the government open.

On Friday, the House GOP continued its march toward shutdown by passing a bill that ties keeping the government open to–surprise!–fully defunding Obamacare. Once again, Republicans refuse to do the hard work of actual governing in favor of playing political games that threaten to sabotage the economy. But while the vote only solidified the GOP’s ideological and dangerous strategy, it opened the floodgates for more infighting among its owns members. Here is what a number of key GOP players and establishment thinkers have to say about the “defund at all costs” plan:

GOP Sen. John McCain (AZ): “I can tell you that in the U.S. Senate, we will not repeal or defund Obamacare. We will not. And to think we can is not rational.”

GOP Strategist Karl Rove: The GOP defunding strategy is “self-defeating…It is an ill-conceived tactic, and Republicans should reject it.”

Fox News Host Bill O’Reilly: Defunding Obamacare is “fanaticism on the right,” O’Reilly says. “There’s no way Obamacare is going to be defunded. It’s not gonna happen.”

GOP Sen. Tom Coburn (OK): “Tactics and strategies ought to be based on what the real world is, and we do not have the political power to do this.”

GOP Sen. Rand Paul (KY): “I’m acknowledging we can’t probably defeat or get rid of Obamacare.”

GOP Sen. Kelly Ayotte (NH): “I don’t believe they should shut down the government to [defund Obamacare], and I don’t think that is a strategy that is good for America.”

GOP Sen. Johnny Isakson (GA): “It’s total atrophy. We’re earning our 11 percent popularity. It’s easier to talk about Obamacare than the major sources of our problems.”

Wall Street Journal Editorial Board: “Kamikaze missions rarely turn out well, least of all for the pilots… The kamikazes could end up ensuring the return of all-Democratic rule.”

Now, they all may just be trying to protect their party’s interests. But they seem to know what most Americans already do: the extreme demands by the GOP to push a narrow ideological agenda are out of touch. A new bipartisan CNBC poll released today proves that point. Almost six in ten Americans oppose defunding the health care law if it means a government shutdown, while just 19 percent support. A poll released last week found that only 23 percent of Americans want to make the health care law fail.

BOTTOM LINE: Republicans’ political games are threatening our nation’s economic recovery. Americans don’t want to shut down the government and want an end to the hostage-taking political tactics that place ideology over practical solutions for stability and growth.

And if that isn’t enough GOP saying Obamacare cannot be defeated, here is a write that I read this morning on the New York Times. Sen. Ted Cruz (R) is one who is persistent in his efforts to defund at all costs, and his party isn’t exactly applauding him.

Senator Persists on Health Law, Irking Many in His Party

WASHINGTON — Senator Ted Cruz, the Republican from Texas who took to the Senate floor Tuesday afternoon and declared he would speak “until I cannot stand,” was still standing about 21 hours later as he pressed ahead with his impassioned and often lonely verbal assault on President Obama’s health care law.

It is a fight he will almost certainly lose later on Wednesday when Republicans and Democrats are expected to vote overwhelmingly to move ahead so the Senate can begin considering a bill, approved by the House last week, that would finance most of the government but not the Affordable Care Act.

Around 11 a.m. Mr. Cruz was looking weary, his eyes slightly droopy. He had loosened his tie. Stacks of thick three-ring binders — containing his notes and other materials he read aloud — were scattered around his feet and on the desks near where he stood.

A spokesman for Senator Harry Reid, the majority leader, said Wednesday morning that Mr. Cruz had not left the Senate floor since he began speaking on Tuesday. He has had intermittent breaks from talking while other senators like Marco Rubio of Florida and Rand Paul of Kentucky have posed open-ended and sometimes long-winded questions that allowed the senator from Texas to pace around and stretch his legs.

Mr. Cruz will be permitted to talk until noon, when the Senate convenes to officially start its new legislative day. At that point, senators will recite the Pledge of Allegiance and Mr. Cruz’s microphone will be cut off. Then, if he maintains his stamina, he will be allowed to carry on until 1 p.m. but no longer. That is when the Senate is scheduled to vote.

