WSJ Report: New Medicare Plans With More Benefits' Cuts - So Seniors Need To Make Plan Choices Early

 The new Medicare enrollment period has begun and seniors are being advised to "move faster this year rather than waiting in the new enrollment period", i.e. to settle on a plan. This from the WSJ Personal Journal piece: 'New Medicare Plans Offer Fewer Benefits',  Oct. 19, p. A14). 

As this important article notes:

"Medicare enrollees have until Dec. 7 to select coverage for 2027. This year a lot of seniors will be looking for new coverage. Specifically, the 3.2 million people enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans that are closing or withdrawing  from their markets, according to 'Chapter' - a national Medicare brokerage."

The piece cites (quotes) a number of seniors who don't want more restrictive plans - which seems to be the norm now with Medicare Advantage.  So as the article advises:

"If you want the least restrictive option, you can choose traditional Medicare, but you will need a special supplemental policy-  known as a Medigap plan - to protect you from big, out of pocket charges."

Both Janice and I elected to go with traditional Medicare because we knew from friends how restrictive the MA plans were. You couldn't choose your own doctor, for example, and if one needed a special test or scan it was often a gamble whether it would be approved.  But Medicare Supplement plans are not cheap. Our total monthly outlays for our plans (we have separate ones) is nearly $600 - and often increases year to year.

Again, let's review the basics: The government pays Medicare Advantage insurers a set amount for each person who enrolls, with higher rates for sicker patients. And the insurers, among the largest and most prosperous American companies, from the get-go developed elaborate systems to make their patients appear as sick as possible, often without providing additional treatment.  See graphic (from NY Times, Oct. 9, 2022):

As a result, a program originally proposed to help lower health care spending has instead become a voracious financial gobbler. Now even more costly than the traditional government program it was meant to improve.  

A fall, 2022 Kiplinger Retirement Newsletter was clear on what is now happening to new Medicare Advantage beneficiaries: being denied access in record numbers.  Indeed, according to Kiplinger, at a rate nearly twice that before the pandemic struck in 2020.  Why?  Because the number of new Advantage beneficiaries has itself nearly doubled.  Naturally, from these early alarms one might expect the costs and restrictions of benefits to increase. And this is what's revealed in the WSJ piece, including there's always kind of a trade - you don't have to pay premiums like Janice and I do for our Medigap plans - but you will get hit elsewhere. 

As the article warns:

"Seniors will still have access to lots of Medicare Advantage plans with no premiums. The bite will come elsewhere, including that insurers will increase what you pay when you get care. According to analysts at Leerink Parters, Medicare Advantage plans are raising maximum out of pocket costs - including copays and other charges- by 10 percent on average."

Adding:

"Primary -care doctor visits are mostly still free, but some Medicare Advantage Plans are increasing copays for specialists or switching to coinsurance, which means you pay a share of the total cost rather than a flat amount."

So in the case of an MRI, for example, such as the one I had on May 5th to obtain a better resolution of the cancer lesions manifested in an earlier PSMA scan - you may have to cough up one third. If the MRI total cost was $13, 500 that means you will have to put in $4, 500 of your own.  (The same of course applies to the PET/PSMA scans or other special scans or treatments.)

As if this wasn't bad enough we also learn (ibid.):

"Large Medicare Advantage  insurers are also trimming many of the extra benefits that are popular with seniors - things like dental plans, coverage for over the counter health products and transportation."

The piece also warns of the 'tricky issues' in drug benefits. Included in these are:

- Stand alone drug plans continue to shrink, to 316 next year - a 55% fall from 2024.

- Many will face a substantial increase in their monthly bill if they choose to remain on the same Part D plan.

- Medicare Advantage drug deductibles are increasing by 30 percent on average.

- Some medications are being moved between tiers raising the costs for people who take them.

- For a small number of MA plans insurers are capping enrollment - meaning that once a certain number sign up-  the plan no longer is available.

In respect to the last the WSJ piece advises:

"If you find something you like but you're not ready to decide you might want to check with the insurer that it will be around later."

Good advice amidst a morass of Medicare Advantage confusion.

