Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

Donald Trump Hints At Run For President, Will Definitely Win This Time

"@zachjohnson88: @realDonaldTrump please help get this country back from all these idiots and corrupt government #2016 Will be working on it— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 1, 2013 This painful shutdown of the federal government has made one thing all too clear: this country n ... More >>

Republicans Cruz into Shutdown Chaos as Rightbloggers Cheer

Whoo, hey, everybody, government shutdown! Are you psyched? No? Well, that makes sense. It'll be expensive and embarrassing for the country, and you're not crazy. Rightbloggers, on the other hand, see in this mayhem an opportunity, and their hope is that this catastrophe will make America love them ... More >>

As Fast Food Workers Walked Off the Job, Giant Industry Lobbying Groups Tried To Convince Us How Awful a Living Wage Would Be

A summer of protests over fast food workers' impossibly low wages reached its boiling point yesterday, when employees in New York and 49 other cities walked off the job in a one-day strike. In Lower Manhattan, our own Raillan Brooks interviewed Tyeisha Batts, a 27-year-old Burger King worker who ma ... More >>

Martin Luther King's Niece Is Suing To Block Obamacare

Dr. Alveda King, niece of the famed Martin Luther King, Jr., is looking to block parts of the Affordable Care Act. As part of the Staten Island-based outreach organization Priests for Life, King claims that the clauses mandating health insurers cover free contraception have "racist and eugenic roots ... More >>

Rightbloggers Plan Big for GOP Success: Less Debate Coverage, 10 New Constitutional Amendments, and the Guy from Duck Dynasty

Every so often rightbloggers look at their cause and their Party and chart a new course of action to guide them back to victory. Though their efforts have of late been about as successful as those of Wrong-Way Peachfuzz, you can't say they're quitters, nor that they aren't willing to try bold ideas ... More >>

Rightbloggers Look to "Libertarian Populism" (Minus the Neo-Confederates) as Key to Future Success

Having worked out a lot of their racial anima on the Trayvon Martin case, rightbloggers have returned to their bombed-out bunkers to contemplate the future. Their latest big deal is "libertarian populism." The phrase seems oxymoronic, but the idea is to make conservatives and their agents in the GO ... More >>

Is It Okay to Buy Records at Urban Outfitters?

The other day, I found myself flipping through records in massive clothing chain Urban Outfitters. I know. I had certain expectations about what I'd find: Bob Marley, Dr. Dre, maybe some new dance records like Niki & The Dove, and not much else. Basically, the vinyl equivalent of a sidewalk dorm roo ... More >>

Rightbloggers Not Having a Great "Happy 10th Anniversary Iraq War" Party

Last week was the anniversary of the beginning of the Iraq War. For friends and family members of the thousands of Americans and allies killed or wounded in that struggle, or of the tens of thousands of Iraqis killed, wounded or displaced, it probably wasn't a happy one. We don't know whether these ... More >>

Obama Announces Gun Control Proposals, Signs 23 Executive Orders

Just before noon, President Barack Obama addressed the nation to propose wide-ranging reform to curb gun violence in the country. "While there is no law or set of laws that can prevent every senseless act of violence completely, no piece of legislation that will prevent every tragedy, every act of ... More >>

Obamacare's Med-School Debt Problem

Would-be primary care doctors could take a financial hit from health care reform, but most students say it's worth it to fix a broken system

The 12 Months of Crazy: Rightbloggers' Greatest Hits of 2012

It's been a hell of a year for conservatives, so naturally it's been a flaming, bloody hell of a year for our subjects the rightbloggers. If this is the sort of thing that gladdens your heart, then sit by the fire and let us brighten your holiday season by reviewing, month by month, the rightblogg ... More >>

[UPDATE]: Prop 8 and DOMA Head To The Supreme Court

UPDATE: According to the New York Times, the Supreme Court agreed this afternoon to decide on the constitutionality of the Proposition 8 appeal and the Defense of Marriage Act.It is, arguably, the most significant social battle in America's courts since Roe v. Wade or even Brown v. the Board of Educ ... More >>

