Democrats Failed Middle Class in Passing Obamacare, Top Senator Says

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., bucking the White House and the party line, said in a speech yesterday that Democrats were wrong to focus on and pass the Affordable Care Act in 2010 — when Americans were crying out for a fix for the stagnant economy.

Schumer, the third-ranking Democrat in the Senate, said in an address at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., that his party misdirected its efforts by concentrating on health care reform when middle class Americans wanted government to work to end the recession and create jobs.

“When Democrats focused on health care, the average middle-class person thought, ‘The Democrats aren’t paying enough attention to me,’ ” Schumer said.

The New York Democrat emphasized his support for Obamacare, but said that before its passage, only 5 percent of registered voters lacked health insurance. The Affordable Care Act passed the House and Senate without a single Republican vote.

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