I wonder if NewsBusters still thinks I'm a left-wing shill for the HHS Dept.?

Hey, remember this from March 20, 2014?

Gaba In, Gaba Out: WaPo Hails 'Nonpolitical' Blogger Spouting Rosy Obamacare Numbers

GIGO: Garbage In, Garbage Out.

In computer science, GIGO means that a faulty input will result in a faulty output. Perhaps GIGO in the specific area of Obamacare enrollment projects should be Gaba In, Gaba Out since many leftwing sites are currently singing the praises of one Charles Gaba, a blogger who is projecting incredibly high Obamacare numbers. And now the Washington Post's Wonkblog writer, Jason Millman, is the latest person to be enthralled by the very convenient Obamacare numbers served up by Gaba. Here is Millman singing his Gaba paean:

The Obama administration on Monday announced that 5 million people had signed up for Obamacare exchange plans. Hours earlier, a self-employed Web developer from Michigan had already predicted the milestone would be hit on Monday.

Meet Charles Gaba: He’s not a professional statistician, heath-care expert or political operative. He’s a self-described “numbers geek” who just wants to know how the new health-care law is doing.

So Gaba is not a political operative? Well, that's good to know. All too often folks in the MSM promote the work of some supposedly nonpartisan person and...

Yes, that's right: NewsBusters (which is sort of a Poor Man's Breitbart) wrote an entire hit piece on me a year and a half ago, trying to make hay out of their "exposé" that: I'm actually (gasp!) a partisan, activist Democrat!!

Yes, I know; take a moment to collect yourselves. I'm sure this is as shocking to you as it was to them.

Of course, if they had bothered to read the (completely outdated by now) FAQ page, they'd know that I've never exactly tried to "hide" this fact. Yes, I'm an active, progressive Democrat. I've been very open and up front about that since day one (plus, the fact that this project originated over at Daily Kos was kind of a big red flag...that's some solid investigative journalism, guys!)

Anyway, I bring this up today because of this post at the ultra-right wing CATO Institute (the same assholes who funded the complete-waste-of-everyone's-time King v. Burwell Supreme Court Case earlier this year):

People in the individual market could find themselves between a rock and a hard place next year. Uninsured people not covered by one of the exemptions from the individual mandate are forced to pay a penalty, and it is scheduled to increase significantly next year.

While people will face stiffer penalties for failing to buy health insurance, significantpremium increases in many states mean they will likely end up paying a lot even if they do comply with the mandate. Some people may be able to minimize their increase by shopping around, but one report estimates a national weighted average premium increase around 13 percent, with some states like Minnesota seeing increases higher than 41 percent.

Yes, that's right: The "one report" they're referring to is me.

Of course, this isn't the first time that CATO and other right-wing players have used my work as the basis for their arguments:

Testimony before the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship
by MICHAEL F. CANNON April 29, 2015

...If the Court sides with the challengers, its ruling will free more than 57 million employers and individuals in those federal-Exchange states from the ACA’s employer and individual mandates. Those 57 million Americans include Kevin Pace, a jazz musician and Virginia resident whose income fell by $8,000 when his employer cut his hours to avoid the IRS’s illegal taxes. They include small-business owners who would expand and hire more workers, but are prohibited from doing so by threat of illegal taxes. A ruling for the challengers would protect small businesses and their employees from an out-of-control IRS. Such a ruling would cause a smaller number of Americans — an estimated 6.7 million — to lose access to subsidies that no Congress ever authorized.

Yes, that would be Michael Cannon, aka the lead architect of the King v. Burwell case, testifying before the Republican-controlled Senate Committee on Small Business, headed by Republican Senator (and currently-in-very-deep-hot-water) "Diaper" Dave Vitter.

As I noted at the time:

I'm pretty sure this is the first time that official U.S. Senate Committee testimony has included a reference to an article with the phrase "screw your base" in the title. So, there's that.

Anyway, I guess I should be flattered that the CATO Institute thinks I'm such a Reliable Authority on the Affordable Care Act, but doesn't that kind of mess with NewsBusters' "Democratic Shill!!" meme?

Gee, could it be possible that although I'm very openly a left-leaning, progressive Democrat who favors Single Payer healthcare, I'm also able to separate that out from my data analysis when it comes to reporting on the Affordable Care Act? Is it possible that I like to acknowledge fact-based evidence when I crunch my numbers, even if that evidence isn't always flattering to my ideological leanings?

Nah, that couldn't be it...