re Obamacare "tech surge" at The White House to fix broken Ocare website: I posit educated guess why West Wing is being so secretive re identities of this Nerd Squad A-Team meets Mission Impossible: Saving Obamacare 2.0. That answer is "optics"

CNN

Pundits' prescriptions for what ails healthcare CNN contributor Ryan Lizza and A.B. Stoddard from The Hill give Brooke Baldwin their RX for the Administration's healthcare woes. October 30th, 2013 06:32 PM ET 

http://newsroom.blogs.cnn.com/2013/10/30/pundits-prescriptions-for-what-ails-healthcare/

Somewhat out of the blue Thursday, while reading some tweets of some of the people I religiously follow, I got to wondering if I'd actually stumbled across at least one of the reasons why the White House is being so secretive as to the identities of this Nerd Squad A-Team 
meets Mission Impossible - Saving Obamacare 2.0

Given the condescension that has come out of the WH over the past 5 years on a whole host of policy and political issues involving gender and identity politics, often greatly amplified by their echo chamber of sycophants in the Beltway press corps, especially among younger female reporters and producers, isn't it likely that seeing concrete facts or photos that confirm that the Obamacare rescue crew is largely composed of not just men but the dreaded White Men would just be too much of a PR buzzkill and "optics" problem for Team Obama to publicly countenance?

Instead of wholesome, free spirit, All-American girl-next-door and savvy computer nerd poster girl Angela Bennett (Sanda Bullock) in The Net, it's sixty-something year old Dads and Uncles with computer super-powers far beyond the ken of most normal mortals coming to the rescue.

Note what happens at 0:42.
Someone has hacked into a cabinet member's personal medical file. 

Just wondering...

Tech experts enlisted to help fix Obamacare website 
By CNN Staff 
updated 4:17 PM EDT, Thu October 31, 2013
http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/31/us/obamacare-website-experts/index.html

Republican votes for the Gang of Eight immigration bill continue to fall away even as the Miami Herald continued their news blackout for a third day regarding Ryan Lizza's New Yorker column and the truth about S.744, and the bad news for Marco Rubio and the newspaper continues apace, as the truth about both continues to seep out over the Internet

Republican votes for the Gang of Eight immigration bill continue to fall away even as the Miami Herald continued their news blackout for a third day regarding Ryan Lizza's New Yorker column and the truth about S.744, and the bad news for Marco Rubio and the newspaper continues apace, as the truth about both continues to seep out over the Internet

The stridently pro-amnesty Miami Herald is STILL refusing to end their news blackout and mention anything at all re the Ryan Lizza column and the role of Rubio and his staff in S.744 since news about the column began. 

The Tampa Bay Times ended their news blackout Tuesday afternoon. 

As of 1 a.m. Thursday morning, absolutely nothing's changed at McClatchy's under-performing Miami Herald -nothing in print and nothing on their blogs- since my post of yesterday bringing this to everyone's attention.

But in the Miami Herald that's run by Executive Editor Aminda Marques Gonzalez, while there wasn't space for real news about Marco Rubio, there was plenty of space for faux news about imaginary polls and imaginary candidates, him and Hillary Clinton, that are the very picture of the word meaningless.

When the history of how bad this once-decent newspaper got before there were either big corporate changes that respected readers expectations, or they merely allowed the female captain of the S.S. Herald to crash into the iceberg like The Titanic, and slowly receded into insignificance, we now know the name of who will get the lion's share of the blame locally:

Aminda Marques Gonzalez.

Yes, the same woman who never responded to my two fact-filled emails in 2010 and 2011 to her, Managing Editor Rick Hirsch and others in position of power at Herald management in Miami and at McClatchy HQ in Sacramento, pointing out a whole host of tangible problems that weren't being solved or mentioned in any other forum or venue.
Despite how specific I was and even giving concrete examples, Aminda Marques never did anything to fix the problems -and here in 2013, still STILL hasn't. 

I know that we've all been taught that, theoretically, there's a wall between editorial and news, but if there was one there, it's crumbled under the present crew working for McClatchy..

At that newspaper now, on a matter of great public policy, especially to this area, IF you aren't supportive of the newspaper's editorial point-of-view, pro-amnesty, you don't see the light of day there, and their lopsided, one-sided "news coverage" has reflected this the entire time that Marques has been in charge.

It's not your imagination or mine, it's the truth, and the record is clear.

The Hill

Right rips Rubio as Republican immigration votes slip away
By Alexander Bolton
06/19/13 08:05 PM ET
http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/306717-right-rips-rubio-as-gop-votes-slip-away

Even while Miami-area TV stations also continue to completely ignore the Ryan Lizza story, too, Rubio's short-term future within the party is being decided as people decide that he is simply too naive and untrustworthy to have the large public role he has.
once.
And the reporters and columnists around the country who know what Rubio has been up to also know what the Herald has been doing, too, which is all to the good.

