Posted on 09/06/2010 8:51:41 AM PDT by Qbert
A handful of House Democrats are making health care reform an election year issue by running against it.
At least five of the 34 House Democrats who voted against their partys health care reform bill are highlighting their no votes in ads back home. By contrast, party officials in Washington cant identify a single House member whos running an ad boasting of a yes vote despite the fact that 219 House Democrats voted in favor of final passage in March.
One Democratic strategist said it would be political malfeasance to run such an ad now.
Democrats have taken that advice to heart; it appears that no Democratic incumbent in the House or in the Senate has run a pro-reform TV ad since April, when Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) ran one.
Most of the Democrats running ads highlighting their opposition to the law are in conservative-leaning districts and considered the most endangered. Theyre using their vote against the overhaul as proof of their willingness to buck party leadership and their commitment to watching the nations debt.
Rep. Glenn Nye (D-Va.) says in an ad that went up last week that he voted against the law because it cost too much.
Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-S.D.) says she voted against all the bailouts and the trillion dollar health care plan because it wasnt right for South Dakota or for children anywhere.
And an ad for Rep. Jason Altmire (D-Pa.) quotes constituents who say, I like that Jason Altmire is not afraid to stand up to the president and Nancy Pelosi.
More no voters are expected to release similar ads as the November midterm elections approach.
Its a far cry from where Democrats hoped they would be when they passed the landmark legislation in March. Many senior Democrats said last winter that the laws popularity would increase as Americans were able to better understand the complex law and take advantage of its benefits.
But the publics views on the legislation may have been more settled than anyone thought.
Public support for the overhaul ticked up a few points shortly after the legislation passed, but all of those gains have since disappeared.
A Kaiser Family Foundation poll released Tuesday showed 43 percent of the public supports the overhaul and 45 percent are opposed. Much of the disagreement falls along party lines.
Party officials insist theyre not bothered by the ads boasting of no votes. They know that members in more conservative districts need to put distance between themselves and their partys leadership, and they say rank and file should be out telling voters that theyre willing to vote their consciences and put their districts wishes above all.
We have a big tent party, and were going to have a lot of districts that dont necessarily agree on all the issues, said a Democrat aide. Theres no one in leadership who takes anything personally about these ads.
Many of the Democrats who voted against the health care overhaul also voted against the recovery act or the cap-and-trade bill, neither of which is very popular in conservative-leaning districts.
Rep. Frank Kratovil (D-Md.) used his first ad to remind voters that he voted against the bailout, the budget and the health care bill.
As a career prosecutor, I made decisions on facts, not politics. In Washington, Ive tried to do the same, he says in the ad, touting his ranking by CQ Weekly as one of the most independent members of Congress."
Rep. Bobby Bright (D-Ala.) stresses his independent conservative values in an ad that reminds voters he voted against the bailout, stimulus spending and massive government health care.
House Democratic aides say that if members went so far to vote against the health law, they should use it to their full advantage.
If youre going to vote against the health care bill, if youre going to vote against the recovery act, if youre going to vote against the energy bill, it wouldnt make a lot of sense not to highlight that, the aide said. Theres a reason you did it.
As for the members who voted yes? A Democratic strategist familiar with the polling on the issue says the most effective approach when asked is to highlight that the law provides consumers with the same health care that members of Congress get.
Another method is to tell voters that the law bans insurance companies from denying coverage once a customer gets sick a provision that would be undone if Republicans repeal the law, as they have promised to do if given the opportunity.
The Kaiser survey found that likely voters listed health care as the third most important factor in determining how they will vote. Its behind the economy and dissatisfaction with government.
About one-third of voters said support for the health reform law would make it more likely that theyd vote for a candidate. But one-third said it would make it less likely, and another third said it wouldnt make much of a difference. Those figures havent changed much since the law passed.
You can 'run' Dems, but you can't hide...
In other words, they're bragging that Nancy Pelosi let them vote no. Of course if their votes had been needed, they would have voted yes.
That will be a little hard after touting it as among their the greatest legislative accomplishments ever and saying it would define this Congress.
Defined it did. Live it,love it...crash and burn with it RATS.
“In other words, they’re bragging that Nancy Pelosi let them vote no. Of course if their votes had been needed, they would have voted yes.”
Yep. And a lot of the jokers who voted no on this, voted with Pelosi on almost everything else.
They should have gone with "We Passed 'A big ****ing deal'."
The pharmacist explained that I could only get that particular drug filled ONE day before I ran out. She also said I was "lucky" because the new standard is becoming "15 days at a time"...not 30.
I wanted to scream at the seniors waiting in line.."HOW'S THAT OBAMA CARE WORKING FOR YOU GUYS.??..STILL BELONG TO THE AARP?..YOU stupid IDIOTS!"
But I didn't.
You should have done it. They need the wake up call, they’ve overslept.
I know..:(
Their Republican opponents should use that fact against them.
Heh.
Well Andy Griffith says everything will be peachy keen, so there. (/heavy sarc)
“Their Republican opponents should use that fact against them.”
Ditto.
One of Alinsky’s rule. Be quiet.
Never believe these lying scumbags. Vote conservative if you want real change.
Heathcare is like the chewing gum one stepps in,no way to get it off it just has to wear off.Too bad for Dems that it will stll be good and sticky come November.
Ya think?Guess they missed the millon plus people who physically surrounded the Capital on the weekend of the vote...dismissed them as fringe? NEWSFLASH Dems those were REGISTERED voters and they held the majority opinion of Americans.Too bad you didn't listen to the warnings and did vote for what the true fringe wanted
“Heathcare is like the chewing gum one stepps in,no way to get it off it just has to wear off.Too bad for Dems that it will stll be good and sticky come November.”
Good analogy. Poor little Dems...
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