I will forgive the CBO was using highly abstruse language called Bureaucratese.
I will forgive the Republicans for seizing the report and spinning it in the most damaging way possible for the Democrats.
I will even forgive Cokie Roberts for saying the equivalent of "in the spin cycle if you are explaining you are losing".
But I will not forgive her for not making a distinction between truth and the spin. It is the job of the journalists to explain the bureaucratese and tell what is spin and what is truth. CBO report says there are about a 2.5 million people who are locked into their jobs solely to get healthcare, if a viable option is available they will retire or go part time. And Cokie calls this explanation Democratic spin and goes on to say "Any time there is a loss in jobs it is difficult to explain". As long as journalists like her do "he said ..., she said ..." and call it reporting, it would remain hard to explain. There will be incentive for both parties to engage in the most devious, outrageous, facts be damned spin. If she and her ilk call spin spin and truth truth there will be some check on the spin meisters.
Looks like Cokie does not know anyone who have saved enough to retire early but postpone retirement because of the high cost of health insurance for the over 59 under 65 population. May be she does not know people staying in full time position to retain health care while they would rather go part time or take a position with a start up or create a company themselves. Again 2.8 million people out of a work force of 140 million, works out to some 2 out of 100 workers could be in this situation. Is that hard to believe?
She fails to distinguish between the reduction in "demand for labor" and the reduction in supply of labor. 2.5 million people, quitting from jobs that provide health care is unmitigated good for the middle class and the working class. In this particular instance at least, Democrats are telling the truth, Republicans are spinning, and Cokie is failing miserably in her job.
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Rec list? Thanks. my first. @ work. So can't follow up.
Back at home. Many have suggesting letting NPR know. This diary is basically
a copy & paste of the email I had sent them earlier.
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