Heritage to target lawmakers who won’t get behind latest effort to repeal healthcare law

Heritage Action vows to “commit substantial resources toward repealing Obamacare and make clear that those who fail to support this effort are responsible for Obamacare,” Needham said. The organization “will target Members of Congress at home in their districts and in Washington, DC with paid political advertisements, local grassroots activity, online activist tools and earned media.”

The campaign to repeal the healthcare law has faltered since Republicans started floating the idea right after the bill was signed into law in March. Seemingly every week the Obama administration announces some new benefit in the law with great fanfare – $250 rebates for seniors to buy prescription drugs, $250 million in healthcare workforce investments – and Americans, some polls suggest, increasingly seem to favor eliminating or replacing specific provisions rather than scrapping the president’s signature domestic achievement.

King criticized that approach during a Heritage Foundation bloggers briefing last month.

“If we have to argue about what is redeemable about Obamacare, that means we’ve put the debate over on the Democrats’ side and we’re arguing on their turf,” King said. “Our turf is: It’s got to be pulled out root and branch.”

King himself has not escaped controversy. He recently raised eyebrows for saying President Obama “favors the black person;” two years ago, he said Al-Qaeda would be “dancing in the streets” if Obama were elected president.