Dems Kiss Last Chance to Repeal ObamaCare Goodbye

July 12, 2012

Americans Can Take Control of their Healthcare By Firing the Democrats Who Insist on Defending a Government Healthcare Takeover That America Never Wanted 

  • Yesterday Democrats made clear for the 33rd time that they will keep defending ObamaCare, no matter what the cost.
  • ObamaCare appears to be an article of faith for House Democrats, so much so that they seem willing to sacrifice their own in the bizarre quest to protect ObamaCare.
  • Voters shouldn’t stop Democrats from sacrificing more. The fact is ObamaCare remains unwanted and unpopular, and the only way to get rid of ObamaCare is to fire the Democrats who keep defending it.

Yesterday Democrats made clear for the 33rd time that they will keep defending ObamaCare, no matter what the cost:

33rd VOTE TO REPEAL OBAMACARE: “The vote will mark at the 33rd time by the Republicans’ latest count that the House has passed a bill to defund or repeal portions of the law or the entire Affordable Care Act, as the law is called.” (Thomas Ferraro and Donna Smith, “House Set to Vote on Obama Healthcare Law, Again,” Reuters, 7/11/2012)

97% OF HOUSE DEMOCRATS VOTED TO PREVENT OBAMACARE REPEAL: (Roll Call 460, Clerk of the U.S. House, 7/11/2012)

FEELING THE PRESSURE? DEMOCRAT LEADERS WERE WHIPPING THE DEMOCRAT CAUCUS AGAINST REPEAL: “The Democratic leadership is whipping its members against repeal, but aides said Monday they did not have an estimate of how many will vote with Republicans.” (Elise Viebeck and Russell Berman, “GOP: Vulnerable Democrats Will Back Healthcare Law Repeal Vote,” The Hill, 7/10/2012)

DEMS HAVE OPPOSED PRIOR VOTES TO REPEAL OBAMACARE:

98% OF HOUSE DEMS VOTED AGAINST REPEALING OBAMACARE: (Roll Call 14, Clerk of the U.S. House, 1/19/2011)

95% OF HOUSE DEMS VOTED AGAINST REPEALING OBAMACARE SLUSH FUNDS: (Roll Call 264, Clerk of the U.S. House, 4/13/2011)

95% OF HOUSE DEMS VOTED AGAINST REPEALING FUNDS FOR OBAMACARE STATE EXCHANGES: (Roll Call 285, Clerk of the U.S. House, 5/3/2011)

97% OF HOUSE DEMS VOTED AGAINST REPEALING FUNDS FOR OBAMACARE HEALTH CENTERS: (Roll Call 290, Clerk of the U.S. House, 5/4/2011)

83% OF HOUSE DEMS VOTE AGAINST REPEALING FISCALLY DISASTROUS “CLASS” PROGRAM: (Roll Call 18, Clerk of the U.S. House, 2/1/2012)

90% OF HOUSE DEMS VOTED AGAINST REPEALING IPAB: (Roll Call 126, Clerk of the U.S. House, 3/22/2012)

87% OF HOUSE DEMS VOTED AGAINST REPEALING OBAMACARE SLUSH FUNDS TO PREVENT STUDENT INTEREST RATE HIKES:  (Roll Call 195, Clerk of the U.S. House, 4/27/2012)

77% OF HOUSE DEMOCRATS VOTED AGAINST REPEALING THE HEART ATTACK TAX: (Roll Call 361, Clerk of the U.S. House, 6/7/2012)

ObamaCare appears to be an article of faith for House Democrats, so much so that they seem willing to sacrifice their own in the bizarre quest to protect ObamaCare:

2010: “PELOSI: LAWMAKERS SHOULD SACRIFICE THEIR JOBS FOR HEALTHCARE”: “House Speaker Nancy Pelosi urged her colleagues to back a major overhaul of U.S. health care even if it threatens their political careers, a call to arms that underscores the issue’s massive role in this election year. … ‘We’re not here just to self-perpetuate our service in Congress,’ she said. ‘We’re here to do the job for the American people.'” (“Pelosi: Lawmakers Should Sacrifice Their Jobs for Healthcare,” Associated Press, 2/28/2010)

MORE PELOSI: “THE POLITICS BE DAMNED, THIS IS ABOUT WHAT WE CAME TO DO”: ” ‘The politics be damned, this is about what we came to do,’ she said at a news conference following the high-court decision.” (Eleanor Clift, “Nancy Pelosi’s Tireless ObamaCare Push Vindicated By Supreme Court Ruling,” The Daily Beast, 7/4/2012)

Voters shouldn’t stop Democrats from sacrificing more. The fact is ObamaCare remains unwanted and unpopular, and the only way to get rid of ObamaCare is to fire the Democrats who keep defending it:

THE “TERRIBLE PRICE” FOR DEMOCRATS:

