17 Apr 2013 ObamaCare: Where’s The Lefty Outrage? Part IV

First it was eateries like Darden Restaurants, PapaJohn’s and Wendy’s that were struggling with ObamaCare’s regulations.  Then it was some universities and colleges, the Virginia state government, and even a few unions.

The latest victim?  Movie theaters:

Regal Entertainment Group, which operates more than 500 theaters in 38 states, last month rolled back shifts for non-salaried workers to 30 hours per week, putting them under the threshold at which employers are required to provide health insurance. The Nashville-based company said in a letter to managers that the move was a direct result of ObamaCare.

And, as usual, narry a peep from the political left.  No comment on Regal over at Huffington Post, Salon, Daily KOS, The Nation, etc.

Nor was there any left-wing griping back in late March when the International Franchise Association released an analysis showing that over three million full-time jobs could be cut back or eliminated due to the employer mandate.

And it seemed very strange that economist Mark Zandi, usually a supporter of Obama’s economic policies, was not branded a “traitor” (or worse) by the left when he suggested that ObamaCare might be responsible for the weak job numbers in March:

As the evidence keeps piling up that many businesses will have to cut employee hours to avoid the ObamaCare rule that an employer must provide insurance to any employee working more than 30 hours per work, the lefties have gone silent.  When you think about it, though, the tactic makes sense.  If they kept criticizing businesses and others that are struggling with ObamaCare, some of their readers might notice that ObamaCare seems to be creating problems.  Can’t have that!

What a difference it was just a few months ago when they savaged Darden and PapaJohn’s.  Well, those two were the first to complain about ObamaCare and, as the saying goes, the first through the wall always gets bloody.

UPDATE: From the WSJ: “The United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers and Allied Workers is believed to be the first union to initially support the law and later call for its repeal.”  The reason:

The roofers’ union’s current insurance plan caps lifetime medical bill payouts at $2 million for active members and $50,000 for retirees. Next year, the plan has to remove those caps in order to comply with the health law. Other aspects of the retiree plan must become more generous in order to meet the law’s minimum essential coverage requirements next year. All that will increase the cost of insuring members, Mr. Robinson said, and has prompted the union to weigh eliminating the retiree plan.

Adding to those cost concerns is a new $63-per-enrollee fee on health plans that pays insurers to cover people with pre-existing conditions next year. Looking ahead to 2018, when the law levies an excise tax on high-value insurance plans, Mr. Robinson predicts that at least some of the union’s plans will get hit by it.

Here’s betting the political left pays it no mind.  HT: Michelle Malkin