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DNC Targets Republicans Who Opposed Health Care Bill -- Though Not Democrats

November 09, 2009 3:41 PM

Rickkleinblogpic ABC News’ Rick Klein reports: The Democratic National Committee, armed with the e-mail list from the Obama campaign operation, is turning up political heat on Republican House members from Democratic-leaning districts over health care.

Thirty-two Republicans whose districts backed President Obama last year -- and who voted against the Democrats’ health care bill over the weekend -- are being targeted under the new effort. The DNC’s plans include press events and news releases, not TV advertisements, though a party spokesman said paid ads could come later.

The DNC is also calling on Obama supporters from inside the members’ districts to register their displeasure on their own. That effort is making use of the e-mail lists controlled by Organizing for America, the old Obama campaign operation, now under the purview of the DNC.

Said DNC spokesman Hari Sevugan: “These are folks in districts that voted for the president, and where insurance reform is not only needed, but also politically popular. By not only voting against the needs of their constituents, but also their desire to reform the perverse health insurance system -- and to do it for purely political purposes -- these Republicans have put a giant target on their back. They made a disastrous choice and they will reap the consequences of that choice."

Tellingly, none of the 39 Democrats who voted “no” on the health care bill are being targeted. As ABC’s Jake Tapper pointed out, those members of Congress were also omitted in an e-mail sent to OFA supporters over the weekend accusing opponents of the measure of have “caved to intense pressure from insurance industry lobbyists.”
 
Said a Democratic official: “Republicans have consistently opposed, and admitted they are opposing, health care reform for political purposes. That is very different than wanting reform and having differences in how to get there.”

No decisions have been made yet on how -- if at all -- the DNC plans on expressing thanks to Rep. Joseph Cao, R-La., the sole Republican to have voted for the Democrats’ health care bill on the House floor.

The 32 Republican House members being targeted in the new DNC effort are:

CA-3 Dan Lungren
CA-24 Elton Gallegly
CA-25 Howard P. "Buck" McKeon
CA-26 David Dreier
CA-44 Ken Calvert
CA-45 Mary Bono Mack
CA-48 John Campbell
CA-50 Brian P. Bilbray
DE-AL Michael N. Castle
FL-10 C.W. Bill Young
FL-18 Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
IL-6 Peter Roskam
IL-10 Mark Steven Kirk
IL-13 Judy Biggert
IL-16 Donald Manzullo
IA-4 Tom Latham
MI-4 Dave Camp
MI-6 Fred Upton
MI-8 Mike Rogers
MI-11 Thaddeus McCotter
MN-3 Erik Paulsen
NE-2 Lee Terry
NJ-2 Frank A. LoBiondo
NJ-7 Leonard Lance
OH-12 Pat Tiberi
PA-6 Jim Gerlach
PA-15 Charlie Dent
VA-4 J. Randy Forbes
VA-10 Frank R. Wolf
WA-8 Dave Reichert
WI-1 Paul Ryan
WI-6 Tom Petri

November 9, 2009 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (39)

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I hope they do because that will mean they will surely win. I see you have listed NJ and VA in the list. Didnt Obama spend alot of time in those states to try to get his boys re-elected and it did not work. In addition, the latest polls indicate Americans are against his policies which makes this free advertisement for the them on exactly what they will be running their platforms on. Gee who was the rocket science that thought of this ACORN, Axelrod or MoveOn Boros?

Posted by: rebecca | Nov 9, 2009 4:03:03 PM

They are not targeting their own shows how hypacritical they are. They are liars and need to be voted out of office. The new government will be here in 2010 and half these dems now will not be apart of it.

Posted by: Jim Rod | Nov 9, 2009 4:05:39 PM

I own a small business and pay 8 different kinds of taxes. When that is done I am taxed 37% on what is left that I bring home. If you force me to buy health insurance for 3 employees , the next sound you will hear is my doors closing for good. We can not take any more. At least Republicans said NO MORE !!!

