It's going to be a very long, and painful election season for the Republicans this year. All those millions of people who now have health care insurance, thanks to Obamacare, are quite happy about it. What they're not happy about is their GOP lawmakers continuous efforts to repeal it.
During a town hall held by Florida Republican Rep. Daniel Webster in Winterhaven on Thursday, voters were well informed on the fine points of the Affordable Care Act, also known as "Obamacare." When Webster began to recite misleading claims that the law’s consumer protections are being dismantled by the Obama administration, his informed constituents called him out.
Webster was also criticized for being part of the 40 repeal votes by the Republican-heavy House of Representatives against the mandate by one resident who said he was waiting for the state healthcare exchange to open, in spite of state GOP resistance.
At about 3:00 minutes into the video, the flustered crowd begins to literally call out "Bullshit!" as Webster speaks.
Via Think Progress:
QUESTIONER: What happens to us when Obamacare is repealed? What happens to people with pre-existing conditions that can’t get health care? What happens to those of us who finally have access to health insurance for the first time in nine or ten years? What happens to us? And you want to make this local, I’ll make this local. I’m a constituent, right now I can’t get health care. I’m waiting for this [insurance marketplace] to open and I’d like to know why we keep repealing [Obamacare]?
The congressman defended his repeal votes by saying the law would drive up Americans’ health care costs by requiring insurers to cover people with pre-existing conditions. He then claimed that President Barack Obama himself thinks his signature law is unworkable. As evidence, Webster implied that the law’s protections — such as its cap on consumers’ annual out-of-pocket medical costs — were being dismantled by the Obama administration. That prompted an outcry from the audience, as people booed and countered Webster’s claims.
An event official interrupted at that point, asking the audience to be respectful and give Webster a chance to speak. One audience member replied by saying, “Well, tell him to stop lying!”
Webster's encounter came one week after his colleague, Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC), was confronted by residents citing Obamacare as their best avenue for getting healthcare.
Republican lawmakers can run. But, they can't hide.
