By Grace-Marie Turner
Jonathan Tobin is on target with his observation over at Commentary about the impact of Obamacare on the surprisingly close race for governor in Virginia.
The intense focus over the last two weeks on ObamaCare’s massive failures brought the issue into the spotlight in Virginia, with Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli hammering at Democrat Terry McAuliffe for embracing the law. Election analysts will tell us the statistical impact that Obamacare had on the election, but because the failing health law gained so much attention in the closing days of the campaign and because the race tightened so dramatically, it’s difficult not to see a correlation.
Tobin warns Democrats:
They should be thinking about the way anger about ObamaCare can transform elections. Liberals may still be clinging to their belief that eventually the website will be fixed and everyone will love it. But the last week of anger about broken promises and dropped coverage should alert them to the likelihood that it will not only continue to be unpopular but will grow more so as its impact on rising premiums and the economy becomes more pronounced in 2014.
Anyone who thinks this won’t be a factor a year from now as control of the Senate hangs in the balance is not paying attention to the reality of a dysfunctional program and a White House still wrapped up in denial of the larger problem. The growing unpopularity of the president and Obamacare complicate any Democratic plans for the midterms. Democrats had a huge financial and demographic advantage in Virginia as well as a divided GOP and a false flag Libertarian candidate that might have taken votes away from the Republicans. But they still only managed a narrow victory. That’s a result that ought to convince many in the GOP that 2014 may still be a good year from them.”
Posted on National Review Online November 5, 2013