Did ObamaCare Cost The Democrats The Election?

Townhall.com ^ | November 29, 2014 | John C. Goodman

[Kaslin]

As I wrote at Forbes yesterday, New York Senator Charles Schumer has placed the blame for the Democrat’s disastrous defeat in this fall’s election squarely at the feet of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).

Speaking at the National Press Club the other day, the third-ranking Democrat in the US Senate said that whatever the merits or demerits of health reform, it was bad politics.

About 95 percent of all voters have health insurance, Schumer said, and the vast majority of those like the insurance they have. By contrast, most of the uninsured don’t vote. Only a third of them are even registered to vote.

Although and other Democratic insiders expressed surprise and disagreement with Schumer’s observations, the underlying facts have been well known (if only intuitively) by Democratic candidates for decades. How else can you explain the odd history of health care and the Democratic Party?

National health insurance has been in the national Democratic Party platform forever – okay, at least since the 1930s. Yet there have been only a few instances when Democrats in office made any serious effort to deliver on that promise. For most of the last seven decades, congressional Democrats made no serious effort to insure the middle class uninsured. They even voted against Republican proposals to give tax deductions or tax credits to people who buy their own health insurance.

The exception to this pattern is the ability of the self-employed to deduct their own health insurance costs. Congressional Democrats supported this exception, or at least didn’t block it, although the self-employed are overwhelmingly Republican. But when it came to proposals to extend the same tax relief to people who ordinarily vote Democrat, Congressional Democrats had no interest whatsoever.

There have been only a few occasions when Democrats have made any serious effort to reform the entire health care system. Prior to Obamacare, the last effort was Hillarycare. And that was when Democrats discovered something some of them may not have already known: The uninsured do not lobby. They do not make campaign contributions. In fact, they don’t even vote!

And although those who have health insurance are not indifferent to the plight of the uninsured, polls show that the amount of taxes they are willing to pay to insure the uninsured is generally less than $100.

Since the days of Franklin Roosevelt, the Democratic Party has been a collection of special interest groups. What Democrats do when they are in office is legislate favors for the interest groups who support them at the polls. But once in a while Democrats do something that is purely ideological and for which there is virtually no special interest support.

In the first two years of the Obama presidency, Democrats controlled both houses of Congress and they had a filibuster proof majority in the Senate. It was a perfect opportunity to satisfy the ideological goals of their left wing base. But no reform is possible without the support of the core special interest constituencies. So we got national health reform completely designed by special interests!

I can’t emphasize this enough. The people being helped by Obamacare (the uninsured) had absolutely no input into the design of the Affordable Came Act. The health reform bill was completely and totally designed by people who were already insured and who had an economic interest in making sure health reform was good for them.

The result, of course, has been a big mess. Such a mess that Democratic candidates in this last election were on the defensive about Obamacare from the git go. Hardly any were bragging about the fact that about 10 million people have been newly insured. Instead, they were more apt to say, “Mend it don’t end it.”

Even that message didn’t seem to help.

[VRW Conspirator]

About 95 percent of all voters have health insurance, Schumer said, and the vast majority of those like the insurance they have.

When someone registers as a Democrat, they need to have the above tattooed on their forehead.

[xp38]

I want this question to be asked again in 2017.

[ontap]

No!! Obama caused the democrats to lose elections!!!

[PGalt]

You’re one of the “stupid Americans” in Congress who was fooled by Totalitariancare architect Gruber, Chuck. Either that, or you were a willing co-conspirator.

1. You’re an ignorant POS.
2. You’re a willing co-conspirator commie POS.
3. Both of the above.

FU$chumer. Return the money you have looted from the republic, $CUMBAG.

http://www.usdebtclock.org

YOU DID build that.

[DJ Frisat]

"The people being helped by Obamacare (the uninsured) had absolutely no input into the design of the Affordable Came Act."

Don't look now, but the people being screwed-over because of this horrendous law had absolutely no input, either. It took ONE POLITICAL PARTY, using lies, accounting gimmicks, rules changes and other sundry shenanigans to force this down our throats and up our bums.

I wonder why it's so unpopular? [/sarc]

[MeneMeneTekelUpharsin]

It is causing MAJOR problems in my family with just ONE child now. He is single, really can NOT afford premiums. We put him on our healthcare so he won’t get fined, he can’t pay the premiums and we have to pay them for him. What if people have two children like that or more? He can only stay on our healthcare until age 26, then he can’t be on it anymore. Then what? This law HAS to be repealed or it is going to sink the economy.

