Day: December 5, 2024

Will Democrats Ever Learn?

My immediate answer is…..probably not.

Since the election of 2024 the Dems have been scratching their heads after having their asses handed to them…..I thought I would add more thoughts…..

I have been watching and participating in the American system for 50+ years and I have swings by the parties but then the Dems just rolled over and settled for the big donors to run the party.

After their loss in November I wrote about their quandary….

Still Scratching Their Heads

The ideas that they latched onto were not the ideas that the voter had in mind.

Why is that?

It appears that the voters were not buying the snake oil the Dems were selling.

The Dems failure ran across all generational voters….

Gen Z.
GOP: 80%
Dem: 48%
Other: 52%

Millennial
GOP: 83%
Dem: 57%
Other: 50%

Gen X
GOP: 90%
Dem: 73%
Other: 58%

Baby Boom
GOP: 90%
Dem: 78%
Other: 52%

Do you see the problem yet?

Apparently what the corruptible think we want to hear is not all that accurate….and now the Dems think they can change their tactics….I think it is a bit late….they should have thought along those lines in 1980.

What started the rapid decline of the Democrat Party was the election of Bubba Clinton in 1992…..he and his entourage decided that they would embrace high dollar donors….and ever since those days the Dems have had nothing in common with the people they pretend to speak for….the first thing they need to do (but will not happen in my lifetime because they worship the dollars thrown at them) is the rid the party of plutocratic politics.

Big money has always spoken with a loud voice in American politics, but the problem has gotten much worse in the neoliberal era that began in the 1970s. Abetted by the decline of labor unions and court decisions weakening restrictions on campaign spending, both political parties have become increasingly beholden to wealthy donors. The result has been particularly disastrous for the Democrats as they became a pale imitation of the Republicans—and suffered a steady erosion of support from working-class voters.

(thenation.com)

After many, many years working as an activist and labor organizer I saw stuff that the politicians and even the MSM have ignored.

These are a few things that the Dems should work into their ‘new’ approach….but will they attempt reform?

I do not foresee much success for the Dems….most are too addicted to the high dollars they get from the special interests….it will always be about the money…..not the people.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

 

A Look At Medicare For 2025

May I see a show of hands?

How many of you are retired and on Medicare?

Then this is a post you might want to pay attention to so you have an idea of what to expect with the incoming administration.

Trump’s choice to run our Medicare is none other than a quack, Oz…..

Dr. Mehmet Oz, whose unsuccessful 2022 Pennsylvania Senate bid included pitching voters on a plan to expand the privatized Medicare Advantage program, is now in a position to potentially actualize that plan.

President-elect Donald Trump announced Tuesday that Oz, also known by his TV personality name Dr. Oz, is his pick to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

“Dr. Oz—a massive investor in Pharma—told the voters of Pennsylvania his plans to privatize Medicare… and they rejected him. Now Trump is giving him the authority to see his industry-approved plan carried through,” wrote the progressive-leaning outlet The Lever, which covered Oz’s support for Medicare Advantage back in 2022.

Through Medicare Advantage, which has been promoted by Trump and other congressional Republicans, seniors can opt out of traditional government-run Medicare health plans and instead choose plans administered by private insurers, such as UnitedHealthcare and Cigna.

According to The Lever‘s 2022 reporting, Oz pushed Medicare Advantage plans on his show The Dr. Oz Show and co-wrote a 2020 column for Forbes with a former healthcare executive in which they argued that a “Medicare Advantage For All” plan can “save” our healthcare system. In the column, Oz and his co-author articulated a plan to expand Medicare Advantage by imposing a 20% payroll tax.

Oz “is not a good pick for a very powerful position in charge of a trillion dollars of healthcare spending,” wrote Matt Stoller of the American Economic Liberties Project on X, in reference to The Lever’s investigation.

https://www.commondreams.org/news/dr-oz-medicare-privatization

That’s right put a man that is heavily invested in big Pharma in charge of Medicare….and still believe that we will have the best interests of seniors in mind…..if you believe that then you may be on crack.

In case you may have missed my previous post on what to expect with healthcare in 2025….

To my fellow retirees….we are in for a possible rough ride in the next 4 years….maybe should have paid closer attention before the vote….Just a thought.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”