News Nuggets 1353

DAYLEE PICTURE: A hedgehog in Poland.  From the Smithsonian Magazine.

UP-FRONT OBAMACARE NUGGETS!!
Pittsburgh Guides Helping People Through Obamacare Maze from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Titus North, executive director of Citizen Power, a research and advocacy group in Squirrel Hill, has taken on an additional role in the past few weeks: helping people sign up for health care policies on the federal insurance exchange created by the Affordable Care Act. Last week, he said, he spent about three hours a day helping people -- in his office and over the phone -- who needed assistance navigating the health exchange website, understanding the new health care law, or both."

Insurers to the Rescue? (Steve Benen) from MSNBC
"It may seem counter-intuitive to think private insurance companies, hardly a reliable ally of the Obama White House, are poised to help give the Affordable Care Act an important boost. But that’s exactly what’s about to happen."

Obamacare's Unlikely Winners (Lucia Graves) from the National Journal 
"Dems hope these tales of success post-insurance cancellations will take the wind out of critics' sails."

IMPORTANT ECONOMIC POLICY NUGGET!!
Auto bailout Could be Harbinger for Obamacare (Dana Milbank) from the Washington Post
" Almost five years later, the industry is healthy again and large swaths of the Midwest have been spared what would have been certain economic devastation. All this was achieved for a relatively modest sum: When the government’s last shares of General Motors were sold last week, the total cost to save GM and Chrysler came to about $12 billion. It would seem that the argument against the bailout has been settled. Yet opponents continue to argue their case — if anybody will listen."

MEDICAL CARE NUGGET!!
Midwives for the Dying (Richard Gunderman) from the Atlantic
"A physician and nurse practitioner discuss the emerging role of medicals professionals who ease the death process. There is no one right way to die, but just as we need help coming into the world, we need support and love going out of it."
What a concept!  I am definitely intrigued by the idea of it!

North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un’s Game of Thrones (Kevin Bleyer) from the Daily Beast
"In the Hermit Kingdom’s deadly game of thrones, winter has come. Kim Jong-un killed his ex-girlfriend, then executed his uncle Jang Song-thaek for ‘half-heartedly clapping,’ and Dennis Rodman is heading back there next week? Why none of this is funny—even the funny parts."

Medicaid Outpaces Private Plans from the Editorial Board of the New York Times
"Exchanges report sharp rise in applications processed for private and public insurance."

Five Myths about the Future of Obamacare (Patashnik & Zelizer) from the Washington Post
"The reactions of market actors can have a large impact on the fate of public policies. Sometimes business interests promote policy entrenchment because firms adapt to a new law in ways that become costly for them to reverse. ... The entrenchment of the ACA will depend in part on the financial stakes that hospitals and insurers are developing in the new health care system."

Francis Dumps U.S. Cardinal Who Is Outspoken Critic Of Abortion, Gay Marriage from Talking Points Memo
"Burke is considered an outspoken critic of abortion and same-sex marriage and a favorite of conservative Catholics. He has also been publicly critical of Francis's changes in the direction of the church."

The Thought Leader (David Brooks) from the New York Times
"Little boys and girls in ancient Athens grew up wanting to be philosophers. In Renaissance Florence they dreamed of becoming Humanists. But now a new phrase and a new intellectual paragon has emerged to command our admiration: The Thought Leader."
Like Brooks, I despise this term.  One thing he misses though, and I could be wrong on this, but it seems to me that folks on the right side of the political spectrum are the only ones who really use this term.  When "the media," or "beltway pundits" or "the elites" became too odious for folks on the right to use and not throw up, they needed some term that could include lots of their people (ministers, talk radio types, right-wing bloggers) but without all the negative associations.  Thus, the "thought leader."

Republican Leaders, Conservative Groups Show Signs Of Political Divorce from the Huffington Post
"The recent eagerness of House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to lash out at groups that have given them fits has unshackled others in the Republican ranks to publicly question the motivation of organizations like the Senate Conservatives Fund, Heritage Action, Madison Project and Club for Growth."

John Boehner's Budget Outburst Shows Right-Wing Groups Have Jumped The Shark from the Huffington Post
"... Galen also suggested the "Happy Days" comparison is correct, in that there's no un-jumping the shark of the government shutdown. "It's the peak of their influence, not just with the tea party members," Galen said. "Their influence over legislation is probably permanently damaged.""

Chris Christie’s Nightmare Traffic Jam (Richard Cohen) from the Washington Post
"... the damage has been done. Christie’s all-but-declared presidential campaign has taken a hit. His Joisey bona fides — a certain swagger and cocksureness — have been highlighted. (No one would cast Jimmy Stewart for this role.) Christie is a man of rare political ability, but he has a short temper and the affect of a bully."

WAR-ON-XMAS NUGGET!!
It’s Conservatives Who Really Want Christ Out of Christmas (Dean Obeidallah) from the Daily Beast
"They’re terrified America’s tiny number of atheists will change the meaning of the holiday. But conservatives are the ones who are really at war with its message."

KITTY CAT NUGGET!!
How Humans Created Cats from the Atlantic
"Following the invention of agriculture, one thing led to another, and ta da: the world's most popular pet."

C.S. LEWIS NUGGET!!
Why C.S. Lewis Never Goes Out of Style (Aaron Hanbury) from the Atlantic 
"The author's death barely made headlines 50 years ago when he died on the same day as JFK and Aldous Huxley. But today, his writings are more relevant than ever."