President Barack Obama’s chief strategist says Democratic angst about a potential Obamacare “train wreck” before the 2014 midterm elections is overblown.
“We’re going to implement the law well, and we don’t worry,” said Obama strategist Dan Pfeiffer.
Pfeiffer confidently predicted that Republicans seeking to make Obamacare an issue in the midterm elections will find themselves sorely disappointed.
“If they [Republicans] think they’re going to run the 2014 election on refighting the political battles of 2010, they’re going to fare very poorly,” said Pfeiffer.
Pfeiffer’s bold proclamations come on the heels of several statements by top Democratic lawmakers and progressives who have expressed concerns that Obamacare’s January grand opening may prove politically poisonous for Democrats.
Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), one of Obamacare’s chief architects, recently called Obamacare “probably the most complex piece of legislation ever passed by the United States Congress.”
Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) warned that he sees “a huge train wreck coming down” upon Obamacare’s unveiling.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) agreed with Baucus’s warnings. “Max said unless we implement this properly it’s going to be a train wreck, and I agree with him,” said Reid.
“The Administration has had three years to set up these exchanges. It has failed to do so,” writes progressive TIME columnist Joe Klein. “This is a really bad sign….One thing is clear: Obamacare will fail if he doesn’t start paying more attention to the details of implementation, if he doesn’t start demanding action.”
Still, Pfeiffer says the White House remains unworried. He says Obama plans to encourage young adults and minorities to sign up for the government health exchanges come October. After all, says Pfeiffer, Obama has “a lot of cache” with those groups.