Since the historic Sunday night vote to pass the Democrats' government-run health care plan in the House, there has been a lot of talk about the November elections. Many believe Democrats who voted for the bill will experience negative results results this year. See an excerpt of a Washington Post story about the issue:
President Obama scheduled a Tuesday White House signing ceremony for landmark health-care legislation that passed the House on Sunday, as Democrats and Republicans began shifting their focus to November elections that seem certain to become a referendum on the most significant social legislation enacted in half a century.
The Senate prepared to take up final changes to historic health-care legislation that gave Obama the biggest victory of his presidency, with Democrats hoping to complete work late this week. But both sides made it clear Monday that the battle over the package is far from over.
Republicans will make a last push this week to derail the package of amendments to the legislation in the Senate. White House officials said the president will continue to take his case to the country, with a trip Thursday to Iowa standing as the first of what are expected to be repeated appeals to the public to take a fresh look at the health-care overhaul.
As Republicans prepared to campaign on a pledge to try to repeal the legislation, Obama and the Democrats will work to keep voters focused on the new benefits, rather than the size, cost or complexity of the bill.
"The real political battle over health-care reform begins after its passage," said Democratic strategist Chris Kofinis. "We can't let Republicans seize the message advantage here, as they did during last summer's 'tea party' and town hall protests. For Democrats, it means we must take the initiative and aggressively sell this reform to the American people not for a few days, or weeks, but all the way through the election."
Other issues, such as the economy, may loom larger by November than the heated debate that has raged for more than a year over Obama's health-care initiative. But health care will become a proxy, say strategists in both parties, for the continuing debate over whether the Obama era represents a return to bigger and more intrusive government.
One measure of that came in a statement from Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels (R). Saying the measure will raise taxes and, contrary to projections, add to the national debt, he said: "In a life of optimism about America and its future, this morning I am as discouraged as I can remember being."
Both parties must confront new tests after Congress's action. Democrats must motivate and persuade voters who, for varying reasons, have been turned off by the long debate on Capitol Hill and by the president's policies.