Posted on 10/26/2013 12:25:04 PM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
The Affordable Care Act is casting a shadow over Democrats’ chances in Senate battleground states, putting pressure on vulnerable Senate Democrats to distance themselves from the law’s clumsy rollout.
Five vulnerable Democratic incumbents who this week called for extending the law’s enrollment period and delaying penalties for not signing up on time come from states where voters hold unfavorable views of the law.
Some Democratic strategists, however, argue the issue is not as potent as Republicans think and predict it could boomerang on conservatives who have pushed for a full repeal of the law without offering detailed proposals to replace it.
Republican-sponsored and independent polls in Alaska, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire and North Carolina show the law is significantly more unpopular than popular.
Internal NRSC polling in New Hampshire from late September showed 40 percent of respondents approve of the law compared to 54 percent who disapprove. Within those categories, 47 percent strongly disapprove and only 27 percent strongly approve.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) asked Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius in a letter dated Oct. 22 to extend the open enrollment period beyond the current end date of March. 31, 2014. Shaheen shared her concerns about the law with White House officials in April. She warned then that many small businesses in her home state do not know how to comply with the law.
A Democratic strategist pointed to a New England College poll conducted Oct. 7 - 9 that showed 58 percent of 1063 registered voters in New Hampshire support the Affordable Care Act.
Internal polling conducted by the National Republican Senatorial Committee in May showed that only 32 percent of respondents in Alaska support the law while 59 percent oppose it. Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska), who faces a tough re-election, signed Shaheen’s letter to Sebelius and has sponsored legislation to delay ObamaCare’s employer mandate for two years.
Sens. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.), Mary Landrieu (D-La.) and Kay Hagan (D-N.C.), who are on the Republicans’ 2014 target list, also signed the letter.
An OnMessage survey conducted in mid October for Rep. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) showed that only 33 percent of likely voters in Arkansas favor ObamaCare while 62 percent oppose it.
“It’s theoretically possible for the administration to iron out the kinks of this program and opposition could fade but that seems highly unlikely,” the pollster, Wes Anderson, wrote in a memo to Cotton’s campaign. “It’s far more likely that the issue will remain a serious hurdle for Sen. Pryor all the way through Election Day.”
A poll by Magellan Strategies, a GOP-affiliated firm, found that 60 percent of voters are less likely to support Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) because of her support for ObamaCare. The survey manipulated the answer, however, but noting in its question that the law “increased insurance premiums by 88 percent for people who buy their own health insurance.”
An Elon University Poll from September found that half of respondents believe ObamaCare will make the healthcare situation worse in North Carolina and only 27 percent of independents think it will make it better.
Already one Democrat, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) — who is not up for re-election next year — has said he will co-sponsor legislation with Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) to delay the mandate for a year.
Senate Democratic aides say Republicans have exaggerated the split in their caucus. They argue that extending the enrollment period is a minor change that would not undermine the structure of ObamaCare.
“Democrats are not divided on ACA, some just want to be proactive about making clear they think there are issues that need to be tweaked,” said a senior Democratic aide. “No one thinks it’s perfect, but no one wants to repeal it or do anything major that could harm its long-term prospects for success.”
The aide said Senate Democratic leaders, however, do not plan to support efforts to delay penalties beyond what the administration has already announced.
Democrats are trying to turn the issue to their advantage by drawing a bright line between their proposals to improve it and Tea Party-fueled calls to repeal the law entirely, including popular provisions such as the one allowing children to remain on their parents health insurance until age 26.
“Only 30 percent of the public supports the Republican position calling for a full and total repeal of the law and a continuation of the same types of partisan fights that shut down the government,” said Matt Canter, spokesman for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
NRSC spokesman Brad Dayspring said public opinion in battleground states is what counts most.
“When you go into each of these key 2014 states people are overwhelmingly opposed to ObamaCare,” he said. “They know full well just how unpopular ObamaCare is in these states. That’s why the DSCC was encouraging their candidates to back away from the law and start supporting extending the enrollment period.”
Jitters??? It should be the “HEEB-BEE JEEBEES!”
I prefer Maness. He’s a standout guy, and Cassidy is too liberal for a red state like Louisiana.
Dems??? It should be RATs.
And here I had always believed the supermen of the Democrat liberal party (or “Partei” to give it a proper Germanic spin) could shape, control and direct any “blow-up” in the direction they wanted, any time and under any circumstances.
