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... It seems to us Gruber has an awfully broad definition of "typo." A typo is when you write "established by the Stake" when you mean to write "established by the State," not when you write "established by the State" when you mean "." Nonetheless, many ObamaCare supporters agree with Gruber that the passage in question was, as others have put it, a mere "drafting error"--that Congress could not possibly have meant to exclude the federal exchange from the subsidy program. Many, but not all. One who disagrees is Jonathan Gruber, who not only is a supporter of ObamaCare but...

Jonathan Gruber, a professor at MIT, is widely is regarded as the architect of both Romneycare and Obamacare. Following the D.C. Circuit’s decision in Halbig, he asserted that the provision of Obamacare limiting subsidies to the state exchanges was a “typo.” Indeed, he found it “criminal” to suggest that Obamacare was intended to work this way. But William Jacobson (via one of his readers) has unearthed video from 2012 in which Gruber explains why Obamacare limits subsidies to participants in state exchanges — the view of the statute he now finds “criminal.” Gruber stated: “I think what’s important to remember...

Mitt Romney is looking to keep his sterling endorsement streak alive as the 2014 campaign transitions from primary to general election season. The former GOP presidential nominee has a perfect record after getting involved in a number of competitive Republican races this year. Now, with Senate control on the line and his party eager to add to their House majority, he’s turning his attention to helping many of those same candidates in tough fall battles. ADVERTISEMENT Free from the pressures of daily life in the spotlight, Romney has undergone a latter-day renaissance, rebuilding his public image after a brutal 2012...

A look at the frontrunners currently making waves.Mitt Romney hasn’t disappeared from the political scene the way many people thought he would after coming up on the losing end in the 2012 presidential race. But that doesn’t mean he’s running for president — or even thinking about running for president — in 2016. Talk of a possible third presidential bid for Romney has surfaced of late, with poll numbers showing that he is well regarded by Republican voters and a growing sense within the GOP smart set that no candidate has really emerged from the pack as yet. Romney has,...

Here is the dirty little secret of the GOP donor class, i.e. the rich establishment bundlers who funded the recent presidential campaigns of the Bushes, Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) and former Gov. Mitt Romney (Mass.): They are actively trying to recruit Romney to run again in 2016 — and Mitt is indeed interested. Their first choice coming out of the 2012 election debacle was Gov. Chris Christie (R-N.J.), but his candidacy has virtually crashed and burned — despite his desperate self-denial. Other than his uber-patron, Ken Langone, the donors have moved on. Many of these professional donors have hopes that...

The official topic of the conference, emblazoned on materials handed out to guests gathered here at a luxury Norwegian-inspired resort, was “The Future of American Leadership.” But the unofficial theme was made clear not long into breakfast on Friday, when a guest asked Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky the question on everyone’s mind: Is Hillary beatable?(SNIP) “This is the place where, I believe, the future of the party is really going to come out of,” said Anthony Scaramucci, a New York hedge fund manager and former Romney fund-raising bundler. “This is the Republican Party’s Bell Labs. This is our R...

Once fearing he would be viewed as “a loser for life” if he failed to win the presidency, Mitt Romney is trying to re-emerge as a force in Republican politics. Romney has quietly sought kingmaker status in the GOP’s fight for the Senate majority this fall and its quest to retake the White House in 2016. The effort at revival is fueling whispers about a third presidential run. But those closest to Romney suggest he’s more interested in shaping party politics by lending his name and record-breaking fundraising machine to what he considers the next generation of electable conservatives. …

Former presidential nominee Mitt Romney (R) is endorsing businessman Dave Trott (R) in his primary against Rep. Kerry Bentivolio (R-Mich.), the latest big-name Republican to weigh in on Trott's behalf. "As someone who grew up in Michigan and has family currently living in the 11th District, I am confident that Dave Trott has the honesty, integrity and experience we need in Washington," Romney said in a statement released by Trott's campaign. "As a job-creator, Dave Trott knows how to balance budgets, cut spending, and fix the mess in Washington. I am proud to endorse Dave Trott for Congress."

National insurance giant UnitedHealthcare plans to cut up to 700 Massachusetts doctors from its physician network for seniors enrolled in its private Medicare plan as a way to control costs, according to company officials. For elderly patients enrolled in the plan, the cuts mean they will have to find a new doctor or eventually switch to a new health plan that covers their current doctor. The move, effective Sept. 1, follows similar cuts made by the insurer to its Medicare Advantage provider networks in 11 other states... There is also pending legislation in Congress to prevent health plans from cutting...