Drop in Birth Rates, Rise of Single Voters Set Rightbloggers to Raving

The day-to-day business of rightblogging -- harrying Susan Rice, cheering on congressional Republicans, and so forth -- is not very satisfying to us, nor (apparently, from their tedious writing on those subjects) to them. So we were happy for them and for ourselves when some recent reports showed t ... More >>

Barack and Mitt Will Have Lunch Today; Here's What They Could Talk About

It has been almost a month now since America went to the polls and re-elected President Obama to another four years of running this whole place. Since then, we've collectively done well in the whole "taking our minds off the election" business. We've had Petraeus, the progress of the Sandy recovery, ... More >>

Q&A: Charlotte Druckman on Skirt Steak, Food Network, and Women in the Food Industry

Charlotte Druckman has written for Travel Leisure, the Wall Street Journal, Town and Country, and many other publications about food and chef culture. But in her most recent endeavor-- a book titled Skirt Steak: Women Chefs on Standing the Heat and Staying in the Kitchen -- Charlotte interviews ov ... More >>

Mitt Romney Leads Us Into an Age of Stupidity

And other points you should consider this election

Barack Obama Depicted As A Witch Doctor In Is It Racist?

A business owner in New Jersey is catching a lot of shit lately over a display in front of his store that depicts President Barack Obama as a witch doctor.The Display -- in front of the Skuby & Co. Lifestyle Clothing company in Spring Lake --  shows the president's face superimposed on the ... More >>

Mitt Romney Will Lead Us Into An Age Of Sheer Stupidity

My new column is a bracing look at what a vote for Mitt Romney will amount to: A solid endorsement of intolerance, lies, and most of all changing his mind!!!

The Voice Lives!

Political Conventions: Pointless Schmooze-Fests Cost Taxpayers $136 Million

As the saying goes, there ain't no party like a convention party 'cause a convention party...is costing taxpayers $136 million.That's right -- as the U.S. economy continues to shit the bed, taxpayers are shelling out more than $136 million so members of the country's two major political parties can ... More >>

How to Speak Republican

Leaked document reveals the secrets of the GOP's coded language

Staten Island Congressman Michael Grimm's Awkward Fundraiser Problem

When running any sort of political campaign, a fundraiser can be your best friend or your worst enemy (in this sense, we mean 'fundraiser' in the actual person sense, not a fundraising event). They can provide bankrolls or bad publicity; the latter remains as every candidate's nightmare. And, as of ... More >>

When Rightbloggers Tell You the Battle of Chick-fil-A Isn't About Gay Rights, It's About Gay Rights

In years to come, rightbloggers will tell their grandchildren many stories of the glorious summer of twenty-twelve. They'll tell 'em how they warned America about the socialist menace of the Olympics. They'll tell 'em how, in the wake of the Aurora shooting, they defended assault weapons against Dem ... More >>

EXCLUSIVE: Rafalca Romney, Mitt Romney's Dressage Horse, Speaks to the Voice!

Like much of America, we at the Village Voice have been bemused by Rafalca Romney, Mitt Romney's dressage horse who will be competing in the XXX Olympiad in London tomorrow. Imagine our surprise when we noticed that @RafalcaRomney was Tweeting*! We immediately emailed her, and Rafalca was more than ... More >>

Free Contraception For All! Obamacare Gets Rid of Co-Pay For Birth Control, and Unsuprisingly Pisses Off The Catholic Church

Today brings free contraception for all (as long as you're one of the millions insured and you don't work for a Catholic organization), under the Affordable Care Act. Effective today, these provisions cover most major preventive services without a co-pay.According to data provided by Planned Parenth ... More >>

A Contraceptive Calamity in Colorado

Next Wednesday, against the Obama administration's will, a political firestorm will be unleashed: the provision in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that forces businesses to pay for employees' contraceptives without a co-pay goes into effect. You may remember this little ticking time b ... More >>

