Schumer: Vote for reform will be 'asset' in 2010 elections

Republicans plan to run on a platform of repealing health care reform in the November elections but one Democrat believes that GOP opposition will be a "liability."

Sen. Chuck Schumer told NBC's David Gregory that Democrats who voted for heath care will enjoy their vote as an asset in the 2010 elections.

"I predict, David, by November, those who voted for health care will find it an asset. Those who voted it against it will find it a liability," said Schumer.

Both parties believe they have the advantage.

“The real challenge for Republicans here is to find a way to be positive,” Steven Smith, an expert on congressional politics at Washington University in St. Louis, told McClatchy. “The last presidential election turned heavily on a lack of confidence that Republicans had the tools, had the ideas for addressing the problems that face the country.”

More on Sen. Schumer from The Hill:

Schumer argued that polls have showed weak public support for the law because many people don’t understand what the legislation will do.

“It’s going to become more popular and here’s why,” Schumer said. “The lies that have been spread, they vanish because you see what’s in the bill.”

Schumer said people will soon realize that the bill will not set up so-called death panels, as Republicans warned in the summer, and that illegal immigrants would not receive subsidized healthcare as a result of the law.

“The No. 1 lie that bothers people is that you’ll lose your insurance if you have it now and are pretty happy with it,” Schumer said.

He asserted that fear is greatly exaggerated.

This video is from NBC's Meet the Press, broadcast March 28, 2010.

Download video via RawReplay.com