See Also:

WSJ Regular Pages Expose WSJ Editors' Claim of "Democratic Assault on Medicare Advantage" As Codswallop

And:

Healthcare Policy | Insurance

Here is the Truth: Medicare Advantage Is Neither Medicare Nor an Advantage

by Wendell Potter | January 15, 2023 - 7:23am | permalink

Excerpt:

Right now, well-funded lobbyists from big health insurance companies are leading a campaign on Capitol Hill to get Members of Congress and Senators of both parties to sign on to a letter designed to put them on the record “expressing strong support” for the scam that is Medicare Advantage.

But here is the truth: Medicare Advantage is neither Medicare nor an advantage.

And I should know. I am a former health-care executive who helped develop PR and marketing schemes to sell these private insurance plans.

And:

Healthcare Policy

The Simplicity of Medicare for All: Better, Cheaper, and Less Cruel

by Dean Baker | October 27, 2026 - 4:48am | permalink

— from Beat the Press

With soaring health care costs and a plunge in coverage rates, there is growing interest in Medicare for All. Polls show that a large majority of the public now favors a universal Medicare system, with even a substantial share of Republicans now backing it.

A universal Medicare system has a huge amount to recommend it. Of course, the main point is to ensure that people can get the health care that they need, but it also eliminates a vast amount of waste in the national health care system.

In addition to the $300 billion a year that we spend directly on operating the nation’s health insurance system, another $1.6 trillion is spent on administrative costs running our health care system by providers like hospitals and doctors’ offices, according to analysis by David Himmelstein, Terry Campbell, and Steffie Woolhandler. These additional costs are all the office personnel and various navigators involved in assisting patients in dealing with insurers. They found that in the United States we spend roughly 31 percent of each dollar in health care spending on administrative costs, whereas under Canada’s universal Medicare system, the cost is just 16 percent of spending.

» article continues...

And:

Stop the Medicare “Advantage” Scam Before Medicare is Dead

Thom Hartmann

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Corporate America | Healthcare Policy

by Thom Hartmann | August 6, 2022 - 6:08am

---

— from The Hartmann Report

Excerpt:

Congress must pass a law to stop the deceptive advertising of Medicare Advantage plans. Only Medicare should be able to call itself Medicare.

Unless you’ve been out of the country for the past few years, you’ve seen the ads on TV featuring Joe Namath, Jimmy Walker, or William Shatner hawking so-called “Medicare Advantage” plans.

Medicare Advantage is not Medicare.

It’s private health insurance being offered to people over 65, with the bill paid for by Medicare. Once you get on an Advantage plan it’s very difficult to get off, and if you’ve been on for more than a year you may not be able to go back to regular Medicare with a Medigap plan at all.

And:

How Medicare Advantage Scammers Get Away With It

This Brewer Fan Could Have Told The Rays Their 12th Inning Game 4 Win Was A Fluke

 

Brewer catcher Contrera hoists MVP Trophy after Milwaukee Series win

             Brewers celebrate championship right after beating Rays last night

               Glum Tampa Bay Rays after losing 4-1 to Brewers last night

It was no surprise to this long time (57 yrs.) Brewers’ fan that the Tampa Bay Rays jumped for joy too soon following the shocking Brewers' 4-3, loss to the Rays at Tropicana Field on Tuesday night, Oct. 27. The Rays (and their fans) really needed to process that the 12^th inning collapse was a fluke, set up by Brewers’ manager Pat Murphy  - over thinking his choice of relief pitcher for the Rays half of the 12^th.

No kidding. True, this was a bloody hard loss, almost as bad as the game 7 Brewer loss  to the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1982 Series, after taking a 3-1 lead into the 6^th inning. Without the relief power of Rollie Fingers – out from a pitching arm injury – the Brew Crew lost 6-3 to the %#$!*  Cards.  The pain stayed with Brewers’ fans for 44 years.

So yeah, we know how it is when a World Series championship is dangled in front of you, only to be snatched away. The sad and of this game truly was champagne showers fading into cold showers. But Rays’ fans needed to grasp why their Game 4 win was a fluke.

