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 Charles Schumer, the No. 3 Senate Democrat, said it "made no
political sense" for the party to push healthcare reform as its
highest domestic priority when lack of health insurance coverage
affected only a small portion of voters.
Schumer, a New York Democrat, said the decision sent a message to
middle class Americans that "the Democrats are not paying enough
attention" to their concerns. When Obama took office in early 2009,
the financial system was in crisis and the economy was mired in
recession.
"The plight of uninsured Americans and the hardships caused by
unfair insurance company practices certainly needed to be addressed.
But it wasn't the change we were hired to make," Schumer said,
noting that 85 percent of Americans receive healthcare coverage from
their employer or the government.
 Obama's signature legislation, the Affordable Care Act, is aimed at
reducing the number of uninsured people.
"We would have been better able to address it if Democrats had first
proposed and passed bold programs aimed at a broader swath of the
middle class," Schumer said in remarks at the National Press Club.
In reaction to Schumer's comments, former White House aide Tommy
Vietor derided the New York senator, saying his remarks were the
equivalent of saying, "I wish Obama cared more about helping
Democrats than sick people."
Schumer's comments were the latest example of divisions within the
Democratic party that have emerged since the Nov. 4 midterm
elections in which Republicans wrested control of the Senate from
Democrats and increased their numbers in the House of
Representatives.
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Dissatisfaction with Obama, whose approval ratings are stuck near 42
percent, helped to fuel the Republican gains.
In an interview with the Washington Post the day after the midterms,
David Krone, a top aide to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid,
discussed frustrations he had with the Obama White House over its
approach to fundraising for the midterms.
Some congressional Democrats have also differed with Obama over his
decision to ease the threat of deportation for millions of
undocumented immigrants. Tuesday's speech was the first of three
addresses Schumer plans to give about the future of the Democratic
Party, with a theme of embracing a pro-government platform.
(Additional reporting by Emily Stephenson and Krista Hughes; Editing
by Mohammad Zargham)
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