Rightbloggers Love Mitt Romney Since He Pissed Off Black People

Mitt Romney gave a speech at the NAACP promising to overturn "Obamacare," and got booed. Then he went to Montana and said the black people booed him because they wanted "free stuff." Rightbloggers hadn't been too enthusiastic about Romney before, suspecting that the father of Romneycare was not a t ... More >>

BREAKING: Barack Obama, Mitt Romney Say Vague Things To Please Voters

This just in: a new report from the Associated Press indicates that career politicians might make vague campaign promises to please voters -- but might not have specific solutions for the county's ills. The AP's groundbreaking investigation -- released today -- indicates that this trend is being fe ... More >>

Rightbloggers Pay Their Respects to Socialist Obamacare Shill Andy Griffith

When actor Andy Griffith passed away last week, President Obama gave a brief condolence statement ("A performer of extraordinary talent, Andy was beloved by generations of fans and revered by entertainers who followed in his footsteps"), on which Weasel Zippers commented, "JERK: President Obama Reme ... More >>

Mitt Romney Might Pick a Woman Running Mate. What's His Record With The Ladies?

Team Romney might pick a woman as Mitt's running mate, reports now indicate. As the Atlantic Wire's Elspeth Reeve pointed out, this marks a drastic shift from the campaign's previous "no more Palins" / "boring white guy" approach to potential veeps, which "appeared to rule out not just candidates w ... More >>

Sick, Sick, Sick: Rightbloggers Run a Fever after Obamacare Decision

Last week's Supreme Court decision on the Affordable Care Act (aka the ACA, aka Obamacare, aka TreasonHitlerStalin) caught nearly everyone by surprise. Among rightbloggers, most of whom had filled balloons and strung festive banners for a big post-overturn victory party, the scenes of shock and ho ... More >>

Healthcare Ruling: Will It Help The Prez Or Rally The Rabid Republican Base

Remember in 2010 when Republicans picked up 63 seats in the House of Representatives in the biggest loss for a party (in this case, the Democratic Party) in the House since 1938? And how the huge loss can be partially attributed to right-wing outrage over President Obama's healthcare plan? Well, the ... More >>

SCOTUS: Besides Obamacare, What Else Has The Supreme Court Decided Recently?

As we reported yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court voted 5-4 to uphold President Barack Obama's individual mandate, meaning the Affordable Care Act has been deemed constitutional, as a "tax." This got us thinking: What are some other recent decisions?

BREAKING: Supreme Court Has Upheld Individual Mandate, Handing Obama Huge Victory on Healthcare Law

We're listening to the Brian Lehrer show and reading SCOTUSblog's liveblog as the Supreme Court sits for what will probably be the final time of this term. And...SCOTUSblog is saying that the mandate has survived as a tax, and that Chief Justice John Roberts has joined the left in this ruling. The ... More >>

Obama's Affordable Care Act: What Does It Mean for Women?

Goddamn, have we got some good news for your ladyparts! As the Voice's inimitable Steven Thrasher reported this morning, the Supreme Court of the United States upheld Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act, claiming that the ACA is constitutionally kosher as a tax. Almost immediately after, Planned Pa ... More >>

Will Someone Explain To Senator Rand Paul How The Supreme Court Works? Please?

Everyone is entitled to their opinion about whether they agree with Obamacare. The basic function of the Supreme Court, however, is not open for debate. Enter freshman Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, who is no fan of the SCOTUS' ruling that President Obama's healthcare law is constitutional -- and who i ... More >>

SCOTUS: No Life Without Parole for Juveniles, Citizens United Trumps Montana Election Law, S.B. 1070 Largely Dead; No Obamacare Ruling (Yet)

Another Monday in June, another nail-biter waiting for the Supreme Court of the United States to rule on the biggest cases of the year. It seems, so far, that the Supreme Court will not rule today on Obamacare (a.k.a. the Affordable Care Act). Though, being secretive SCOTUS, they could change thei ... More >>

ACT UP Did March for Single-Payer Health Care

In this week's Pride Issue feature "Does 'Gay Inc.' Believe in Free Speech?" we report about how the mainstream gay organizations, even the AIDS groups, were largely absent from Zuccotti Park in 2011 and were not advocating a single-payer option during 2010's raging health care debates. Reader Eust ... More >>

