CNN's Christine Romans played Obama spokesperson on Monday's Starting Point and accused Republicans of creating "uncertainty" about ObamaCare in trying to repeal it. That fits what has seemingly become a CNN line to Republicans of "stop fighting this law and get in line."
"I'm wondering, should Congresspeople be spending more time helping their constituents comply with the law rather than continuing all this uncertainty about it?" Romans challenged Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.). Ironically, CNN's own poll shows a majority in favor of Congress repealing the law. [Video below the break. Audio here.]
CNN has scoffed at Republican attempts the repeal the law before. Hours after the Supreme Court upheld the law, anchor Brooke Baldwin asked Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) if he wasn't being a "sore loser" for continuing to fight ObamaCare.
Romans continued to grill Blackburn about helping her constituents comply with ObamaCare. "I mean, I hear more from Republicans saying 'we're going to make this not come true,' not 'here's how we're going to help you get your business to comply'," she lamented.
Romans also revealed she counsels small business owners with less than 50 employees that the law won't crush them, but Blackburn fought back, insisting health care costs for businesses are going up because of ObamaCare. "[W]hen they talk to their insurance provider, the insurance provider says because of the new regulations that are going to be contained in Obamacare, this is what is happening to your insurance cost," she told Romans.
A transcript of the segment, which aired on July 9 on Starting Point at 7:48 a.m. EDT, is as fo
CHRISTINE ROMANS: All right, Congress is back to work this morning after a Fourth of July recess. And in just two days, House Republicans plan to call a vote to repeal the President's health care overhaul law. But it's mostly symbolic, a symbolic vote, because any repeal effort would likely die in the Democratic-controlled Senate. And of course, the Supreme Court has ruled on this, it is the law of the land, health care reform.
Yet Republicans want to fight it to the bitter end, and I'm wondering, should Congress people be spending more time helping constituents comply with the law rather than continuing all of this uncertainty about it?
Rep. MARSHA BLACKBURN 9R-Tenn.): Well, when you have 2,300 new regulations and 158 new federal bureaucracies that are created by this law, then there's a lot of uncertainty and a lot of "we don't know exactly how it's going to be.
ROMANS: Do you have people in the back office who are answering the phone calls and saying if you have fewer than 50 workers, small businesses, don't worry, it doesn't apply to small businesses who have fewer than 50 workers –
BLACKBURN: We have got all sorts of information on our web site, Facebook.
ROMANS: So you're going to help people comply?
BLACKBURN: Yes. Yes. It's the law of the land.
(...)
ROMANS: When I talk to small business people they think this is going to crush them and then I say, wait a minute, you have fewer than 50 employees, this does not ref – but they're hearing –
BLACKBURN: But it does affect them.
ROMANS: – they're hearing their Republicans representatives saying – give me an example.
BLACKBURN: I will. A constituent last week, they have six employees in their company. Their health insurance went up 54 percent this current year. Next year, it is going to go up another 56 percent. They had to let one employee go.
ROMANS: But it's been going up for everyone. Health care costs and premiums have already been going up.
BLACKBURN: And it is going up even more –
ROMANS: With or without health care reform.
BLACKBURN: – and when they talk to their insurance provider, the insurance provider says because of the new regulations that are going to be contained in ObamaCare, this is what is happening to your insurance cost.
ROMANS: So how did you counsel them? Did you counsel them that they should move – they should take the –
BLACKBURN: I do not counsel them. That is not – when they contact us to get provisions or information, we give that to them. But there are five things the American people want to us do, to get rid of this and to put in its place.