But strangely, they have not yet been able to actively and definitively attribute the “failure to launch” of the Obamacare sign-up website to the Republicans. Actually, there are two problems that are engaged closely - they are trying to sell a product that is of little or no benefit to most of the “customers” who will be forced to either sign up, or go with no insurance coverage at all, and almost nobody can get online to even review the options. Those few that do get through, find the promises are pretty ephemeral when it gets down to actual application.
The longer the Current Regime now squatting in the White Hut (or “Spite Hut”) tries to fix things, the longer it will be before any operative plan gets up and running for the enrollment of new members in the various aspects of the Obamacare scheme, or scam, or sham, or just downright shame.
And it has been said, “You can’t fix stupid”. They will just keep trying and trying to make this monstrosity work, and the more time, treasure, toil and tears they spend upon it, the more convoluted it shall become.
Have they never heard of one of the labors of Hercules, the cleaning out of the Augean Stables? That would not ever gain the approval of the EPA today.
Before Obmama-doesn't-care, 89% of Americans liked their health insurance policy. Rates were lower. If we could somehow get ourselves back to 2009, we would be improving things over today.
So, the "moderate" argument is that we are supposed to continue to suffer under this crap while we wait for a consensus solution. No way.
I don’t understand politics. All the Dems are stressing about Obamacare and how it will hurt their election chances, correct? But, it was the GOp who took the hit for teying to delay Obamacare for a year. What gives. Are voters insane? The two issues are one and the same!
Oh, the detailed plan is so simple it is 0 pages long...We're into NOTHING!
It applies to a lot of things:
Nothing's better than ObamaCare.
Nothing's better than the Department of Education.
Nothing's better than the Department of Labor.
Nothing's better than the Department of Hell and Human Sacrifice.
Nothing's better than HUD.
Nothing's better than the EPA.
Nothing's better than the TSA.
Nothing's better than the IRS.
Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.
North Carolina. Hagan is toast.
Can’t wait for reid’s response after mac daddy shi*s in his mouth so he knows what his puppet master wants him to say.
They got screwed by a hapless Barry. Hope they are happy a-hats.
Well, I’d be more worried about that race than others. For some reason, Kay Hagan has a high approvals, and NC is not being affected much by the premium fluctuations. She’s also a solid fundraiser.
However, unlike Pryor and others, she hasn’t made any blue-dog votes. She voted FOR gun control. She’s as liberal and North-eastern Democrats, and that could hurt her in a state that is trending red.
I really want her gone, just to see Senator Brannon in action.
If they can't take out the RAT from Alaska then it isn't going to happen. Certainly there has to be a decent Repub /Conservative to run against him? Hello Sarah!
Repeal and replace... with free-market capitalism. Free markets are always best. Anything else would be unconstitutional anyway.
Sarah won’t run.
In the race right now, you have Miller, Sullivan, and Treadwell.
Treadwell’s conservative credentials are questionable, and Miller will lose.
I’m backing Sullivan
You have to remember Alaska is not as red as people think it is.
Begich is a very experienced campaigner, political operator, and fundraiser. He’s not going to be easy to take down.
The easiness of each race, as I’d rank them, is as follows.
South Dakota
West Virginia
Montana - DRAW - Arkansas
Louisiana
Alaska
North Carolina
Michigan
Iowa
New Hampshire
Colorado
The reason I say Landrieu is more vulnerable than Begich is because she was excoriated during the 2010 town halls. Begich wasn’t given much heat from what I can remember. Louisiana hates Obamacare, and will punish Mary in 2014.
Yes, “don’t listen to the NYTimes” ... Today’s FR has a post from NYTimes doing just that. But get this: it is an opinion piece from a GENETIC republican self-described, name of John Taft, descendent of Willam H.Taft former pres.
It is an appalling piece certain to be held close by those loyal RINO repubs of the elite party nincompoops. Even talks about McCarthy hearings— honest to God, and how Repubs had the “good sense” to remove McCarthy after Welch’s “have you no decency” .Compares Ted Cruz to McCarthy— well guess what, BOTH of these guys are/were right!
-—gives them the jitters? Well, shoot, as soon as they sign up for Odumbocare they’l be able to get a shot for that? They voted for it-—let em wear it-—and fix it by themselves. Begging for Republican help should get some real laughs.
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