30 seconds that tell the story of the Democrats in 2018



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Senate Democrat Joe Manchin, searching a field of hunting clothing, points to what he calls a threat to West Virginia.

"He's just wrong, and that will not happen," said Manchin, who often mentioned his knee replacement as a pre-existing condition during his re-election.

The announcement closes as he hoists his shotgun and aims for a hard copy of the lawsuit. No mention of Russia. No question of constitutional crisis. No asset.

After two mid-term cycles where they could not find their place or a good message on the Affordable Care Act, Democrats are no longer afraid of Obamacare.

Instead, they make it part of their identity. Democrats are at the attack, aiming to redefine the law and their party by making personal and emotional pleas.

While the national story often focuses on Russia, Trump's latest tweet, abuses of power, confusion at the White House and the constant question of what the Democratic Party represents, the Democrats largely ignored national issues. . health care issue.

In 2010, Democrats leapt from town halls to avoid voter anger at the impending changes in health care. Now, in advertising after advertising, they concern all health care.

The stories

North Dakota Democrat Heidi Heitkamp discusses his own fight with breast cancer as she tells the story of a woman named Denise Sandvick, who suffers from heart problems. Looking directly into the camera, Sandvick calls Heitkamp's opponent, Kevin Cramer, to vote "to allow insurance companies to refuse coverage of pre-existing conditions."

"I know Heidi would never do that," she adds.

Doctor Rob Davidson, a Democrat from Michigan, who is standing up against Rep. Bill Huizenga, wearing a white doctor's coat, says the health system is "completely broken" and can repair it.
Clarke Tucker, running for the Arkansas House, closes a biographical advertisement about beating cancer and becoming "one of the millions of Arkansans with pre-existing illnesses."

Overall, according to the CMAG political advertising tracker, the Democratic spending in advertising in Senate races is $ 40.8 million and $ 38.3 million in home racing until September 4, overtaking as well as advertising expenses of millions of dollars.

And the witness Barack Obama, often ridiculed by progressives, does not go far enough in the field of health, adopting Medicare-for-all as one of the "good new ideas" of the Democrats when he returns to the countryside . For years, Obamacare has been an electoral burden for Democrats, causing massive setbacks among voters. Now, Obama could be about to take a delayed victory lap on his signature problem.

What's changed?

What's so different now? Polls. A recent CNN survey shows that health care is the main topic voters will consider when voting in November. (The economy is close second.)
A July Kaiser Health poll shows that 48% of the population has a favorable opinion of the Affordable Care Act and 40% have an unfavorable opinion. The positive attitude towards ACA stands at 51% among independent voters.
Now, Democrats are helped by the fact that people actually benefit from the law and that it is not just a messy assumption. Federal data show that more Obamacare beneficiaries abide by their plans. While Republican actions aimed at breaking the fabric of the protections of the measure may seem like political worlds, Democrats are looking for ways to remind voters of attempts to overturn the law and the consequences at stake.

"The debate over ACA last year has accomplished a number of things – it helps constituents to reap the benefits of Obamacare," said Andrew Bates, director of communications. for the American Bridge House campaign. "He defined the GOP as the party that was ready to cost millions of people to health care … all to reduce the taxes of the rich, which had a lasting impact."

Josh Holmes, a Republican strategist, sees a different political landscape, dominated by all Trump.

"It is incredibly naive that anyone thinks they can formulate nuanced political arguments in the current political context," he said. "The decibel level of the national debate, which is largely dictated by President Trump, completely covers any political messaging campaign of this cycle."

In the current climate, it is difficult to say that a political debate has a "lasting impact", but in advertisements and messages, Democrats remind voters that GOP candidates have responded to the repeal of the TO THAT. This is a reversal of 2010, when the GOP candidates were unified in their message, and the Democrats struggled. The Democrats lost the House in 2010 because of Obamacare, and in 2018 they could win because of it.

David Wright of CNN contributed to this report.

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