[Sacajaweau]

I’d say it was Obama himself and his dictatorial policies that cost the Dems the election. Kinda like....OMG...what the hell did we elect??

[Gaffer]

Hatred, ire, anger, hubris, arrogance, racism, thievery and lawlessness did.

[kenmcg]

Did ObamaCare Cost The Democrats The Election?

Yes, throw in Obama lies, Holder corruption, Benghazi, Fast & Furious, IRS, Reid, Pelosi, Isis, releasing dangerous Al-Qaeda, weak foreign policy, etc.

[Diogenesis]

THIS and GRUBER are the reasons the DNC-MSM is pushing
Romney so much.

Mr. Willard RomneyCARE is the only ratRINO who
can make ObamaCARE and Gruber MOOT.

[grania]

So why didn't the 'pubs get rid of Obamacare when Cruz showed them how to do it, and in fact they stopped his initiative? Could it be because their paymasters in the insurance companies are doing quite well with forced conditions to be insured? Instead, they said "it's a campaign issue". Now they're trying to step back from defunding it, in spite of it being a factor. The thing to replace it with is....nothing.

It's not the only factor. The invasion of the US is a factor. The "Ferguson Effect" of a vast majority of people being disgusted about the lawless pandering to thugs is a factor.

Don't blame the dems anymore. The 'pubs got their massive majorities, so they now own the issues. It can't wait to be another campaign issue. They have to straighten things out NOW.

[Kaslin]

Excellent point

[randita]

For most of the last seven decades, congressional Democrats made no serious effort to insure the middle class uninsured.

Rats didn't want just a solution to the middle class uninsured or pre-existing condition issues. Those could have been solved with minor changes (bipartisan) and for a small % of the money that's been wasted on the total revamp of the healthcare system. They want single payer and knew that Grubamacare was the camel's nose in the tent.

IMO, the stagnant economy and job market were the main reasons Rats lost, but Grubamacare has contributed mightily to those reasons.

[Kaslin]

That too

[Alberta's Child]

I have a dumb question for you:

Why doesn't he just pay the fine? At least for now, it is tiny and inconsequential compared to the premiums he'd pay.

[Liz]

Even though the treasure trove of "The Midterm Democrat Demolition Derby" (and down-ticket state wins) have yet to be fully- mined, this we know:

<><> Democrat losses stretch from the Carolinas westward to Texas

<><> As Landrieu's loss looms, Southern Democrats control not a single governorship, US senator or legislative chamber.

<><> Of the 140 Southern States election districts---110 went Republican.

<><> the GOP's majority in the House will be so big and solid NBC's Chuck Todd says Democrats can't recapture losses until 2022.

<><> Some pundits say Republicans have a 100-year majority;

<><> When the next Senate convenes, 29 lock-stepping Democrats who voted for Obamacare will be gone.

<><> Even Arkansas and Illinois (Clinton hometowns) have Repub governors---important in a prez race since guvs control party machinery.

THE "GRUBER STUPOR" CONTINUES Braindead Democrats are going for "Unapologetic populism" --- that the Democratic Party is for justice and opportunity—with no qualifiers—for everyone."

Yeah sure. "Opportunity for everyone"----just as long as you're not one of those stupid mental defectives taking up space in Democrat Utopia.

FROM SEA TO SHINING SEA A sweet irony---the "party of the people" lacerated, and dumped, by "the people."

What the Republican takeover looks like as of midnight 11/5---Alaska is Repub, LA goes Repub Dec 6.

Midterm Map courtesy of http://www.nationaljournal.com

[Amagi]

What cost the Democrats the election was the complete failure of the Democrat Election Stealing Machine to fabricate enough votes for a Dem victory.

[DJ Frisat]

I agree with you right down the line. My comment was only intended to address who had a say in the bill’s creation/provisions, and who voted for it.

[Liz]

Demoncrat Sen Chuck Schumer was quick to blame Obamacare for the stunning losses----but that could be a smokescreen for Schumer's hideous atrocity ---"immigration reform"--- which contributed mightily to lock-stepping Dems' demise.

Schumer is the poster boy for "why Democrats should never EVER be given even a smidgen of power." Once in office they see themselves as saviors instead of servants of the people.

Imbeciles infected w/ Dem disease go off half-cocked---thinking they've been "anointed"---not elected. Luckily, there's a cure for infected Demos-----banishment to the nether-reaches of hell.