Former Obama Aides Bash Schumer For Second-Guessing Obama On Obamacare

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., the Democratic Policy Committee chairman, leaves a news conference after he and other leaders spoke to reporters after the Democratic-led Senate rejected conditions that House Republicans ... Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., the Democratic Policy Committee chairman, leaves a news conference after he and other leaders spoke to reporters after the Democratic-led Senate rejected conditions that House Republicans attached to a temporary spending bill, at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, Sept. 30, 2013. On the brink of a government shutdown, the Senate voted 54-46 on Monday to strip a one-year delay in President Barack Obama's health care law from the bill that would keep the government operating. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) MORE LESS
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Sen. Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY) remarks Tuesday that Democrats erred by passing Obamacare in 2010 before the economy was fixed did not sit well with Obamaworld.

“Unfortunately, Democrats lost the opportunity the American people gave
them. We took their mandate and put all of our focus on the wrong
problem — health care reform,” the No. 3 Senate Democrat said at the National Press Club, arguing that his party should have focused on middle class woes at the time instead. He added: “It has been reported that only a third of the uninsured are even registered to vote.”

Former aides to President Barack Obama took to Twitter to knock Schumer.

Tommy Vietor, Obama’s former National Security Council spokesman, kicked things off:

Jon Favreau, a former Obama speechwriter, chimed in:

…And swatted away criticisms:

Jon Lovett, another former Obama speechwriter, also joined the conversation with what he preemptively called a “rant.”

The tweets prompted Dan Pfeiffer, currently senior adviser to Obama, to also weigh in:

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Notable Replies

  1. The pity is that being a New York City Democrat, Shmuck Chumer’s Senate seat is unchallenged, even by another Democrat, for as long as he wants it.

  2. did not sit with with Obamaworld.

    Translation?

  3. Avatar for ottis ottis says:

    Schumer: only a third of uninsured registered to vote. Why give them all that attention, when we can be helping the BANKERS.

  4. Imagine if Obama did what Wall St. Chuck suggested and began with prosecuting the banksters who engineered the 2008 financial implosion.

    He’d be saying, “You know, Obama should have started with healthcare.”

  5. In 2009, the middle-class woes Schumer references were overwhelming due to the Great Recession. Democratic congressional leaders like Schumer (D-Wall Street) were warning the administration to stay away from the dreaded T-word (trillion) in cobbling together the emergency stimulus package. Thus, the stimulus was about half what the ecoonmy needed. And what the economy needed – and still needs! – was what the middle-class (and poor working people needed, desperately. If Schumer wants to flap his mouth, early 2009 was when he should have done it.

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