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Panic: Democrats Fear Another Obamacare Backlash
Town Hall ^ | Apr. 29, 2013 | Guy Benson

Posted on 04/29/2013 8:42:37 AM PDT by EXCH54FE

Within months of Democrats ramming through Obamacare without a single Republican vote, the American people responded, pummeling the president's party at the polls. Republicans gained 63 seats in the House, six United States Senators, six governorships, and nearly 700 seats in state legislatures nationwide. Conservatives had their temporary political revenge, we were told, but Democrats would get the last laugh because Obamacare was sure to become more popular once Republicans' scurrilous smears against the law were shown to be false. How's that working out?

Democratic senators, at a caucus meeting with White House officials, expressed concerns on Thursday about how the Obama administration was carrying out the health care law they adopted three years ago. Democrats in both houses of Congress said some members of their party were getting nervous that they could pay a political price if the rollout of the law was messy or if premiums went up significantly. President Obama’s new chief of staff, Denis R. McDonough, fielded questions on the issue for more than an hour at a lunch with Democratic senators. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, Democrat of New Hampshire, who is up for re-election next year, said, “We are hearing from a lot of small businesses in New Hampshire that do not know how to comply with the law.” In addition, Mrs. Shaheen said, “restaurants that employ people for about 30 hours a week are trying to figure out whether it would be in their interest to reduce the hours” of those workers, so the restaurants could avoid the law’s requirement to offer health coverage to full-time employees. The White House officials “acknowledged that these are real concerns, and that we’ve got to do more to address them,” Mrs. Shaheen said. Senator Tom Harkin, Democrat of Iowa and chairman of the appropriations subcommittee on health care, said he was extremely upset with Mr. Obama’s decision to take money from public health prevention programs and use it to publicize the new law, which creates insurance marketplaces in every state.

Obamacare is impossibly complicated to comply with, is impeding hiring, and is causing businesses to lay off workers and cut back on other employees' hours? Why, who could have possibly seen that coming? Oh, that's right -- every single critic of Obamacare could. And did. Back to the grumbling Democrats:

Senator Benjamin L. Cardin, Democrat of Maryland, said he told White House officials on Thursday that he was concerned about big rate increases being sought by the largest health insurer in his state. The company, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, has sought increases averaging 25 percent for individual insurance policies that will be sold in the state insurance exchange, and it is seeking increases of about 15 percent for small businesses. The company said the higher premiums reflected costs of complying with the new law.

Obamacare is hiking up people's premiums? Why, who could have possibly... Katie noted last week that other Hill Democrats are nervously conceding that the, ahem, "Affordable Care Act" doesn't actually contain costs either. Shocking, I know. The Left is spooked because the law they force-fed the American people is shaping up to be a "train wreck" and a "third world experience," to quote the law's chief author and administrator, respectively. And now the more problematic elements of the president's top legislative "accomplishment" are slated to roll out next year; the supposedly popular bits were front-loaded for political reasons. (And how is that going thus far? Let's ask a bunch of people with pre-existing conditions for their verdict). Obamacare remains unpopular, and Democrats are grappling with growing fears that a 2010-style backlash may befall them in 2014, when the law they advertised as a legislative panacea is exposed as an unaffordable, unwieldy, logistical headache -- all in real time.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 2014elections; obamacare; premiums; senatedemocrats
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1 posted on 04/29/2013 8:42:37 AM PDT by EXCH54FE
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To: EXCH54FE

It’s not “Obamacare”. It’s “Democratcare”. It’s 100% their baby so let’s start making sure Americans know who to blame.


2 posted on 04/29/2013 8:44:20 AM PDT by DManA
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To: DManA

Last week the question was what the congressional GOP should do with this sudden seeing the light on the part of the democRats.

My answer is to hold them to it; make them implement it on schedule as put forth in the bill they forced through.


3 posted on 04/29/2013 8:45:51 AM PDT by MrB (The difference between a Humanist and a Satanist - the latter admits whom he's working for)
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To: EXCH54FE

“third world experience”
That is the goal of this administration.


