“President Obama failed to keep his promises, and he’s failed at changing the public’s opinion—so now he’s going to be Bill Clinton’s warm-up act in a last-ditch sales job.”
Click here to watch Sen. Barrasso’s speech.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) previewed President Obama’s event today with former President Bill Clinton regarding the failing health care law. Barrasso called on President Clinton to speak to the workers, spouses, young people and union members who’ve all been ignored by President Obama and deserve a permanent delay of Obamacare.
Excerpts of his remarks:
“Today, President Obama is going to turn, one more time, to his so-called ‘secretary of explaining stuff’ to try to sell his health care law.
“The President and former President Bill Clinton will be holding a pep rally to try to convince people to sign up for health insurance in the new exchanges that open one week from today.
“This health care law was supposed to be the signature achievement of the Obama presidency.
Why does the President need to call for backup to explain it?
“It was supposed to by overwhelmingly popular by now. Why does the Obama Administration need reinforcements to sell it?
“Maybe because there are new polls out every day showing that the new law is more unpopular than ever.
“In an NBC poll, only 31 percent of people said the President’s health care law was a good idea. CNN found that 57 percent opposed most or all of the proposals in the law.
“Washington Democrats have been spinning their hardest, but the American people know that the health care law is unaffordable, it is unworkable, and it is very, very unpopular.
“Now, the last time Bill Clinton took to the stage to sell the health care law was about three weeks ago.
“Here was the Washington Post headline on that speech, it said: ‘Clinton on stump for health-care law: Obama has dispatched ex-president to drum up support as crucial stage nears.’
“Bill Clinton spoke for 50 minutes—he repeated a lot of the same old broken promises about what the law will do.
“He also gave the same old tired excuses for why it will fall short.
“He said there might be some glitches, there might be some unanticipated issues, but there were simple fixes, he said, to all of these.
“In 50 minutes—nearly an hour of talking—what Bill Clinton didn’t do—what he didn’t do was honestly and seriously, talk about the real problems with the Obama health care law.
“He never spoke directly to the people who will be hurt by the law.
“So when Bill Clinton takes to the stage again today, I hope he will finally talk to some of those folks.
“For starters, he should speak to the workers who’ve had their hours cut because of the law—and it is a direct hit to their paychecks.
“That’s what happening all across the country.
“Towns, counties, and school districts have had to cut back on the hours of their workers.
“They need to keep more employees at a part-time status, to reduce the burdens and the expenses of the health care law.
“They’re limiting the hours they can pay bus drivers, librarians, coaches, substitute teachers, and other middle class workers.
“More than 250 different employers across the country have had to take steps to reduce the burden of the President’s health care law.
“President Obama owes part-time workers an explanation – and he owes them an apology. And if he won’t do it, Bill Clinton should.
“The last time he spoke, President Clinton failed to mention the serious economic consequences of the law.
“The Obama Administration did the same thing – they said there was only anecdotal evidence.
“Well, the heads of three major labor unions happen to disagree with the President.
“They sent out a letter recently to Democrats in Congress that warned about the damage that the health care law is doing to their care and to their paychecks.
“They wrote that the health care law ‘will shatter not only our hard-earned health benefits, but destroy the foundation of the 40-hour workweek that is the backbone of the American middle class.’
“Even the President’s strongest supporters are being hurt by his health care law.
“They’re getting hit in their paychecks, and they’re getting hit hard.
“I believe President Obama owes union members an explanation—and if he won’t do it, Bill Clinton should.
“Those union leaders are also upset that a lot of the generous health care plans that they have had, will have to be cut because of the law.
“They said the unintended consequences of the health care law are severe, and that ‘perverse incentives are already creating nightmare scenarios.’
“Perverse incentives are already creating nightmare scenarios. That’s from the unions.
“But it’s not just the unions. Walgreens, Home Depot, IBM, Sears, Darden restaurants – one company after another has had to make changes to their insurance plans under the Obama health care law.
“President Obama owes those middle-class workers an explanation—and he owes them an apology. And if he won’t do it today, Bill Clinton should.
“The next group that President Clinton should talk to are the spouses who are losing their insurance coverage.
“The University of Virginia recently announced plans to drop spousal coverage for some of its employees.
“The school said it was the President’s health care law and it would add $7.3 million to the cost of its health plan in 2014.
“In a recent memo to employees, the shipping company UPS said that it also plans to exclude 15,000 spouses from its insurance plan.
“The company of course cited the health care law as the top reason for this switch.
“It said that the increased expenses, the government mandates, have made it too difficult to keep offering the benefit.
“So just like the University of Virginia, if a worker’s husband or wife can get insurance from their other employer, UPS won’t be covering them.
“President Obama owes those spouses an explanation—and if he won’t do it, Bill Clinton should.
“Finally, I hope that President Clinton will finally be honest and speak directly to young people—young people who are going to see their insurance premiums skyrocket.
“The health care law needs healthy young people to sign up for these exchanges in record numbers, or the whole thing will collapse.
“That’s what’s at stake for the Obama Administration.
“So they’re spending millions of dollars in advertising to convince young healthy people to buy expensive, Washington-approved insurance.
“The Los Angeles Times ran this headline over the weekend: ‘Hollywood plays key role for health law: White House counts on the entertainment industry to promote its plan, especially to young people.’
“Hollywood celebrities and Bill Clinton—trying to convince young people to sign up.
“Many of those young people will be paying more, and buying coverage they may not need, and really may not be right for them.
“But they have to do it—they have to do it to help subsidize insurance for older individuals.
“And at the same time, they can’t find a job, they can’t get full-time work. Why? Well a lot because of the perverse incentives of the health care law.
“President Obama owes those young people an explanation and an apology – and if he won’t do it, Bill Clinton should.
“The American people deserve more than sound bites, and talking points, and excuses.
“They deserve better than what they’ve gotten under this terrible heath care law.
“A few months ago, the White House saw that its employer mandate was a bad idea. So it delayed that mandate for a year.
“Republicans think that all Americans deserve a delay.
“There are real problems with this health care law. There are a lot of unanswered questions, a lot of unintended consequences, and a lot of ways that the law can do more harm than good, for middle class Americans.
“We should delay the law permanently—and work out a better replacement that actually reforms health care the right way.
“The American people wanted health care reform.
“They wanted the care they need, from a doctor they choose, at a lower cost.
“And as the polls are showing, the American people know that the Obama health care law didn’t give them what they asked for.
“President Obama failed to keep his promises, and he’s failed at changing the public’s opinion—so now he’s going to be Bill Clinton’s warm-up act in a last-ditch sales job.
“Well, what former President Clinton should do is talk to the American people who President Obama has ignored.
“It is time for the President to admit that the health care law is terribly flawed, promise after promise has been broken, and it is time for Democrats and Republicans to work together to give the American public the care that they need and deserve.”
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