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NRCC MEMO: CODE RED: HOW REPUBLICANS CAN UPEND THE OBAMA-PELOSI HEALTH CARE AGENDA

August 8, 2010

TO: REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES

FROM: JOHNNY DESTEFANO, NRCC DEPUTY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND POLITICAL DIRECTOR TO HOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADER JOHN A. BOEHNER
DATE: MARCH 8, 2010
SUBJECT: CODE RED: HOW REPUBLICANS CAN UPEND THE OBAMA-PELOSI HEALTH CARE AGENDA

Over the next several weeks Republican candidates have a rare opportunity to affect the outcome of legislation that is currently in front of Congress. Make no mistake about it: The last front in the health care fight is in the House of Representatives. Speaker Nancy Pelosi needs 216 votes to pass her bill and send it to President Obama’s desk. Since the bill has already passed the Senate, doing so would allow Democrats to impose their unpopular political agenda on over 1/6thof the American economy – against the will of the American people.

In order to achieve the critical 216-vote threshold, Speaker Pelosi must win the support of two key voting blocs within her own caucus: She must try to flip those who voted ‘NO’ on the earlier $1.2 trillion House health care bill and she must hold on to those members who voted ‘YES’ and felt the heavy political backlash that came with it. Now is the time to apply pressure and force your opponents into taking a stand on whether they will walk Speaker Pelosi’s plank by supporting her last-ditch health care push.

Candidates should be aware that although the Senate health care bill – the bill currently being pushed by Democrat leaders – is not the same as last fall’s $1.2 trillion health care takeover passed by the House, it is no less egregious. In addition to the broad political toxicity of the Democrats’ health care agenda, a vote for this bill opens an entirely new line of attack on House Democrats. By supporting this bill, your opponent would go on record in support of the Cornhusker Kickback, the Louisiana Purchase, and every other backroom deal cut to sneak the legislation through the Senate.

Candidates running against Democrats who previously voted ‘NO’ can keep them in that column by reminding voters that your opponent could be preparing to make the Democrats’ health care agenda the prevailing law of the land. These Democrats might think that they have a free ride since they are not under direct fire for a previous ‘YES’ vote, but they must be held accountable for their possible support of this bill and their party’s broader push for unpopular health care legislation. And regardless of their earlier vote, these Democrats should not be let off the hook for supporting Speaker Pelosi as their party leader and enabling their party to enact a radical big-government agenda.

Those candidates running against Democrats who voted ‘YES’ on the House health care bill have the opportunity to take votes off of Speaker Pelosi’s board. Democrat leaders are pushing these ‘YES’ votes to reap the alleged benefits of their previous vote by doubling down on their earlier position, but it would be a fatal mistake for rank-and-file Democrats to fall into this trap. While the House bill was a two thousand-page, $1.2 trillion disaster, the Senate bill is in fact worse.

Regardless of how your opponent voted in the past, you can make a major impact on his or her political calculations by reminding these Democrats that a ‘YES’ vote on the Senate-passed bill will guarantee them an all-out, full-throated blitz from your campaign and national Republicans throughout the spring, summer, and fall. It is our duty to hold them accountable for supporting a runaway health care agenda that has already been rejected by the American people.

It is possible to defeat the Obama-Pelosi health care bill, but it will require Republicans across the country to engage in a cohesive and focused effort with the singular goal of stopping the Democrats’ unpopular health care push. The National Republican Congressional Committee has established Project Code Red, an aggressive multi-front communications campaign that will force vulnerable Democrats to go on the record with a stance on their party’s final Hail Mary attempt to pass their hyper-partisan health care legislation. Over the next several weeks we will be reminding your opponents where the American people stand – and reminding the American people of the arrogant, disconnected approach with which this Democrat majority has attempted the business of governing.

Your role in this effort cannot be understated. We are relying on your campaign to rally grassroots support for our efforts. There are a variety of avenues that you can employ in order to create havoc for Democrats who are considering a ‘YES’ vote on the Senate-passed health care bill:

  • Hold town halls;
  • Organize voters to call, e-mail, and write your Democrat opponent;
  • Urge people stay informed of the latest health care developments by visiting the Project Code Red website at www.nrcc.org/codered;
  • Link your supporters directly to our concerted effort by adding the Code Red widget at www.nrcc.org/codered to your website;
·         Employ as many communications avenues as possible in order to let your supporters know that Republicans are making an all-out effort to stop the Democrats’ health care agenda. Be sure to use the #gopcodered hash tag on Twitter whenever you discuss Washington’s runaway health care agenda.

As you join us in these efforts to derail the Obama-Pelosi health care agenda, be mindful that there are serious electoral consequences for members of the Democrat majority who continue to sign onto an agenda that blatantly ignores the will of the American people. President Obama helpfully reminded us of this fact with his lecture at last month’s White House Health Care Summit. If Speaker Pelosi and Democrat Members of Congress continue to reject the will of the American people by ramming this partisan health care agenda through Congress, “That’s what elections are for.”

We are on the road to victory. Now we must work together to capitalize on the monumental opportunity to stand with the American people and prevent an historic disaster. Most importantly, we need your help as we drive toward upending the Obama-Pelosi health care agenda once and for all.

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