RNC Chair Says Health Law Is ‘Poison” For Democrats
Democrats are reviewing their political strategy after the surprising loss of a special congressional election in Florida last week. Although the GOP is making health care a key target in the mid-term elections, the White House says it will not delay the individual mandate.
Reuters: Democrats Seek Ways To Limit Obamacare Fallout After Florida Defeat
President Barack Obama and his Democrats face the challenge of limiting fallout from Obamacare and drumming up voter enthusiasm in the November congressional elections, problem areas exposed by the loss of a Florida candidate who had led in the polls. The defeat of Democrat Alex Sink by Republican David Jolly in a special election last Tuesday has raised anxiety levels for Democrats as they struggle to hold on to control of the Senate in November and pick up seats in the Republican-held House of Representatives (Holland and Ferraro, 3/16).
Politico: RNC Chair: Obamacare 'Main Target'
Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus called Obamacare "complete poison" on Sunday and vowed the GOP would continue to target the new health law in upcoming races. Appearing on CNN's "State of the Union," he called the Affordable Care Act the "main target" for Republicans. And he said that David Jolly's victory over Democrat Alex Sink in last week's special congressional race in Florida's 13th District was largely due to opposition to Obamacare (Topaz, 3/16).
The Hill: Obamacare Is 'Poison' For Dems, Preibus Says
ObamaCare is "poison" to Democratic candidates in the midterm elections, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said Sunday. The RNC chairman said Rep. David Jolly's (R-Fla.) win in Florida's special congressional election last week against Democrat Alex Sink was proof of that. "ObamaCare is complete poison out there in the field," Priebus said on CNN's "State of the Union." "So the lesson is going to be: No. 1 you have to hit your main target, which is ObamaCare, but secondly David Jolly gave a positive vision," Priebus added. "He talked about tax reform, he talked about issues affecting a lot of seniors around the district" (Trujillo, 3/16).
Politico: White House Likes Dem Chances This Fall
The White House is confident that Democrats will keep the Senate despite the continued politicization of Obamacare. White House Senior Adviser Dan Pfeiffer said on NBC’s "Meet the Press" that President Barack Obama will not delay Obamacare’s individual mandate -- and that this election will be less about the Affordable Care Act and more about voter turnout. "We absolutely have to do a better job of turning out in midterm elections." Pheiffer said. "If more Democrats don't turn out, we will not do well. We have to get as many people to the polls in November as possible" (Everett, 3/16).
The Hill: Pfeiffer: No Way White House Delays O-Care's Individual Mandate
The White House is vowing that it will not delay the individual mandate portion of the healthcare reform law. Republicans have called on the administration to delay that central plank of ObamaCare, after the administration delayed several other portions of the new law. But White House Senior Adviser Dan Pfeiffer on Sunday was categorical in ruling it out. Asked by David Gregory on NBC’s "Meet the Press" if he could rule out a delay in the individual mandate, Pfeiffer said, "Yes I can." "That will not happen," he added (Schroeder, 3/16).
Bloomberg: Plouffe Sees 'Screaming Siren' Party Warning In Florida
A former top political adviser to President Barack Obama called the Democratic loss in Florida's special congressional race "a screaming siren," warning that the party needs to do more to motivate supporters in November’s nationwide elections. David Plouffe, a onetime White House senior adviser and strategist for both of Obama’s presidential campaigns, rejected the idea that the March 11 contest in Florida was a referendum on the president’s health-care law, instead arguing that the results expose an enthusiasm deficit among Democrats. "We have a turnout issue," Plouffe said in an interview on Bloomberg Television’s “Political Capital with Al Hunt,” airing this weekend. "This is a screaming siren that the same problems that afflicted us" in 2010 when Democrats lost control of the House "could face us again" (Dorning, 3/15).
Politico: Gibbs Frets About Dem 2014 Chances
The Senate is "definitely" in danger of flipping to Republican control, former White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Sunday. Appearing on NBC’s "Meet the Press," Gibbs said "there's no doubt that the rollout for healthcare is still providing a huge hangover" for Democrats. But that’s not the biggest problem that Democrats face as an emboldened GOP seeks to seize six Senate seats and retake the majority for the first time in eight years (Everett, 3/16).