Sen. Charles Schumer (D., N.Y.) made headlines yesterday with public statements that passing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) (or Obamacare) was a mistake and “blew” the opportunity of the party to pass meaningful legislation that appealed to the middle class. As the third-ranking member of the Senate Democratic leadership, the statement was a rare public rebuke of the strategy of the Obama Administration and the Democratic leadership. Schumer stated that at the time “Americans were crying out for an end to the recession, for better wages and more jobs; not for changes in their healthcare.”
Schumer criticized the decision to push through the ACA in the first term when citizens were demanding actions in other areas. He did not question the value of the ACA as much as its timing and the huge political costs of such legislation:
SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): After passing the stimulus, Democrats should have continued to propose middle-class oriented programs and built on the partial success of the stimulus. But unfortunately, Democrats blew the opportunity the American people gave them. We took their mandate and put all of our focus on the wrong problem — health care reform. Now the plight of uninsured Americans and the hardships caused by unfair insurance company practices certainly needed to be addressed, but it was not the change we were hired to make. Americans were crying out for the end to the recession, for better wages and more jobs, not changes in health care.
This makes sense, considering 85% of all Americans got their health care from either the government, Medicare, Medicaid, or their employer. And if health care costs were going up, it really did not affect them. The Affordable Care Act was aimed at the 36 million Americans who were not covered. It has been reported that only a third of the uninsured are even registered to vote. In 2010 only about 40% of those registered voting. So even if the uninsured kept with the rate, which they likely did not, we would still only be talking about only 5% of the electorate.
To aim a huge change in mandate at such a small percentage of the electorate made no political sense. So when Democrats focused on health care, the average middle-class person thought the Democrats are not paying enough attention to me. Again, our health care system was riddled with unfairness and inefficiency. It was a problem desperately in need of fixing. The changes that were made are and will continue to be positive changes, but we would have been better able to address it if Democrats had first proposed and passed bold programs aimed at a broader swath of the middle class.
Had we started more broadly, the middle class would have been more receptive to the idea that President Obama wanted to help them. The initial faith they placed in him would have been rewarded. They would have held a more pro-government view and would have given him the permission structure to build a more pro-government coalition. Then Democrats would have been in a better position to tackle our nation’s healthcare crisis.
Source: The Hill
I have a difficult time listening to New Yorkies when they yak that Turdy Turd and a Turd dialect. I heard Schumer on TV. Yes those people back then were seeking better wages, no more Bush recession, more jobs. Those people also were sick of the health care system. Obama fixed the recession and with that came better wages and more jobs. The stock market DOW index has doubled. Obama tried to cure the illness of health care but what we have is capitalism, millionaire doctors and a tinge of socialism. Congressmen and Congresswomen get free health care for life if he step one foot in the door of the House or Senate. Free. Repeal that Chucky Cheese and shut the uckFay up.
They passed a law that they admitted would never have passed if they were honest about it.
That’s fraud, and people should go to jail.
Yep.
Romney passed a bipartisan bill with universal support that had a very narrow effect, and did not change actual coverage. It did not disrupt the entire health care industry.
Obamacare, on the other hand, has been a financial disaster for my middle class family and destroyed our health care choices. Now I pay as much as a mortgage but still have to pay out of pocket to see a doctor. I don’t see how anyone unsubsidized can stay on the middle class with this. Just wait until the employer mandate hits. That’s the topic in every single doctors’ office, bar none. Just mention Obamacare, and people flood in to join the outrage from the lobby. Doctors pop their heads out and say they can’t keep the doors open on what they pay. It’s the great unifier.
Democrats are trying to run away from this, but they can’t. This albatross is firmly tied around their necks.
We tried to warn them. Not only didn’t they listen, they had documented proof that Obamacare would make premiums less affordable to the middle class.
They stood there and lied to us and we took it like sheep. If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor. If you like your insurance, you can keep your insurance. This will save middle class families $2500 a year.
Lies. Knowing lies.
Steve H
Although much of what you say holds merit, the main problem is there in what you said about one side ticking off the other. If, indeed the ACA is a dog’s breakfast, and was shoved down the throats of all, and was orchestrated by a vicious gang of laughing Democrats, so what. This is sausage making. Both sides do it. The real travesty here is holding hostage the American people by the Republicans in retaliation to the Democrats’ insults to the Republicans or what ever else crawled up their @ss. The purpose of government is to govern in the best interests of the people, not the party. Since the three stooges shamed America and more specifically the Republican party, and the Democrats showed a little joy in watching the damage unfold, the Republican party has been on an obstructionist rampage that has forced the administration into the position of ‘breaking every law in the book of executive privilege’ or failing to act.
