I read "...he can count on losing a whole lot of swing states!" as "...swig states!". heh.

The price of beer shot up by about as much as health ins. (supposedly because of gas prices), and haven't come back down with gas prices.

I would heartily endorse the option of an affordable "public brew"

3.3% my ass: http://thinkprogress.org/2009/09/23/cnbc-braly-wellpoint/

Who cares? This is a DISTRACTION and TPM is falling for it. Again.

How come there is not a single mention of the HISTORIC anti-nuclear proliferation resolution that Obama led today on TPM? How come?

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/25/world/25prexy.html

I guess national security issues get in the way of the really important things. Like making fun of Karl Rove.

TPM had better start getting its act together.

Wow, what a fact-free commentary! Obama just cut a big deal with drug makers and make bigger profits, yet Rove suggests they are a target of some sort.

And it's not profit margins that irk people about health insurance, it's their deceitful and unethical business practices, as well as waste and fraud. They might not make huge profits, but they sure as hell squander some 20-30% of their revenue (and of our countries enormous health costs) with administrative, legal, underwriting and advertising. (Actually low profit margins are merely a sign of incompetence on their part. They are stupid in addition to sleazy)

Comparing these bloodsuckers to any other sector of the economy is bizarre. Health insurance is a necessity, and these assholes are wasting our money, and cheating and conniving to boot.

Most important- how does this affect John McCain?

What exactly is his job now? Is he just freelancing for the GOP? Or are these brilliant ideas his alone? Well next trip I make to stockpile some more guns and ammo I guess I will also get some brewskis for the bunker. Can't have target practice on the Obama as Hitler photo sober.

Call BS on his numbers! Where does that 3.3% number come from?

Profit margins tell you little about how much money you're making. Return on investment is what's relevant.

Readers of the WSJ would know that, but of course they will not point it out...

Meh. Obama likes his beer. And, unlike his own doctor, most likely has to pay for it himself.

(I find it creepy that they keep vials of his blood handy in case of emergency.)

I can remember seeing my local grocery store advertise on its brown paper bags that its profit margin was less than 2%. But it failed to point out that that was only part of the story. Make 2% on stock you can turn over almost daily, and you do very well over the course of a year. Indeed, if you you mark up milk 2%, and it spends just two days, on average, on the shelf, you'll make 2 X 162 or 365% profit for the year. Rove should know better -- and maybe he does.