View transcript excerpts below.
 
TRANSCRIPT EXCERPTS:
Chairman Priebus
 
CHAIRMAN PRIEBUS: …Democrats would prefer to ignore this anniversary, much less run on ObamaCare in the fall... Alex Sink tried to run on ObamaCare, and she lost…no serious observer believes that the Democrats can take back the House- and the Senate is slipping away from them…because American’s are hurting as a result of the law…This law was sold on a series of lies….we’re still finding out what’s in it…because the president keeps unilaterally re-writing it…the overall objective of this law was to expand health insurance to the 46 million uninsured…only about 5 million have enrolled via the exchanges, but an estimated 15-20% of those enrollees haven’t even paid their first premiums…the Administration refuses to say how many of these 5 million were previously uninsured…
 
CHAIRMAN PRIEBUS:... Democrats also promised… you could keep your plan… you could keep your doctor…ObamaCare would be a “jobs bill”…ObamaCare has helped make this economic recovery the slowest and weakest since the Great Depression…cutting workers’ hours…the equivalent of 2.5 million fewer full-time workers in the workforce…Democrats crafted this law behind closed doors, passed it in the dead of night on party line votes, and repeatedly lied to the American people… while this President won’t be on the ballot again…ObamaCare’s biggest supporters will be…we’re going to hold them accountable, no matter how far they try to run from this law.
 
Chairman Moran
 
CHAIRMAN MORAN: When I began in January of 2013 I seriously believed that we had the opportunity to gain five six, maybe seven seats. Today as you look at a electoral map in the senate races of 2014, we have strong credible candidates in races that can be won by those candidates in 10, 11, 12, 13 states…the map and opportunities have expanded dramatically in a year… because of the consequences of the ACA of Obamacare…It’s a symptom beyond that it’s changing the electoral map, and that’s the lack of credibility…the unwillingness for President Obama and Democratic Senators to tell the truth. The idea that an elected official is not leveling with the American people has as much or more damage than just the fact that there is a failed piece of legislation creates terrible policy in this country. Americans expect their elected officials to tell them the truth…
 
CHAIRMAN MORAN: …In 2010, Democratic senators voted to unanimously support the ObamaCare rule that is responsible for the cancellations of people’s health insurance. In September 2010, a resolution was on the Senate floor to block implementation of the so-called “grandfather rule.” Republicans warned that it would result in the cancellations of policies and would violate the president’s promise that if you liked your policy you could keep it…on a straight party line vote, Democrats killed that resolution. This is not unintended consequences, this is a known result of a passage of a piece of legislation…It doesn’t mean that the Republicans aren’t interested in improving access to affordable healthcare…it means that ObamaCare is not the path to accomplish that…
 
Chairman Walden
 
CHAIRMAN WALDEN: ...What I find in my district in Oregon,  is this visceral reaction to too much dysfunctional costly government involvement in your life. They see their health insurance disrupted. They are not sure they are going to be able to see the physician and other medical providers, they have seen for a long time…people are really frustrated…specifically from Oregon, the fiscal disaster or historic proportion called Cover Oregon…134 million dollars spent on a website, that has not worked and that doesn’t work yet…they may scrap the whole thing and go to the national website…
 
CHAIRMAN WALDEN: …What we learned in FL-13, is the Democrats’ playbook that they put out to all their candidates to embrace ObamaCare, to talk about it, fix it…was a total flop. They had no more an articulate spokesperson than Alex Sink when it came to making this argument and…Obama carried this district twice. She carried it once and yet we were able to prevail because David Jolly ran a top flight campaign. We were there helping and the messaging was straightforward…What ObamaCare really played out as was this underlying theme that there is too much government in our lives, too much interference in our healthcare…it’s the reason that you see Democrats leaving rather than losing like Jim [Matheson] in Utah and Mike [McInyre] in NC, and others who are stepping up to try it again…

---

Republican National Committee
March 21, 2014

Just Winging It

The White House Continues To Unilaterally Change ObamaCare In Hopes Of Shielding Vulnerable Dems

As The Obama Administration Ignores Self-Imposed Deadlines, The Delays To Save Democrats From Voter Outrage May "Create More Hassles Than Benefits." "By now, the pattern is pretty clear: ObamaCare deadlines don't stick. And they probably never will. The unanswered question is, does the extra time create more hassles than benefits for those affected - and is the goalpost-moving worth the political headaches it creates for the Obama administration?" (David Nather, "The Politics Of ObamaCare Delays," Politico, 2/21/14)