For one thing, the reliever – Shane Drohan- was a raw rookie. And obviously not the optimum choice to get the 3 outs to close the game. In fact I winced as the guy gave up 4 consecutive singles, to say he was not sharp is an understatement. Indeed, Drohan had pitched only once in the past month.

The guy to put in there was therefore ‘the Miz’  (Jacob Misiorowski )– to nail those last three outs with a Brewer lead. But Murphy told a Milwaukee reporter after the game:

“You can’t blow that type of situation on a one-run lead on the road. If we were in the 13th inning and had a three-run lead, it might be a little different.”

Are you f-ing kidding me? You blew the situation by opting to use a raw, rusty rook out of his depth! Then, before that move, using relief ace Trevor Megill for only one out to complete the eighth inning. He ought to have used him at least for another full inning before going to Aaron Ashby. 

With the Megill mess-up and Ashby’s speed below 95 mph, Miz was the obvious next choice using his 100+ mph heaters to shut the last 3 Rays down. But for some odd reason pitching his ace with a one-run lead in the 12th inning was not a risk Murphy was willing to take. So instead he opted for the risk of a rookie reliever in Drohan whose history of bad pitches were known. To wit, Drohan got to two strikes on each of the first three Rays hitters he faced, but then couldn’t generate the final 3^rd strike swings and misses. Instead leaning heavily on his sinker, which opponents hit .364 and slugged .568 against. 

The whole sad ending was totally predictable, and using Miz would have been a 180 degree different outcome. I was sure of it.

But hey, Miz was left to finish the job in Game Five and he did, hurling 5 2/3 shutout innings. The Brew Crew offense also came through to support him with timely hits, staking him to a 2-0 lead early, then 4-0 three innings later.

The backstory of the lousing relief needs to be mentioned for the benefit of the Rays and their fans, namely that Tuesday night’s win was purely a delusion. Also Series’ history. 25 teams have taken a 3-0 lead in the World Series and 21 finished with a sweep. But the remaining 4 needed only an extra game to reach the championship – like the Brewers did last night.

Lastly, as a long time (72 year) Milwaukee baseball fan, as I’ve been waiting 69 years since the Milwaukee Braves beat the NY Yankees in the 1957 Series, 4 game to 3. Pitcher Lew Burdette beating the Yanks  3 times. See e.g.

1957 WS Gm7: Braves defeat Yankees to win 1957 WS | 10/10/1957 | MLB.com

 

Do We Really Want Mice Running Around With Human Brain Cells Embedded In Their Gray Matter?

 

                        Artist conception of human to mouse brain cell transfer

                        Cross-section of mouse brain - human parts in red & green

The  recent news from NPR.org that a team at Stanford has created mice whose brains are partly human was nothing short of appalling. I mean, have we now tired of trials to bring dinosaurs, wooly mammoths and ancient viruses back to life? Well good! But that's no reason to now venture into another verboten territory: transplanting human brain cells into mice! What good is that? Oh righto, "the research could be life-saving because it provides us access to human brain function that would be very difficult to stud otherwise."  Uh, ever heard of PET scans, EEGs etc.?

No, it's far more dramatic to go this route - involving another mammal species - to discover how human brain cells function in a mouse neural environment.  But, what if the result is unintended? Say hyper-intelligent rodents that think like humans?

I am thinking here of the mouse named Algernon in the science fiction movie 'Charly'. The story of a retarded man (played by Cliff Robertson) who undergoes an experimental brain surgery to enhance his IQ to the level of a veritable rocket scientist - or neuro -scientist.  Early in the film the mouse is totally able to put him away in a complex miniature maze, and he is shamed by repeated defeats at the hands of 'Algernon'.  Even after the surgery, Charly must struggle to get as adept as Algernon is in racing to the end of the maze, but, of course, he finally is.

But what if a human-brain engineered mouse - say from Stanford's experiments - in "xenocortificatIon" -  is created that's never been beaten in a similar maze race? Do we say 'Uh oh' and then just kill it?  Leading to the assorted "ethical concerns" lead researcher Sergiu Pasca's work raises. So concerned was he that last year he convened a symposium of 70 scientists, ethicists, patient advocates, on the need to do oversight.