4 posted on 04/29/2013 8:45:54 AM PDT by Cold Heart
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To: DManA

In my opinion, DeathCare is the next Holocaust. Let the RAT Capos eat that one.


5 posted on 04/29/2013 8:52:00 AM PDT by ExTexasRedhead
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To: EXCH54FE

ObamaCare? The ComDems never intended for it to “work”, it was/is intended to collapse the system.

When that becomes clear to the “low information” voters via their pocketbook, there will be a price paid by ComDem POLs.


6 posted on 04/29/2013 8:52:22 AM PDT by Texas Fossil
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To: EXCH54FE

Obamacare is most odious to those who work and have good insurance and business owners.

The dependent class is unconcerned, and happy. A great number of blue collar types are content, still unaware how bad it will get under Obamacare.

The media is providing cover unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Any problems are either just “bumps” or can be directly blamed on Republicans.

Democrats have nothing to fear, given the media has long since dropped any pretense of being unbiased.


7 posted on 04/29/2013 8:53:29 AM PDT by brownsfan (Behold, the power of government cheese.)
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To: DManA

Excellent point! If we keep calling it Obamacare then all the blame may follow him to the Retired Demagogues Home on Oahu. Gotta make sure it sticks to the Donks thru ‘16 and beyond.


8 posted on 04/29/2013 8:53:34 AM PDT by Buckeye McFrog
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To: EXCH54FE

Not to worry, the Republicans in the House are trying to shuffle money around in order to smooth things out, specifically for people with pre-existing conditions.


9 posted on 04/29/2013 8:54:45 AM PDT by Lancey Howard
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To: DManA
It’s not “Obamacare”. It’s “Democratcare”.

I always preferred "Mengelecare." In any event, everybody understands who it belongs to. Ubama.

10 posted on 04/29/2013 8:56:59 AM PDT by Lancey Howard
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To: EXCH54FE

We need to hang this around their necks early and often. It is NOT TOO LATE to start running commercials associating the higher costs of living with the DEMON RATS.

Gasoline, food, and healthcare prices have all soared since 2008 because of the Assclown and his party.


11 posted on 04/29/2013 8:57:37 AM PDT by SoFloFreeper
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To: Lancey Howard

See the problem with that is we have to face democrats in the next election, not Obama. So it makes no political sense to stick him with the blame. And besides, it’s not true, the democrats in Congress designed and passed Democratcare, not Obama.


12 posted on 04/29/2013 9:00:11 AM PDT by DManA
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To: EXCH54FE

Democrats don’t fear the backlash enough to honor their oath of office and do what is right for the country.

They put their loyalty to the democrat party, Barack Obama, and their ultra-liberal/socialist agenda far ahead of sny small loyalty they may still hold for the nation or the US Constitution.


13 posted on 04/29/2013 9:12:07 AM PDT by Iron Munro (Welcome to Obama-Land - EVERYTHING NOT FORBIDDEN IS COMPULSORY)
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To: DManA; Lancey Howard; Grampa Dave; AuntB; Tennessee Nana; sickoflibs; thouworm; ...

I agree w/ DManA’s argument that hanging the Democrat label on the h/care debacle is a very good strategy....especially for mid-terms.

But we have to keep in mind that anything Obomba attaches himself to is a loser.

Like gun control-—he was all over this like a cheap suit-—and it failed.

Now the Dems told him to backoff immigration reform -—b/c it has a better chance without Obomba endorsing it-—although we know he wants it desperately to keep dems in power.


14 posted on 04/29/2013 9:18:07 AM PDT by Liz (To learn who rules over you, determine who you are not allowed to criticize. Voltaire)
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To: Liz

Obama is a lame duck. He is the past. We have to look past him.


15 posted on 04/29/2013 9:22:39 AM PDT by DManA
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To: DManA

Don’t underestimate the power-mad dictator-—he will do anything to stay in power.

He and his Chi/mobs in the WH are the kingpins of Chicago political crime-—they know all the ropes.