The Republican party's worst fears about Obamacare are coming true, according to a Politico article published Monday. Thanks to "intransigent Republicans" who opted out of forming exchanges in their own states and "ambitious Democrats" who botched the creation of them in theirs, 36 states now rely on the federal HealthCare.gov exchange. With two more states joining next year, the article reminds readers that, back when Congress needed to pass the bill in order to find out what was in it, a large federal exchange wasn't supposed to be part of the new health care law: The federal option was supposed...

Friend, We wanted you to be the first to hear the news: as an NRSC supporter, you can now enter for your chance to meet with Governor Mitt Romney! And you could meet him as part of our latest contest. We’re going to fly one lucky supporter to Boston to meet Governor Romney. Travel expenses – lodging, airfare, and transportation – will be covered by us. We’re confident that Republicans across the country will be eager to take the chance to meet him. Best of all? You can add your entry with a donation of just $5 or more to...

 SEE: The GOP Establishment Wants to Run on Fixing -- Not Repealing – Obamacare ”In David Jolly's campaign, he didn't say "repeal" Obamacare. He said "fix" it. But the Republicans are taking this thing to, " No, no, no, no! He said to fix it." The Republican establishment obviously has a campaign game plan involving Obamacare, and it does not include repealing it, folks. The Republican establishment apparently doesn't want to campaign on repealing it. They want to campaign on fixing it.” What Rush Limbaugh may have missed and has been obvious to me from the very beginning is, when...

It's a fact of American life that a good share of the electorate is , and even of President Obama. What's less certain are the reasons why. For some Democrats, the explanation is simple: race. In recent weeks, West Virginia Sen. , Mississippi Rep. and former Florida Gov. have all said racism is the driving force behind Republican resistance to the president. Republicans, unsurprisingly, say their disdain for Obama is based not on the color of his skin, but on the content of his policies. "If any white Democrat had pushed through a billion-dollar stimulus plan and a takeover of...

Romneycare, that awkward reminder that Republicans tried to expand health care first, continues to haunt the party. On the same day that Massachusetts announced it was scrapping their busted Romneycare exchange, a new Harvard study shows that the mortality rate dropped in Massachusetts after Romney's version of Obamacare took effect in 2006. The Annals of Internal Medicine study tracked deaths in the state from 2001 to 2010 and compared the rate to counties in New England with similar demographics. It found that the mortality rate dropped by 3 percent in the four years after the health care expansion, according to...

Massachusetts ditches RomneyCare health exchange Politico RomneyCare’s pioneering health insurance exchange is headed for the scrap heap. Bay State officials are taking steps this week to junk central parts of their dysfunctional health insurance exchange — the model for President Barack Obama’s health care law — and merge with the federal enrollment site HealthCare.gov. .....

RomneyCare’s pioneering health insurance exchange is headed for the scrap heap. Bay State officials are taking steps this week to junk central parts of their dysfunctional health insurance exchange—the model for President Barack Obama’s health care law—and merge with the federal enrollment site HealthCare.gov. The decision is part of an expensive plan that would occur alongside a parallel, last-ditch attempt to still build a working state system. The state on Monday announced the hiring of hCentive, a Virginia-based contractor that helped construct the Kentucky and Colorado exchanges. The company would rush to build a viable state exchange in time for...

Ramesh is kind enough to cite a recent piece of mine for Forbes, describing it as a continuation of my “lonely campaign to get conservatives to drop the idea of ‘repealing and replacing’ Obamacare and instead to embrace reforming it.” But it’s only lonely if by lonely he means “shared by a large plurality of the electorate.” Let me cite the data. A Pew Research poll asked whether or not politicians should “make the law work as well as possible,” or “make it fail.” The “work” side won 30–19 overall, and 36–19 among independents. (“Make it fail” won among...

Former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney may take another run at the White House, "Face the Nation" host Bob Schieffer said. "I have a source that told me that if Jeb Bush decides not to run, that Mitt Romney may actually try it again," Schieffer said during a panel discussion on the CBS Sunday morning news show.

"With the news this week that more than 600,000 Washington residents have acquired new health care plans through the state exchange, U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers said it’s unlikely the Affordable Care Act will be repealed.... "...She also discussed... the feasibility of immigration reform this year..."

BOSTON — Federal health care officials are balking at Gov. Deval Patrick's request for a permanent waiver for small businesses from some requirements of President Barack Obama's health care law, instead granting the state an additional year to come into compliance. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Thursday that while she can't grant permanent relief for those in the small group market, she can add a year to the three-year transition period Massachusetts was granted last year.