The results:

• Decentralized International Oversight: The participants called for a flexible, internationally aligned oversight infrastructure. This framework is designed to respect regional and cultural differences while continuously evolving alongside rapid advancements in the science.
• 
  
• A Balanced Approach to Regulation: Patient advocates at the meeting strongly emphasized that while rigorous oversight is necessary for public confidence, new guidelines must not slow down medical research aimed at finding cures for devastating psychiatric and neurological conditions.
• 
  
• Public Engagement and Accurate Terminology: The working groups established a consensus on the vital need to keep the public informed and to use accurate scientific terms—such as "neural organoids" instead of sensationalized media phrases like "mini-brains"—to prevent public confusion regarding animal consciousness.
• 
  
• Defining Strict Boundaries ("Red Lines"): While Pașca and other researchers noted that current experiments on rodents do not pose a realistic risk of human-like cognitive capacities due to evolutionary distance and small brain sizes, they drew distinct boundaries. For instance, Pașca explicitly asserted that transplanting human brain organoids into primates is entirely unjustified and represents a clear ethical red line.

So, in other words it's okay to create mice with human parts (organoids) but not chimps or other primates. Oh, and we must steer the public away from terms like mice with human "mini brains."  Well, that remains an issue for debate when we learn the details, namely that "clumps" of human brain tissue were grown from skin cells.  The transplants then thrived, "swelling to as many as 4 million human neurons and wiring themselves into the mice brains and spinal cords."

Oh yeah, "some of the organoids even developed into cell types that turn up in primates but never in mice."

In other words, the mice with the transplants reached cell types typical of primates, say like "Carlo" the monkey in Barbados:

                            'Carlo' demonstrates math acumen in B'dos

Stay tuned for the next chapter in the adventures of human-brained mice!

See also:

Brane Space: New Milestones with Thinking Japanese Chimps

And:

Brane Space: Our Phenomenal Talking Ape cousins

All Experts Redux: The Difficulty In Grasping Einstein's Theories - And Books to Get To Help

 

                           Einstein working on a problem in special relativity

Question: I'd like to learn more about Einstein's work, but most websites use a lot of difficult terminologies that a lay person, like I am, find it hard to comprehend. Could you tell me which one of his  discoveries in the cosmology area that was really an eye-opening for scientists? What is theory of relativity?

What does it have to do with space?

Thank you.

Answer :

The problem with understanding Einstein's work, is that it
generally requires an extensive background in mathematics. Even the
simpler algebraic approaches (to special relativity) require an ability to  apply algebra and intuit geometry in various novel ways - to see what he is getting at. 

Re: relativity.

Basically, there are two theories of importance: the special theory of
relativity and the general theory of relativity.

In the special theory, Einstein showed that there is no such thing as an absolute space or time.  Thus, while to us on Earth such concepts as time, mass, length etc. of an object seem pre-determined and fixed – they aren't for someone traveling at close to the speed of light.

As Einstein showed,  as an object (mass) approaches the velocity of light (c)the length of an object contracts, its mass increases, and any clocks it has slow down.

According to Einstein's Principle of Relativity:   "All the laws of
physics are the same in all inertial reference frames."

That means no matter where you are in the cosmos the laws of physics will be the same as here on Earth.  In addition, it implies the speed of light has the same value everywhere.

Perhaps the primary finding - or "discovery" if you will, of special
relativity (apart from the changes in mass, length, time and constancy of the speed of light etc.) is that space itself is now a useless concept. 

It is more accurate to deal with "space-time" (putting the x,y,z dimensions of space together with the t of time to arrive at x,y, z, t to describe ALL events).

 In addition, based on this, one will be led to the fact that:

Energy and matter are the same thing but in different states.

(As conveyed in the equation E = mc²)

Perhaps the best book to have to learn much more about this theory at a basic level is:

'The ABC of Relativity' by Bertrand Russell.

You can perhaps check to see if your library has it or do an online search using google to see if it's available at some online venue.

Einstein's general theory of relativity is more to do with cosmology and the large scale structure of the universe. To put it conceptual terms, the general theory of relativity is really a theory of gravity in 4 dimensions (x,y, z and t or 3 of space, one of time). 