The scene inside the Senate chamber in the late night and early morning hours was sometimes an unusual one for the staid body, especially when Mr. Cruz paused briefly in his attack to read his two young daughters a bedtime story — “Green Eggs and Ham” by Dr. Seuss.

At other times, he compared his fight to efforts by leaders who stood against the Nazis, ended the cold war or started the American Revolution.

“Everyone in America knows Obamacare is destroying the economy,” said Mr. Cruz, who began speaking at 2:41 p.m. “Where is the urgency?”

His speech was already rivaling some of the longest Senate filibusters on record, including those by Robert M. La Follette, who spoke for 18 hours and 23 minutes in 1908 and Alfonse D’Amato, who went on for 23 hours and 30 minutes in 1986. The record was set by Strom Thurmond at 24 hours and 18 minutes in 1957.

Mr. Cruz called on his colleagues to stonewall the House measure they technically supported, arguing that Senate Democrats would be successful in stripping the health care provision from the funding bill once the way was cleared to a Senate vote on the issue. His basic demand was an agreement that a final vote require 60 supporters, a demand Democrats rejected.

Other Republicans said they saw no reason to oppose debating a measure they actually backed.

“We’d be hard-pressed to explain why we were opposed to a bill we’re in favor of,” said Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader.

Others warned of political repercussions if Republicans, who hope to regain control of the Senate in the elections next year, were seen as contributing to a shuttering of the government. “Getting the majority in the Senate in 2014 is possible, and we don’t want to go down roads that make it harder,” said Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, who is up for re-election next year. “Repealing Obamacare is a goal all Republicans share,” he added, “but the tactics of achieving that goal can have a backlash.”

Mr. Cruz’s critics have said that he is not engaging in a filibuster in the sense it is most commonly understood: a tactic meant to block legislation from moving forward. But Senate historians said that there is, in fact, no hard-and-fast definition for the word.

After 21 Hours, Cruz Ends Senate Speech

Yeah and that speech included reading a Dr. Seuss book “Green Eggs and Ham” to his children.

Senior Senate Republicans pushed Mr. Cruz on Tuesday to give up his stalling tactics and let the Senate take its final votes as soon as possible to strip out the health care language and other policy prescriptions, then approve new language to keep the government operating until mid-November. An early vote would give the House speaker, John A. Boehner, more time to plan his next move: whether to put the Senate-passed bill up for a vote and ensure no government shutdown or to add new Republican-favored language and send it back to the Senate.

Some Senate Republicans suggested a quick vote on a stopgap spending measure could allow the House to attach a measure related to the Affordable Care Act but one that could split Democrats and possibly become law. The obvious target would be a tax on medical devices that helps finance the law, but which has strong opponents in both parties. House Republicans are also considering adding a one-year delay in the individual mandate.

Such procedural niceties carried little weight with the conservative activists backing Mr. Cruz, and the conservative advocacy groups egging them on. Phone lines were jammed by Cruz supporters. E-mails flew, encouraged by organizations like the Tea Party Patriots and the Heritage Foundation. The Senate Conservative Fund, a group that has been running advertisements attacking Republicans who are not supporting the “defund Obamacare” effort, called Mr. McConnell and the No. 2 Senate Republican, John Cornyn of Texas, “turncoats.”

But most Republicans showed little fear of a backlash for voting to take up the House bill. “If this is what you wanted, consideration of this bill, I don’t know how you can be against taking it up,” said Senator Richard Burr, a Republican from North Carolina.

Mr. Reid moved Tuesday to change the House-passed bill, shortening the stopgap spending measure so it would finance the government only through mid-November instead of mid-December. Senator Barbara Mikulski, the Democrat from Maryland who leads the Appropriations Committee, requested the change to raise pressure on the House to address the automatic spending cuts that are squeezing federal programs and are reflected in the spending plan passed by the House.

