As Katie noted this morning many prominent Democrats have serious concerns about implementing the president’s “signature” legislative achievement. After all, the Obama administration’s recent decision to delay the employer mandate for one additional year is an automatic red flag. But apparently Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid isn’t so worried.
Here’s what he said on Sunday’s Meet the Press:
"Obamacare has been wonderful for America. Six million seniors get wellness checks now, 3.1 million young people now have insurance that insurers can't rip off people anymore. That's why people got millions of dollars of refunds last year. If you have a pre-existing disability, you're covered. They should just get real and understand this is a law that's important and they need to work with us to improve it."
There’s a major distinction between saying there are elements of Obamacare that are helping American citizens, and stating unequivocally that “Obamacare is wonderful for America.” The latter statement can be easily disproven. The Affordable Care Act is not affordable, costs jobs, reduces workers’ hours, and is dissuading many would-be doctors from entering the profession. Indeed, many promises the president made when selling the legislation have not -- or will not -- be kept. Meanwhile, the law is not only hurting some of the very same people it purports to help, but politically speaking, the problems with implementation are numerous and hardly “wonderful” news for Red State Democrats up for re-election next year. The law’s unpopularity puts supporters of Obamacare in an unenviable position.
Republicans would be ill-advised not to use the law’s persistent unpopularity to their advantage.
