House Dems Become Increasingly Lonely Defending ObamaCare

March 28, 2012

FYI, a similar version of this release below went out to the following districts: Shelley Adler (NJ-03), Pete Aguilar (CA-31), Jason Altmire (PA-12), Jeff Anderson (MN-08), George Badey (PA-07), John Barrow (GA-12), Ami Bera (CA-07), Tim Bishop (NY-01), Kathy Boockvar (PA-08), Leonard Boswell (IA-03), Bruce Braley (IA-01), Cheri Bustos (IL-17), Lois Capps (CA-24), Ben Chandler (KY-06), Andrei Cherney (AZ-09), David Cicilline (RI-01), Tarryl Clark (MN-08), Gerry Connolly (VA-11), Jim Costa (CA-16), Mark Critz (PA-12), David Crooks (IN-08), John Delaney (MD-06), Val Demings (FL-10), Joanne Dowdell (NH-01), Bill Foster (IL-11), Lois Frankel (FL-22), Pete Gallego (TX-23), Rob Garagiola (MD-06), John Garamendi (CA-03), Alan Grayson (FL-09), Raul Grijalva (AZ-07), Pam Gullenson (ND-AL), Clark Hall (AR-01), Brad Harriman (IL-12), Jose Hernandez (CA-10), Brian Higgins (NY-26), Jim Himes (CT-04), Ruben Hinojosa (TX-15), Paul Hirschbiel (VA-02), Kathy Hochul (NY-27), Rush Holt (NJ-12), Steven Horsford (NV-04), Q. Byrum Hurst (AR-04), Steve Israel (NY-03), Bill Keating (MA-09), Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ-01), Larry Kissell (NC-08), Pat Kreitlow (WI-07), Ann McLane Kuster (NH-02), Rory Lancman (NY-06), Rick Larsen (WA-02), David Loebsack (IA-02), Alan Lowenthal (CA-47), Nita Lowey (NY-17), Dan Maffei (NY-24), Larry Maggi (PA-18), Jim Matheson (UT-04), Carolyn McCarthy (NY-04), Gary McDowell (MI-01), Jerry McNerney (CA-09), Michael Michaud (ME-02), Joe Milkosi (CO-06), Brendan Mullen (IN-02), Patrick Murphy (FL-18), Mark Murphy (NY-11), Rick Nolan (MN-08), John Oceguera (NV-03), Bill Owens (NY-21), Sal Pace (CO-03), Frank Pallone (NJ-06), Ed Perlmutter (CO-07), Scott Peters (CA-52), Collin Peterson (MN-07), Chellie Pingree (ME-01), Nick Rahall (WV-03), Ciro Rodriguez (TX-23), Raul Ruiz (CA-36), Lori Saldaña (CA-52), Brandon Shaffer (CO-04), Carol Shea-Porter (NH-01), Kyrsten Sinema (AZ-09), Louise Slaughter (NY-25), Betty Sutton (OH-16), Mark Takano (CA-41), John Tierney (MA-06), Paul Tonko (NY-20), Manan Trivedi (PA-06), Niki Tsongas (MA-03), Christie Vilsack (IA-04), Bill Vinsko (PA-11), Jamie Wall (WI-08), Tim Walz (MN-01), Charlie Wilson (OH-06), John Yarmuth (KY-03)

Kissell Becomes Increasingly Lonely Defending ObamaCare
North Carolina Democrat’s Government Takeover of Healthcare Receives Harsh Criticism from Supreme Court as Voters Continue to Voice Strong Opposition

WASHINGTON — After a harsh reception during Supreme Court oral arguments this week and perpetually dour public opinion of the law, Larry Kissell and his fellow Democrats in Washington are some of the few left clinging to their government takeover of healthcare (Roll Call #14, 1/19/11). None of this should come as a surprise to Kissell and his Democrat colleagues since their law has forced families from their existing healthcare plans and brought higher premiums and a soaring price tag.

“Larry Kissell and his fellow House Democrats have demonstrated they will relentlessly protect their government takeover of healthcare, and not even overwhelming voter opposition or the Supreme Court will stand in their way,” said NRCC Communications Director Paul Lindsay. “But Kissell’s task will grow increasingly difficult since his healthcare takeover continues to add to rising premiums and force families off their existing healthcare plans.”

The Supreme Court Justices gave the Democrats’ government takeover of healthcare hard scrutiny on the second day of oral arguments:

“CNN’s Jeffrey Toobin walked out of the Supreme Court’s hearing on the health care mandate Tuesday afternoon, calling today’s talks a ‘trainwreck for the Obama administration’ and adding that it ‘looks like it’s going to be struck down.'” (Alex Alvarez, “CNN’s Jeffrey Toobin Walks Out Of Supreme Court, Bets ‘Court Will Strike Down The Individual Mandate,'” Mediaite, 3/27/12)

This is not surprising given the strong disapproval the law faces among the public:

“The mandate on individuals to purchase insurance or pay a penalty, as in earlier national polls, remains an idea without any significant constituency. Overall, when asked if ‘the federal government should or should not be able to require all Americans to obtain health insurance or else pay a fine,’ just 28 percent of those surveyed said they supported the mandate, while 66 percent opposed it.” (Ronald Brownstein, “Public Still Opposes Health Care Mandate,” National Journal, 3/27/12)

But Democrats are vowing to defend their government healthcare takeover no matter what happens in the Supreme Court:

“There are other ways to bring healthy people into the healthcare system if the Supreme Court strikes down the individual mandate in President Obama’s healthcare law, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in an interview Monday.” (Sam Baker, “Sebelius: ‘We keep going’ if court strikes down mandate to have insurance,” The Hill‘s Healthwatch Blog, 1/24/12)

House Dems Become Increasingly Lonely Defending ObamaCare http://ow.ly/9VLOm #gopcodered

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