Note: Reid failure="we get issue" calculation works best if bill loses (<60) or gets only 61 and House blocks.
— Mickey Kaus (@kausmickey) June 19, 2013

Is it really such a coincidence that heyday of US middle class was also time of lowest immigration? (6)
— davidfrum (@davidfrum) June 19, 2013

Wish more American liberals would read the careful study by thoughtful Brit liberal, David Goodheart http://t.co/iPdvYLzWCq (9)
— davidfrum (@davidfrum) June 19, 2013

EPI: During 90s tight labor mkt black h-hold income made big gains-greatest since 60s. W/ Gangof8 won't happen again http://t.co/4YCZMFo0Zq
— Mickey Kaus (@kausmickey) June 19, 2013

CBO says S. 744 would allow illegal immigration to build up all over again. Polls should start asking if voters want a "path" every 10yrs.
— Roy Beck (@RoyBeck_NUSA) June 19, 2013

Sen. Portman on Gang of Eight: 'I don't think the bill is going to hold together without real enforcement.'
— Byron York (@ByronYork) June 19, 2013

#amnesty fallout RT @scontorno: Paul cheered, Rubio jeered by Tea Party protesters rallying at the Capitol http://t.co/f7ndnU4rMh
— Conn Carroll (@conncarroll) June 19, 2013

The Gang of 8 immigration bill is a disaster. Hear why in my discussion with @RushLimbaugh from earlier today: https://t.co/QrkUEU43gO
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) June 19, 2013

"Right rips Rubio as Republican immigration votes slip away" http://t.co/5UhCWi8PfS
— Mickey Kaus (@kausmickey) June 20, 2013

"We need seventy"--@ChuckSchumer in @ryanlizza NewYorker piece http://t.co/5UhCWi8PfS
— Mickey Kaus (@kausmickey) June 20, 2013

Gangof8 preening/bragging *is* obnoxious. Wonder if costs them votes/"Ted Cruz unhappy w/ Gang of Eight ‘bragging’" http://t.co/LTJTMlhs2v
— Mickey Kaus (@kausmickey) June 20, 2013

You had me at Sofia Vergara! NY Mag Daily Intel blog reports that Nick Loeb may run vs. Bill Nelson in 2012; he's 'reportedly' dating actress Vergara

Actress Sofia Vergara, via photobucket.com

New York Magazine
Daily Intel Main
This Woman Could Be a Senator’s Wife
By Chris Rovzar
January 14, 2011 at 12:15 PM

Nick Loeb, the "tall and handsome scion to New York's Loeb Rhoades banking fortune," had to abandon his U.S. Senate run in Florida in 2009 because his wife left him. He felt it was unfair to conduct a campaign while dealing with such personal turmoil, so he paid back all his donors (out of his own pocket) and called off the run.

Read the rest of this very popular post at:
http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2011/01/this_woman_could_be_a_senators.html

As of now, there are 145 comments, and none of the first 20 are about Nick Loeb's personal stance on the role of the federal government in a citizen's daily life.
Imagine that.

The Palm Beach Post's Jose Lambiet http://www.page2live.com/ wrote a bit about the Nick Loeb conundrum last year -and his serious car accident in Bel-Air near Sofia Vergara's home-
http://www.page2live.com/2010/08/24/ex-florida-senate-candidate-nick-loeb-injured-in-car-crash/ which featured this photo essay:
http://page2live.mycapture.com/mycapture/enlargePopup.asp?image=29724487&event=1012290&CategoryID=59758&pSlideshow=1

But then how do you photograph someone's personality?

And a story like this won't stay a secret for long among attention-starved Washington, so The Hill is already saying...
http://washingtonscene.thehill.com/in-the-know/36-news/7823-sofia-vergaras-boyfriend-mulls-senate-run

You all know how much I love Sweden, but from the looks of things, given our particular geographical location in the Sunshine State, Colombia looks to have home-field advantage in this one.


http://www.oceandrive.com/home-page/articles/sofia-vergara-spices-up-primetime

And before you ask, I know nothing about the wife of Mike Haridopolos, the Florida Senate President, who has already announced he's running for next year's GOP nomination to run against Nelson.

http://www.senatormike.com/
http://www.rollcall.com/members/652.html

He looks like he ought to be the number-two at a Hollywood studio and a regular at Laker games, or the lead anchor at an LA TV station: "From the Southland's news leader, Mike Haridopolous, Eye...witness News!"

Seeing positive public policy opportunities in a deserved object of ridicule

My comments follow the article.
------------
The Hill
GOP launches sarcastic 'friend czar' Facebook application

By Christina Wilkie
October 21, 2009

The GOP has unveiled a new tactic in its ongoing effort to dominate social media sites like Twitter and Facebook: a sarcastic Facebook Application that assesses a "tax" on Facebook users deemed to have more than the average number of friends.

Read the rest of the article at:

http://thehill.com/capital-living/in-the-know/64169-gop-launches-sarcastic-friend-czar-facebook-application

------------

If you see the trees for the forest in this story,
you'll see an opportunity...

