By Greg Sargent
More signs Dems are going to get aggressive in the battle with the GOP over the repeal of health reform.
In an interview with me just now, Dem Rep. Anthony Weiner, who is one of the best there is at framing liberal arguments in pugnacious terms, said Dems are leaning towards seeing this fight as an opportunity, and appear to be eschewing their typical "fetal position" on health reform.
Separately, in another development, Dem Rep. Peter Welch -- last seen leading the charge on behalf of House liberals against the Obama tax cut deal -- is circulating a letter among Dems vowing to introduce amendments to the GOP's repeal bill forcing votes directly on the Affordable Care Act's most popular provisions.
Weiner told me this afternoon that he's urging fellow Democrats to see the GOP's repeal push as a chance to do what they failed to do last year in the runup to the midterms: Aggressively make the case for the individual provisions in health reform that the public likes.
"This gives us a chance to unmake the mistake that we made in 2010 -- we shied away from the challenge of explaining exactly what's in the bill," Weiner said. "Polls show that parts of health reform are very popular. That argues for talking more about what's actually in it."
Weiner allowed that Dems were divided over how tough to make their response. "There is disagreement about this in our caucus," Weiner said. "Some people want to stay in a fetal position under their desks whenever health care comes up as a topic, but we aren't shying away from this challenge."
Weiner framed the argument Dems should make this way: "Republicans are against a lot of things, but they are for kicking young Americans off their parents' insurance plans, for reinstating copayments for preventive measures like cancer screenings, and for denying children coverage based on preexisting conditions."
Meanwhile, Rep. Welch is circulating a letter among colleagues vowing to introduce amendments that will preserve "the elimination on lifetime limits, coverage of individuals up to age 26, the requirement that individuals not be denied coverage for pre-existing conditions and the requirement that preventive care be provided free of charge."
The game plan, his office says, is to force Republicans to go on record voting specifically on the provisions themselves. It's unclear as of yet how much support Welch's amendments have among the Dem leadership, but judging by comments by Weiner and others, things are trending towards a feisty Dem response.
By Greg Sargent | January 3, 2011; 4:43 PM ET
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