But such narrow issues took a back seat to Mr. Cruz’s crusade, with bit parts granted to his Senate Republican supporters. They included Mr. Rubio, Mike Lee of Utah, Pat Roberts of Kansas, David Vitter of Louisiana, Jeff Sessions of Alabama and Mr. Paul, whose own filibuster this year over the government’s use of lethal drone strikes lasted 12 hours and 52 minutes.

Topics Mr. Cruz addressed included his affection for the little hamburgers at White Castle, the fast-food chain that says its growth is slowing because of the health care law, and a tough-love speech by Ashton Kutcher. He doled out insults to the Washington establishment, blasting politicians in “cheap suits” and “bad haircuts,” and branding journalistic fact-checking as a “particularly pernicious bit of yellow journalism.” At one point, he read some of his daughters’ favorite stories.

Under the current timetable, the Senate will vote Wednesday to cut off debate on a motion to take up the House bill and vote Thursday to actually take up the House bill. Mr. Reid will then introduce his version of the stopgap spending bill, stripped of the health care language and other policy measures.

The real showdown vote will probably come on Saturday, when the Senate votes to cut off debate on Mr. Reid’s version of the bill. If that receives 60 votes, a final vote would come on Sunday, leaving the House one day to act before much of the government closes its doors.

That would give Mr. Boehner a stark choice: pass a short-term spending bill with Democratic votes and risk the wrath of conservative activists or try again to take a bit out of the health care law with no time left on the clock and ensure a shutdown.

“I don’t know what all the scenes are, but I’ve seen how this movie ends,” said Senator John McCain, a Republican from Arizona. “We will end up not shutting the government down, and we will not defund Obamacare.”

*****

Readers: What say you? Blog me.

Ruth: McClintock like most republicans are either too stupid or know exactly what they are saying and hoping that you don’t. So yes, he has redefined “e pluribus unum” to fit his needs. Just like the repubs have rewritten history to fit their needs. It’s all the same same lies and deceit.

Peace out.

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

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“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream

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Posted in Health & Well Being, Political Powwow | 13 Comments »

Obama opens UN talks with diplomatic opportunities

Posted by Michelle Moquin on 24th September 2013

Good morning!

Obama opens UN talks with diplomatic opportunities

Monday, September 23rd 2013, 5:24 am

By Julie Pace Ap White House Correspondent

President Barack Obama opens meetings at the United Nations with diplomatic opportunities on three vexing issues: Iran’s disputed nuclear program, Syria’s chemical weapons use, and elusive peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

All three pathways are fraught with potential pitfalls and hinge on cooperation from often unreliable nations. Obama also risks being branded as naive and misguided if the efforts fail, particularly in Syria, where he’s used the prospect of diplomacy to put off a military strike in retaliation for a chemical weapons attack.

Still, the recent developments mark a significant shift on a trio of issues that have long proved problematic for Obama at the United Nations. His former Iranian counterpart used the annual U.N. General Assembly meetings as a venue for fiery, anti-American speeches. Failed Middle East peace talks led the Palestinians to seek statehood recognition at the U.N. despite staunch American objections. And the Obama administration has been stymied on Syria at the U.N. Security Council due to intractable Russian opposition.

But this year, Iran has a new leader who is making friendly overtures toward Obama, raising the prospect of a meeting at the United Nations. U.S.-brokered peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians have resumed — though on an uncertain course. And Russia has joined with the U.S. on a diplomatic deal to strip Syria of its chemical weapons.

Joel Rubin, a former State Department official who now works at the nonproliferation organization Ploughshares, said the confluence of events underscores an often frustrating aspect of diplomacy.

“You never know when it’s going to break,” said Rubin. He said Obama’s biggest test now is to recognize if opportunities morph into stalling tactics.

Obama’s advisers cast the sudden signs of progress as an outgrowth of the president’s long-standing preference for resolving disputes through diplomacy and, in the case of Iran and Syria, with pressure built up through economic sanctions and the threat of military action.

“He said we’d be open to diplomacy, we’d pursue engagement, but that there would be pressure if Iran failed to take that opportunity,” said Ben Rhodes, Obama’s deputy national security adviser. And on Syria, Rhodes said it was the credible threat of a U.S. military strike “that opened the door for this diplomacy.”

