GOP weighs anti-Obamacare strategies

US Republicans are weighing the best strategies to oppose President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act before the 2014 midterm elections.

Republicans see the elections as a chance to capitalize on voter frustration with the problem-plagued healthcare overhaul. But the controversial law has so far divided some Republican Senate rivals.

The GOP’s most strident candidates and activists accuse fellow Republicans – including several incumbent senators – of being too soft in their opposition to the healthcare law, widely known as Obamacare, and to President Barack Obama in general.

Republican Rep. Jack Kingston of Georgia, who wants to succeed retiring GOP Sen. Saxby Chambliss, has recently criticized his party in dealing with the healthcare law, The Associated Press reports.

“A lot of conservatives say, ‘Nah, just step back and let this thing fall to pieces on its own,” Kingston said. “Well, I don’t think that’s always the responsible thing to do.”

Rep. Paul Broun, one of Kingston’s rivals in a crowded primary field, declaring in an Internet ad, “I don’t want to fix Obamacare, I want to get rid of it.”

In Tennessee, state Rep. Joe Carr criticized Sen. Lamar Alexander for serving as a key GOP negotiator in the deal to end the partial government shutdown that resulted from House Republicans’ efforts to deny funding for the healthcare law, the report says.

The White House said Tuesday that it would provide more time for people to sign-up for health insurance. It said the Dec. 24 deadline would be extended again for people who can show that they had problems with the federal healthcare website, HealthCare.gov.

The website has been marred by serious technological problems since its launch, making it difficult for Americans to sign up for health insurance.

Experts say the deadline extension will increase criticism from Republicans who have opposed the law from the start and have repeatedly tried to overturn it.