If only I knew someone who could write computer
code so that we could make Social Media applications
that cross platforms and bundled all the info on
selected Facebook, Twitter, myspace, blogs,
websites, et al into a dynamic version of a
Google Alert, creating a forum for news and pithy,
sarcastic or trenchant comments about civic issues
of mutual concern.

Whether that's longstanding, intractable issues in
all our individual regions of Florida, or more recent
issues, like in the case of South Florida, the highly
suspect Miami Port Tunnel; the taxpayer bailout
of the Marlins Stadium and the already ballooning
costs of that rip-off; the expansion into Broward
County of I-95 tolls -Comm. Sue Gunzburger
has written me that she agrees and doesn't
approve of the plan to change the commuter
lanes into toll lanes; the Broward School Board's
entrenched culture of corruption, where members
feel emboldened enough to rip their own auditors
in public for actually bringing waste to light; the
continuing lack of proper and vigorous enforcement
of Sunshine Law violations by Florida cities,
counties and their Advisory Boards, as has become
an institutional practice in my town of Hallandale
Beach, made all the worse because the city attorney,
who draws his salary from the wallets and purses
of city taxpayers, yet just sits idly by, just winking
at everything...

You could share news, tips, first-hand observations
and photos, plus receive alerts when someone
whose past comments you deem trustworthy adds
something new about the individual issue you follow.
And it's with you wherever you go.

Plus, with individual issue applications, it puts you on
record as being AGAINST them so that like-minded
people could arrange Meet-ups once in a while to see
whether there were sufficient numbers to support more
direct citizen action, whether in the form of ballot
initiatives, PAC formation, et al, and not be dependent
on press accounts of events or rallies to determine
whether there was broad or just sporadic support
for your particular position.

No longer would you be left to ponder whether a
particular sentiment about some public policy issue
was shared by just you and a few of your friends,
something you wonder about when the civic and
public policy events you attend are often full of
articulate and very well-informed people, but the
public hearing, forum or summit doesn't receive
any press coverage at all.

For instance, to cite something I'm all too familiar
with personally, and have previousdly written about,
the Tri-county Transportation Summit I attended
on Feb. 21st in Fort Lauderdale at the Broward
Convention Center, which drew hundreds and
hundreds of smart and savvy citizens from all over
South Florida, but which received zero media
coverage afterwards, on a slow news weekend.

When everyone's an informed and empowered
watchdog, and it doesn't genuinely matter whether
a news reporter shows up or not to give your meeting
validity, it makes it infinitely harder for the the
entrenched crowd and their professional mouthpieces
and flacks to try to frame the public debate and
manipulate the media.

The press actually benefits, too, by having access to
a whole new universe of well-informed (if opinionated)
people to interview to give stories some meaningful
context, so that the Tyranny of the Usual Media
Suspects could be ended and no longer monopolize
public discourse.

For instance, to cite one glaring example, the Florida
media's continually quoting of Steve Geller regarding
almost any aspect of gambling in the state, but
conveniently neglecting to mention how much he
and his PAC have received in political contributions
from that very same industry, especially from
The Mardi Gras.

He's not an objective observer, but the press seems
unable to actually go 'cold turkey' on his quotes.
Please give him a rest.

There's a market here in Florida just waiting for someone
to fill the vacuum, as I'd happily pay a few bucks a month
to stay better-informed on the public policy issues that
I'm most interested in.
Just saying...

Meanwhile, some media folks aren't letting the bad
economy get in the way of a good idea whose time
has come.
Mediabistro's dcfishbowl, which I subscribe to,
had this post on Tuesday that caught my attention
and which I followed-up on.
--------------
dcfishbowl
Allbritton to Launch DC Metro News Website

By Matt Dornic
October 27, 2009 08:35 PM

http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlDC/online_media/allbritton_to_launch_dc_metro_news_website__141469.asp

The New Republic
The Owner of 'Politico' Is Going After the 'Post.' Again.
By Gabriel Sherman
October 27, 2009
http://www.tnr.com/blog/the-plank/the-owner-%E2%80%98politico%E2%80%99-going-after-the-%E2%80%98post%E2%80%99-again


The Albritton's family owned WJLA-TV, the ABC
affiliate in Washington, D.C. and created one of the
great tools for any Beltway news junkie, NewsChannel 8,
http://www.news8.net/, which provides in-depth
coverage of local news in the greater Washingon area:
The District, Northern Virginia and suburban Maryland.
It also re-airs all ABC News programs on weekends,
and Nightline the following morning at 10 a.m.

I've made pretty clear my strong feelings about this
area desperately needing a similar 24/7 Local News
operation here, so that context and information that
reporters actually know can actually get on the air
in something more than just small bits their alloted
time during a regular newscast.

Would've been nice to watch the myriad Marlins
Stadium hearings from home on TV with an expert
analyst in public financing, a la what Steven Brill's
Court TV used to do so well in high-profile trials.

Reminder, Monday morning is the next meeting of
the South Florida Regional Planning Council,
SFRPC,
http://www.sfrpc.com/council/agenda11-09.htm