GOP Seeking To Rebound On The Issue Of The Health Law
Republican leaders believe the problems with the rollout of the law's website and the concerns about policy cancellations gives them an opportunity to get beyond complaints about the government shutdown.
The Associated Press: Health Law's Troubles Give GOP A Much-Needed Boost
The health care law's seemingly endless problems are giving congressional Republicans a much-needed boost of energy, helping them to move past the government-shutdown debacle and focus on a theme for next year's elections. Republicans are back on offense, and more quickly than many had expected, after seeing their approval ratings plunge during last month's partial shutdown and worrisome talk of a possible U.S. debt default (Babington, 11/10).
The Hill: Where Does Obama Go From Here?
Obama apologized Thursday night to Americans who are losing their health plans in spite of his promise that, if they liked their coverage, they could keep it. The comment represented a major shift in tone for an administration that has been in crisis mode since last month, when the rollout of HealthCare.gov was deemed a serious failure. Now, the White House is heading into a week that's guaranteed to test its new messaging approach. The question is — can Obama effectively turn the page in the face of news events certain to be unfriendly to ObamaCare? (Viebeck, 11/9).
A leading Democrat said Sunday that she expects the issue will eventually be an asset for Democrats.
Politico: Wasserman Schultz: Future Dems Will Run On Obamacare
Obamacare didn’t harm Democrats in last week’s elections and, in fact, could be a boon to future candidates, the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee said Sunday. "I think actually that Democrats will be able to run on Obamacare as an advantage," Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) said on CNN’s "State of the Union." Despite recent issues with the Obamacare rollout and the website, she said Americans are starting to see the benefits of the new health plan (Munsil, 11/10).
But Republican officials on the Sunday talk shows and in the Saturday weekly address disagreed.
The Hill: Christie: Obama Apology For ACA 'Not Enough'
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) said he told President Obama to apologize for suggesting Americans could keep their insurance under ObamaCare, but that the president's apology wasn't enough. ... "But I had said to him earlier last week that he should apologize. It tells people that he was wrong," he said. Pressed on whether he specifically told Obama to apologize — the two spoke on the phone after Christie's smashing reelection victory on Tuesday night — Christie said he wasn't sure if he was "the one who suggested it" (Jaffe, 11/10).
Politico: Perry Says Obama Should Acknowledge Healthcare 'Fraud'
Texas Gov. Rick Perry says President Barack Obama's health care apology was not enough. "I don't think it’s even close to enough," Perry said in an interview aired on ABC’s "This Week" on Sunday. "He needs to stand up in front of the American people and say, ‘you know what, I perpetuated a fraud on you'" (Tau, 11/10).
ABC News: Gov. Rick Perry Questions NJ's Gov. Chris Christie's Ability To Appeal To Conservatives Nationwide
The strength of the Republican Party is rooted in governor's offices across the country, Perry said, rather than in Washington. While he said he enjoyed listening to his fellow Texas Republican, Sen. Ted Cruz, lead a 21-hour speech on the Senate floor in September against President Obama's health care law, he questioned the wisdom of the government shutdown. He said it took attention away from the problems in the Affordable Care Act. "It would have been wiser for us to have laid the wood to the president, so to speak," Perry said, lapsing into a Texas euphemism. "You know, call him out on this" (Zeleny, 11/10).
Politico: Republicans Blast Obamacare Cancellations In Weekly Address
Republicans once again used their weekly address to bash Obamacare on Saturday — this time by declaring that if President Barack Obama is truly sorry about all of the canceled health plans and the broken website, he’ll do something about them. In the address, Rep. Todd Young (R-Ind.) slammed all of the individual health insurance cancellations that are happening around the country because the plans don’t meet the new requirements of the Affordable Care Act. Obama apologized about the cancellations in an interview with NBC Thursday (Villacorta, 11/9).