Americans Not Taking Advantage of Obamacare

Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine:

Low Turnout

A startling number of people have signed up for the government's program that provides insurance coverage for the previously uninsurable until the new health care law kicks in fully in 2014. The people were not covered because of pre-existing conditions.

The sign-up is startling because the number is so low.

The Health and Human Services Department reports just 8,011 people have enrolled in the entire country. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the HHS estimate in July was that 375,000 people would have signed up by now.

A partial state breakdown revealing that one person has signed up from North Dakota, four in West Virginia, 15 in Minnesota, 63 from Indiana and in Texas -- with a population of 24.7 million -- 393 people have signed up.

HHS says the program is new and tells The Hill newspaper that -- quote -- "we are proud of where we are."

No Respect

As President Obama wraps up his international trip, the National Journal compares his situation to a comedian famous for his lack of getting respect.

The article titled "America's Rodney Dangerfield Moment" reads -- quote -- "for the most part, this was a shadow of the president who was awarded the Nobel Peace prize in 2009" calling it a "gradual loss of prestige" and writing "other countries are no longer looking to Washington as a model and Obama simply hasn't done enough to change minds, to deliver sufficient substance to go with his soaring rhetoric."

Politico reports during a G20 news conference the president was annoyed by questions, writing President Obama -- quote -- "appeared thin-skinned about the characterizations of his time at the summit, criticizing reporters' 'search for drama.'"

Crime and Punishment

And finally, some activists here in the U.S. want former President George W. Bush's memoir put in the crime section of bookstores in protest of his policies.

The effort encourages citizens to -- quote -- "move Bush's memoir to the crime section of the store. The fiction, science fiction and humor sections are also applicable."

But, one of the comments on this group's Facebook page reads -- quote -- "Hmm... all this book bashing is kinda making me want to read this book. Just sayin'."