GOP Uses Weekly Address To Reignite Obamacare Debate Ahead Of Election Season
In the GOP's weekly address, Rep. Renee Ellmers, R-N.C., said the health law amounts to the Obama administration telling Americans what's best for them and that it is also an example of the "war on women." Elsewhere, the health law is figuring prominently in early election politics.
Politico: GOP Returns To Obamacare In Weekly Adddress
Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-NC) focused on how she said the Affordable Care Act is hurting families whose existing insurance plans have been canceled because they didn't meet the health law's coverage requirements. "The Obama administration is essentially saying it knows what’s best for you and your family," Ellmers said, charging that many people also will lose longtime, trusted doctors because of Obamacare (Villacorta, 12/7).
McClatchy: Rep. Ellmers Calls Obamacare A 'War On Women'
The Affordable Care Act is an example of a "war on women," Rep. Renee Ellmers, R-N.C., said Saturday in the Republicans' weekly address. Women make many of their families' health care decisions, Ellmers said, emphasizing that she was speaking not only as a congresswoman and chairwoman of the Republican Women's Policy Committee, but also as the mother of a college student. Ellmers said that the cancellations of some insurance policies showed that "the Obama administration is essentially saying it knows what's best for you and your family" (Schoof, 12/7).
The New York Times: Three Senators Try To Hold Off G.O.P. In South
Next year, Democrats will face not only a general hostility to the national party among Southern white voters, but also a keen dislike of President Obama's Affordable Care Act. Representative Bill Cassidy, one of the Republicans opposing Ms. Landrieu, has an attack ad that calls her "Barack Obama's rubber stamp." She and her two Southern colleagues in the Senate voted for the health plan and have reiterated their support, though they have also rushed to criticize the administration's handling of the rollout and pushed for modifications. Republicans are trying to exploit the opening, insisting that each of the incumbents muttered the decisive "aye" that allowed the law to pass, which was approved 60 to 39 (Robertson and Peters, 12/8).
NBC News: Races To Watch: Will Obamacare Sink Democrats In 2014?
As the hobbled website becomes more functional, the president is offering more vocal praise for his signature domestic achievement. But some Democrats are keenly aware that the program’s poor debut could weigh them down in November. It’s already helped drag Obama's approval ratings to a new low and distracted from perceived GOP failures during the shutdown. As the key battles for that control begin to unfold, here are seven contests to watch in 2014 (Taylor, 12/9).
CBS News: Poll: After Rough Debut, Views On Obamacare Barely Budge
Buffeted by terrible headlines since its online insurance marketplace debuted with a host of glitches on October 1, Obamacare is proving surprisingly resilient in the court of public opinion. According to a new Gallup poll, a slim majority of Americans – 52 percent – believe the law should be repealed entirely or scaled back. It’s a stout number, but not much changed since mid-October, when 50 percent voiced the same opinion (Miller, 12/6).