The political fallout from the botched launch of the health-care law is presenting congressional Democrats with one of their toughest tests of party loyalty in the five years of the Obama administration.
Democrats facing reelection battles next year have assembled legislative alternatives designed to fix some of the problems and provide political cover for themselves.
Obama even apologized on behalf of the many Democratic lawmakers who repeated those assurances to the voters.
“They were making representations based on what I told them and what this White House and our administrative staff told them, and so it’s not on them, it’s on us,” Obama said.
On Capitol Hill. Denis McDon*ough, Obama’s chief of staff, led several senior officials into nearly four hours of meetings.
First, they ducked in with the 55-member Senate Democratic caucus. They tried to calm the group and pleaded for time to try to repair the damage.
McDonough and his group then darted across the Capitol and down into a basement room where nearly 200 House Democrats had assembled, delivering the same message.
"We still may have to fashion some legislation, and we’re going to continue to work that,” Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.), told reporters after the meeting.
Landrieu epitomizes the political and policy problems that Democrats are confronting. Facing reelection in 2014, Landrieu was one of the final crucial votes for the health-care law in 2009, and then gave her support only after receiving special provisions for her state.
Having cast those votes with Obama, Democrats know that it will be very difficult to distance themselves from the president next fall.
Democrats have a five-seat advantage in the Senate, but with seven seats being closely contested next year, the majority control is up for grabs.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/health-care-laws-problems-test-loyalty-of-democrats-in-congress/2013/11/14/c9e3a14e-4d67-11e3-9890-a1e0997fb0c0_story_1.html
