MICKEY KAUS IS SKEPTICAL of claims that without the shutdown imbroglio, ObamaCare’s problems would have gotten more coverage:

In the non-alternative history–i.e. what actually happened–the press reported the Obamacare rollout debacle without guidance from an orchestrated crescendo of Republican press releases. That made the reports much more devastating. And because the MSM rightly thinks the story is its own, and not a hyped GOP narrative, it will keep reporting it. Even youthful Obamacare reassurer-in-chief Ezra Klein seems to have sunk his teeth into it. (He got wind of the impending disaster, he assures us, and really really “tried hard” to nail it down before the rollout! Whatever. He’s on the case now.)

When your enemy is in the process of destroying himself, the worst thing to do to is stop him. But the second worst may be to have Darrell Issa hold hearings.

I agree.

TRAINWRECK: WaPo: Traffic plunges 88% at Healthcare.gov since launch. So, basically, ObamaCare’s appeal is becoming more selective.

IRS SCANDAL UPDATE: Judicial Watch sues IRS for stonewalling on tea party FOIA.

HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE UPDATE, LEGAL EDUCATION EDITION: In The Future, Law School Tuition Will Be Absolutely Terrifying.

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MY USA TODAY COLUMN: Shutdown Experience Shows Cutting Government Would Be Pretty Painless.

JAMES TARANTO: As Good as It Gets? ObamaCare supporters go through the stages of grief. Read the whole thing, which is too good to excerpt.

EATING INVASIVE SPECIES: Houston Restaurant Offers Lionfish. “Four bar seats face the area where Gaston prepares a variety of internationally themed delicacies, from sashimi to ceviche, crudo, mana, steak tartare, and the lionfish dish, Poisson Cru. He places a sizeable fillet on the board, deftly slices it into strips and lays them out on a dish. He mixes coconut milk with ginger and chiles in a bowl, pours it over the fish and adds morsels of fresh orange and olive oil. I enjoy it with a gimlet made with Tito’s Ruby Red vodka, an excellent complement to the flavors. Cove Bar also serves a list of wines by the glass and bottle, a selection of draught and bottle beers and daily drink specials. Downing my plate of lionfish, I’ve not only enjoyed a delicious appetizer; I’ve done a good deed, as well.”

All is proceeding as I have foreseen.

FROM PETER INGEMI, thoughts on charity.

FUNNY, BUT THIS DOESN’T SEEM TO BE EMPHASIZED IN THE PRESS ACCOUNTS: The House GOP Voted 11 Times To Reopen The Government But Senate Dems and President Obama Objected.

THE WINNER OF TODAY’S NEW JERSEY SPECIAL ELECTION? Chris Christie.

SURVEY: “Over two-thirds of Americans (68 percent) believe that degree programs currently cost more than they are worth and 36 percent said that the cost of a degree has risen disproportionally to its value in the last five years.”

Full report here.

All is proceeding as I have foreseen. I just hope it’s not too obvious before my new book comes out.

MORE EVIDENCE THAT COMMERCIAL SPACEFLIGHT IS BECOMING A NORMAL INDUSTRY: Orbital Sciences Corporation suing United Launch Alliance, State of Virginia. “When NASA surprised many observers in 2006 by inviting private commercial companies to develop space vehicles for low earth orbit missions (the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services contract – COTS), it triggered a level of competitive forces that had not been seen in the space flight industry. Companies scrambled to create partnerships and corner scarce resources that would enable them to compete. Manifestations of the fierceness of the competition that is emerging include two recent lawsuits that have been recently filed by prominent space and missile defense company Orbital Sciences Corporation. “

THEY CAN’T FIRE HER. SHE MIGHT TALK. The Hill: White House stands by Sebelius amid ouster calls over ObamaCare rollout.

HEH: “None of You [Reporters] Were Math Majors, Were You?”

WHAT WE NEED: A Columbus Of The Space Age?

HEH: Sorry, MSNBC: Megyn Kelly’s Ratings Were That Good.

When Megyn Kelly got partially beaten by MSNBC in the ratings on the first night of her new show, the network celebrated. When Kelly surged so far ahead on her second night that she beat every single other show on cable news in the crucial A25-54 category, MSNBC president Phil Griffin insisted that it couldn’t be real, called for an investigation and said he had complained to Nielsen about the numbers.

Nielsen did an investigation. The results were…pretty much the same.

I’d like an investigation into how MSNBC stays on the air with such consistently lousy ratings. Do they get subsidies from the DNC?

THEY TOLD ME IF I VOTED FOR MITT ROMNEY, RACY CABLE SHOWS WOULD BE CENSORED: AND THEY WERE RIGHT!

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WHAT IF THEY’RE UNDOCUMENTED FIREARMS? Live With a Foreigner Who Doesn’t Have a Green Card? You Must Keep Your Guns Locked Up. “That’s what the newly enacted Cal. Penal Code § 25135, just signed by Gov. Brown, would do (on pain of criminal punishment).”

MORE ON THAT SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN blog-censorship dustup.

ANOTHER CASE OF THE 99% AGAINST THE 1%? Hot Mom Defends Herself Against Facebook Haters.

MY USA TODAY COLUMN: Shutdown Experience Shows Cutting Government Would Be Pretty Painless.

MAYBE SHE CAN GET A JOB WITH AL SHARPTON? Law Student Of The Day: Alleged Social-Media Hoaxer.

AGING IS A DISEASE. 10 Incredible GIFs Showing How Aging Changes Our Appearance.