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>> POINT, SET, MATCH, CUOMO.
WE'LL BE WITH YOU GUYS IN JUST A
FEW MINUTES.
LOOK, WHEN IT RAINS, IT POURS.
WE HAD THE FLORIDA SPECIAL
ELECTION.
THAT WAS BAD NEWS FOR THE
DEMOCRATS, BAD NEWS FOR THE
PRESIDENT.
THE REPUBLICAN WON.
HEALTHCARE WAS THE BIG ISSUE.
AND TODAY, POLITICS WILL BE
STEAMING OVER NEW REMARKS BY
KATHLEEN SEBELIUS, THE HEALTH
AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY.
LISTEN TO HER TALKING TO
CONGRESS YESTERDAY ABOUT HEALTH
INSURANCE PREMIUMS NEXT YEAR.
>> I THINK PREMIUMS ARE LIKELY
TO GO UP BUT GO UP AT A SMALLER
PACE.
AND WHAT WE'VE SEEN SINCE 2010,
THE INCREASES ARE FAR LESS
SIGNIFICANT THAN THEY WERE PRIOR
TO THE PASSAGE OF THE AFFORDABLE
CARE ACT.
>> WITH ME THIS MORNING TO CHEW
THAT ONE OVER -- EXCUSE ME --
NIA-MALIKA ANDERSON AND RON PORT
YEA.
NOW, SHE IS SAYING AS OBAMACARE
IS IMPLEMENTED, THE PREMIUMS
WILL GO UP, AND SHE COULD SPIN
THAT AS GOOD NEWS, NOT AS MUCH
AS THEY'VE GONE UP IN THE PAST.
BUT RON, IF YOU'RE A REPUBLICAN
CUTTING A CAMPAIGN AD,
OBAMACARE'S ALREADY THE ISSUE,
ISN'T THE AD LIKELY TO SAY
PREMIUMS ARE GOING TO GO UP,
BOOM?
>> YEAH, AND IF YOU PUT YOURSELF
IN THE SHOES OF AN AVERAGE
AMERICAN, A YEAR OR SO AGO, YOUR
PREMIUM WENT UP, YOU BLAMED THE
INSURANCE COMPANY.
NOW YOU BLAME DEMOCRATS.
>> YOU BLAME DEMOCRATS.
>> AND NOT EASY TO PUT
SEBELIUS'S LONG SENTENCE THERE
ON A BUMPER STICKER, RIGHT?
THEY'RE GOING TO GO UP, BUT AT A
SLOWER PACE.
AND I THINK THAT'S THE PROBLEM
THAT DEMOCRATS HAVE.
THEY'RE NOT REALLY SELLING THIS.
I MEAN, THEY'RE SORT OF AFRAID
OF TALKING ABOUT IT.
BUT I DO THINK ONE STRATEGY NOW
IS TO SORT OF GET ALL THE BAD
NEWS OUT AS QUICKLY AS THEY CAN,
BECAUSE WE KNOW AS THE YEAR GOES
ON, THERE ARE GOING TO BE MORE
BUMPS IN THE ROAD AROUND HEALTH
CARE.
>> BUT THEY HAVE A HUGE DEBATE
NOW, BECAUSE THE DEMOCRATIC
CANDIDATE IN FLORIDA WAS SAYING
LET'S FIX THE HEALTH CARE LAW.
>> RIGHT.
>> LET'S DO SOME CHANGED, FIX
IT.
NOW A LOT OF DEMOCRATS ARE
SAYING, WHOA, SHOULD WE RUN ON
THAT?
AND A LOT OF CANDIDATES ARE.
THE DEMOCRAT IN KENTUCKY, ALISON
GRIMES, THAT'S HER MESSAGE, I
DIDN'T LIKE OBAMACARE, WOULDN'T
HAVE VOTED FOR IT, BUT LET'S FIX
IT.
DO THE DEMOCRATS HAVE A
STRATEGIC PROBLEM NOW?
>> I ALWAYS THOUGHT THEY DID.
WHEN YOU POLLED THAT WORDING, IT
POLLED VERY WELL, EXCEPT IT
NEVER EXPLAINED -- AND THEY WERE
NEVER EXPLAINED HOW THEY WOULD
FIX IT.
SO IN A FOCUS GROUP THAT MIGHT
WORK, BUT IN THE REAL WORLD,
VOTERS WANT TO KNOW HOW WILL YOU
FIX IT?
AND DEMOCRATS HAVEN'T HAD A GOOD
ANSWER.
>> IN STATES LIKE KENTUCKY,
LOUISIANA, NORTH CAROLINA, WHERE
SENATORS' OFFICES ARE FLOODED
WITH CALLS OF PEOPLE COMPLAINING
ABOUT OBAMACARE, THEIR PREMIUMS
WENT UP OR THEY COULDN'T KEEP
THEIR PLANS, THIS DOESN'T REALLY
WORK.
>> THE BAD NEWS FOR DEMOCRATS,