ObamaCare Delays Could Double The Cost Of Premiums In 2015

According To Insurance Officials, Obama's ObamaCare Delays Will Trigger A Spike In Costs. "But insurance officials are quick to emphasize that any spikes would be a consequence of delays and changes in ObamaCare's rollout." (Elise Viebeck, "O-Care Premiums About To Skyrocket," The Hill's Health Watch , 3/19/14)

Health Industry Officials Expect "ObamaCare-Related Premiums" To Double Across The Country Before The 2015 Enrollment Period. "Health industry officials say ObamaCare-related premiums will double in some parts of the country, countering claims recently made by the administration. The expected rate hikes will be announced in the coming months amid an intense election year, when control of the Senate is up for grabs. The sticker shock would likely bolster the GOP's prospects in November and hamper ObamaCare insurance enrollment efforts in 2015." (Elise Viebeck, "O-Care Premiums About To Skyrocket," The Hill's Health Watch , 3/19/14)

Bill Hoagland, Sr. Vice President At The Bipartisan Policy Center: "These [Premium] Increases Will Be Significant." "'My gut tells me that, for some people, these increases will be significant,' said Bill Hoagland, a former executive at Cigna and current senior vice president at the Bipartisan Policy Center." (Elise Viebeck, "O-Care Premiums About To Skyrocket," The Hill's Health Watch , 3/19/14)

• In Iowa, "Rates Are Expected To Rise 100 Percent" On The ObamaCare Exchange While Employer Sponsored Coverage Rates Are Set To Double. "In Iowa, which hosts the first presidential caucus in the nation and has a competitive Senate race this year, rates are expected to rise 100 percent on the exchange and by double digits on the larger, employer-based market, according to a recent article in the Business Record." (Elise Viebeck, "O-Care Premiums About To Skyrocket," The Hill's Health Watch , 3/19/14)

The Impending Doom Of Higher Premiums Has Led The Obama Administration To Insert Politics Into ObamaCare Delays

Earlier This Month, The Obama Administration Finalized Rules Pushing The ObamaCare 2015 Enrollment Period Past This Year's Midterms. "The new rules also formalize a delay in next year's open-enrollment window and extend that window by a month. Enrollment will begin Nov. 15 and run through Feb. 15." (Sam Baker, "Another ObamaCare Delay," National Journal, 3/5/14)

• The Obama Administration Has Sought To Keep The Cost Of Premiums From The Public Until After The Election. "The delays push the beginning of the enrollment window-when people will get a look at their premiums-past the November midterms, and the extended window gives the administration more time to try to bring in more people." (Sam Baker, "Another ObamaCare Delay," National Journal, 3/5/14)

ObamaCare Architect Zeke Emanuel Admitted That Politics Drives The White House To Delay Parts Of ObamaCare. ZEKE EMANUEL: "They think, 'well, for the political gain, it's worth it to do that,' and it certainly isn't a big deal. I keep saying - you know, they seem to be very strategic at the White House - do some of these things that are good politically but really don't affect the underlying policy - that defend the underlying policy." (MSNBC's "Now W/ Alex Wagner," 3/5/14)

National Journal's Ron Fournier: "The White House Has Politicized its Signature Policy." "Not coincidentally, the delays punt implementation beyond congressional elections in November, which raises the first problem with defending ObamaCare: The White House has politicized its signature policy." (Ron Fournier, "Why I'm Getting Sick Of Defending ObamaCare," National Journal, 2/11/14)

OBAMA'S OBAMACARE REWRITES ARE AN "ABUSE OF EXECUTIVE POWER"

Putting Off Parts Of ObamaCare Gives The Feeling That The Obama Administration Is "Winging" ObamaCare And Rewriting The Law. "Because undeniably, every time the Obama administration bends a deadline for the Affordable Care Act - delaying the employer mandate for the second time, putting off parts of the enrollment launch, or giving customers just a little more time to sign up - it fuels the perception that the administration is just winging it, and gives Republicans new fodder to accuse the White House of rewriting laws too casually." (David Nather, "The Politics Of ObamaCare Delays," Politico, 2/21/14)

The Detroit News Editorial: "While It May Be Politically Expedient, Rewriting A Law Passed By Congress Simply To Avoid Ballot Box Consequences Is An Outrageous Abuse Of Executive Power." (Editorial, "Politics Drives Serial ObamaCare Delays," The Detroit News , 3/7/14)

• The Detroit News Editorial: "The Clear Intent Is To Spare Democrats From The Outrage …" "The clear intent is to spare Democrats from the outrage that will come when consumers are notified that they're either losing their policies because they don't meet the standards, or their premiums are soaring." (Editorial, "Politics Drives Serial ObamaCare Delays," The Detroit News , 3/7/14)