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He "has and will continue to discuss the president's failures on health care," Romney spokeswoman Amanda Henneberg said, adding that the candidate "will deliver a new direction and will take action to repeal and replace Obamacare." In a deadlocked race, Romney is hampered by his support for a health care measure similar to Obama's while he was Massachusetts governor. Also, Romney's calls for repeal raise complex questions about what he would do in place of the law; those are questions Romney has struggled to answer. For Obama, there's a political risk in fully embracing his health care overhaul because the law remains unpopular with many. An ABC News/Washington Post poll conducted in early July showed 47 percent of Americans supporting the law and 47 percent opposing it. Yet the Obama campaign has been heartened by polls suggesting many people are ready to put the health care debate behind them. For example, 56 percent of those questioned said they wanted to see the law's critics move on to other issues and stop their efforts to block the law from taking effect, according to a poll in early July by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Half of independent voters were among those who wanted to see lawmakers move on to other issues. "Tens of millions of Americans are already reaping the benefits of health reform, and, now that the court has ruled, want to turn the page from the partisan fights of the last two years over its repeal," said Stephanie Cutter, Obama's deputy campaign manager. The way Obama and Romney have approached health care following the Supreme Court ruling isn't necessarily trickling down to state and local elections. For some Democrats, particularly those in more moderate or conservative districts, supporting the president's health care overhaul remains a significant electoral liability. For some Republicans, especially those in the House, running to repeal the law can be a guaranteed way to energize supporters.
[Associated
Press;
Associated Press writers Thomas Beaumont in Des Moines, Iowa and Steve Peoples in Washington contributed to this report.
Follow Julie Pace at http://twitter.com/jpaceDC.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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