16 posted on 04/29/2013 9:27:04 AM PDT by Liz (To learn who rules over you, determine who you are not allowed to criticize. Voltaire)
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To: MrB

Don’t fix it piecemeal, repeal or let it hurt.


17 posted on 04/29/2013 9:37:03 AM PDT by Vince Ferrer
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To: Vince Ferrer

Indeed - don’t try to “fix” it for them.

They wanted it, they got it, and it’s all theirs.


18 posted on 04/29/2013 9:37:51 AM PDT by MrB (The difference between a Humanist and a Satanist - the latter admits whom he's working for)
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To: brownsfan; All
Democrats have nothing to fear, given the media has long since dropped any pretense of being unbiased.

That's right and the fact is, Obama knew from the beginning this law was a crushing pile driver for the US. That's what he likes MOST about this plan.

Remember, he only cares for this country as long as we are forced DOWN, to be equal with other countries. That is, he at least tells himself if not actually believes he's doing the best for the US by making us like every other socialist hell-hole in the world. This is how he sees the problem wih socialism and communism. He doesn't believe they are fundamentally flawed systems, rather he believes the only reason they haven't succeeded is because of US, and our "unabashed capitalistic greed" (or some other such socialist talking point).

So for him, things are going according to plan. He is not worried. WE should be though. Why? Because really the fight to end Obamacare was lost when Romney lost the election. This is so for a couple reasons:

First, Obama will remain president until 2017, FAR past the time virtually every element of the law is in effect. Sure, between now and then, there will be outcries such as described in this article, some again even from his own party, but these are all just for " cover" so the pols in question can sufficiently bamboozle their constituents into believing something along the lines of, "It's not my fault, I didn't vote for THIS" or some other sufficiently cloudy misdirection. And Mr Low Information will buy it because well, he's stupid.

Secondly, either erroneously or not ( its irrelevant if this is true of the voting public ), the Rebubs who won re-election see themselves as fortunate for having done so, as they ( again either wrongly or not makes no difference ) see the loss of Romney as a shift in the country's attitude WRT conservatism. This is why, for example, the House has done NOTHING of substance to defund Obamacare and never will. And this is the only recourse left to truly stop it ( since the traitorous decision of John Robberts ), and it's not happening.

It won't, for the reasons I've just stated. It will be too late in 2017. Unless there is some HUGE groundswell in 2014 that mounts a veto proof majority in both houses, it's coming. Pieces like this article, probably, are written to prevent such groundswells from occurring, no matter how remote such may be. It's a minor clean up "op ", juuuust to be "sure" there isn't enough of a grassroots movement to do as I describe above. Printed solely to make people believe that now, something can be done BEFORE 2014, and when of course it doesn't, it will crush the final spirit left that may have driven such a popular protest.

Make no mistake, the dire prognostications before Nov 2012, that warned of our country's demise should Zero be re- elected haven't just gone away simply because Rush, Sean and Mark (Levin) aren't saying them anymore. They simply don't say it anymore because such constant doom and gloom wouldn't earn ratings, not because anything has substaintially changed.

The last shot is 2014 and the groundswell of conservatism I described above. Don't be suckered into believing these Democrats who now express concern with "train wrecks" and such. It's again, all a smoke screen to eliminate and placate the final real threat to Obamacare, however unlikely such a threat is at this point.

The reality of this situation is most likely this: 1/8th if our economy WILL be socialized, you WILL experience a significant decrease in your healthcare, and this will ALL be too entrenched as "law" by 2017, and WILL become as "accepted" as other welfare programs as Medicare/Medicaid and Social Security. There's ( probably ) nothing anyone can do about it.

So plan accordingly or suffer more when this becomes clear later.

Have a nice day! :)

19 posted on 04/29/2013 9:38:20 AM PDT by FourtySeven (47)
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To: EXCH54FE

Is that like fearing another Obama recession? We haven’t left the original backlash over socialized medicine that will raise everyone’s costs and lower everyone’s quality.


20 posted on 04/29/2013 9:57:06 AM PDT by Pollster1 ("Shall not be infringed" is unambiguous.)
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