The Tea Party movement is preparing to use ObamaCare’s rollout to catapult itself back into political power.
Tea Party leaders have been watching closely as President Obama and other prominent Democrats predict glitches in the law’s implementation. Conservative activists see these concessions as a major boon for Tea Party candidates in 2014 as Republicans seek to hold the House and take the Senate.
“Implementation has already shown itself to be a series of political time bombs,” said Matt Kibbe, president and CEO of FreedomWorks. “The only way you fix policy is through political accountability. Those that ignore those arguments need to pay a price.”
The enactment of healthcare reform’s major provisions on Jan. 1, 2014 couldn’t come at a better time for conservative activists. On that date, the law’s state insurance exchanges will begin offering coverage, the Medicaid expansion will take effect and the bill’s consumer protections will become active.
All three developments pose major challenges to the Obama administration, and they leave nine months for the Tea Party to hammer Democrats over any bumps in the road. In interviews with The Hill, movement leaders described plans to launch aggressive event and messaging schedules centered around ObamaCare.
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