That was not the case across town Tuesday at the Republican National Committee, where the pre-buttal to the speech was all Obamacare, all the time. Though the administration has made progress by enrolling some 3 million people through the marketplaces created by the Affordable Care Act,
At RNC headquarters, Republican leaders handed the microphone to 10 constituents from eight states who were asked to share the problems they have faced — from premium increases to canceled plans — as a result of the healthcare law.
Not surprisingly, a number of the guests were from states where Democrats are facing tough reelection contests, and even from some blue states where Republicans suddenly see opportunities for upsets.
"Most people feel betrayed; they feel betrayed by a lie that the president made to the American people," said Republican National Committee Chairman
"That's going to cause an avalanche across the country," Priebus said. "If anything what you're going to have is Democrats spending a whole lot of money in states that they never expected to spend money in."
As Republicans make their 2014 case in swing states, they have been using the stories of people like Aaron Hirsch, a self-employed IT contractor from Louisiana who said his family's policy was canceled because it did not meet the minimum requirements of the Affordable Care Act. The replacement policy, Hirsch said during the RNC news conference, "is going to cost me 80% more in premiums, which works out to about $5,500 dollars more a year in premiums that I will have to pay for services that I don't really need."
Another featured speaker was Julie Boonstra of Michigan — a state where Republicans have struggled to make inroads in recent
"Life has been hard fighting leukemia, but my insurance needs were met" under the old plan, she said. With the new plan, "I can at least get my chemotherapy, but of course I'm paying a higher price now as far as out-of-pocket costs, and the coverage just is not the same."
(Defenders of the law have said that on the whole, Obamacare prevents policies that endangered patients with coverage gaps, and that the new coverage routinely has lower out-of-pocket costs than the older plans it replaces.)
The law remains unpopular in a number of states that will be crucial to Democratic hopes of maintaining control of the Senate — one reason why Obama is likely to brush over it during his Tuesday night address. The president's approval ratings took a hit in the midst of the troubled rollout of HealthCare.gov, and a new Gallup poll shows that those problems have persisted in states that will hold highly competitive Senate contests this year, including Louisiana, North Carolina, Arkansas, Alaska and Montana.
In Louisiana, where Sen. Mary L. Landrieu is facing a difficult three-way race against Rep.
"I hope [Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman]
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