Plouffe: GOP will "regret" branding health care "Obamacare"

David Plouffe.

/ Photo by Francois Durand/Getty Images

(CBS News) Senior White House adviser David Plouffe said Sunday that the White House is "confident" its health care overhaul will be upheld as constitutional by the Supreme Court - and that, ultimately, Republicans are going to regret having branded it "Obamacare."

The Supreme Court will hear arguments this week over the Obama administration's landmark Affordable Care Act, which celebrated its two-year anniversary last week.

"You've seen jurists appointed by both Democrats and Republicans in lower courts that uphold this law. Two very important conservative jurists offering very strong opinions. We're confident it will be [held] constitutional," Plouffe said on "Fox News Sunday."

"And our focus right now, obviously, there's going to be a process play out this week, and the Supreme Court will deliberate. We're going to continue to make sure we implement this law smartly and that we inform people of the benefits that are available to them."

Plouffe suggested that the Republican moniker for the health care overhaul - "Obamacare" - will hurt the party in the end, the implication being that the law will be upheld and eventually become widely popular.

"I'm convinced at the end of the decade, the Republicans are going to regret turning this [into] 'Obamacare,'" he said. "Most of the law doesn't take effect until 2014. But important parts are getting implemented right now. Two and half million people between the ages of 21 and 26 have health care only because of the health care law. Over 5 million seniors are getting over $600 in prescriptions drug relief.

"So for people who are experiencing it - and it's a small portion of the population right now - I think they are seeing it quite differently than was advertised [by the Republicans]," Plouffe added.

As the Supreme Court gears up to hear arguments on the controversial health care law, President Obama's re-election campaign has embraced the term "Obamacare," which Republicans coined in 2010 as a derisive smear.

In an e-mail to supporters on Friday, top Obama campaign adviser David Axelrod wrote, "Hell, yeah, I'm for Obamacare."

Stephanie Cutter, deputy campaign manager for Obama for America, followed up Axelrod's email with her own note: "Republicans have now spent millions on nasty TV ads that try to tear down health reform," Cutter wrote Saturday in a separate email to supporters. "They even assigned the law a moniker that they intended to be a dirty word: Obamacare. Well, we just so happen to love the name. Thanks, guys."

[gekkobear]

Tt makes sense... if you don't have healthcare you could cost me money; so we mandate you have healthcare.

If you don't have a gym membership you could cost me money, so we mandate you have a gym membership at a government approved gym.

If you don't have a cellphone to easily call 911 in an emergency you could cost me money so we mandate you buy a government approved cellphone.

Corporations will learn if they really want to make a profit, they just have to convince/bribe congress into thinking their product could cost me money if someone doesn't have it... then we mandate its purchase for everyone.

How is this hard to understand? It's good for everyone for the government to micromanage your purchases and tell you how to spend every penny you make... it's not your money you earn at your job; it's the government's money.

You're lucky they let you have any of it.

Or did I miss something? Wouldn't it be better if someone had a cellphone when I have my heart attack here in a decade? So clearly it's in my best interest to support a mandate of cellphones for everyone, right?

Pretending there is a difference here is why this is confusing. Once you start with the assumption that the government owns you, everything you make, and everything you do; then it's easy to understand why this is good (for the government).

[msky2000]

It's hard to fully understand the healthcare bill's implications, but Obamacare is not a good sounding title however you look at it, because its supposed to be a plan for America, not just Obama gaining political points, so I think Democrats make a mistake by embracing that term. I get why politically, but I think it's better to stick to calling it universal healthcare or American healthcare or something.

[occupy_cbs]

"The law has yet to take full force, and key aspects, health experts argue, remain fundamentally misunderstood by the public."



This by far is the biggest problem, and I know that to be a fact simply because of those parroting the typical talking points while denying that there are definitely cost-saving attributes in the PPACA -- making health care more affordable than the current abysmal system.

Just this point alone, proves that too many Americans either have a terrible reading comprehension problem, or they would rather swallow the latest sound bites from the fox/rush parrots, since the entire law has been accessible over the internet for over 2 years!