STUDY: OBAMACARE COST DEMOCRATS THE HOUSE IN 2010: “A top Democrat acknowledged Thursday that President Obama’s health care bill hurt his party in 2010. And a new study suggests it cost the Democrats something pretty specific: their House majority. …The study, by five professors from institutions across the country, looks at the health care bill alongside other contentious votes in the 111th Congress and determines that, more so than the stimulus or the cap-and-trade energy bill, it cost Democrats seats. In fact, they lost almost exactly the number of seats that decided the majority.” (Aaron Blake, “Study Shows Health Care Bill May Have Cost Democrats the House,” The Washington Post, 3/9/2012)

DEMOCRAT WHIP STENY HOYER ADMITTED OBAMCARE WAS A “LIABILITY” IN 2010: ” ‘It was clearly a liability in the last election in terms of the public’s fear,’ House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said Thursday during a briefing with reporters.” (Aaron Blake, “Study Shows Health Care Bill May Have Cost Democrats the House,” The Washington Post, 3/9/2012)

REP. BARNEY FRANK (D-MA): “WE PAID A TERRIBLE PRICE FOR HEALTHCARE”: “The outgoing representative from Massachusetts added that after Republican Scott Brown won former Sen. Edward M. Kennedy’s seat, breaking Democrats’ filibuster-proof majority, Obama should have backed down: ‘I think we paid a terrible price for health care. I would not have pushed it as hard. As a matter of fact, after Scott Brown won, I suggested going back. I would have started with financial reform but certainly not health care,’ Frank said.” (Jonathan Miller, “Barney Frank: Obama Made ‘Mistake’ With Health Care Push,” National Journal, 4/16/2012)

VA SEN. JIM WEBB: OBAMACARE IS OBAMA’S “BIGGEST DOWNSIDE” POLITICALLY, “COST OBAMA A LOT OF CREDIBILITY AS A LEADER”: (Tweet from Susan Page, USA Today, 4/18/2012) 

REP. JOHN YARMUTH (D-KY): OBAMACARE “PROBABLY WASN’T WORTH IT” POLITICALLY: ” ‘Oh, politically? Politically?’ Yarmuth paused for a moment. ‘Big picture, politically, it probably wasn’t worth it. Policy-wise, it was worth it because it’s going to move the country dramatically in the right direction,’ he said.” (Joshua Miller, “Kentucky: John Yarmuth Says Health Care Probably Wasn’t Worth Political Cost,” Roll Call, 4/12/2012)

RETIRING REP. NORM DICKS (D-WA) SAID “THERE’S NO DOUBT” OBAMACARE “HURT US”: “‘It did hurt us, there’s no doubt about it. The climate out there was really ugly because of it,’ said Rep. Norm Dicks (D-Wash.), who is also retiring at the end of this Congress.” (Julian Pecquet And Sam Baker, “Dem Buyers’ Remorse On Health Law,” The Hill’s “Health Watch,” 4/19/12)

RETIRING REP. BRAD MILLER (D-NC): “‘I think we would all have been better off — President Obama politically, Democrats in Congress politically, and the nation would have been better off — if we had dealt first with the financial system and the other related economic issues and then come back to health care,’ said Rep. Brad Miller (D-N.C.), who is retiring at the end of this Congress.” (Julian Pecquet And Sam Baker, “Dem Buyers’ Remorse On Health Law,” The Hill‘s “Health Watch,” 4/19/2012)

OBAMACARE REMAINS UNPOPULAR:

GALLUP: 46% THINK OBAMACARE WILL HURT THE ECONOMY, 37% THINK IT WILL HELP: (Frank Newport, “Americans See More Economic Harm Than Good in Health Law,” Gallup, 7/5/2012)

ABC NEWS/WASHINGTON POST: 52% DISAPPROVE OF OBAMA ON HEALTHCARE: “[Obama’s] overall job rating is 47-49 percent, approve-disapprove (the same as in May). It’s majority negative on his handling of the economy, 44-54 percent; health care, 41-52 percent (a numerical low in approval, with no bump from last month’s Supreme Court ruling); and immigration, 38-52 percent (also bumpless despite his initiative halting enforcement against many illegal immigrants who arrived as minors).” (Gary Langer, “Dead Heat in Voter Preferences Presages an Epic Battle Ahead,” ABC News, 7/10/2012)

RUNNING SCARED?:

“STILL NO HEALTHCARE IN [OBAMA’S] WEEKLY ADDRESS”: “It tells you at least a little about the politics of health care that in the two weekly presidential addresses since then, ‘Obamacare’ has not made an appearance. Today’s address focused on the passage of legislation to block an increase in student loan rates. Last week — in the immediate wake of the ACA ruling — Obama’s topic was the Colorado wildfires.” (Alexander Burns, “Still No Health Care in Weekly Address,” Politico, 7/7/2012)

DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES STILL RUNNING FROM OBAMACARE: “When it comes to their political seal of approval, Democratic House and Senate candidates weren’t so kind. Despite the law being upheld, Democrats with tough races ahead of them continue to tread lightly around a law that remains broadly unpopular nationwide — including among key independent voters.” (Aaron Blake, “Democratic Candidates Still Tread Lightly on ObamaCare, Despite Supreme Court’s Decision,” The Washington Post, 6/28/2012)