White House spokesman Josh Earnest said there was no "21st-century Don Draper" available Thursday to help the administration rebrand the flailing health care law known as Obamacare.
President Obama and other Democrats once commonly referred to the Affordable Care Act by the moniker "Obamacare" that was initially bestowed upon it by Republicans, but as the law has grown increasingly unpopular during its disastrous rollout and the revelations of canceled policies and rising premiums, they have taken to calling it by its official name instead.
Full exchange:
MARK KNOLLER: And on health care, what did President Obama mean the other day, when he spoke about rebranding the Affordable Care Act? Have we heard the last of him using the phrase "Obamacare" to describe the health care law?
JOSH EARNEST: No, I think the president has taken on that -- you know, that was a label that was applied by our opponents and welcomed--
KNOLLER: Which he embraced.
EARNEST: -- with open arms by this president and our allies. But no, I wouldn't anticipate that that's the last time that you hear about it. I -- you've heard the president joke that maybe, the last time that you'll hear our opponents talk about it is once it starts working as well as we would like it to.
KNOLLER: And what did he mean by rebranding?
EARNEST: Well, I think what -- the point that the president was trying to make is that people have understandably -- many people have understandably been frustrated with the flawed rollout of the website. And it would be a shame if that -- if that experience soured them on the broader law. The fact of the matter is, there are options available to people that they didn't previously have before, that people can get tax credits to make their health insurance more affordable, that some people who don't yet know it could qualify for Medicaid so that they could provide for themselves and their families when it comes to health care.
So there are a range of options that are available on that website and we don't want people's initial negative experience with the website to dissuade them from continuing to pursue options that are available there.
KNOLLER: Is there a team in the building trying to think up a new name for -- (laughter) -- the health care law?
EARNEST: Not that I know of.
KNOLLER: Or a new sales pitch?
EARNEST: There is not, as I think I told somebody earlier, there is -- there is no 21st century Don Draper that's dropped by the Oval Office with suggestions, so.