Activist muscle gives Obamacare a lift
By Mike DeBonis and David Weigel February 25 at 7:18 PM
Seven years after the passage of the Affordable Care Act, Democrats seem finally to have secured a crucial element for its preservation: a robust grass-roots movement supporting it.
Pro-ACA protesters attended more than 100 rallies held Saturday across the country, organized by an activist group affiliated with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). That followed a congressional recess week during which GOP lawmakers were confronted by defenders of the health-care law in town hall meetings across the country. Numerous Democratic officeholders also held events touting the law’s successes.
The surge in activism comes as congressional Republicans prepare to take their next steps toward repealing the ACA, also known as Obamacare, and replacing it with what they say will be a more free-market-oriented system that is expected to cost the government less but cover fewer Americans.
The new mobilization represents a stark reversal of the recent political dynamics around health care. Until now, conservative activists have occupied the spotlight and relentlessly pushed Republicans to undo Obamacare, while Democrats and liberal groups largely stayed on the sidelines.
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