Posted by: scott h | Nov 9, 2009 4:16:08 PM

Melanie --- Monsters like Palin and Beck??? Explain how they are monsters for excercising their free speech to speak out against an administration who is running headlong AGAINST everything our constitution is based on. The REAL monsters here are Obama, Reid, Pelosci and the entire democratic party for taking what has been the most successful political experiment in history and trying to pervert it to some socialist nightmare where the people give up their liberty adn freedome to be subservient to the politico elite. You quoted Goya, let me quote Paine - "Those who give up liberty for security will have neither"

Posted by: arkievet | Nov 9, 2009 4:21:47 PM

Melanie..you forgot to mention Obama, Pelosi, ACORN, Reverned Wright and all of the Czars.

Posted by: darlene | Nov 9, 2009 4:25:09 PM

The Republicans today are the Communist Party of Mao during his campaign of fear and terror in the late 1960's early '70's. The Communist Party purged itself of the so-called 'Intellectuals' (doctors, nurses, teachers, professors, accountants, lawyers, writers, artists, etc.) anyone and everyone with a college degree or who disagreed with their reign of hate - leaving them the party of the ignorant, easy manipulated members who are proned to violence!!! This is EXACTLY what the Republican Party is today – ‘haters’ and the intolerant that would rather destroy you than listen to you.

REPUBLICANS ARE THE TRUE, NEW COMMUNIST PARTY!!!! AND 'FOXNEWS' IS THEIR PROPAGANDA MACHINE OF LIES AND HATE, CREATORS OF FEAR AND CHAOS!!!

Posted by: Melanie | Nov 9, 2009 4:34:19 PM

Posted by: darlene | Nov 9, 2009 4:25:09 PM

I guess you get your 'opinions' from Fixnews... Can't think for yourself... Don't you know that Bush had more 'CZARs' than Obama... BTW - the term 'czars' was created by the media who didn't want to post/write the REAL, RATHER LONG DEPARTMENTAL TITLE given to a paid employee of the US government chosen by the President of the United States during his adminstration.

Posted by: Melanie | Nov 9, 2009 4:40:18 PM

Targeting Repubs who oppose the health care bill? Well, that's easy. It's pretty much all of them isn't it? Brilliant!

Posted by: LongT | Nov 9, 2009 4:42:23 PM

Melanie; Bush did not have as many czars as Obama. But who cares.

Posted by: LongT | Nov 9, 2009 4:46:32 PM

"... let me quote Paine - "Those who give up liberty for security will have neither"

Posted by: arkievet | Nov 9, 2009 4:21:47 PM

You really don't want to start quoting Paine do you???

"All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions, set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit." PAINE

"Any system of religion that has anything in it that shocks the mind of a child, cannot be true." PAINE

"Reason obeys itself; and ignorance submits to whatever is dictated to it." PAINE


Posted by: Melanie | Nov 9, 2009 4:48:40 PM

Poor Melanie you must be one frustrated individual, believing everything that MSNBC and Olberman and Maddox tell you, you still living with your parents????

Posted by: Lizzie | Nov 9, 2009 4:56:50 PM

You are such a typical Repuk drone - attack another poster personnally because you can't think of anything else... or even support your VIEWS with FACTS!!!

Posted by: Melanie | Nov 9, 2009 5:01:11 PM

Melanie

Liberals are socialists, plain and simple.

You are calling those of us who want less gov't, less taxation, and less overall gov't intervention in our lives communists? As they said in algebra class--please show your work.

Also, wasn't it a member of YOUR party praising Mao just several months ago--anita dunn (barry's communications director)?

Anita Dunn, Van Jones, Rev Wright, bill ayers, rashid khalidi, BO, michelle obama, have ALL said anti-capitalist things repeatedly througout their lives. Bottom lines is, they HATE capitalism and LOVE socialism/communism.

Please give some examples of some republicans equally as hostile to this great country's economic system.

Posted by: Dave | Nov 9, 2009 5:14:00 PM

I hope they do and I hope they go after Lieberman -- the ads on TV in Connecticut are horrible asking all those afraid of losing Medicare to call Lieberman and tell him to vote NO.
Most doctors in Hartford County don't want to accept Medicare Advantage or won't honor it and that is what should be eliminated -- only money for big salaries for Insurance Execs -- Does anyone realize that it takes 15 to 20 laided off people to pay for an Executive's Insurance and pension plan and yet when there is a re-org in the insurance industry it isn't the many managers, directors and even vp's it's the minor workers -- all they need to do is eliminate a couple of major drains on their pay scale and more people would have jobs.

