House Dems on the Front Lines as ObamaCare Gets its Day in Court

March 26, 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), Matt Goetten (IL-13), 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-02), 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), 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 on the Front Lines as ObamaCare Gets its Day in Court
North Carolina Democrat’s Defense of the Government Takeover of Healthcare Comes Amidst Severely Low Public Opinion of the Law

WASHINGTON — As the Democrats’ government takeover of healthcare gets its day in court starting today, the bulk of the defense seems to fall on Larry Kissell and his fellow House Democrats. Kissell and his fellow Washington Democrats have been on the front lines protecting the law (Roll Call #14, 1/19/11), despite the massive government takeover remaining as unpopular as ever as its consequences are felt by taxpayers and families.

“With the government takeover of healthcare having its day in court today, Larry Kissell and his fellow House Democrats will be the biggest cheerleaders for their deeply unpopular law,” said NRCC Communications Director Paul Lindsay. “Kissell is now stuck with the task of advocating for the Democrats’ healthcare takeover in spite of its soaring price tag, rising premiums and numerous families being forced off their healthcare plans.”

With oral arguments in the Supreme Court starting today, Democrats are fully embracing their government takeover of healthcare:

“Embracing the Obamacare label is partly about acknowledging that the term has entered our language, and partly about disarming the stereotypes in hopes of having more success in focusing the public on the provisions in the law and how people benefit from them. I don’t know whether reformers will win the argument, or if they do, how long that will take. Major reforms aren’t easy, and aren’t easy to sell. But look: Dems own it. Dems own Obamacare.” (Greg Sargent, “Embracing the `Obamacare’ label,” The Washington Post’s The Plum Line Blog, 3/23/12)

And with President Obama and Senate Democrats noticeably absent, House Democrats are the frontline defense:

“So that leaves the House Democrats, many hailing from safe liberal districts where the health care law is popular, to soldier on like a lonely battalion defending the law and reminding the public of its benefits.” (Jonathan Allen and Kate Nocera, “The Obama Vacuum: House Dems defend health-care reform,” Politico, 3/21/12)

The Democrats embrace of their signature big-government policy comes as voter approval of the law remains overwhelmingly low:

“This ABC News/Washington Post poll finds that Americans oppose the law overall by 52-41 percent. And 67 percent believe the high court should either ditch the law or at least the portion that requires nearly all Americans to have coverage.” (Greg Holyk, “As Health Care Law’s Trial Approaches, Two-Thirds Say Ditch Individual Mandate,” ABC News, 3/19/12)

House Dems on the Front Lines as ObamaCare Gets its Day in Court http://ow.ly/9SFAS #gopcodered

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