The ACA is a dog’s breakfast, but a necessary move in the right direction of getting rid of the parasitical private health care insurance industry which costs Americans five to eight times (depending on a conservative or liberal analysis), in administration than what other countries spend, per capita. The private insurance industry has a monopoly and a license to print money, off of the backs of American tax payers and earners. The law obligates a driver to have auto insurance but allows the private sector to take advantage. This results in 20% to 30% higher premiums in the US than in other countries. The same is true with health insurance. We all pay one way or the other. If by getting rid of the private sector we save then where is the argument. The ACA has made the first steps: included everyone in the pool, disallowed cherry picking of clients by private insurance companies, reduced costs in areas of the population where costs were once prohibitive, etc. It has its flaws but its advantages coupled with the fact that this now is ON THE TABLE instead of being used by the other side as a weapon is a move forward.
The responsible move by both sides now would be to fix what is broken and add and subtract until we get universal health care insurance, not use the present version to make political hay.
You may say what you will and take one ideological position or another but certain facts remain: we spend two to three times as much per capita as we need to and this primarily due to excessive administrative costs due to private sector involvement, this issue which is entirely about the best interests of the American people has been used as a political pawn in an ongoing standoff to the detriment of the American people, this makes a sham of our so called democracy, when two parties rule and one goes after the other in spite of the results, two parties, one more than a dictatorship.
“made no political sense” is the key phrase in his comment. he is up for re-election soon. so he has to do the CYA routine. he probably agrees with the substance of the law but politically it made no sense to focus on it.
Bailers, You think Chucky is wanting to be the minority leader?
Schumer reminds me very much of Mayor Richard Daley in Chicago. Slimeball and crook to his core, but you could never doubt that what he did was always in the best interest of Chicago.
Schumer is the same way. No matter what though, he’s light years better than Reid.
Barry is really Barack Obama.
These Yogi Bear politicians are proving they are no smarter than their average constituent. It’s true that it made no sense politically, but it made no sense on many other levels as well to the ungrubered electorate that opposed it from the beginning. Whenever these snake oil salesmen start pitching their product, I always think of this video:
Schumer is lying, and Turley happily repeats his lies:
http://www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2014/11/passing-affordable-care-act-mistake-spoiler
“Strangely, I agree with Schumer. The method by which the Dems rammed Obamacare through the Senate, then the House, reeked of arrogance, bullying and egotism (see: “The election is over, and I won”)”
This is a lie. Obama and the Democrats in Congress sent a year seeking compromise, and got nothing but lies.
Rats fleeing a sinking ship. And there are few fatter rats than Chucky Schumer.
It made political sense for Obama, SCREW everyone else.
Scott, you are right on. As recently as November 3 (the day before the election) he was still a big supporter/cheerleader of the ACA. What a low life sleeve ball of organic mush. Does he honestly think NY voters are that dumb? Don’t answer that question.
Chucky Schumer! This is a blatant attempt to rely on the stupidity of the New York voter. You were one of the, if not biggest, cheerleaders of the PPACA. You were complicit in the fraud and deceit………NOW you want the ignorant voters to believe you didn’t think it was a good idea. Really Senator? Now the piece of crap bill is law and you love that, but for political benefit you were against it – I guess you get to have your cake and eat it too. Just for the record, did you vote for or against the law? And, could you please refer us to to one, just one, time that you expressed your concerns about the law when it was being debated (jammed down our throats)? I couldn’t find it either.
Strangely, I agree with Schumer. The method by which the Dems rammed Obamacare through the Senate, then the House, reeked of arrogance, bullying and egotism (see: “The election is over, and I won”) That angered every Republican in the Congress and in the country. I firmly believe that much (most?) of the continuing fight against Obamacare has its roots in the cheesy, sleazy way the Dems got the law passed, not about what’s in the law. Between Obama’s lying, Pelosi’s tricks and Reid’s deception, the Democrats, not the Republicans, started this whole mess of dislike and distrust between the parties. After that, the Republicans had no interest in working with the Dems.
I hope McConnell can put some of that animosity behind him and run the Senate in a more cordial, cooperative manner. However, now that the Republicans have majorities in both chambers, and a growing backlash against Obama in particular and the Democrats in general, if he decides to give the Democrats a taste of their own medicine, I will support and applaud him.
Let the games begin.
With friends like Charlie you don’t need any enemies. Too bad he didn’t fight for single payor then we wouldn’t be in this mess but then he’s always been a corporatist.
I think the time has come to admit that Obama is not the smartest guy in the room.
The Heritage Foundation ACA law stinks. It mostly benefits healthcare businesses. What else could we ever expect a conservative based philosophy to target?
That said, it’s sort of sad that the calculation for the saving of American lives saved is never mentioned. The political component in the USA seems now to always trump human life. Wish that part was important to Shumer, other democrats and the republicans/conservatives/libertarians who appear to be decidedly not pro-life on this issue.
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