Democrats’ Feared Red October Arrives Before the Midterms
The Democrats’ attempt at a filibuster of the Republican healthcare bill failed in a humiliating way, with the Republicans taking it down. The party’s best bet is to make use of the Supreme Court’s docket to block the new Republican agenda until the midterm elections in November. That’s a sure recipe for the Democrats losing the House of Representatives.
The Republicans will have to pass a number of Obamacare reforms, such as banning the use of “navigator” websites to direct customers to a less expensive “bronze” plan, and using insurance exchanges to subsidize coverage for the poor.
A poll conducted by CNN prior to the debate shows the public overwhelmingly against Obamacare. And the same poll demonstrates that when voters are given a choice between a Democrat and a Republican, the people are more likely to vote for the second Republican.
The survey found that 52 percent of Americans would prefer a candidate who is pro-life (with 20 percent saying they would not give that vote to the party) and 49 percent of Americans preferred a candidate who would support abortion rights (with 28 percent saying they would not vote for the party).
But the issue of healthcare will once again be a litmus test for the Democrats.
The GOP-controlled Congress has given the Obamacare reforms a pass so far, with the Supreme Court’s blessing.
But Democrats are trying to get through Congress what they can. The issue of Obamacare is once again being litmus tested. And the party is getting it.
The House is going to vote on the “clean” (non-partisan) repeal of Obamacare. The House will also vote on the Affordable Care Act provisions which are already on the Senate’s schedule.
The Senate is going to vote on reforming Obamacare. But it’s unclear if the Senate will be able to pass reform before it goes to the House for a vote.
All this will get the Democrats’ attention because in this midterm election there are two really important issues. First, there are the issues that the Democrats will have to deal with after the election. Second, there is the issue that the Supreme Court is going to decide this week.
Democrats hope that the court