[occupy_cbs]

RobAla: "..cramming this unconstitutional law.."




Funny how every one of the conservative republican posters now picture themselves as constitutional scholars, from the fox/rush school of right-wing propaganda, by screaming at the top of their lungs, "The Constitution nowhere authorizes the United States to have qualifying health care coverage."

These rabid fox/rush parrots continue, "The Constitution ONLY permits spending on defense, defense and even more defense, no matter how high our budget deficits climb, and that damn 16th amendment must be repealed! The Founders would never have wanted either health care or income tax."


But wait.......the 5th Congress in 1798, did not really need to struggle over the intentions of the drafters of the Constitutions in creating this Act as many of its members were the drafters of the Constitution, and passed in July of 1798 -- and President John Adams signed -- "An Act for the Relief of Sick and Disabled Seamen." The law authorized the creation of a government operated marine hospital service and mandated that privately employed sailors be required to purchase health care insurance.


Imagine that -- Congress passed socialized medicine and mandated health insurance back in 1798 -- only 9 years after Our Constitution was ratified -- and with many of the same Founding Fathers present!

[occupy_cbs]

But those were the days when members of Congress still used their collective heads to solve problems -- not create them like today's totally dysfunctional and highly-polarized congress.

Realizing that a healthy maritime workforce was essential to the ability of our private merchant ships to engage in foreign trade, Congress and the President resolved to do something about it.

Enter "An Act for The Relief of Sick and Disabled Seamen".

[MichelOuellette]

He had better pray 'Obamacare' gets overturned, because if it does not - the wrath of the people will make the Dems wish only for a repeat of 2010 - it will be much worse.

[smittyc]

Obamacare was passed and it should be noted, Congress, all three branches, House Senate and Executive branch exmepted themselves from the umbrella of Obamacare. Members of Congress made sure that they still have the best of health care for themselves just like the royalty of old had two standards. If Obamacare is so great for you and me, why did they exempt themselves? Am I against good healthcare, not at all. The issue with healthcare is the wage earners paid for their own in the past and the federal government paid for those who could not afford their own. Under Obamacare, the wage earner will pay for everyone's, the federal government after the phase in will be off the hook for those they are paying for now. Overall, I am not greatly concerned about Obamacare, it will be repealed and the charge will be led by the Democrats once the working electorate gets hit with the impact(cost) and the dems chances for election go down the drain. Obamacare is a hidden tax increase folks and it is a massive tax increae for the working public.

[Blucrossbreeder]

Jesus wants health care for 'even the poor'
"What ye do to the least of them You do to Me"

[audemus]

He also said, "a new commandment I give to you--love one another." It is not an act of love to allow another person to suffer simply because they cannot afford to do anything about it.

[gekkobear]

Right, and Jesus also said. Give not of your wealth to the poor, instead steal from all your neighbors. Giving your own money is foolish, bu taking from others by force to give their money to charity is the greatest of all good acts.

Oh he didn't? Sorry, I was confusing the liberal party line with Jesus again. I guess Jesus didn't recommend theft from a third party as charity after all.

Why is it a good thing when you do it then?

[BigMykul]

So, will the Affordable health care act cause a repeal of the emergency services act (not sure the name of it)? We've all seen the signs in hospital emergency rooms that state that they must treat without the persons ability to pay/

[RobAla]

This nation will regret the damage President Obama, Nancy Pelosi (pass the bill so that we can know what is in it), and Harry Reid inflected on the United States by cramming this unconstitutional law down the throats of a majority of Americans who do not want it. What a mess!

[infantryman1968]

Plouffe: GOP will "regret" branding health care "Obamacare"


LOL!


That guy looks like Obama!

75% of the United States thinks Obamacare is Unconstitutional.

[audemus]

Let's at least try to stick to the facts....

[audemus]

Actually, only 51 % of those polled believe that the individual mandate is unconstitutional. I know Limbaugh says 75 %...but, well, that statement speaks for itself doesn't it....