Politico Poll: 2014 Voters Gloomy On Economy, 57% Disapprove Of Obama | New Obamacare Complications

57% of voters disapprove of
Mr. Obama's economic leadership.

Today in Washington, D.C - Sept 15, 2014:
The House The House reconvened at Noon today. Beside some administrative actions, a couple of bills that may be considered today are:
H.R. 4771 — "To amend the Controlled Substances Act to more effectively regulate anabolic steroids."
S. 2154 — "To amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize the Emergency Medical Services for Children Program."
H.R. 83 — "To require the Secretary of the Interior to assemble a team of technical, policy, and financial experts to address the energy needs of the insular areas of the United States and the Freely Associated States through the development of action plans aimed at reducing reliance on imported fossil fuels and increasing use of indigenous clean-energy resources, and for other purposes."

The Senate will reconvene at 2 PM today and begin a period of morning business. At 5:30 PM, three cloture votes are scheduled: the first is on S. 2199, Democrats’ so-called “Paycheck Fairness Act,” which would not actually do anything to address compensation for women; the second two are on nominees to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Jeffery Baran and Stephen Burns.

News Updates: Politico writes today, “If the nation’s economy is on the mend, the voters of 2014 aren’t feeling it. Despite continued signs of a halting but persistent national comeback, midterm voters remain frustrated and unhappy with the state of the economy, according to the latest POLITICO poll of likely voters in 2014 battleground states. Many appear to blame President Barack Obama: 57 percent of these voters disapprove of his economic leadership. By every measure in the survey, a gloomy mood still pervades the electorate when it comes to kitchen-table issues: Just 23 percent say their personal financial situation has improved over the past year, versus 30 percent who say it has gotten worse. . . . Strong majorities now say that they lack the savings to grapple with an unforeseen job loss (61 percent) and that the cost of basic household items like gas and groceries has strained their finances (62 percent.)”

Unsurprising, then, that so many felt the disconnect when the president started to attempt to talk up the economy in his speech on confronting the terror group ISIL last week. As National Journal noted, “On CNN, David Gergen was taken aback by the detour. ‘I thought the first part of the speech where he talked about the attack on ISIS was strong, presidential, serious,’ said the man who worked for four previous presidents. ‘What surprised me was the second part of the speech when he started talking about how well the country is doing, how well we're doing with jobs, how we're leading around the world.’‘America is feeling pretty blue right now, and I think those kind of assertions don't ring true with a lot of people.’ He added that many viewers may have thought, ‘How much should we believe the rest of the speech?’”

And it’s unlikely Americans will feel any more secure economically when the second round of Obamacare enrollments and health plan renewals begin later this fall. The AP reports, “Potential complications await consumers as President Barack Obama's health care law approaches its second open enrollment season, just two months away. . . . [T]he new sign-up period could expose underlying problems with the law itself that are less easily fixed than a computer system. Getting those who signed up this year enrolled again for 2015 won't be as easy as it might seem. And the law's interaction between insurance and taxes looks like a sure-fire formula for confusion. For example: For the roughly 8 million people who signed up this year, the administration has set up automatic renewal. But consumers who go that route may regret it. They risk sticker shock by missing out on lower-premium options. And they could get stuck with an outdated and possibly incorrect government subsidy. Automatic renewal should be a last resort, consumer advocates say. . . . Of those enrolled this year, the overwhelming majority received tax credits to help pay their premiums. Because those subsidies are tied to income, those 6.7 million consumers will have to file new forms with their 2014 tax returns to prove they got the right amount. Too much subsidy and their tax refunds will be reduced. Too little, and the government owes them. Tens of millions of people who remained uninsured this year face tax penalties for the first time, unless they can secure an exemption.”

Americans for Limited Government President Nathan Mehrens today is urging both chambers of Congress to take up legislation on the White House's proposed war against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria: "If the war against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria is important enough for the U.S. to fight, then it is important enough for Congress to vote on. Obama cannot go to war unilaterally without Congress, yet that is precisely what his administration seeks to do in order to spare congressional Democrats a tough vote on the eve of the midterm elections. Last time we checked, constitutional provisions such as Congress' war-making powers can neither be suspended by presidential fiat nor for cynical, political calculations.

"This is a subversion of the Constitution of the highest order, and Congress must act immediately to preserve the separation of powers. There should be votes on Obama's war, whether it would pass or not. The people's representatives must have their say on when the nation goes to war, or else members of Congress of both parties will be complicit in this abdication of power."

Meanwhile, many are still bracing for news of policy cancellations or premium hikes. Last week, NBC 29 in Charlottesville, Virginia, reported that nearly 250,000 in the state could have their policies canceled due to Obamacare regulations. Anchor Sharon Gregory said, “Nearly a quarter million Virginians will have their current insurance plans cut this fall. That is because many of them are not following new Affordable Care Act rules, so a chunk of the companies that offer those individuals their policies will make the individuals choose new policies.” Reporter Alana Austin added, “This goes back to that now heavily-criticized line we heard before Obamacare was put in place: ‘If you like your plan, you can keep it.’ Ultimately, that turned out not to be true for thousands of Virginians and companies in the commonwealth. Wednesday Virginia lawmakers on the health insurance reform commission met for the first time this year. Turns out, a staggering number of Virginians will need new plans this fall. . . . Some employers and individuals have already received notices saying their plans will end.”

In Alaska, the AP reported yesterday, “One of the two health insurers that are part of the federally run online marketplace in Alaska won’t allow people to keep policies past this year that are out of compliance with President Barack Obama’s signature health care law, a state official said. Lori Wing-Heier, director of Alaska’s Division of Insurance, said her best guess is that the decision by Moda Health will affect about 800 policies. . . . Last week, the state announced rate increases in 2015 ranging from 22 percent to 29 percent across all plans for Moda, and 35 percent to 40 percent for Premera. The reasons cited include the relatively small market, which has to support its claims, and high claims in the first half of 2014.”

So it’s little wonder that Americans are not seeing their economic and health care situation through the rosy glasses the White House is using.

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