Republicans and Medicaid Expansion

For all of the thermonuclear reactions in the press, the just-barely-started Trump administration hasn’t really had an unfixable mistake yet. Yes, the rollout of the executive order on immigration and refugees was a mess from start to finish, but the administration has the option of a mulligan and they’re taking it. (In retrospect, don’t even bother trying to enact a controversial change without your own attorney general in place to defend it legally.)

.. Strategists at Goldman put the mood of the market this way: “We are approaching peak optimism.” They forecast the S&P 500 will hit a high in the next month or so but end the year lower than where it is now as investors push back expectations for the timing of the tax cuts.

.. Ironically, some states are buying into the Medicaid expansion just as Republicans start talking about replacing it. In Kansas, the state House just voted to expand eligibility, 81-44.

.. Some might grumble that this is taking away Obamacare-era subsidies for purchasing insurance and replacing them with Trumpcare (or whatever the replacement is called) tax credits for purchasing insurance. But Walker seems pretty convinced that this is better if it is part of an overall emphasis of getting people into the workforce:

.. When governors are given the ability to really reform Medicaid and our other assistance programs, when I say it’s the same or better, I mean we help somebody get into the workforce. Now they’ve got an employer-based plan, or they’re making enough to be able to afford the co-pays or the premiums on that. They’re better off than they were before. The government just giving them something, even in the form of a subsidy, isn’t necessarily good for them. We can find a better alterative. It doesn’t mean we’re giving you more money, but rather we’re giving you more ability to earn and live a better life.

.. we were suddenly informed that because of a security sweep by the Secret Service, we all had to leave – meaning, everyone on “Radio Row” – every host, guest, producer, and technician had to clear out, even if they were supposed to be on the air.

.. CPAC didn’t have this problem when Republicans didn’t run anything in Washington!

Obviously the Secret Service needs to able to ensure a secure environment, but this felt like a massive failure of logistics and foresight. Radio stations pay big bucks to set up a mobile studio at CPAC. It’s probably some of their busiest days of the year; CPAC brings together a small crowd of potential guests in one place. Panel discussions were effectively canceled because no one could get through the checkpoints in time. There’s a good chance one of those panels was on effective communication and the need for conservatives to get their message out… and no one could actually hear it because of the sudden, unannounced security protocols.

Donald Trump’s Plan To Maintain A Private Security Force Is Unprecedented And Very Problematic

As we saw on the campaign trail, Trump’s security wasn’t simply tasked with keeping the candidate safe, but also quelling any vocal dissent or criticism that happened to take place in the same room Trump happened to occupy.

.. Trump’s private security team, a mishmash of independent contractors and part-time details led by Keith Schiller (a retired NYPD cop and Navy vet who has been working for Trump since 1999, rising to become his head of security in recent years) has no clear objective to the American people, the presidency, nor the Secret Service.

.. it’s being reported that Trump is planning on keeping elements, if not all, of his security team in place after taking residence in the White House. This will inevitably lead to an awkward, confusing, and dangerous division of duties in daily operations, to say nothing of a real threat to the office. For instance, federal law prohibits anyone other than law enforcement personnel from bringing weapons into federal buildings, including the White House.

.. when the man is president, there aren’t going to be many people in a position to challenge his unorthodox and self-serving requests.

.. it’s certain that Donald Trump isn’t going to act in anyone’s interest but his own unless he’s forced to.

How Donald Trump will retrofit Midtown Manhattan as a presidential getaway

But shielding Trump from harm is only one of many objectives. Ensuring that he can communicate with the military, world leaders, Congress and the American people at all times is just as vital, and these goals exponentially increase the number of people, objects and systems that surround a modern president.

.. In the end, the trip took three airplanes , three helicopters, about 100 federal security agents and dozens of police officers accruing overtime. It required secure telephones in secure rooms inside the theater and the restaurant. All for a night out.

.. From now until the end of Trump’s presidency, everyone who enters and exits the building will have to be vetted by the Secret Service, even if the Trumps aren’t there. At the very least, their names will be run through agency threat databases. The service will want to inspect every package that goes into the building and will insist that staffers — at every shop, restaurant and residence — be scanned with a hand-held magnetometer, which detects hidden metal. When Trump is there, all of their personal effects will probably be checked by bomb-detection dogs, too.

.. A contingent from the Uniformed Division of the Secret Service might have to move to New York to maintain the outer perimeter, and so might technicians who will protect the building’s air supply from a chemical or radiological attack.

.. Air Force One — which costs about $236,000 per hour to fly when fully loaded with pilots, passengers, security, gear and fuel

.. John F. Kennedy International Airport, the tarmac will be frozen for at least 15 minutes before it lands.

.. So the Secret Service will watch Trump’s frequent destinations, using counter-surveillance personnel to see if any ne’er-do-well is casing them.