Health care debate ramps up ahead of high court arguments
WASHINGTON -- From a Zumba fitness class in Las Vegas to Tea Party rallies on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol, health care is about to take the political stage it left two years ago.
Proponents and critics of the landmark law signed by President Obama in 2010 will hold rallies and other events, run TV ads, flood the mail and post videos online in an effort to influence a deeply divided public on the eve of the law's two-year anniversary and ahead of three days of Supreme Court arguments.
Since 2010, the landmark health care law has taken a back seat to the economy, taxes, spending and now gas prices in terms of public attention. The next two weeks, however, could be critical in determining its future.
On one side of the debate are the White House, Cabinet officials, the Obama re-election campaign and dozens of liberal groups holding events across the country every day this week. And when the court sessions begin March 26, activists will open a media operations center next door at a United Methodist church.
"We kind of see them as a sort of combined force amplifying each other," Protect Your Care spokesman Eddie Vale said of the national events geared toward the anniversary and the media center aimed at the court proceedings. "It's a good opportunity to explain to people what the benefits of the law are."
On the other side are Tea Party protesters and conservative groups, along with Republicans in Congress and the Republican National Committee. They plan larger demonstrations, particularly in the days immediately before and during the court's deliberations.
"President Obama is doing everything possible to generate last-minute support for a law that we feel violates the Constitution," said Tim Phillips, president of Americans for Prosperity, the conservative group sponsoring a March 27 rally on the second day of court arguments. "Thousands of citizens will make their voices heard on Capitol Hill and declare this unprecedented legislation unconstitutional."
Neither side expects to influence the court, which has been inundated with some 150 briefs from the government, states, business groups and others. Rather, their audience is Congress and the American public, both of which have been divided over the law since the 2008 presidential campaign.
The most recent poll by the non-partisan Kaiser Family Foundation found 41% support and 40% opposition among Americans, almost identical to when the law was passed in March 2010. The poll found, however, that Republican opposition was far more intense than Democratic support.
That's partly because Republicans have commanded a bigger bullhorn as they campaign against each other for the party's presidential nomination — and all of the candidates are opposed to the health care law.
Seeking to capitalize on that energy, the Republican National Committee will go on the offensive next week with paid ads in key states, appearances by elected officials, grass-roots events and online content.
"Basically, what we've done is try to blanket the next two weeks," said RNC communications director Sean Spicer.
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