Obama May be in Hiding, but House Dems are on Defensive When it Comes to Government Healthcare Takeover

March 23, 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)

Obama May be in Hiding, but Matheson is on Defensive When it Comes to Government Healthcare Takeover
Utah Democrat Insists on Keeping the Government Takeover of Healthcare Even Though Voters Still Don’t Want it on its Second Birthday

WASHINGTON — Although President Obama is markedly absent on celebrating the two-year anniversary of his government takeover of healthcare becoming law today, Jim Matheson and his fellow House Democrats are more than willing to step up to the plate for this unpopular and troublesome law as they have in the past (Roll Call #14, 1/19/11). Someone has to do it, and Matheson has shown he will fight repeal of the failing healthcare takeover despite the sky-high unpopularity, soaring costs and broken promises.

“Although even President Obama is ducking this dubious milestone, Jim Matheson and his fellow House Democrats are more than willing to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to their government takeover of healthcare as it enters the terrible twos,” said NRCC Communications Director Paul Lindsay. “Matheson has demonstrated a commitment to defending the disastrous healthcare takeover even though it is costing taxpayers more, causing premiums to rise and forcing families off their current healthcare plans.”

President Obama and Senate Democrats are conspicuously absent on the two-year anniversary of ObamaCare, but House Democrats are happy to defend it:

“President Barack Obama is talking about energy and jobs. Next week, he’s going to Korea. And not too many Senate Democrats plan on blowing out birthday candles for the law’s second anniversary this week. The law is divisive, and in swing states it’s an albatross for Democrats including the president and some of his Senate allies.

“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, “The Obama Vacuum: House Dems defend health-care reform,” Politico, 3/21/12)

What House Democrats won’t tell you is that the law is as unpopular as it has ever been, after broken promises and soaring price tags:

“President Barack Obama promised over and over during the health care debate that ‘if you like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan.’ It turns out that, for a lot of people, that isn’t true…

“And it’s not the only hard truth Obama and the law’s supporters are facing. No matter what they said about rising health care costs, those costs aren’t actually going to go down under health care reform. The talk about the law paying for itself is just educated guesswork. And people aren’t actually liking the law more as they learn more about it — and some polls show they are just getting more confused.” (David Nather, “Health care reform: 4 inconvenient truths,” Politico, 3/16/12)

Obama May be in Hiding, but House Dems are on Defensive When it Comes to Gov’t Healthcare Takeover http://ow.ly/9Q0aq #gopcodered

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