In a statement, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest called John Boehner’s Obamacare lawsuit a political stunt that is a waste of time and taxpayer dollars.
In a statement, the White House Press Secretary said, “It is disappointing that Speaker Boehner and Congressional Republicans have decided to waste time and taxpayer dollars on a political stunt. At a time when Washington should be working to expand economic opportunities for the middle class, Republican leaders in Congress are playing Washington politics rather than working with the President on behalf of hardworking Americans. As the President said today, he is doing his job – lawsuit or not – and it’s time Republicans in Congress did theirs.”
Speaker Boehner has given Democrats a gift that will keep on giving by deciding to sue over Obamacare. The political landscape has changed. It’s no longer 2009 or 2010. In 2014, people like their Obamacare, so arguing that the president overstepped his powers with a program with a program that people like isn’t a winning strategy.
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DCCC Chairman Steve Israel pointed out that stunts like the lawsuit are the reason why this Congress is the least popular in history, “First this Republican Congress shut down the government over the Affordable Care Act and cost the economy billions of dollars. Now, they’re spending millions more to sue the president over ACA. Is there any question why a Congress that continues to force middle-class families to foot the bill for their political stunts is the least popular in history?”
The Obamacare lawsuit isn’t supposed to appeal to the overwhelming majority of Americans who are enrolled in Obamacare and like their coverage. This lawsuit is a sad attempt to recapture the Republican magic of 2010, when a small angry white electorate went to the polls to give Republicans in the majority in the House based on the promise that they would repeal Obamacare.
Boehner and friends failed to repeal the ACA, so they have created a distraction in the hopes that their supporters won’t notice that they have been lied to for the last four years.
The lawsuit has already backfired. It is clearly doing more to fire up Democrats than Republicans. Speaker Boehner has handed Democrats an issue to campaign on. By suing Obama instead of doing his job, Boehner has made the Republican Party the issue, and history tells us that when Republicans are the issue, Democrats win elections.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