In particular, the force of gravitational attraction arises around large, massive bodies because space-time is warped or distorted in their vicinity. See e.g.

 A 'well' of gravity is thereby formed, and any smaller or less massive objects move around it.(Much like small ball bearings might move around the inside of a large spinning bowl if you use the right angle)

In practical terms, experiments conducted during the time of total solar eclipse have found that the light from stars appearing in the (background) is slightly bent or deflected as it passes close by the Sun. This is a direct indication of the warping of the space-time around the Sun.

Also, in the course of a detailed analysis of the field equations of general relativity, the 'Big Bang' actually arose as a solution (when matter is present). 

General relativity then, provides the foundational framework for the Big Bang theory. When Einstein's field equations are applied to a uniform expanding universe, they predict space itself has stretched out over time (via the Friedmann equations) back to an extremely hot, dense origin, i.e.

Friedmann showed the field equations cannot produce a static universe, it must either expand or contract. Given we only discern expansion - because of the red shift of galaxies - this means all existing matter must converge into a hot, dense state.

The fact that the Big Bang is perfectly consistent with general relativity is a strong argument in its favor.. To 9 out of ten cosmologists this was perhaps the most "eye opening" find of all.

Others may well argue that it is more the current finding that the
"negative pressure" (which we now believe to underpin dark energy) is consistent with general relativity's allowance for a "repulsive gravity" - since any negative pressure has associated with it gravity that repels rather than attracts. 

As more evidence comes in that this repulsive gravity is responsible for accelerating the expansion of the universe, it may prove to be the biggest "eye opener" of all!  Especially also if it shows most of the universe is in the form of dark energy and dark matter. (You can 'google' these two terms to learn much more about them)

Unfortunately, there are few 'easy' texts to learn more about general
relativity. Even the most basic (assuming they're even available) such as 'Space, Time and Gravitation' by Arthur Eddington, veer into detailed geometry.

Hopefully, this brief overview provided in this reply will prove useful. Also, by specific Googling you can obtain assorted lectures, say on General Relativity,

General relativity from first principles – Adam Brown

But note these too require some mathematical background (at least through Algebra II), as well as some general physics.

See also:

Brane Space: Gravitational Deflection Of Starlight & Neil Ashby's Marvelous Contribution To Relativistic Dynamics

Dems Using "Decoy Ballot Trick" In AK Senate Election? Yet Another WSJ Editorial Whine Fest

"We have come up with 162 different ways Republicans can try to mess with the elections, given they're sore losers.” - Rep. Pete Aguilar, CA

The interesting point to me is that the assumption was made that there were a [sizeable?] number of people who would be unable to actually read and understand the selections offered. The sample ballot clearly says who the incumbent is and what his political affiliations are. It would be impossible to deceive a literate voter with this 'trick'. - NY Times comment

Compared with the 1/6 attempted coup, this Dan Sullivan business is kid stuff. If not illegal, and there is no indication that this strategy was illegal, any tactic aimed at breaking the MAGA hold on our federal government is justified. - NY Times comment

Alaska’s ranked-choice voting provides a fairly strong degree of protection against the unintended result the article described. There will be four candidates on the ballot: Dan S. Sullivan, Peltola, Gerald Heikes (R) and Dan J. Sullivan (I). The ranked-choice voting process would first eliminate the candidate with the lowest vote total and transfer each of those votes to the respective voter’s second remaining choice. The second step would repeat the process for the remaining three candidates. It is very likely that the two final candidates will be Dan S. Sullivan and Peltola. The only way a vote for Dan J. Sullivan would be transferred to Peltola is if the voter had ranked Peltola ahead of Dan S. Sullivan.  - WaPo Letter comment

                    Jan. 2021 - Last Major Reeptard effort to overturn election

 The Wall Street Journal's editors, tired of blaming Dems for super high prices and lacking the balls to expose an orange traitor, have found a new target for their ire.  These weasels are now taking Traitor Trump's side in a lawsuit recently filed to block the AK Senate electoral result - IF the Reepos don't win. In their weekend Journal editorial,   Exposing ‘Decoy Dan’ in Alaska, they go all in attacking Dems for "whining about a lawsuit exposing their dirty ballot trick."

