Since Democrats passed President Barack Obamas health-care overhaul in 2010, the White House has tried to move its agenda beyond the storm of criticism that followed. Yet every time Mr. Obama and his aides find reprieve from one politically charged battle the Supreme Court case, the many Republican attempts to repeal the law and the 2012 election, to name a few another emerges. <\/p>\n
This week it was a report by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office that predicts the law will insure fewer people than expected and reduce the number of hours that Americans work by more than previously thought. Republicans seized on the findings. <\/p>\n
The report came on the heels of Mr. Obamas State of the Union address, where he approached the issue in a way that suggested his team was looking to finally turn the page on months of embarrassing revelations about the laws rollout. Mr. Obama made clear in the speech that he was done apologizing for the botched rollout, which emboldened critics of the law and even turned some supporters of it into skeptics. <\/p>\n
Instead he touched on the laws success stories and sought to refocus his agenda on the economy. He followed up with a series of events showcasing his new executive actions on the economy as he races to accomplish some of his economic goals. <\/p>\n
That lasted about six days. <\/p>\n
For the White House, the CBO report is distraction dj vu: its latest effort to set its own agenda once again has been cut short by the latest problem with the health-care law. The White House is again reacting to events, refighting old battles and trying to win the war of public opinion on Mr. Obamas health-care overhaul. <\/p>\n
The cycle seems destined for repetition all year, no matter what message Mr. Obama tries to push. Republicans have long been determined to make the health-care law his political quagmire, and that includes making it a dominant fixture in Novembers midterm elections.The GOP plans to highlight every hiccup in the law and every story that suggests its now working up to the standard Mr. Obama promised. <\/p>\n
The National Republican Senatorial Committee used the CBO report to criticize Democratic candidates, saying their support for the health-care law has dire consequences for their constituents. <\/p>\n
So many of the promises these Democrats repeatedly made about ObamaCare have turned out to be false, and unfortunately middle-class Americans continue to pay the price, Brook Hougesen, NRSC press secretary, said in a statement. <\/p>\n
For the White House, this means having to continue fighting a rearguard action that keeps overshadowing Mr. Obamas agenda.White House press secretary Jay Carney faced questions about the report Wednesday, while trying to highlight Mr. Obamas economic initiatives. He argued that the report was largely positive news for the White House, saying it showed the law will cut the deficit and insure millions of Americans. But Republicans seized on it to feed public skepticism about the law. <\/p>\n
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Health-Care Storm Roils White House Again<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Since Democrats passed President Barack Obamas health-care overhaul in 2010, the White House has tried to move its agenda beyond the storm of criticism that followed. Yet every time Mr. Obama and his aides find reprieve from one politically charged battle the Supreme Court case, the many Republican attempts to repeal the law and the 2012 election, to name a few another emerges Continue reading