ABC NEWS: Republicans Link Stimulus Woes to Health Care

Republican Candidates Link Stimulus Woes to Health Care

November 19, 2009 10:51 AM

ABC News' Rick Klein reports:

The political fallout from widespread discrepancies in Obama administration job data may extend beyond the stimulus.

Republican congressional candidates are putting new pressure on their Democratic opponents by linking the snafus in job reporting to potential bureaucratic problems under Democrats' health care plans.

A sampling of the messaging, as a hearing on Capitol Hill today focuses on the errors on the Recovery.gov Web site:

"These kinds of mistakes in a stimulus package cost jobs; these kinds of mistakes in a healthcare plan cost lives. It's just frightening," said Steve Stivers, a Republican House candidate in Ohio.

"If we learn anything from this stimulus boondoggle it should be that the government is not equipped to handle that size of a project in a responsible manner and should in the future take their time and do it right," said House candidate Frank Guinta, R-N.H.

"If Nancy Pelosi and Tim Bishop cannot be counted upon to institute an program of relief for American families and small businesses with our tax dollars, I don't see how they can be expected to properly administer a massive $1 trillion health care overhaul which represents one-sixth of our national economy," said Randy Altschuler, who's running against Rep. Bishop, D-N.Y., on Long Island.

"The inaccurate reporting raises questions beyond the ‘stimulus' to whether we can trust government management in other areas as well. ... How can we have any faith in this same government running our healthcare system?" said Larry Bucshon, who is challenging Rep. Brad Ellsworth, D-Ind., for a seat in Congress.