The nattering nabobs of negativity squeal:

"Democrats pulled a dirty trick by enlisting a decoy, Daniel J. Sullivan, to run against Republican Alaska Sen. Dan S. Sullivan. Now they are indignant that the Trump Administration on Thursday filed a lawsuit that calls attention to their subterfuge. Please spare us the lectures about election interference.

The Justice Department lawsuit seeks to block certification of Alaska’s Senate election results if they “may be impacted by voter confusion.” “Daniel J. Sullivan’s presence on the ballot threatens to mislead Alaskan citizens who want to vote for Senator Sullivan,” the lawsuit says. That’s the Democratic hope."

One can hardly believe these asswits would go after this political coincidence - painting it as some kind of nefarious plot - when they've said nothing - not word one - about Vivek Ramaswamy’s vile campaign ad featuring his opponent (Amy Acton’s) mother. That hag actually lived with her 12 year old daughter’s rapist, and has now sought to accuse Amy Acton (D- candidate for OH governor)  of lying.

In the ad, Acton’s mother, Donna Arthur, calls her “a liar.” Arthur and her daughter have not had contact since 1978, when Arthur’s second husband, Cledith Arthur, was indicted and charged with raping his 12-year-old stepdaughter. Acton and her brother were removed from the couple’s home because of the threat of continued abuse.

And the Journal's hypocrite editors said not one word about it?  Well, probably because the WSJ editors prefer to continue to smooch Traitor Trump's ass.   As we read in the (regular, main page) WSJ piece from Friday ('Trump Praises Ohio Ad Featuring Deomcrat's Estranged Mother', p. A3) wherein we read:

"President Trump defended an attack ad against Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton that featured her elderly, estranged mother, calling it 'very powerful'.  Also accusing Republicans who condemned the spot as playing into Democrats' hands."

As for the vicious little turd Vivek Ramaswamy, his campaign "plans to spend $4 million airing the ad", despite the bipartisan denunciations it has received, including from Ohio’s Republican governor, Mike DeWine.

The Journal article goes on:

"Trump's remarks came a day after Vice President JD Vance also defended the ad. He criticized fellow Republicans for 'whining' about the video saying that 'politics is  tough business'."

Really? Then can we not also say the WSJ editors are also whining about the Dems in Alaska  - by using a conspiracy meme to claim the Ds are "facilitating the entry of another Dan Sullivan into the Senate race".  Even if real -  as Vance said, 'politics is  tough business'" - so why not get over it?. Besides, where is your outrage at the Ramaswamy maggots running a vile ad featuring a video of a woman who stood by her 12-year-old daughter's rapist even after the slime was indicted. So in other words, pussy grabber Trump is fine with supporting an ad which features the supporter of a child rapist.

While the Reeptards try to mount a bogus, distracting "investigation", let's try to temper the hair on fire bitching with a dose of reality - and GOOPr hypocrisy. Ballot-stacking strategies are common in politics and generally considered legal, if misleading. 

But in the case of Alaska, the state's rank choice voting system already takes into account any flubs.  Hence, AK voters could put down both Dan Sullivans, and the one with the fewer votes would be eliminated.  (If they wish to make sure the R -guy wins, they check to make sure the 'R' is behind the name!)  This, of course, applies to all elections.   Thus, Republicans engaged in the dual tactic in Alaska this year, too, trying to prop up Democratic candidates in the Senate primary to siphon votes from Ms. Peltola. They also supported a legal effort in 2024 to keep a Democratic candidate on the same ballot as Ms. Peltola when she was running for re-election to the House. She went on to lose the race.

Back to the WSJ editor's claim that the presence of Daniel J. Sullivan is a Democratic dirty trick.  Can we say horse shit here?  Daniel J. Sullivan, who lives in the tiny fishing community of Petersburg, has always said he is running of his own accord. But given the stakes are high, and Republicans worry that voters will get confused and accidentally vote for the wrong Sullivan, they’ve been trying to get Daniel J.  thrown off the ballot for months. 

