Sept. 4, 2010
NEWS ANALYSIS: John Raese's Obamacare TV Ad
By Huntingtonnews.net Staff
According to a June 1, 2010 article by James C. Capretta published by the Heritage
Foundation, the Congressional Budget Office's own numbers indicate that President
Obama's health care reform will include huge Medicare cuts.
"If the Medicare cuts and tax hikes for the hospital trust fund (about $400 billion over 10 years, according to CBO) are used solely to improve the capacity of the government to pay future Medicare claims, then the health law becomes a massive exercise in deficit spending," writes Capretta.
Given the general consistency between the ads used in John Raese's recently-released TV ad linking Governor Manchin to Obamacare, challenging the $400 billion figure for Medicare cuts may be difficult.
See TV ad here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbiuKUXE0NI
What the Manchin campaign could do, however, is to challenge just how much Manchin is tied to Obamacare.
True, Manchin was an ardent proponent of the President's plan as it made its final passage
in Congress this year. But between these figures, bound to enrage senior citizens who want to
keep Medicare as is, and pro-life activists who warned that Obamacare could lead
to taxpayer paid abortions like the ones seen now in Pennsylvania, might Manchin still be
able to reverse course on the subject?
"I'm sure there are days when Governor Manchin would like to take back his strong support for Obamacare," said Huntingtonnews.net Chief Political Analyst Jack Ellis. "But in politics, you usually can't just do that. Being labelled a flip-flop artist is as bad these days as being on the wrong side of an issue. No one wants wishy-washy leaders these days or mere opportunists. So Manchin is stuck with this, and it could be what does him in."
But just how big of an issue is Obamacare in West Virginia this year?
"John Raese is no dummy," said Ellis. "His campaign is leading with this issue, along with the
economy, for a reason. Every poll shows that Obama is incredibly unpopular in West Virginia,
particularly for the stimulus package not working to produce jobs and the way Obamacare
was pushed through Congress. West Virginians don't trust Obamacare."
"Don't forget: West Virginia is one of the oldest states in the nation," said Ellis. "When our seniors started to learn more about Obamacare's effect on their current Medicare program, many of them started to become concerned. No doubt that's why Governor Manchin's official schedule is filled with visits to senior citizen centers across the state later. He's trying to put out the fires everywhere he can, because if he loses the senior votes, he's toast. But I'm not sure even Governor Manchin can find a way to allay these concerns, and Raese's ad will just exacerbate the Governor's Obama-induced headache."
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NEWS ANALYSIS: John Raese's Obamacare TV Ad
By Huntingtonnews.net Staff
According to a June 1, 2010 article by James C. Capretta published by the Heritage
Foundation, the Congressional Budget Office's own numbers indicate that President
Obama's health care reform will include huge Medicare cuts.
"If the Medicare cuts and tax hikes for the hospital trust fund (about $400 billion over 10 years, according to CBO) are used solely to improve the capacity of the government to pay future Medicare claims, then the health law becomes a massive exercise in deficit spending," writes Capretta.
Given the general consistency between the ads used in John Raese's recently-released TV ad linking Governor Manchin to Obamacare, challenging the $400 billion figure for Medicare cuts may be difficult.
See TV ad here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbiuKUXE0NI
What the Manchin campaign could do, however, is to challenge just how much Manchin is tied to Obamacare.
True, Manchin was an ardent proponent of the President's plan as it made its final passage
in Congress this year. But between these figures, bound to enrage senior citizens who want to
keep Medicare as is, and pro-life activists who warned that Obamacare could lead
to taxpayer paid abortions like the ones seen now in Pennsylvania, might Manchin still be
able to reverse course on the subject?
"I'm sure there are days when Governor Manchin would like to take back his strong support for Obamacare," said Huntingtonnews.net Chief Political Analyst Jack Ellis. "But in politics, you usually can't just do that. Being labelled a flip-flop artist is as bad these days as being on the wrong side of an issue. No one wants wishy-washy leaders these days or mere opportunists. So Manchin is stuck with this, and it could be what does him in."
But just how big of an issue is Obamacare in West Virginia this year?
"John Raese is no dummy," said Ellis. "His campaign is leading with this issue, along with the
economy, for a reason. Every poll shows that Obama is incredibly unpopular in West Virginia,
particularly for the stimulus package not working to produce jobs and the way Obamacare
was pushed through Congress. West Virginians don't trust Obamacare."
"Don't forget: West Virginia is one of the oldest states in the nation," said Ellis. "When our seniors started to learn more about Obamacare's effect on their current Medicare program, many of them started to become concerned. No doubt that's why Governor Manchin's official schedule is filled with visits to senior citizen centers across the state later. He's trying to put out the fires everywhere he can, because if he loses the senior votes, he's toast. But I'm not sure even Governor Manchin can find a way to allay these concerns, and Raese's ad will just exacerbate the Governor's Obama-induced headache."
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