Posted by: paulet | Nov 9, 2009 5:17:25 PM

these people are being targeted because they don't want to see the US go deeper into bankruptsy. The Obama administration target these politians thinking they are going to scare them. If you have half a brain, the list should make them a hero for standing up for the country, not for putting a feather in someone's hat. We need jobs, we need small business to advance. Shif the focus from run away unemployment and put it on something that will put us into deeper debt. Wow! And they think they are doing good!

Posted by: Mike | Nov 9, 2009 5:21:35 PM

Melanie...That's why Beck, Bachmann, Rush, Foxx, likes calling some one else a communist....a classic game to cover what They ARE. The Republican Party "preys" on Ignorant people. That's why They Don't SEE what's WRONG with Education in this nation. "Keep 'em Ignorant" is what they want for their "followers"...then they'll be in "control". Fools

Posted by: sara | Nov 9, 2009 5:32:46 PM

Posted by: Dave | Nov 9, 2009 5:14:00 PM

you quote FOXNEWS/RNC talking points and call it FACTS... Live long and NOT prosper under the "I and ME" generation which is the Republican legacy.

When 5% of the American population controls 95% of the wealth and is given tax breaks while this country is starting/engaging in TWO WARS and then almost brings this country down financially because of corruption, DEREGULATION and greed on Wall Street then you might have an argument worth listening to...

Finally, you know nothing about Communist China because if you did - then you would know exactly what purging the 'intellectuals' during the "Cultural Revolution" in Mao's China was all about... and how is measures up to what the GOP is doing right now in supporting the 'fringed-right' and eliminating the moderates within their own party and it has NOTHING TO DO ABOUT LOWERING MIDDLE CLASS TAXES!!!!

Posted by: Melanie | Nov 9, 2009 5:38:41 PM

Wow, more free advertising from the Dems who DON"T GET IT. A majority of Americans, except the ones who think they will get something free, DO NOT WANT THIS BILL. Pelosi and company are so far out, they live on another planet, a planet that spins so fast no one knows what the truth is anymore.

Posted by: pam | Nov 9, 2009 5:51:49 PM

Melanie

"I sought out the marxist professors in college"----barry obama in audacity of hope said that. Did you know that book was titled after the race-baiting, anti-capitalist, anti-American rev wright??

You have begun to believe your own lies. 5% of the population DOES NOT own 95% of the wealth.

Actually, 40% of Americans pay NO income tax, but I am sure you think that is fair. This is according to the Tax Foundation, an independent/ non-partisan research group.

To hear a liberal speak about this country you would think that he or she was referring to rwanda.

The reason the housing market collapsed is because of govt' regulation. Liberal politicians, lawyers, lobbyists FORCED the banks to give loans to people WHO COULD NEVER PAY THEM BACK.

ACORN, barney frank, reid, schumer, dodd, fought like comanches to get "affordable housing" for people, which completely threw out lending standards. This is why the housing market collapsed.
Also, barney frank was having a gay affair with the head of fannie mae, while at the same time calling for deregulation of fannie mae. Can you say conflict of interest?

Typical liberal thinking---screw the economy up with govt' intervention in the free market and then claim the only way to fix the problem is with more gov't intervention.

Posted by: Dave | Nov 9, 2009 5:57:42 PM

"I sought out the marxist professors in college"----barry obama in audacity of hope said that. Did you know that book was titled after the race-baiting, anti-capitalist, anti-American rev wright??

You can't be serious... you really believe that - wow - then having a DEBATE with you based on REASON and FACTS is useless - would be like having a conversation with a table... bye...

Posted by: Melanie | Nov 9, 2009 6:02:03 PM

All I can say is, don't democrats care about other people? All of our children will have to bear the costs of their health plan. The democrats is the party of thieves.

Posted by: jonny | Nov 9, 2009 6:17:41 PM

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