Obama was due to arrive in New York Monday afternoon. He will address the U.N. on Tuesday, a speech aides say will touch on developments in Iran, Syria and Middle East peace. The issues will also be at the forefront of some of the president’s bilateral meetings with world leaders, including a sit-down with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Lebanese President Michel Suleiman, whose country is burdened by the flow of refugees from neighboring Syria.

But Obama’s most closely watched meeting may end up being with Iranian President Hasan Rouhani. No encounter is scheduled, but U.S. officials have left open the possibility the two men might talk on the sidelines of the international gathering.

If they do, it would mark the first meeting of U.S. and Iranian leaders in more than 30 years. A meeting could also be a precursor to renewed talks on Tehran’s disputed nuclear program — though bridging differences over Iran’s right to enrich uranium and maintain those stockpiles will be a far tougher task than arranging a handshake.

The election of Rouhani, a moderate cleric, signaled frustration among many Iranians with their country’s international isolation and the crippling impact of Western sanctions. Obama and Rouhani have already exchanged letters. And the new Iranian president’s rhetoric has so far been more palatable to the U.S. than former leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who would threaten Israel as well as lambast the U.S. in his annual remarks at the U.N.

Trita Parsi, the president of the National Iranian American Council, said Rouhani shares with Obama a need to prove to a domestic audience that diplomacy can produce concrete results.

“If he can’t show that his diplomatic approach will pay more dividends for Iran that Ahmadinejad’s theatrics, then it’s back to the conservatives being in the driver’s seat. And the flexibility that Rouhani currently has will be lost,” Parsi said.

As Rouhani considers re-engaging with the U.S., he’s closely watching diplomatic developments in Syria, an Iranian ally.

A chemical weapons attack near Damascus in August brought the U.S. to the brink of a military strike. But an idea floated by Secretary of State John Kerry turned into a last-minute overture from Russia — another backer of Syrian President Bashar Assad — and resulted in a deal to turn Syria’s chemical weapons stockpiles over to the international community.

The breakthrough was particularly unexpected given that Russia has thwarted U.S. efforts to punish Assad through the U.N. Security Council. When Obama was on the verge of launching a strike against Assad’s regime, he said the U.N. had an “incapacity” to address Syria’s violation of international agreements banning the deployment of deadly gases.

Now the U.S. once again sees a role for the Security Council. The U.S. wants the panel to approve a resolution making the U.S.-Russian agreement legally binding in a way that is verifiable and enforceable. But a key obstacle remains, given U.S. and Russian disagreement over whether to put the resolution under Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter.

Chapter 7 deals with threats to international peace and security and has provisions for enforcement by military or nonmilitary means, such as sanctions. Russia is sure to veto a resolution that includes a mandate for military action.

The prospect of diplomacy in Iran and Syria has overshadowed tenuous progress in recent months in restarting direct talks between the Israelis and Palestinians. Talks resumed this summer after months of prodding by Kerry, but the prospect of a resolution on issues that have long had the Israelis and Palestinians at odds remain as slim as ever.

Palestinian leaders, frustrated by the stalemate, have taken their case in recent years to the United Nations, where there is broad support for their bid for statehood. While the U.S. supports Palestinian statehood, it says that status can only be achieved through direct negotiations with the Israelis.

That’s put Obama in the awkward position of arguing against Palestinian efforts during his previous trips to the U.N. American opposition stymied Palestinian efforts to become full U.N. members in 2011, but the Palestinians succeeded in a bid to gain implicit statehood recognition last year.

The 2012 measure passed overwhelmingly, with the U.S. and just a handful of other nations voting no.

*****

Blog me.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

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Thank you for your loyal support!

“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream

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Posted in Political Powwow | 4 Comments »

Another Sick Mind Speaks Out Loud

Posted by Michelle Moquin on 23rd September 2013

Good morning!

