Finally.
After years of Democratic legislators and candidates running as far and as fast as they could away from the Affordable Care Act, it would appear that some of them are now actually running towards it, intending to use the law against their Republican opponents in their campaigns.
From Greg Sargent's Plum Line:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
Republicans continue to confidently assert that they can use their push to repeal Obamacare as a cudgel to beat up on Democrats in red states. The issue obviously helped enable big GOP gains in the 2010 Congressional races, and they say they see no reason not to operate from the same playbook once again.
But there are signs that national Dems believe the politics has shifted on the issue in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling. The decision has allowed Dems to focus the conversation more directly on the provisions in the law that Republicans would take away from people — and what Republicans would replace them with, if anything.
Of course, this new-found courage comes from two basic sources: the Supreme Court's recent ruling upholding most of the Act as constitutional, and the fact that, as more and more aspects of the law are implemented, Americans are coming to see that they actually like many of the benefits they will be receiving from it. In fact, the onus has now begun to fall on the Republicans to explain just
why Americans should want to go back to the days of pre-existing conditions, the Medicare donut-hole, and not allowing parents to keep their children on their policies through the age of 26.
Democrats finally seem to be getting it.
Today, in the wake of the House GOP vote to repeal Obamacare, the DSCC will use the vote to attack House GOPers who are running for Senate — mostly in red states.
Who ever thought we'd read a sentence like that?
The DSCC will hit Rep. Rick Berg, who’s running against Heidi Heitkamp in North Dakota; Rep. Denny Rehberg, who’s running to unseat Jon Tester in Montana; Rep. Connie Mack, the favorite to face Bill Nelson in Florida; and Rep. Jeff Flake, who’s running for the open seat being vacated by retiring Senator Jon Kyl in Arizona. The copy of the release hitting Rehberg reads:
“Instead of passing legislation that will create jobs and expand Montana’s economy, Congressman Dennis Rehberg decided to play political games with his partisan colleagues in Washington and create special loopholes for insurance companies to kick Montanans off their health plans.
“Dennis Rehberg wants to allow insurance companies to discriminate against Montanans with pre-existing conditions, young people, pregnant women and even cancer patients. Dennis Rehberg’s vote would also force 11,062 Montana seniors to pay hundreds more for prescription drug coverage, all without creating a single job in Montana.”
Sargent goes on to point out that it is the
specificity of the case being made that will ultimately sway the electorate to the Democrats' side.
Here's hoping the Dems can run towards the ACA for once and on to victory in the fall.