Politically playing directly into Republican's hands, Barack Obama wades into the Obamacare repeal fight being publicly fought in Washington between House Republicans and Senate Democrats by issuing a veto threat should a repeal bill make it to his desk.Is he worried that the 23 Senate Democrat that are up for reelection might actually vote to repeal Obamacare?
By The Numbers
Polling numbers, averaged by RCP from a variety of polling organizations, show that on average 53.4 percent of of Americans, Adults, Registered and/or likely voters (depending on which sample the individual pollster used per poll) are still opposed to Obama and Democrats' health care plan. An average of 40.4 percent in favor of Obamacare.
If you follow the link to RCP and scroll down, you will see polls conducted at the time of the Obamacare passage, March 2010, and find the same type of opposition to the package as a whole, in every poll except one outlier published on March 22, 2010 by USA/Gallup who produced and published another poll ranging from March 26-28, 2010 which again showed public opposition to the passage of Obamacare.
It is undisputed that Obamacare was passed into law against the opposition of the majority of Americans, as the polls continuously showed.
It is also undisputed that the majority of Americans are still opposed to Obamacare.
What has been disputed consistently by far left liberals is that individual portions of Obamacare are popular and liked, but those individual portions were not written into a bill and passed, they were part of the whole unpopular 1,900+ page bill that was opposed.
Midterm Outcome
Repealing Obamacare was the focus of midterm campaigns for Republicans across the board. Republicans took over 60 seats in the House of Representatives to win control of the House, the largest victory for a party in midterm elections in over 70 years. Republicans took a six seat gain in the Senate where only a third of the seats were in play. Republicans won control of hundreds of state level legislative seats as well.
Repealing Obamacare
In keeping one of the promises made to voters during the midterm campaigns, Republicans have announced that on January 12, 2011, the House of Representatives will vote to repeal Obamacare.
By The Numbers On Repealing Obamacare
According to Gallup results published today, January 7, 2011, a plurality of Americans, 46 percent, want their Representative in Congress to vote for the repeal of Obamacare, with 40 percent want their Representative to vote to let the law stand, 12 percent having no opinion. The margin of error being +/- 4 points.
According to Rasmussen, 60 percent of likely voters want Obamacare repealed, with 36 percent opposed to repealing it.
The difference in the bottom line figures is Gallup used Americans and Rasmussen used likely voters.
Either way, the plurality and/or the majority want Obamacare repealed.
The Scene Is Set For The Public Showdown
When the announcements came that Republicans had the two page bill ready to vote on, Senate Democrats led by Harry Reid warned Republicans in the House of Representatives to not bother passing a repeal Obamacare law because they would block it, to which John Boehner, the new Speaker of the House, responded by letter:
Senators Reid, Durbin, Schumer, Murray and Stabenow:
Thank you for reminding us – and the American people – of the backroom deal that you struck behind closed doors with ‘Big Pharma,’ resulting in bigger profits for the drug companies, and higher prescription drug costs for 33 million seniors enrolled in Medicare Part D, at a cost to the taxpayers of $42.6 billion.
The House is going to pass legislation to repeal that now. You’re welcome.
- Speaker-Designate John Boehner’s Press Office
Republicans in control of the House knew the Senate, which is still controlled by Democrats, would block the passage of Obamacare repeal, but they did promise those that elected them that would do everything in their power to repeal it and if repeal didn't work, they would defund it by not appropriating any money toward the implementation of Obamacare.
On January 12, 2011, if all goes according to plan, they will fulfill that campaign promise and force Senate Democrats to publicly go up against the majority of Americans still opposed to the new law and still in favor of a repeal of the law.
Presidential Veto
If Senate Democrats do not block the passage of the repeal of Obamacare, which is a possibility because 23 Democratic Senate seats are in play in the 2012 elections, it would then go to the President's desk for a veto or be signed.
Reports in the news today show that Barack Obama, playing right into Republicans hands, has waded into the battle and threatened a presidential veto if the bill hits his desk, again very publicly setting himself up against the majority of Americans opposed to Obamacare and in favor of repeal.
2012 Elections
Chances for the White House and 23 Democratic Senate seats staying in Democrats control all depends on the electorate and in November 2010, the midterms, the public made a statement about how Washington has been run and that they have long memories and will punish politicians that refuse to represent them as they were elected to do.
Seems to me that logically, setting oneself up against the majority of Americans is a very bad way to go about asking those same Americans to reelect you.
I have maintained and I still maintain that Obamacare will be one of the top issues of the 2012 elections. If that stands true, then that does not bode well for Barack Obama or Democrats in the Senate.
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