Poll: Public is split on candidates who backed Obamacare

Mar 6 2014

But support has significantly increased for lawmakers who voted for the law, according to the Washington Post/ABC News poll. Meanwhile, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a potential GOP presidential candidate, tells a constituent worried about Obamacare to "elect a new president," and former White House adviser Ezekiel Emanuel writes in a new book that many of the early problems with the law were "self-inflicted."

The Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire: Poll: Support Rises For Lawmakers Who Back Obamacare
Support for candidates who voted for the health-care law has improved dramatically in recent months, a Washington Post/ABC News poll released Tuesday shows. The survey found respondents almost exactly split on the question of whether they would be more or less likely to vote for a congressional candidate who supports the Affordable Care Act, with 34% saying they would be more likely to vote for the candidate and 36% saying they would be less likely to do so. Some 27% said it would not make a difference (Ballhaus, 3/4).

Politico: Chris Christie: Tired Of Obamacare? Elect New President
Chris Christie had some advice Tuesday for a constituent worried about Obamacare: "Elect a new president." The exchange occurred during a town hall-style event the same day that the GOP New Jersey governor, a potential White House hopeful, came under fire for his own support for Medicaid expansion under the health care law (Titus, 3/4).

CNN: Christie On Dealing With Obamacare Concerns: 'Elect A New President'
Gov. Chris Christie didn't get any questions about the traffic scandal that's plaguing his administration at his latest town hall, but he got the crowd on its feet when he addressed a concern about the federal health care law. A woman named Sharon asked the Republican governor Tuesday what seniors can expect from the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, and how to combat negative experiences she has heard about. "What do we do?" she asked. "Elect a new President. That's what you do," Christie replied (Kastenbaum and Killough, 3/4).

ABC News: Harry Reid: Republicans Are 'Addicted to Koch'
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is leading a crusade against the Koch brothers, whose name is pronounced "coke," blasting them for pouring millions of dollars into campaigns to boost conservative candidates. "Senate Republicans, madam president, are addicted to Koch," Reid said today on the Senate floor. Reid's vocal opposition to the wealthy conservative moneymen kicked off last week, when he took to the Senate floor and accused the Koch brothers of "trying to buy America" and supporting a group running ads that he said are "absolutely false." The Nevada senator continued his string of attacks today (Saenz, 3/4).

Marketplace: Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel Calls Early ACA Problems 'Self-Inflicted'
One of President Barack Obama's advisers on health care reform, Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, acknowledges that many of the problems the Affordable Care Act faced during the first few months of its implementation were self-inflicted wounds. "It's a tremendous achievement, and I think unfortunately, the communication strategy wasn't everything it should have been." Emanuel chronicles the rollout and the history of health care reform in the United States in his new book, "Reinventing American Health Care" (Ryssdal, 3/4).