In Fracas on Health Coverage, Some Democrats Feel Exposed

The New York Times reports:

The awards ceremony on Friday evening for New Hampshire’s police forces was full of pomp (a bagpipe band in full Scottish regalia), circumstance (tales of heroism and tragedy told to standing ovations), officers in dress uniforms and a show of support from the state’s full congressional delegation.

But almost as soon as all the awards had been given and the photos taken, New Hampshire’s four members of Congress, three of them Democrats, were set upon by local reporters with one simmering question: What are you going to do about the faltering Affordable Care Act?

Representative Ann McLane Kuster, the state’s freshman Democrat, displayed her own exasperation over the failed rollout. “Patience is a virtue, and Americans have it in short supply,” she said. “Frankly we are not well served by the politics of all this.”

For Democrats across the country, the reversal of political fortunes over the past month has been head-spinning. In mid-October, as Republicans were contending with voter fury over a 16-day government shutdown, Democrats had the momentum. In polls, a growing number of voters said they wanted the party to control Congress after next year’s election. Emboldened, a wave of strong recruits entered House contests. Democrats’ control of the Senate seemed secure. Money was flowing.

Then the problems with the Internet-based health exchanges came into focus, followed by millions of letters from insurance companies canceling individual policies that did not meet the health law’s minimum coverage requirements. Republicans found their voice. Democrats lost theirs. The polling gap closed, and Republican wallets opened. The National Republican Senatorial Committee raised $3.8 million in October, its best monthly showing of the year.

Representative Greg Walden of Oregon, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, called it “a Category 5 political hurricane.”

The New York Times notices: their favorite political party is in trouble.