Tip jar…

You may have seen Weston David Pagrano’s Medium piece on 2020 candidates who have Jekyll and Hyde stances on policies. These are reasons not to vote for Kamala Harris:

• Pushed a law that forces schools to turn undocumented students over to ICE, separating them from their parents and violating human rights
• Laughed about putting parents in jail if their kids missed school, disproportionately harming the poor, families of color, and single parent households, including homeless mothers
• Refused to address what the Supreme Court calls “unconstitutionally overcrowded” prisons so she could perpetuate the exploitation of the mass incarcerated for slave labor close to $1/hour
• Declined to prosecute Steven Mnuchin after his bank’s predatory lending and foreclosure fraud broke the law “over a thousand” times and ruined the lives of thousands of homeowners, keeping him free to donate to her campaign and become Trump’s Treasury Secretary

My note: she did vote no on his confirmation.

• Spent years jailing disproportionately black nonviolent cannabis users while opposing taking cannabis off the DEA’s list of most dangerous substances and literally laughing at the idea of legalizing it even as her Republican opponent ran to the left of her on the issue. She then tried to pander by admitting to smoking herself despite prosecuting others, but got her story all wrong, and even offended her own Jamaican family to the point they’ve disassociated with her.
• Failed to prosecute PG&E for its massive gas pipeline explosion and now its consultants are running her campaign
• Did not properly investigate the San Onofre scandal to protect her political allies
  Refused to investigate Herbalife’s exploitation and fraud, receiving donations from people connected to the corporation
• Her associate operated a fake police force but somehow all charges were dismissed
  Opposed legalization of sex work, endangered sex workers, and oversaw people being charged for prostitution without even agreeing to sex

Despite having a strong night on the debate stage in attacking Biden, in doing so, it enabled her to avoid presenting her policy positions, and consequently, the MSM did not do follow ups with her.

Here’s the chart.

I know @JRubinBlogger thinks Bernie was the loser, but it was clearly Biden.

In fact, Bernie was the only candidate who didn’t see an increase in unfavorability on night 2.

Big bumps for Harris + Buttigieg too. pic.twitter.com/aTbLThxTIV

— NY For Sanders #Bernie2020 (@NYforSanders) June 28, 2019

Ady Barkan weighs in about the value of private insurance

When we debate how to expand coverage to all people, a question that’s worth asking is: what is the value of private insurance companies? What do they add to our health care system?

— Ady Barkan?? (@AdyBarkan) June 28, 2019

Bernie Sanders Said Medicare for All Would Protect Abortion. Here’s Why.

Last night, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) was asked on the Democratic presidential debate stage how he would protect abortion rights in the face of unprecedented attacks on the procedure and the possibility that Roe v. Wade might be overturned. Sanders gave a surprising response: He’d fight back against restrictions on abortion with his signature legislation, Medicare for All.

So how would this bill, which would shift health care coverage from private insurers to a new government program, protect women’s right to an abortion?

Essentially, there are two mechanisms. First, Sanders’ Medicare for All bill promises free “comprehensive reproductive, maternity, and newborn care.” Although the bill does not explicitly state this, Sanders’ team confirmed that this provision would cover abortions.

The bill would also repeal the Hyde Amendment, a measure attached to yearly spending bills that currently bans federal funding for abortion coverage. While some states allow their own Medicaid dollars to go toward abortions, 35 states and the District of Columbia do not allow any Medicaid funding to cover abortions. In other words, in most of the country Medicaid recipients and other people on federal health insurance programs are forced to pay out of pocket for abortions, which can range from $75 to $3,000.

Sanders’ bill states: “Restrictions Shall not apply. —Any other provision of law in effect on the date of enactment of this Act restricting the use of Federal funds for any reproductive health service shall not apply to monies in the Trust Fund.”

Universal coverage for abortion would go a long way toward expanding access to abortion for lower-income Americans. Nine states, seemingly emboldened by the confirmation of conservative justice Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, have passed heightened restrictions on abortions this year. Sanders’ Medicare for All plan does not specifically prevent states from passing legislation like the six-week ban on abortions in Georgia. However, Sanders has co-sponsored other legislation, such as the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would ban states from enacting certain restrictions on abortion, including bans on abortions prior to “fetal viability.”

.@BernieSanders is out with a new statement, seemingly responding to @KamalaHarris walking back her perceived support (via hand raise at #DemDebate) of abolishing private insurance through Medicare for All. pic.twitter.com/vjuWiXJ5W4

— Shaquille Brewster (@shaqbrewster) June 28, 2019

So, this is what I think what happened in addition to the obvious that her staff heard from the donors who want their favors if she becomes POTUS. I think she is for Medicare for All, very incrementally, but in expanding Medicare with dental care, hearing aids, etc, those will be paid for with supplemental insurance.