Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz must have forgotten to share her talking points with a trio of Minnesota Democrats asked about the Obamacare train wreck, as their only response to constituents about the failing law was awkward silence.
Members of Minnesota’s delegation, including Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D) and Reps. Tim Walz (D) and Collin Peterson (D), gathered for an agricultural symposium at South Central College in North Mankato, Minn. Though the trio addressed issues surrounding the recently passed farm bill, they also fielded questions about the Affordable Care Act. And one left the Democrats speechless, a video from Minnesota’s KEYC shows.
“I thought the Affordable Healthcare Act would save $2,500 per family,” an attendee asked. “What happened?”
A silence quickly fell over the room as Klobuchar and Walz exchanged nervous glances. The audience then burst out laughing.
Peterson quickly stepped in, saying he voted “no” on the bill in the first place and passed the buck to his colleagues.
“I’ll let these guys handle that,” he said as the crowd applauded.
In response, Klobuchar and Walz recognized the issues surrounding the law, including an increase in premiums and cancelled policies, and affirmed that they were working to fix it.
“This healthcare discussion has got to be broader, it has got to point out where there are weaknesses and failures, it’s got to make sure we’re not leaving people behind or distorting the system,” Walz said in response. “But, don’t pretend there was some sort of safe harbor before this where everything was just peachy keen.”
Many Democrats are finding themselves faced with angry constituents over the implementation of the healthcare law. And the party’s unwavering support of Obamacare is proving to present some challenges as the 2014 midterm elections inch closer and closer. Several Democrats committed to running on the Affordable Care Act, though it seems they have taken to blaming the White House for the law’s failures, instead.
Both Walz and Peterson are up for reelection in November.
By Melissa Quinn
Video at link:
http://redalertpolitics.com/2014/02/20/watch-awkward-silence-falls-upon-dem-lawmakers-when-constituents-ask-about-obamacare/#.UwZRZv4bNZU.twitter