Regarding our Obamacare issue on Friday, readers express diverse perspectives on the Affordable Care Act (ACA)...

Charles G., for instance, argues for a complete elimination of the ACA: “The Constitution does not authorize the government to be involved in either health care or insurance.”

On the other hand, Richard S. believes the ACA “cannot be repealed, it must be improved,” emphasizing that denial of coverage for pre-existing conditions is “deplorable and has to be outlawed in any improved legislation.”

Entrepreneur Damon C. proposes improvements to the ACA, including “oversight of denial-prone insurers” and “elimination of middlemen like pharma benefit managers.”

Regarding favorite Election Insider articles?

Thomas Y. highlights several, including Trump's Got a Helluva Lot of Fight and Biden's Corruption is a Matter of Public Record.

His top pick, however, is President J.D. Vance: Electoral Chaos Looms in 2025 which he describes as a “stunning example of 'Trump Derangement Syndrome’” on the part of Democrats.

Dennis M. commends Jim's election predictions: “It's AMAZING that he was pretty much spot on for the final elector-count result just like he was with the Brexit vote!”

Last, Dan H. shifts the focus, suggesting we discuss the breakdown of the new House of Representatives…

Consequences of Biden’s “Catastrophic Mistake”

The Republican Party is poised to maintain control of the House of Representatives, albeit with a slim majority.

So far, the GOP has secured 216 seats — just two short of a majority — while Democrats hold 207. As of this morning, 12 seats remain undecided.

But the narrow majority presents challenges for the GOP:

• With Trump set to install loyalists across his administration, his ability to unify and control House Speaker Mike Johnson's members will be critical to advancing his agenda.

• Plus, the GOP risks losing the House in the upcoming 2026 midterm elections, leaving them a brief window to pass significant legislation before electoral concerns potentially hinder their efforts.

This timeframe, by the way, is reminiscent of Trump's first term when major policy initiatives, including the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, were passed within the first 18 months of his administration.

(Interestingly, it was also during this 18-month period that Trump’s cohort in Congress attempted — but failed — to repeal the Affordable Care Act.)

On the Democrats’ side, the House minority is a stinging reminder of Harris’ resounding defeat. Not helping matters? Obama’s former speechwriter, Jon Favreau (not the actor) aired his grievances on a podcast last week.

Specifically, Favreau said of Team Biden: “The Biden campaign’s own internal polling at the time [showed] that Donald Trump was going to win 400 electoral votes…

Joe Biden's decision to run for president again was a catastrophic mistake. [He] and his inner circle, they refused to believe the polls, they refused to believe he was unpopular, they refused to acknowledge until very late that anyone could be upset about inflation.

Meanwhile, as the post-election dust settles, attention has shifted to Trump's Cabinet appointments…

President-elect Trump has already selected pro-Israel Representative Elise Stefanik (R-NY) as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, former Representative Lee Zeldin (R-NY) to head the Environmental Protection Agency and Florida Representative Mike Waltz is set to become national security advisor.

But as the nation awaits Trump's decision on other Cabinet appointments, all eyes are on the incoming administration's initial legislative priorities.

Which will undoubtedly set the stage for intense political battles in the closely divided Congress.

Market Rundown for Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024

S&P 500 futures are down 0.15% to 6,000.

Oil is up 0.35% to $68.38 for a barrel of WTI.

Gold is up 0.30% to $2,614.90 per ounce.

And Bitcoin’s down about 1% this morning to $88,500.