Kaine Believes ObamaCare Is A “Great Achievement” For President Obama, While Webb Acknowledges It Cost Him A Lot Of Credibility
Once again highlighting a key difference between a legislator who talks straight with Virginians, and a politician like Tim Kaine who marches in lockstep behind President Obama, Senator Jim Webb admitted this morning that the biggest problem politically for the President was his handling of health care reform.
As Bloomberg News reports:
- “The manner in which the health-care-reform issue was put in front of the Congress — the way that the issue was dealt with by the White House — cost Obama a lot of credibility as a leader,” Webb said. “From that point forward, Obama’s had a difficult time selling himself as a decisive leader.”
Webb’s admission today marks a stark contrast with the liberal Democrat who aspires to succeed him in Washington. As President Obama’s hand-picked Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Tim Kaine has long been the number one cheerleader for ObamaCare, going as far as saying on CNN last year that ObamaCare would “go down in history as one of the great achievements of this President.”
And of course this isn’t the first time that there’s been a sharp divide between Webb and Kaine on a key issue. When President Obama last year proposed raising taxes by millions of dollars on Virginians, including countless small businesses in the Commonwealth, Kaine immediately voiced his support for the President, while Webb opposed it and flatly called the massive tax hike proposal “terrible.”
“Senator Webb’s straight talk with Virginians continues to stand in stark contrast to Tim Kaine’s unabashed support for Obama and his liberal, big government agenda,” National Republican Senatorial Committee spokesman Brian Walsh said today. “This episode further highlights the important choice before Virginians this November – whether they want a Senator who will listen to them and stand up for Virginia, or whether they want a partisan cheerleader like Tim Kaine who only takes his marching orders from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.”
BACKGROUND …
Flashback To Kaine’s Unabashed Support For ObamaCare
In 2010, Kaine Said He Wanted To Be Out On The Campaign Trail Promoting Obamacare. KAINE: “[L]et me, let me focus on it, because I think you’ve asked an excellent question. Will the campaigns of 2010 be heavily focused on health care? You will have the Republican Party campaigning to repeal this historic health bill that will pass. You’ll have me and my team out promoting it. I want to have that campaign.” (NBC’s “Meet The Press,” 1/10/10)
Kaine: “[I] Think Health Care Reform Is Going To Go Down In History As One Of The Great Achievements Of This President.” (CNN’s “State Of The Union,” 1/2/11)
Kaine Said Democrats Should Be Very Proud Of The Health Care Overhaul And Should Be Talking About It In Their Campaigns. CROWLEY: “. . . I want to start out talking about health care reform. You think Democrats should be out there bragging about it. So what do you make of the Democrats who are putting out those ads, bragging that they voted against it?” KAINE: “. . . [M]ost Democrats that I see on the trail are very proud of the accomplishment and they’re talking about it. . . . Now, obviously, folks who voted against health care, they’re going to talk about why. But I think for the Democratic Party, generally, this significant achievement for the uninsured, for people who have been abused by insurance company policies, for small businesses, for seniors, is something that we should be very proud of and we should be talking about.” (CNN’s “State Of The Union,” 9/19/10)
A New York Times Article Described The House Health Care Vote As “Bitterly Partisan.” “‘We will not allow this to stand,’ Representative Michele Bachmann, Republican of Minnesota, promised Monday afternoon as the House reconvened, a day after the bitterly partisan vote.” (David M. Herszenhorn and Robert Pear, “Health Vote Is Done, But Partisan Debate Rages On,” The New York Times, 3/22/10)
The Health Care Vote In The Senate Was A “Party-Line Vote.” “The Senate voted Thursday to reinvent the nation’s health care system . . . . The 60-to-39 party-line vote, starting at 7:05 a.m. on the 25th straight day of debate on the legislation . . . .” (Robert Pear, “ Senate Passes Health Care Overhaul On Party-Line Vote,” The New York Times, 12/24/09)
