Happy New Year Message in Madison

For John, BLUF:  The New Year may well see changes in the political landscape.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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The Isthmus is an alternative weekly newspaper♠ in Madison, Wisconsin (weekly circulation is about 62,000).  Blogger Ann Althouse has highlighted an opinion piece there, looking out toward 2014.  Writer Larry Kaufmann gives us "Prepare for a Scott Walker victory in 2014 (Obamacare's problems will help doom Democrats)".

Ms Althouse highlights this part of the piece:

Republicans will also be calling Obamacare the worst popular domestic policy reform since Prohibition (also warmly embraced by progressives, let's not forget), and the battle to deliver the knockout blow to this wobbly but still-standing program will enter its next phase.

From the comments section at the Althouse blog we have this item highlighted:

She's♥ also responsible for the "rollout" of Obamacare, which has joined New Coke, the Edsel and Showgirls on the list of worst new product launches in American history.  As bad as those fiascos were, at least they had the decency to disappear quickly after the public rejected the merchandise.  Obamacare will be a constant, unwelcome presence in 2014 that permeates nearly every economic and political development during the year.

The problem is, health care is a big part of our economy and a vital part of our quality of life.  We are going to have to all rethink this issue, because changes (glitches) are happening even as we move from Thanksgiving to New Years Eve.

Hat tip to Ann Althouse.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  I was not sure what the term "alternative weekly" meant, so I looked it up.  Starting with The Village Voice, these papers avoid the nitty-gritty of news reporting for "stylized reporting, opinionated reviews and columns, investigations into edgy topics and magazine-style feature stories highlighting local people and culture".
♥  That would be HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.