Aware that Obamacare’s implementation may turn voters against Democrats, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and other party leaders gave House Democrats an “Affordable Care Act Toolkit” to use during the summer recess to sell the unpopular law to voters.
The guide advises Democrats to work with groups like Planned Parenthood and aggressively target women, young voters, and the elderly.
BuzzFeed obtained the 78-page “toolkit” that encourages Democrats to say to their constituents that Obamacare is “an historic opportunity to make health care more affordable and bring the kind of change we were all elected to achieve for the elected people.” The “dear colleague” letter is designed to “strengthen the hands” of Democrats in the face of resistance and backlash that may occur as more specifics about Obamacare get unveiled in September.
“Nothing could be more important,” the pamphlet says.
The guide also provides Democrats with talking points to shape the narrative like, “If you like your doctor, you can choose to stay with your doctor.”
It also encourages members to do events in the district–like town halls or telephone town halls–and work with women, youth, and seniors to drum up support for Obamacare’s implementation.
The “toolkit” suggests doing events with women with “pre-existing condition[s].” It also promotes working with groups like Enroll America and the pro-abortion group Planned Parenthood, which is described as a “trusted source of quality health care education for millions of women nationwide.”
Democrats are worried that voters in 2014 will sour on Obamacare, vote them out of office, and give Republicans a stronger hand in Congress after voters realize the bill threatens to raise health care prices and threaten the viability of many of the country’s small businesses that will be subject to the bill’s many byzantine regulations.