The lawsuit went all the way to the Alaska Supreme Court, but Republicans lost. Got that WSJ nattering nabobs? The REEPS LOST!  Besides, why are you fools so worried when even a low IQ person can tell the difference between a D and and an R, and an I - behind a name on a ballot.

Long story short, Alaskan voters will see "Dan S. Sullivan" identified as a "registered Republican" and "incumbent" on their ballots, while "Daniel J. Sullivan Jr." will not have a party affiliation. 

Former House Rep. Mary Peltola is the actual Democratic candidate. Not to leave their decoy codswallop at the end, the WSJ wombats interjected a new whine:  

"Alaska's convoluted ranked -choice voting system increases the risk of voter confusion."

Say what? Ranked choice voting - used for Mensa officer elections  - is the safest and most useful system there is. Had it been used in Florida in the Bush-Gore 2000 election, the fiasco that erupted never would have happened. In ranked choice voting three choices are made, i.e.

- Mr. A

- Ms. B

-Mr. C

The votes are then aggregated and ranking performed for A, B, C. The winners are the top two by votes (say Ms. B and Mr. C) who may then have a runoff election. This as opposed to a single, winner take all verdict- which could end up in a tie -then to be decided by congress or the Supreme Court (as Bush-Gore in 2000.  As Wikipedia points out:

A voting system is winner-take-all if representation is only awarded to the candidate with the largest vote share. Since single-winner voting systems can only select one winner to represent all voters in a given body or district, all such systems are by definition winner-take-all. 

At the end of the day the WSJ editorial whine fest is just another rhetorical 'storm in a teacup' done at the behest of bowing and scraping to their orange Overseer Trump.  So Murdock's Morons aren't exposing anything except their own partisan B.S., so desperate are they to keep Trump's power unchecked so he can demolish what's left of this country.

So facing the outright and considerable repudiation of a reckless demagogue in next Tuesday's mid-term elections, the WSJ editorial trolls have little choice other than to defend this traitor and his party's odious policies and mode of campaigning.  And likely their attempted interference when the dust settles post-election.

See Also:

Peace & Justice

Vivek Ramaswamy’s Shameful Political Ad Encourages Abuse Survivors to Stay Silent

by Heidi Yewman | October 30, 2026 - 4:52am | permalink

So we’re using a woman’s rape by her stepfather at age 12 to win elections now?

The headline out of Ohio this week took my breath away. As I read the details, all I could think about was what it felt like to be 12 years old, worried I wouldn’t be believed. And I wondered what had happened to shame.

Vivek Ramaswamy, the Republican candidate for Ohio governor, released a campaign ad featuring his opponent, Dr. Amy Acton’s estranged mother, calling her a liar.

What the ad doesn’t mention is that Amy hasn’t seen her mother since 1978, when she was 12 years old. That’s when she and her younger brother were removed from their mother’s custody after their stepfather was charged with raping Amy. Her mother remained married to Amy’s stepfather until his death in 2004.

» article continues...

And:

2026 Elections | Republicans

The Republicans’ Closing Argument

by Robert Reich | October 29, 2026 - 5:19am | permalink

— from Robert Reich's Substack

The Republican Party no longer has anything constructive to say about anything or anyone, so what is its closing argument in the 2026 midterm elections? Hate, fear, and bigotry.

On Sunday, Trump claimed that if Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Dr. Abdul El-Sayed won, he’d “invite hordes of jihadis to our shores.”

We’ve become so numbed to Trump’s bigotry that it’s necessary to remind ourselves that the president of the United States is now accusing an American citizen who’s running for the Senate of posing a danger to America because he’s Muslim.

Trump’s rants against Representative Ilhan Omar draw on the same Islamophobia. He’s launched a criminal investigation against her based on an allegation that she came to the United States fraudulently.

» article continues...

And:

How Trump and Paxton Can Overturn the Midterms

by Greg Palast | October 28, 2026 - 5:44am | permalink

— from The Hartmann Report

No joke. No foolin’ around. The operation is in place to overturn the results of next Tuesday’s vote in the midterm elections.

President Donald Trump has already put the wheels in motion for a “legal” reversal of the voters’ choice in Texas, Alaska and other battleground states where the US Senate’s control is in the balance.