Think Progress:

GOP Congressman Argues Against Multiculturalism: ‘There’s Only One Race Here, It’s The American Race’

BY SCOTT KEYES ON AUGUST 14, 2013 AT 2:52 PM

Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA)CREDIT: Perspicacity Press

EL DORADO HILLS, California — Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA) took a strong stand against multiculturalism at a town hall meeting, arguing that immigrants need to shed their culture, become “the American race,” and if they’re unwilling to do so, “reevaluate” whether they want to be in this country in the first place.

Fielding questions about immigration reform, McClintock told the audience on Tuesday evening that he worries current generations of immigrants aren’t assimilating like in the past but instead retaining the culture from their native land. “There’s only one race here, it’s the American race,” he implored to constituents.

McCLINTOCK: Interestingly, that provision for patriotic integration is missing from the Senate legislation. The motto of this country is e pluribus unum, and one of its meanings is “from many nations, one nation, the American nation.” There’s only one race here, it’s the American race. And the only way you accomplish that is through assimilation. That is what our immigration laws are designed to promote, and that is precisely what illegal immigration undermines.

Watch it:

After the event, Emmanuel Perez, a Latino man from nearby Auburn, questioned McClintock directly about what it means to be American. “People bring their cultures and their personalities with them,” which makes this country stronger, Perez argued.

McClintock vehemntly disagreed, accusing proponents of multiculturalism of wanting to “divide America into warring factions separated by culture, by language, by attitude.” If immigrants aren’t willing to shed their past culture, said McClintock, “then perhaps that is nature’s way of telling you that, maybe, you should reevaluate your options.”

ThinkProgress spoke with Perez after the event, who was disappointed in the congressman’s remarks. “We’re not all the same,” Perez said. “I believe in the American dream, but his view isn’t my vision of the American dream.”

*****

Readers: Another sick mind of another sick republican speaking out. Thoughts? Blog me.

Anna of Guam, Clarise, Hollie, Beatrice, et al: I just wanted to check in and see how everything is going over there. The recent news is from 3 days ago so I am HOPEing that the flash floods are over. Wishing you and yours safety. Hafa Adai.

Marina: Your comment cracked me up.

Trudy: It is all over the place sometimes, and I love it too. Yes, the girls on this blog are awesome.

Good for you for wading into politics. I was the same way a long time ago. If you don’t get involved then you don’t have the right to bitch about it, and more importantly, make informed decisions.

As far as becoming a girlz, I will take your comment to mean that you are ready. Thanks for being here.

Helen: I ask myself that question all of the time. When I think of the statement that the Dalai Lama made, “The world will be saved by the western woman,” I think “Yes!” And then I see who our western women are voting for. We will make huge changes when we stick together, side by side, and vote for what’s right and good for all, instead of falling lockstep behind the corrupt, sick, republican men, who care more about their own self aggrandizement than the livelihood and health of women.

LeTa0: Amen Brother.

Barbara: Your comment made me lol. I HOPE you are looking out for yourself.

Marvin: Are you living under a rock? Come up and get some air every once in awhile, you might learn something.

Peace out.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream

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Posted in Human Rights and Equality, Political Powwow | 13 Comments »

Just Noticing: “Observations of A Reader”

Posted by Michelle Moquin on 22nd September 2013

Good morning!

This was sent from LeTa0, who plans to post this comment on the Huff Post, for me to blog today.

“Just noticing…”

A write from the Huff Po:

Russia Says U.S. Using Syria Chemical Weapons Deal To Seek U.N. Resolution Threatening Force Against Assad Government

LeTa0′s comment: Obama is playing this game of diplomacy with a skill former Presidents have not shown. He is bringing the UN back into a position with Syria’s use of chemical weapons they had given up on because of the Russian and the Chinese refusals to cooperate and give the UN some teeth to go with its declarations.

Sit back and watch a pro show you how to manipulate the intractable. You will hear his detractors claim Obama is lost. But the truth is more like the game he is playing is too deep for their understanding.

