Obama campaign to opponents: Move past health care fight
Washington (CNN) - Team Obama attempted to frame the political debate following the Supreme Court's ruling on health care Thursday, positioning the ruling as the final word on reform and urging Republicans not to resurrect earlier political fights.
"All three branches of government have now agreed that President Obama's health care law is the right thing to do," read a memo from Democratic campaign officials. "It's time to move past the same political battles and fully implement the law."
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The president himself made a similar case Thursday, urging the political class to pivot to the law's implementation and the economy, instead of playing politics.
"Whatever the politics, today's decision was a victory for people all over this country whose lives will be more secure because of this law and the Supreme Court's decision to uphold it," Obama said from the East Room.
The memo, sent to campaign surrogates after the ruling, said Mitt Romney's pledge to repeal Obamacare on his first day in the Oval Office would resurrect old political fights and deny millions of Americans affordable health care in the process.
Obama's re-election campaign stressed what they see as positive elements of the bill that would fall by the wayside should Romney become president and repeal the law, as he has promised to do. Among the policies they pointed to were the ability of those under 26 years of age to remain on their parent's health care, discounts in prescription drugs, coverage for those with pre-existing conditions and tax credits to make health care more affordable.
Romney, the preemptive GOP presidential candidate, has vowed to repeal Obamacare on "Day 1" of his presidency, saying the law hurts job creation and raises taxes on the American people, in the form of an individual mandate.
But the re-election campaign called out Romney's mandate criticism, given that he passed a state version while governor of Massachusetts, a point that has been and will likely continue to be made until Election Day.
"Massachusetts' penalties are administered through the tax code, labeled "tax penalties" and are about the same as Obamacare's fines on free riders," the memo read.
Romney has defended the Massachusetts law as the correct course for his state but not intended for nation-wide use. He then pivots the conversation to job creation.
Despite the court's Thursday ruling, Congressional Republicans vowed to call a vote on a repeal of the legislation, scheduled for July.
But a letter to surrogates from the White House characterized Congressional repeal efforts as misdirected.
"The last thing Congress should do is refight old political battles and start over on health care by repealing basic protections that provide security for the middle class," read the proposed talking points. "Right now, Congress needs to work together to focus on the economy and creating jobs."
I really doubt that congressional republicans will vote for anything that does not restrict women's reproductive rights.
Obamacare is a "free market" alternative to Hillary Care. When Hillary wanted the government to create huge insurance pools so that people could get insurance at affordable rates, Republicans pushed back in several ways – they didn't want employers to have to bear the burden, they wanted to be sure that insurance was provided by the private market rather than the government and they believed that having insurance was a personal responsibility.
The problem is, if individuals don't buy insurance and then show up at an emergency room, we all get stuck with the bill. Also, if insurance companies cannot exclude people for pre-existing conditions (a right that they have seriously abused to deny sick people coverage after-the-fact), then a rational person simply waits until they need care to buy insurance. And so, the conservative Heritage Foundation came up with this plan. Bob Dole pushed it in Congress. Romney got it implemented in Massachusetts.
So what changed? My take on it is, that the ultra-conservative cable and radio hosts (of whom every single Republican seems to be terrified) have gone so overboard calling everything the government does socialism, calling everything the Dems do as liberal, and assailing even the most common sense regulations as a threat to personal liberty that they have created a beast they cannot tame. The idea of the government forcing you to do something fits right into this paranoia. But again, the mandate (which is enforced by a very small "tax") triggers that ‘assault on liberty’ and ‘big bad government taking away your freedom’ gene and Republicans had to back away from this thing quickly.
It's a shame that extremist rhetoric has poisoned the atmosphere so much that we can't have an intelligent conversation about an important issue. Death Panels? Total fiction. Socialized Medicine – not even close – you still get your insurance from a private insurance company, not from the government.
Conservatives should celebrate the fact that we have now set up a system that expanded coverage is now thoroughly entrenched in the private sector, that each state can set up its insurance pools however they want and that states who don't set up the pools and individuals who don't buy the coverage face little to know real sanction.
But instead, let's call Obama a Muslim Socialist Nazi, label Obamacare Socialized Medicine and run on a platform of appealing it. That'll be much more fun.
SCOTUS said nothing about Obamacare being the "right thing to do". It only ruled on it's legallity.
If you right wingnuts think Mittens can repeal the ACA, you are delusional.
Memo to the President. You are not a King. You do not set Congress's agenda. ACA barely passed Congress, remain nationally divisive and the SCOTUS had to re-write your penalty as a tax to get it to pass muster. If you lose, and lose you shall, down it goes.
