(CNN) – Ahead of a U.S. Supreme Court review of the health care reform law that many Republicans call "Obamacare," and a day after the law's two-year anniversary, Sen. Mitch McConnell used the GOP weekly address Saturday to hammer President Barack Obama over the measure.
"The president was certainly right to join a call for health care reform," McConnell, of Kentucky and the Senate minority leader, said. "But the giant bill that he and others rammed through Congress has made things worse."
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He repeated a call for repeal - made by many in the GOP - arguing the law does not fix but rather exacerbates issues with Medicare funding, access to care, and rising costs.
McConnell spoke against the individual mandate provision, which is central to the Supreme Court's consideration of the law. On Tuesday, the court will hear arguments for and against the mandate, and on Wednesday, lawyers will argue whether the constitutionality of the mandate provision decides the constitutionality of the entire law.
Obama did not address the health law in his address. Instead, he spoke about energy, which has dominated both parties' addresses in recent weeks.
He stood by his argument that simply an increase in oil drilling is not enough to feed the nation's energy appetite - although drilling, he pointed out, has increased in his administration.
The president said his vision for a clean energy future requires a rebuilding of transportation and communications infrastructure.
"So much of America needs to be rebuilt right now," he said. "We've got crumbling roads and bridges. A power grid that wastes too much energy. An incomplete high-speed broadband network. And we've got thousands of unemployed construction workers who've been looking for a job ever since the housing market collapsed."
But Congress, and particularly the Republican-led House, is slowing progress, Obama said, including on a transportation bill that passed the Senate with bipartisan support.
The president heads this weekend to South Korea for the 2012 Nuclear Security Summit, and energy provisions are expected to be considered on Capitol Hill.
From CNN Politics
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Republican heads will roll in Nov, their trying to keep the economy down at every turn to try to get the white house . Dem landslide coming in Nov.
So the GOP is going to take away the coverage provided to millions of Americans under the Health Reform Act? Good luck with that. McConnell saying that we can't afford this healthcare bill because we have crumbling roads and bridges, etc. is so phony. Pass the president's jobs bill and start fixing them for cripes sake. All Americans should all be able to have good healthcare – not just those of us who can afford it. How does the GOP not see this as a basic right of all Americans? It is a right to life issue – as in life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
I assume, Mr. McConnell has government health-insurance? Don’t you just love it? They criticize the ACA – eventhough they had many years to DO something and did not even think of something useful for the people and to better the system. Too busy with searching for WMD where there where none and starting a war (for their oil-corporations) and running up deficits and the country into a ditch!
The President felt for the millions of people that needed HELP, and he worked hard, listened to all, consulted with experts, looked at what the GOP had to offer and finally came up with an excellent START on the way to make health-care / insurance affordable and available to all. Thank you Mr. President for your persistence against all adds!
All this screaming is just politics from the GOP trying to damage the President – not because ACA does not work. It is truly insulting what the GOP/TP (party of NO) is presenting to the voter. How stupid do they think the voter is? Well, they and we will see in November…
My Fellow Americans. We needed this law for long time. Nation's this law is long overdue law. Millions of the kids are covered under this law. Millions of Pre-Existing conditioned Patients are not denied by the Greed and wretched fangs of Insurance thugs of this nation. In order to safeguard the finance we need the mandate just like we need Car Insurance, FICA payment, Property Tax Payment. Listen to this educated. I urge you all Get rid of all the Congress and GOP idiots and Republicans out of the offices in November Election. God bless you all, and the USA.
PS: Ask for passage of Congress/Senate Term-Limits, and get rid of old junk.
GOP ought to concern itself with cutting corporate welfare and money to evildoers instead of cutting health care to American citizens! President Obama understands the loss of work and how it is impacting the common person. I think rebuilding American infrastructure and transition to sustainable energy is key to security and success. Just make sure it is made in the USA by Americans!