Chris Geidner of Metro Weekly on Why Yesterday's Ruling Against DOMA Is The Most Important Gay Marriage Case Right Now

Yesterday saw a major legal blow (perhaps the most significant one yet) to the Defense of Marriage Act, as the First Circuit Court of Appeals ruled unanimously that the federal government's definition of "marriage" and "spouse" are unconstitutional as limited to just applying to opposite sex married ... More >>

Becket Fund for Religious Liberty Fights Obama's Birth Control Mandate in New York

Uproar over Barack Obama's Health and Human Services mandate, which basically requires that insurers provide contraception, has hardly come to an end, and a major pro-religion advocacy group has taken the battle against the birth control clause to court. This law firm, the Becket Fund for Religiou ... More >>

Mitt Romney or Rick Santorum: Who Is The Bigger Right-Winger?

In terms of his political views, Mitt Romney has heard it all: flip-flopper, moderate, secret liberal, pseudo-conservative, Etch-A-Sketch; the list goes on and on. Republican voters have had a rather excessively hard time throwing their support behind a guy who influenced Obamacare and was pro-choic ... More >>

Sex Mad: Why the Rightblogger Obsession With Ladyparts Never Ends

With all the recent women's health controversies -- Komen/Planned Parenthood, contraception in Catholic hospitals, and Virginia's plan to wand women who want abortions -- and their potential to steer women's votes away from Republicans, you'd think conservatives would prefer to get back to talking a ... More >>

New York Hospitals Bilk Poor People Out of Money: Report

​Some New York hospitals are in the business of screwing over poor people as much as they are in the business of providing healthcare, a new report has found. According to the Community Service Society, most of the state's medical centers tend to violate debt collection regulations -- which p ... More >>

Let's Play The Republican Presidential Debate Drinking Game!

​Tonight marks yet another Republican presidential debate, and podium enthusiasts across the country will be glued to their TV screens when the candidates take the stage. The CBS/National Journal/Pennzoil/Burger King/Papa John's/AMC Loews/Comcast/Olive Garden/Mercedes/StarKist/Beef 'O' Brady's ... More >>

As Rick Perry Stumbles, Rightbloggers Run To (Non-Candidate) Chris Christie

The economy sucks, and so do President Obama's poll numbers. Yet many smart people think Obama's got a chance at reelection next year. Why? Because he gets to run against the nominee of the Republican Party, which seems hellbent on throwing the election. In the GOP's latest slapstick routine, put ... More >>

Rightbloggers: S&P Downgrade of U.S. Means We're On The Right Track

Last week, hot on the heels of the Congressional debt-ceiling fiasco and the ensuing stock market drop, Standard & Poor's downgraded the credit rating of the United States of America from AAA to AA , and placed the ailing superpower on "CreditWatch with negative implications." The reactions of Ame ... More >>

Louis Marinelli, National Organization for Marriage Defector, on Leaving the "Dark Side"

Steven Thrasher​It was a pretty big a deal when Louis Marinelli came out for marriage equality just a few months ago on Jeremy Hooper's blog Good As You. Marinelli, 25, had been a die-hard anti-gay marriage activist, and though not exactly famous, he's probably the most significant contemporar ... More >>

Why Don't Mexicans Want to Learn English?

And Is Mexico a Tea Party Paradise?

Rightbloggers Counter Eco-Nazis' "Earth Hour" by Patriotically Wasting Electricity

This weekend, an unknown number of people worldwide participated in the fifth annual "Earth Hour" sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund. They turned off electricity to "take a stand against climate change." Landmarks were dimmed, but the effect on either energy consumption or awareness is unknown an ... More >>

Congressman Hopes to Protect Lawmakers With Piece of Paper After Arizona Shooting

​One of the many misguided reactions to automatically spring from Saturday's shooting tragedy in Arizona -- where six people were killed and Democratic Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was horribly wounded -- belongs to Rep. Bob Brady of Pennsylvania, whose first move was to grab some spotligh ... More >>