Nov 1 2010
Just a few days before the election, President Obama is calling for bipartisanship as Republicans attack the new health law.
USA Today reports that President Obama is spending the weekend "wrapping up what he himself calls a bruising campaign season. ... The president, trying to stave off Democratic losses in the U.S. House and Senate, hits three cities today to urge voters to stick with his health care, energy, and economic recovery plans. During the rally in Virginia, he said, "the reason we're here is because the lumps we've taken are nothing like the lumps that people have been taking for so many years out there." (Jackson, 10/30).
Roll Call: "With his party facing potentially historic losses at the polls Tuesday, President Barack Obama used his weekly address to appeal for more bipartisan cooperation to solve the problems that vex the nation. But he also jabbed at the top Republican leaders in Congress, saying they are putting their partisan interests ahead of the nation's needs. House Minority Leader John Boehner delivered the Republican response, saying Tuesday's elections are an opportunity to make 'a break from the direction in which President Obama has taken our country'" (Singer, 10/30).
The Associated Press: "Republicans have pledged to try to repeal the health care law or undo important parts of it. In the same interview, Boehner said he'd welcome Obama's involvement in working toward Republican goals" (Superville, 10/30).
The Hill: "Criticizing the stimulus package, the healthcare law and a cap-and-trade energy bill that was never enacted, Boehner said that 'Americans are demanding a new way forward in Washington - an approach that neither party has tried'" (Berman, 10/30).
The Hill: "Many of the House Democrats who cast the deciding votes on health reform are expected to lose on Election Day. President Obama and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) needed every vote they could muster to push the bill through the House in March. The legislation passed 219-212, but for some Democrats, that vote could prove to be their political death. Democratic Reps. Ann Kirkpatrick (Ariz.), Suzanne Kosmas (Fla.), Debbie Halvorson (Ill.), Kathy Dahlkemper (Pa.), Carol Shea-Porter (N.H.), Mary Jo Kilroy (Ohio), Steve Driehaus (Ohio) and Betsy Markey (Colo.) were all late yes votes on health reform. Most, if not all, of them will lose on Tuesday, according to nonpartisan campaign experts" (Cusak, 10/30).
USA Today, in a separate story, about what might happen after the election: "There is sure to be a pitched battle on one familiar issue. Many Republicans have campaigned on a vow to repeal the new health care law ... California Rep. Darrell Issa is ready to take over. If Republicans win control of the House, he would chair the Oversight and Government Reform Committee. As chairman, he would be able to convene hearings, issue subpoenas and pursue investigations. ... Among his first targets, according to spokesman Kurt Bardella, will be spending in the government bailouts, the stimulus bill and the new health care law" (Page, 10/29).
 This article was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.
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