Then and Now: Dems Supported Keeping ObamaCare Last Year, but a Majority of Americans Still Want it Gone

March 12, 2012

FYI, a similar version of this release below went out to the following districts: Jason Altmire (PA-12), John Barrow (GA-12), Tim Bishop (NY-01), Leonard Boswell (IA-03), Bruce Braley (IA-01), Lois Capps (CA-24), Ben Chandler (KY-06), David Cicilline (RI-01), Gerry Connolly (VA-11), Jim Costa (CA-16), Mark Critz (PA-12), Peter DeFazio (OR-04), John Garamendi (CA-03), Raul Grijalva (AZ-07), Brian Higgins (NY-27), Jim Himes (CT-04), Ruben Hinojosa (TX-15), Rush Holt (NJ-12), Steve Israel (NY-02), Bill Keating (MA-09), Larry Kissell (NC-08), Rick Larsen (WA-02), David Loebsack (IA-02), Jim Matheson (UT-02), Carolyn McCarthy (NY-04), Jerry McNerney (CA-09), Michael Michaud (ME-02), Bill Owens (NY-23), Frank Pallone (NJ-06), Ed Perlmutter (CO-07), Collin Peterson (MN-07), Chellie Pingree (ME-01), Nick Rahall (WV-03), Kurt Schrader (OR-05), Betty Sutton (OH-16), John Tierney (MA-06), Paul Tonko (NY-21), Niki Tsongas (MA-03), Tim Walz (MN-01), John Yarmuth (KY-03)

Then and Now: Kissell Supported Keeping ObamaCare Last Year, but a Majority of Americans Still Want it Gone
North Carolina Democrat Took a Firm Stance on Defending the Government Takeover of Healthcare Last Year, Putting Him at Odds with Most Voters

WASHINGTON — In one of the most crucial votes of this Congress so far, Larry Kissell chose to side with Democrat Leader Nancy Pelosi and against the majority of American voters who want to see their government takeover of healthcare repealed (Roll Call #14, 1/19/11). Despite this massive opposition to one of the their signature policies, Kissell and his fellow Washington Democrats are gearing up for an election year defense of their massive government healthcare takeover.

“It’s not often that you get a second chance in politics, but Larry Kissell had an opportunity to admit he was wrong about supporting his party’s government healthcare takeover,” said NRCC Communications Director Paul Lindsay. “Not only did Kissell pass up that opportunity, he is now siding with House Democrat leaders as they openly brag about their deeply flawed big-government healthcare law. Kissell had his chance, and now voters will have their chance to reject him in November.”

A new study shows the government takeover of healthcare vote cost Democrats at the polls in 2010, and since then they have only doubled down and voted against repealing the unpopular law:

“Voting for President Obama’s healthcare reform law cost Democratic incumbents to lose 5.8 percentage points of support at the polls in 2010, according to a new study in the journal American Politics Research… Democrats in the lead-up to the elections took a number of tough votes – notably on the Wall Street bail-out, the stimulus and cap-and-trade – but none were as unpopular as their support for the health reform law.” (Julian Pecquet, “Study quantifies health reform vote’s ‘significant’ toll on 2010 House Democrats,” The Hill‘s Healthwatch Blog, 3/8/12)

House Democrat leaders like Democrat Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) even mock efforts for repeal:

“The Maryland Democrat taunted Republicans for failing to overturn the health care reform law outright, noting that just three members of his Caucus voted for outright repeal last year.” (Jessica Brady, “Democrats Willing to Tinker With Health Care Law,” Roll Call, 3/7/12)

But polls show American voters want to see the law repealed 50 percent to 42 percent, with numbers even higher for swing state voters:

“In a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll of the nation’s dozen top battleground states, a clear majority of registered voters call the bill’s passage ‘a bad thing’ and support its repeal if a Republican wins the White House in November. Two years after he signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act— and as the Supreme Court prepares to hear arguments about its constitutionality next month — the president has failed to convince most Americans that it was the right thing to do.” (Susan Page, “Swing states poll: Health care law hurts Obama in 2012,” USA Today, 2/27/12)

Then and Now: Dems Supported Keeping ObamaCare Last Year, but a Majority of Americans Still Want it Gone http://ow.ly/9Byaw #codered

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