House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of Calif. relays the breaking news to her staff that the Supreme Court had just upheld the Affordable Care Act, Thursday, June 28, 2012, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Pelosi, the former speaker of the House, was instrumental in helping to pass health care reform in Congress and was at President Obama's side when he signed it into law. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Christopher Shays, a member of the House from 1987 to 2008, says some of the blame for “Obamacare” rests with his GOP Senate primary opponent, Linda McMahon.
Reacting to today’s Supreme Court ruling, Shays sought to paint McMahon as an enabler of Democrat Nancy Pelosi, who went from House speaker to minority leader in the 2010 midterm elections.
“If she hadn’t helped make Nancy Pelosi speaker of the house in 2006 and keep her as speaker in 2008 by her very generous contributions to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, we wouldn’t have to repeal Obamacare, it wouldn’t have passed.”
McMahon gave $10,000 to the DCCC in September 2006, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
She also gave $2,300 to then DCCC head Rahm Emanuel in 2008 after donations of $1,000 each in 2004 and 2005.
McMahon, of course, also gave to Shays during that time period.
McMahon’s campaign swiftly pointed out that Shays co-sponsored a bill in 2008 that would have created a similar individual insurance mandate as Obamacare.