Two curious White House administrative delays - one relating to enrollment on Healthcare.gov, and the other regarding President Barack Obama's attorney general nomination - have critics speculating whether the decision is a tactical maneuver by Democrats to reduce possible negative impact on the party's midterm performance.
Open enrollment on the Healthcare.gov website was pushed back to Nov. 15 this year, which means that those planning to purchase new health insurance won't know how much rates have increased until after the midterm election, whereas last year's inaugural enrollment period began Oct.1, reported The Washington Times.
"This is more than just a glitch," Tim Phillips, president of free-market Americans for Prosperity, told The Washington Times in a Friday statement. "The administration's decision to withhold the costs of this law until after Election Day is just more proof that Obamacare is a bad deal for Americans."
The average premium increase this year is predicted to be 5.9 percent, according to data collected by PriceWaterhouseCoopers' Health Research Institute.
The other strategic delay comes after Senate Democrats asked Obama to withhold his attorney general nomination in order to prevent midterm election controversy over whether they will support a specific nominee, reported the Associated Press.
Obama has not made a decision on a replacement yet, said a White House official, and Obama aides didn't start considering nominations until after Attorney General Eric Holder's Sept. 25 resignation announcement.
A nominee is likely to be pushed through by the White House after the midterm elections but before the year's end, while Democrats still have a 10-seat majority in the Senate, said the Associated Press. Some believe this will hopefully lessen the negative midterm effects of a potentially controversial choice. If Obama waits until the new Senate is seated next year, because Republicans are expected to gain seats in the midterm, a confirmation will be made even more difficult.
The leading Republican on the Judiciary Committee that will hold hearings on the attorney general nominee, Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, was critical of the delay, saying Democrats are trying to "avoid making clear to the voters of their states where they stand on what could be a controversial choice for attorney general."
"This timing shows, once again, that the president and Democrat Senate leaders are willing to play politics with important policy decisions," he said.