Robert Reich Says Smug Democrats Are Kidding Themselves Thinking This Next Election Is In The Bag

You don't think there is a large group of voters who take umbrage at having one guy pass laws to curtail their rights as gun-owners?

I'm not saying it's the correct stance - but you are sorely incorrect if you don't think it's true.

The right to bear arms is a BIG deal to a hardy segment of American voters.

I won't even bother pointing out that it is not the presidents job to pass a legislative agenda.

Take for example Mr. Obama's first term. It was highly successful because he got Obamacare passed

The U.S. House of Representatives was safely Democratic as a result of the Nov. 4, 2008, elections by a margin of 257 – 199; the Democrats had gained 21 seats from the 2006-07 Congress. The real interesting ACA political dynamics began during the November 2008 U.S. Senate elections.

Going into the 2008 elections, the Senate consisted of 49 Democrats, 49 Republicans, and two Independents (Joe Lieberman of Connecticut and Bernie Sanders of Vermont) who caucused with the Democrats. When the smoke cleared from those elections, the Democrats picked up eight seats to increase their majority to 57-41 (although Democrat Al Franken’s recount victory was not official until July 7). With the two Independents, the Democrats were one vote shy of the supermajority magic number of 60 they needed to ward off any filibuster attempts and move forward with broad healthcare reform legislation.

But on April 28, 2009, the dynamics changed when Pennsylvania Republican Arlen Spector changed parties, giving Senate Democrats that coveted 60th vote.

Now the Democrats had a safe majority in the House and a filibuster-proof supermajority of 60 in the Senate. That scenario lasted only four months before fate intervened. Sen. Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts died on August 25, 2009, leaving the Democrats, once again, with 59 seats (counting the two Independents). Exactly one month later, on September 25, Democrat Paul Kirk was appointed interim senator from Massachusetts to serve until the special election set for January 19, 2010 – once again giving the Democrats that 60th vote. But the intrigue was just beginning.

With the supermajority vote safely intact once again, the Senate moved rather quickly to pass the ACA – or ObamaCare – on Christmas Eve 2009 in a 60 – 39 vote (Kentucky Republican Senator Jim Bunning chose not to vote since he was not running for reelection). The House had previously passed a similar, although not identical bill on November 7, 2009, on a 220 – 215 vote. One Republican voted “aye,” and 39 Democrats were against.

There didn’t seem to be an urgent need for Democrats to reconcile both bills immediately, because the Massachusetts special election (scheduled for January 19, 2010) was almost certain to fall to the Democrat, Attorney General Martha Coakley. After all, no Republican had been elected to the U.S. Senate from the Bay State since Edward Brooke in 1972 – 38 years before! But in yet another twist of fate, Republican Scott Brown ran his campaign as the 41st senator against ObamaCare and shocked nearly everyone by winning the special election by 110,000 votes.

Should be lesson to all us, elections, any of them, matter and have consequences.

Obamacare passed because for that short window of time we had a supermajority in the senate. The supermajority didn't last too long after the death Ted Kennedy and election of Scott Brown.

The ACA didn't need political capitol,

democrats have been wanting universal healthcare for years and looked on the Affordable Health Care bill as a stepping stone towards that goal. It sure didn't go near far enough for us to like it on it's merits

and I am hopeful we get a democrat president, democrat congress in 2016 and get busy and improve on Affordable Health Care we currently have.

The republicans from day one were not going to do anything Obama wanted, they flat out came out and said so more than once so there was no chance Obama was going to have cooperation from republicans who developed the policy of just say no to the duty of their roles in congress.

All of the polls have showed a majority of Americans support those measures which most of the democrats and the Obama administration has pushed for passing into law.

Once again you are completely wrong when you said he expended his capitol, he never had any to expend except for those who support the gun control background checks as well.

Your whole argument is completely bogus

but I know you will just keep repeating the same in almost the exact same words. You are so predictable.

Your hopes will be in vain. Mr. Obama blew his second term and lost the 2016 election for the Democrats when he wasted all his second term political capital throwing a tantrum at the NRA.

That implies that some of us have actually found a candidate we like, instead of a lessor of evils.