To understand the first step in their putsch plan, check out Episode 5 of Jim Crow Reloaded, 4 minutes exposing the mass challenge of 800,000 voters:

» article continues...

And:

Donald Trump

Trump: Racist, Nasty, Deranged, and Dirty

by Alan Singer | October 29, 2026 - 5:06am | permalink

On Long Island there are four contested races for the House of Representatives. Two are currently held by Democrats and two by Republicans. The outcome on Long Island could well determine which party has a majority in the House. If you vote Republican for the Senate and House of Representatives, you are voting against congressional roadblocks on Trump.

If you vote Republican this is the kind of country you are voting for.

In a campaign speech in Port Huron, Michigan, Donald Trump accused the Democratic nominee for Senate Dr. Abdul El-Sayed of being a terrorist and claimed that if El-Sayed and the Democrats win, “they will open the floodgates and invite hordes of jihadis to our shores, creating a nightmare of violence and terror until you cannot even have a Christmas.” Trump also told American Jews that “any Jewish person that supports this guy should be ashamed of themselves.”

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And:

Professor Pape DIRE WARNING: Most Dangerous Election In History!

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Grotesque Ad Continues To Destroy Vivek Ramaswamy

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VIVEK IS F*CKED | The Kyle Kulinski Show

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Why Legal Experts See the Justice Dept.’s Alaska Election Challenge as Dubious - The New York Times

Excerpt:

The Trump administration has filed a lawsuit pre-emptively challenging the certification of Alaska’s Senate election if the Republican candidate narrowly loses. But election law specialists said the litigation lacked any legitimate legal basis.

“It is one of the weakest election lawsuits I’ve ever seen,” said Richard H. Pildes, a New York University law professor who specializes in election issues. “It should have no realistic chance of success in the courts.”

Nevertheless, the lawsuit raised alarms as President Trump has sought to undermine confidence in the election when polls indicate that Republicans are likely to suffer sweeping losses, with control of Congress hanging in the balance. Mr. Trump tried to overturn his loss of the 2020 election, culminating in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot.

The litigation centers on an oddity in the four-candidate ballot. The incumbent Republican senator, Dan Sullivan, is being challenged not only by the Democrats’ nominee, former Representative Mary Peltola, but also by a novice candidate with almost the same name: Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.

Voters could mistakenly vote for the other Mr. Sullivan instead of the senator. The lawsuit seeks a judicial order blocking the state from certifying the results if Senator Sullivan loses to Ms. Peltola, but would have won had he received votes cast for the other Mr. Sullivan.

No obvious legal authority supports a pre-emptive effort to block the certification of Alaska’s Senate election if the Republican incumbent narrowly loses.

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Opinion | Despicable Doesn’t Begin to Cover It - The New York Times

Excerpt:

By now, you almost certainly know the story. Vivek Ramaswamy, the Republican candidate for governor of Ohio, posted an ad featuring a malicious attack on Amy Acton, Ramaswamy’s Democratic opponent. The ad starred Acton’s own mother, a woman named Donna Arthur.

The family story here is evil. Arthur married a man named Cledith Arthur, who became Acton’s stepfather. Cledith Arthur was indicted when Acton was 12 for raping her. He fled the jurisdiction rather than face charges.

Donna lost custody of her children and — as Charles Hilu at National Review reported — she has her own criminal history. She was convicted of theft by deception in the 1990s and accused of animal neglect in 2021.

It’s hard to imagine a more cruel and evil act than raping a child. There is no betrayal greater than the betrayal of a child by a parent. And then Ramaswamy compounded that betrayal by wielding that evil mother as a weapon against her own daughter.

Long ago we learned that there is no bottom for MAGA, and there is still no bottom to this scandal. If Ramaswamy had a molecule of decency, he would take the ad down and apologize. Instead, he attacked Acton. “It is an ad from our campaign,” 

And:

'You Are A Danger To My State!': Amy Acton Completely Torches Ramaswamy, Says He Serves Billionaires - YouTube

And:

Jimmy Kimmel Roasts Trump for Doubling Down on Ramaswamy Attack Ad

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'SO STUPID’: Joe SLAMS Trump for continuing to defend Ramaswamy Ad