The Teamsters’ 180 On ObamaCare

Teamsters campaign for President Obama. Credit: Teamster Nation

Teamsters campaign for President Obama.
Credit: Teamster Nation

Late last week, the Teamsters sent a scathing letter to Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), which says in part:

Right now, unless you and the Obama Administration enact an equitable fix, the ACA will shatter not only our hard-earned health benefits, but destroy the foundation of the 40 hour work week that is the backbone of the American middle class.

What’s highly ironic here is that the Teamsters were one of the biggest supporters of ObamaCare, until they discovered it was going to hit them squarely between the eyes. To their credit, they do mention that in the letter, using it as leverage:

We have been strong supporters of the notion that all Americans should have access to quality, affordable health care. We have also been strong supporters of you. In campaign after campaign we have put boots on the ground, gone door-to-door to get out the vote, run phone banks and raised money to secure this vision.

I guess it all goes back to what Pelosi famously said: they had to pass the bill to find out what was in it. And now the Teamsters seem to dislike what’s in it. Rather than make piecemeal changes that will likely benefit the unions (and just about no one else), another method is just to scrap the bill altogether and enact common-sense reforms one at a time rather than in one big “comprehensive” package.

2 Comments

  1. July 15, 2013  7:47 pm by rosalie Reply

    "Common sense" and politicians do not go together.

  2. July 19, 2013  1:02 am by Doug and/or Dinsdale Piranha Reply

    Wait... empathy coming.... searching ... searching...

    Nope. For the Teamsters and Obamacare, my give-a-damn's busted.

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