2010 midterms without Obamacare

[darklordoftech]

How does the Tea Party do? How do the GOP and Democrats do?

[Pericles]

Democrats narrowly keep the House imo, lose less Senate seats, and do much better in the gubernatorial races and state legislatures.

[morgankingsley]

Republicans still win, but by a smaller margin

[President Johnson]

Republicans still win, but by a smaller margin

This. The recovery at the time was way too weak to help Democrats over the top. Republicans narrowly win the House, while Democrats keep one or two more senate seats (I guess Russ Feingold may have survived). The Democrats may have won the House back in 2012 if Obama wins reelection by the same margin.

[TheElectoralBoobyPrize]

Did not passing a health care bill help Democrats in 1994?

I don't think it makes any difference really.

[Gracile]

The Democrats still would have lost the House and gotten their majority shaved down in the Senate. Maybe some of the close seats would have gone the other way, but the Tea Party fervor didn't just start with Obamacare - and it likely would have been a potent force in this hypothetical universe as well.

[538Electoral]

Republicans keep the House, IL and PA flip in the Senate while everything else would remain the same.

[Pericles]

Did not passing a health care bill help Democrats in 1994?

I don't think it makes any difference really.

Oh well if Democrats try to pass Obamacare and fail they lose the same, I'm thinking they'd do better if they just don't pursue it and focus on the economy.

[TheElectoralBoobyPrize]

Did not passing a health care bill help Democrats in 1994?

I don't think it makes any difference really.

Oh well if Democrats try to pass Obamacare and fail they lose the same, I'm thinking they'd do better if they just don't pursue it and focus on the economy.

Just not doing anything with regards to health care and instead focusing on the economy and jobs might have helped with swing voters, but it would've angered the Democratic base. They had to wait 14 years to again have control of the White House and Congress, and they wanted action on health care.

[Pericles]

Did not passing a health care bill help Democrats in 1994?

I don't think it makes any difference really.

Oh well if Democrats try to pass Obamacare and fail they lose the same, I'm thinking they'd do better if they just don't pursue it and focus on the economy.

Just not doing anything with regards to health care and instead focusing on the economy and jobs might have helped with swing voters, but it would've angered the Democratic base. They had to wait 14 years to again have control of the White House and Congress, and they wanted action on health care.

Was it such a priority that they would really be furious if it wasn't done in the first two years? The Great Recession was a good excuse to out it off, and Democrats could always pursue some minor measures on it anyway. And the case wasn't enthusiastic anyway so not losing swing voters would be a big gain overall for Democrats in 2010.