LOS ANGELES (YBH.ME) – ‘Well, the big difference here and in ’94 was you’ve got me.’  This was the response President Obama reportedly gave when speaking with a group of concerned Democrat Representatives who are looking at being swept out of office after a failed health reform bid,  just as happened during Clinton’s first four years at the 1994 mid-term.

Retiring Arkansas Congressman Marion Berry

Six term Democrat Congressman Marion Berry will not be standing for re-election when his term is up, and, having opted out,   has felt free to publicize that quote and others from the closed-door meeting.   Berry was in the House when Clinton’s health care push failed to pass and alienated voters enough to sweep in a  Republican majority.

Meanwhile,  the non-partisan Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a proponent of  health care reform, released results of a poll conducted in late December, which found “42 percent said the country’s finances would suffer under a health care overhaul, compared with 34.6 percent last month. Thirty percent said matters would improve financially, compared to 32 percent last month.”

Public support is dwindling by the day,  and new Republican Senator Scott Brown is coming to Washington from Massachusetts ready to change the vote tally on that and many other measures.    When asked about Berry’s remarks in a  White House press conference, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs noted,  “I hope it’s not newsworthy to think that the president hopes and expects to be an effective campaigner in the midterm elections.”

Related posts:

1. Lessons From European Health Care
2. Vital Signs: Health care is a heavy weight for small businesses
3. STOP MAKING SENSE: Obama opposes repeal of healthcare program suspended last week.
4. No, They Couldn’t? Obama pulls plug on part of health overhaul law

Laura spent years as a Hollywood story analyst, did a big 180, and is now an entrepreneur focused on web marketing and analytics. She's also a mom of one.

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