Obama's re-election campaign stressed what they see as positive elements of the bill that would fall by the wayside should Romney become president and repeal the law, as he has promised to do. Among the policies they pointed to were the ability of those under 26 years of age to remain on their parent's health care...
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This is a good feature. And this is why the 3 largest insurance companies in the US have already made a comittment continue this feature regardless of the bill or repeal of it. As well, there is no plan to repeal it and not provide other, better programs. They will just be offered by state governments where it makes more sense.
Mittens made $1.5 million in campaign funds by right wingnuts based on the supreme court ruling. What a hateful bunch the baggers are.
3 Branches of government:
Legislative
Executive
Judicial
All have approved health reform. Hey Repubs, 3 strikes your out !
Every branch of the government has passed health reform. Legislative, Executive, and Judicial. Repubs lose, 3 strikes your out.
Impeach Boehner, Cantor and Issa.
Now that the Health Care is all said an done we need to get the people of this country back to work with the Jobs Act that President Obama put out there over a year ago.But i'm sure the republicans will continue as they have for the past 3 1/2 years still stop any of that happen. The GOP and the rest of them all have vowed to make the POTUS a 1 term President and thats their GOAL period at all and any expense.I guess the republicans will stay focused on destroying Eric Holder and continueing to lie about the Health Care and Bash President Obama.When does this stop ? when do we come first and not politics? I hope come November the people of this country stand up for Obama and vote all the republicans out of office.The republicans have displayed raceism to say the least.This is awful and in excuseable.
Obama campaign to opponents: Move past health care fight
"All three branches of government have now agreed that President Obama's health care law is the right thing to do," read a memo from Democratic campaign officials. "It's time to move past the same political battles and fully implement the law."
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It appears Obama does not understand that the American people are the FINAL DECIDERS of this matter this November. He believes he can jam it through Congress with lies, jam it down our throat with lies, jamm it through the USSC with lies, and then tell us don't worry, be happy, move on.
Sorry, it doesn't work that way. The American people will show you how democracy truly works this November, just like they did in 2010. Democrats have no idea of the hornets nest that just got kicked.
Obamacare is better than I don't care
Alexithymic Mitt and the GOP can't get over anything and/or move on. The GOP-pers need a new icon, THE CRAB-crabs walk backwards, too. Crabs are always crabby, just the the rubes who tune into FOX LAND and get a feeding of that manufactured "righteous indignation" 24/7. And the new iconic CRAB needs to be a really, really red color-as in thoroughly "cooked".
""Massachusetts' penalties are administered through the tax code, labeled "tax penalties" and are about the same as Obamacare's fines on free riders," the memo read. "
But but but but but but....IOKIYAR!!!!
Now that this is settled, can republicans focus on JOBS like they campaigned on? Mr. Speaker, "WHERE ARE THE JOBS????" Wasn't that your favorite talking point back in 2010? WHERE ARE THEY???
The Republican / Tea Party individuals, like Bachmann, Romney and others are now trying to use the supreme court’s decision for political purposes, like they did all along with the Health Care Reform Act, and sway people to see the decision as being a negative and to then vote Republican in order to repeal the act. NOWHERE do they demonstrate any real concern for the people, just aggressively for their political ambitions. Had they been honest, responsible and had a conscience for the people, as they should now, right from the start they would have worked at offering bipartisanship, cooperation and compromise to fine tune health care reform – instead, as they are once again, they put their political tactics, their political ambitions and their loyalty to Special Interests above all else – no matter what the costs to the people. Absolutely ridiculous and disgusting.
We have now joined the rest of the civilized world. With national health care in place we can compete on the global marketplace.
Thank you folks that stood for outcome of this judgement. SC, hats off to you, you saved millions of kids, etc, mittens needs to come to earth and think normal. My pride, yes on obama12. Period.
Ps: writer knows the law.
S.Court just make Romney president of USA.
Darryl
Now that the Health Care is all said an done we need to get the people of this country back to work with the Jobs Act that President Obama put out there over a year ago.
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You mean Stimulus Bill Part II ? No thanks. Screw us once, shame on you. Screw us twice, shame on us.
Hey tighty righties: You mad? Yeah, you're mad. 🙂
We moved on, Americans won the Health care debate, GOP lost we don’t want hear bla bla bla form republicans
Didnt Democrats lose miserably at the polls in 2010 because of ACA? Good luck defending a $1.5 trillion tax hike in the fall. Fools.
How come Politician complain about obama health care when taxpayers are paying for there family socialized medicine?