As usual, the GOBP has nothin'
Keep shooting (pun intended for the party of the NRA) yourselves in the foot. Americans whose children are now covered and seniors whose donut hole has been closed will love to see what you are trying to do with their healthcare.
Maybe rethugs and those democrats who vote with them should have their insurance coverage taken away for about a year. They are old enough to be on the little blue pills, are diabetic or whatever other ailments an older person needs to deal with. Pay it out of your pocket and if you can't . . . . . DIE!
When you stop giving out drilling permits and shut down sites, reactivating some of them doesn't count as "increased drilling". How about taking the 7 trillion dollars Obamacare will cost and using it to fix our infrastructure? Or maybe build the ENTIRE Keystone pipeline?
Anyone remember the GOP's constant mantra of "where are the jobs?" before they won the House in 2010? In two years, the GOP has done NOTHING about jobs (except impeding President Obama's progress), while being totally focused on radical right-wing social issues. Please America, stop voting for Republicans. You (and them) are killing us.
As long as this pinch faced clown is in office, I'll never vote republican. Of all the over paid, under educated, ill advised, mal adjusted people to be elected to office, this poor excuse of a human being tops them all. Just his appearance makes most people sick. Pinch faced prig..
Republicans out in Nov Dem landslide.
I think we should repeal congresses health care, then the bums would like romneycare.
One thing for sure, the republicans lie. This republican war against affordable health care is the result of big insurance and the Kochs spending over $200 million in negative advertising against addressing a crisis that faces all Americans; being removed if you get sick, spirally costs of premiums so insurance companies can give bigger bonuses to CEOs, and countless other shady practices. This is more of an opportunity to embarrass the president just like the GOPers cheered when Chicago did not get the olympics even though that would have helped the entire midwest.
How about that - Turtleface woke up and made another stupid claim. DUH - the idiot from a state full of idiots.
Hopefully it will be overturned. The next thing you know the democrat liberals will be trying to mandate that we all drive "green" cars, and not drink sodas, not smoke and eat nothing but organic food. Oh wait, they are already trying to do that. The regime headed by the most corrupt, incompetent, inept, union toady ever to be the president marches on.
Mcconnel you are getting free health care is that not social medicine. You lie romney lie gopt lies. Obama/ biden 2012 the only way forward.
what he,s worried about is the effect it will have on the health insurance industry
Look at the picture of that girlie-man. Fat, scared and incompetant. The GOP really needs a clean-up.
I think it's high time the GOP leaders hush because every time one of them opens their collective trap, one of their gigantic feet known for trodding on American freedoms, hypocrisy and bigotry enters it.
Ivillage did the studies on Best and Worst states for women studies show
Sen. Mitch McConnell home state Kentucky came 46th (worst) Massachusetts came top 5 Because of Romney care
Will republicans get this ?
Mcconnel anything that benifits the poor and the middle class you and your party is against.1% no problem. You are racist. You cannot stand the fact that a half white man president. Your party tank the economeny. You lie romney lie gopt lies. Obama/ biden 2012
I have a family member with severe asthma. Under the old way, it was hard to get his medication because it was a "pre-existing condition" according to insurance companies. do not let them take away what little we have!
oboma would not bring it up if he was white.a white kid was killed for walkin in a old guys yard 15 yrs old never went national.i have not been jumped or robbed by black men,but have had conflicts with alot and usually there in groups.i know alot of different races who been robbed and jumped by them.a guy i work with got jumped by 5 thuggs they broke his jaw for what walkin as a small white guy in an ally.they seek the weak .im not racist but this does not happen where i live.thats why i work there and live in the subs. does obama or white people who hang with blacks talk that no.it happens all the time down town.u want people to view u different act different.stop bieng racist urselfs.racist r in all races!!!! not just white oboma.
And we still trust these Republicans and their failed ideas?
What is disgraceful are Newt Gingrich's comments. He twists what President Obama says and wants to take a race out of the conversation about this young man's death. Even when you expect so little from him, he stoops lower.