Research Briefing

Harry Reid Writing Obama’s Government-Run Health Care Experiment As Biden Raises Money For Him In Nevada

BIDEN HAS SAID HE DOESN’T DO HEALTH CARE

Vice President Joe Biden: “I Do Foreign Policy, I Don’t Do Health Care.” (Vice President Joe Biden, Remarks At Brookings Institution, Washington, DC, 9/9/09)

Biden Says Foreign Policy “A Lot Less Complicated” Than Health Care, “And That’s Not A Joke.” Biden: “I’m often introduced as, in the past, as senator as an expert in foreign policy, and I say, well you know an expert is anyone from out of town with a briefcase. I don’t have a briefcase and secondly, the reason I choose foreign policy, it’s a lot easier than health care. A lot less complicated, and that’s not a joke.” (Vice President Joe Biden, Remarks At Brookings Institution, 9/9/09)

BUT THINGS WERE GOING SO POORLY THAT OBAMA WAS DESPERATE TO TRY ANYTHING

In Late September, Support For Government-Run Health Care Was Cratering. “Just 41% of voters nationwide now favor the health care reform proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats. That’s down two points from a week ago and the lowest level of support yet measured. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 56% are opposed to the plan.” (“Support For Health Care Plan Hits New Low,” Rasmussen Reports, 9/28/09)

So Vice President Joe Biden Stepped Up To The Plate. “Fresh off his trip to Iraq, Vice President Biden will wade deep into the health-care debate next week, according to administration sources. Biden is slated to give his ‘first major health policy address’ Tuesday to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and on Wednesday visits the Leisure World retirement community in Silver Spring… ‘Health care has not been a signature issue for him. The expertise he brings to bear are his relationships in the Senate,’ said one staffer. ‘He is somebody who can have really candid conversations with members about what they need. He has their trust and if he says, “We'll push this for you,” they can take his word to the bank.’” (Ceci Connolly, “Biden Plans Move To Health Care Frontlines Next Week,” The Washington Post’s “44” Blog, 9/18/09)

BUT DEPLOYING BIDEN DIDN’T WORK

New Poll Shows Half Of Americans Still Opposed To Obama’s Government-Run Health Care Experiment. “Forty-four percent (44%) of voters nationwide now favor the health care reform plan proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats. That's little changed from a week ago. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 50% are opposed to the plan. The numbers have been remarkably stable throughout the debate. (“Health Care Reform,” Rasmussen Reports, 10/12/09)

SO CAN BIDEN REALLY HELP REID TURN HIS NUMBERS AROUND?

Biden Headlining $2,400 Per Person Fundraiser For Reid. “Vice President Joe Biden is making his first trip to Reno since last year’s election campaign to help U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., raise money for his re-election effort … [H]e’s attending a $2,400 per person fundraiser for Reid at the Grand Sierra Resort.” (Anjeanette Damon, “Vice President Biden To Visit Reno To Help Harry Reid Raise Money,” Reno Gazette-Journal, 10/14/09)

Reid Hoping Biden Visit Will Show Off His Prestige, Persuade Voters His Leadership Position Is Valuable. “Reid is hoping that his seniority and leadership post, as well as the resources to air ads emphasizing those traits early and often, will compensate for the lack of warmth that voters feel for him.” (Emily Cadel, “Reid To Begin Airing First Campaign Ads,” Roll Call, 10/15/09)

But That Doesn’t Change Fact That He’s In Serious Trouble. “But recent polls show that Reid’s problem is not that he is not well-known, but that what Nevada residents know of the four-term incumbent, a majority of them don’t like. A Mason-Dixon Polling & Research/Las Vegas Review-Journal poll released over the weekend showed that half of the voters polled said they held a negative opinion of their senior Senator, compared with 38 percent who viewed him favorably. And Reid continues to trail two relatively unknown Republican candidates … in hypothetical general election matchups.” (Emily Cadel, “Reid To Begin Airing First Campaign Ads,” Roll Call, 10/15/09)

NOT IF REID STAYS HIDDEN IN HIS CHAMBER OF SECRETS WRITING DEMS’ GOVERNMENT-RUN HEALTH CARE PLAN

Obama Aides, Small Group Of Dems Join Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) To Write Final Bill Behind Closed Doors. “It’s the invite that every senator with an opinion on health care wants to get: a reserved seat at the conference table where Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) will merge two competing reform bills. But most of them won’t get in. Reid’s guest list will be an exclusive one. Reid has decided to keep the group intimate, limiting entree to Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.); Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), who ushered the bill through the Senate health committee ... The merger, which will unfold across Reid’s suite of offices, should take a week, sources said. White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, White House Director of Health Reform Nancy-Ann DeParle and perhaps budget director Peter Orszag will represent the president, sources said.” (Carrie Budoff Brown, “Members Jockey For Seat At Reid’s Table,” Politico, 10/7/09)