Democrats Still Running From Unpopular Obamacare

Just after Democrats passed their unpopular health care bill, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) declared on Meet the Press, “As people learn about the bill, it’s going to be more and more popular. By November, those who voted for health care will find it an asset, those who voted against it will find it a liability.” But that simply doesn’t appear to be the case. According to a New York Times headline today, “Health Care Vote Puts Democrats on Defensive”

The Times writes, “While clearly secondary to economic concerns, the continuing debate over health care has remained prominent in numerous races for the House and Senate. . . . Strikingly, just after Labor Day, the only House Democrats with television ads on the health care law were among the 34 who broke with the party to vote against it. Some of those incumbents have used their votes to demonstrate independence from, and even antagonism toward, the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi . . . . ‘I voted against Nancy Pelosi’s trillion-dollar health care bill, because we can’t afford it,’ says Representative Jim Marshall, a Democrat, in an ad broadcast in his middle Georgia district. ‘That’s just one reason why I won’t support her for speaker.’”

It’s little wonder Democrats are running away from their flawed health care bill. It’s been unpopular for over a year. As far back as December 2009 most Americans wanted their member of Congress to vote against the bill. The bill was unpopular when it was signed into law in March, and over six months later majorities still disapprove of the legislation. Just yesterday, National Journal reported, “Just over half of Americans likely to vote in next week’s midterms want the next Congress to repeal this year’s health care overhaul if Republicans gain power on Capitol Hill . . . . Fifty-one percent of voters most likely to vote support taking the new health care law off the books . . . while 41 percent oppose repeal, according to the latest Society for Human Resource Management/National Journal Congressional Connection Poll, conducted with the Pew Research Center.”

And given what Americans have seen in the months since President Obama signed the Democrat health care bill, one can easily understand why Americans would like to see it repealed and replaced. Contrary to all the promises from Democrats last year, news reports have shown the bill resulting in higher premiums, higher taxes, growing health care costs, cuts to Medicare Advantage programs, current insurance plans being forced to change and the prospect of people even losing their current plans.

In the wake of Democrats’ sweeping promises about their health care bill and the stark contrast reality has shown over the last several months, Americans have simply seen their concerns about the bill come true. It’s easy to understand why Democrats would want to run away from it. Voters will finally have the opportunity to have their say on the health care bill next week.

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