With Democratic senators united on the health care bill today, their campaign arm has settled on an attack plan for 2010: Republicans would “repeal” it if they win control.
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, aggressively challenging incumbent GOP senators and vying for open seats, will paint the Republicans as only interested in obstructing.
The DSCC blasted releases to local press out saying Republican Senators are standing “in the way” of giving health care to their constituents. Each one is customized, so for example, they say Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) “Stands In The Way Of Providing Health Care To 1.7 Million North Carolinians.”
“Once this bill is signed into law, will Burr pledge to rollback this landmark health care reform which will have afforded coverage to 1.7 million North Carolinians, brought down costs for families and small businesses, ended appalling insurance practices, and lowered the deficit? That is a precarious political position to be in,” the DSCC charges.
DSCC Chairman Sen. Bob Menendez offers this in a statement:
“This morning the United States Senate made history by passing landmark health care reform and we did so without a single Republican vote. Today may be the day before Christmas but the American people are still paying attention. Just like voters watched Republicans preside in Washington and do absolutely nothing to address the skyrocketing costs of health care, they have also watched Republicans obstruct common sense solutions at every turn. Once these reforms become law, Republicans who opposed it will have to look voters in the eye and pledge to repeal historic reforms which will have afforded coverage to hundreds of thousands constituents, brought down costs for families and small businesses, ended appalling insurance practices, and lowered the deficit. There is a reason that Republicans used everything they had to try to kill this bill: they know what a tough position they will be in next November.”
Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) this week dodged questions from ABC News about whether he’d repeal the measure if the GOP were to take over.
ABC reports:
“You used a word earlier that it’s going to be an ‘historic’ vote, and I think it’s going to be a historic mistake for the country if this is what happens to health care,” said Barrasso. “Now, as you know, the changes don’t actually go into place until four years from now so people aren’t going to be able to see immediately what the problems are. But they are going to notice the cuts in Medicare and, specifically, the increased taxes which go into effect the day that this bill is signed into law.”