Although he will if he has to, he never intended to use force. Once he had in place a credible commitment to use force, he set about giving Syria and Russia the time to come to terms. He knew that the polls showed that the American public was against military action and that he could count on the republicans be against anything he was for so all he had to do was propose putting using that armada he had sitting within striking distance of Syria to a vote. You will notice he did so with the admonition that he believed he had the Constitutional authority to use that force if he needed to.

That set his diplomatic chess board for the game and the moves have been a mystery to the MSM and most of the pundits because they are used to a game of checkers when it comes to diplomacy being played by the previous 43 presidents.

******

Readers: What are your thoughts? Blog me.

Happy Sunday everyone!

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Posted in Just noticing: Observations of a blogger, Political Powwow | 21 Comments »

Obama Cares About Women

Posted by Michelle Moquin on 21st September 2013

Good morning!

First things first. (Not necessarily in order of importance)

Love.

Anonymous: Well, posting here, you just told many parts of the world already. :) Love may or may not last but while you’re deep in it, it is truly wonderful. Savor it. Appreciate it. Give it. Revel in its juicy deliciousness. I HOPE the Love you give is returned back to you. :)))

LeTa0: I love your comeback, but then most of what you post is right on in my book. The world does know and yet there are so many who are blinded by their racism to do anything about it. They would rather believe the rewritten history of the tiny minded repubs than take responsibility, put their racist thoughts to rest, and do something for the betterment of the entire country.

And since you continued the conversation on Obamacare, I thought I would keep it going.

Second things second.

Health.

Women are always the last to get good health care simply because men in power just don’t care enough about us to do what is best for us. They care more about controlling us. That changed with Obama and Obamacare. Obama cares about women and Obamacare ensures that women get the care they need.

Here’s the write from Think Progress:

Last Year, Nearly 13 Million Women Of Reproductive Age Didn’t Have Health Insurance

BY TARA CULP-RESSLER ON SEPTEMBER 20, 2013 AT 11:33 AM

CREDIT: Shutterstock

Almost 13 million American women between the ages of 15 and 44 didn’t have health insurance in 2012,according to a new analysisfrom the Guttmacher Institute. When that demographic is broken down by economic status, nearly one in four women living below the poverty line didn’t have health care that year.

That’s especially problematic because uninsured women in that age group may not have any way to access affordable family planning services — especially if they’re living in poverty. Over the past decade, unintended pregnancies have become increasingly concentrated among low-income women who can’t afford birth control. The United States also has some of the highest rates of teen pregnancies and first-day infant deaths in the developed world, and women’s health experts say that’s largely due to the gaps in access to family planning services.

“These bleak statistics not only underscore the urgent and ongoing need for safety-net programs such as the Title X national family planning program, they also demonstrate the significant potential gains to be made as the Affordable Care Act’s expansion of public and private insurance coverage gets underway,” the Guttmacher researchers note.

Fortunately, several key components of the Affordable Care Act will ensure that women have better access to health insurance in the coming year. Obamacare will extend coverage to additional low-income Americans through its state-level expansion of the Medicaid program, as well as give federal subsidies to uninsured Americans to help them purchase plans on new insurance marketplaces.

And once more women gain insurance, they’ll also have better benefits to suit their reproductive needs. Obamacare requires insurers to cover a range of gender-specific preventative services — like contraception, cancer screenings, HPV vaccinations, maternity care, and well-woman check ups — at no additional charge. The health law’s birth control provision has been in place for a little over a year by now, and an estimated 27 million women are already benefiting from it.

Without Obamacare, the cost barriers to contraception can be prohibitive for many women. One study conducted in 2012 found thatnearly half of young women admitted they hadn’t used their birth control method as directed in order to cut down on expenses. And the most effective forms of long-lasting contraception were out of reach for many women because they can cost hundreds of dollars out of pocket. Problematically, birth control can actually be more expensive in low-income areas.

But even as the federal health reform law is making big gains in this area, that’s not necessarily the case when it comes to state policies. State-level family planning programs have been subject to huge cuts in recent years, as Republican lawmakers have slashed women’s health funding in at least ten different states.

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