WASHINGTON — Shortly after President Obama started his second term, a loose-knit coalition of conservative activists led by former Attorney General Edwin Meese III gathered in the capital to plot strategy. Their push to repeal Mr. Obama’s health care law was going nowhere, and they desperately needed a new plan. Multimedia Graphic House Republican Efforts to Repeal or Weaken the Health Care Law Related News Analysis: The Benefits of Intransigence (October 6, 2013) Related in Opinion Paul Krugman: The Boehner Bunglers (October 7, 2013) National Twitter Logo. Connect With Us on Twitter Follow @NYTNational for breaking news and headlines. Twitter List: Reporters and Editors Enlarge This Image From Left: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images; Doug Mcschooler/Associated Press; Mike Theiler/Getty Images DRIVING FORCES David Koch of Americans for Prosperity, Michael A. Needham of Heritage Action and former Attorney General Edwin Meese III played roles in the health law fight. Enlarge This Image Americans for Prosperity SOWING DOUBT A site by Americans for Prosperity, which has spent $5.5 million recently on television ads critical of the health care law. Readers’ Comments Share your thoughts. Post a Comment » Read All Comments (2075) » Out of that session, held one morning in a location the members insist on keeping secret, came a little-noticed “blueprint to defunding Obamacare,” signed by Mr. Meese and leaders of more than three dozen conservative groups. It articulated a take-no-prisoners legislative strategy that had long percolated in conservative circles: that Republicans could derail the health care overhaul if conservative lawmakers were willing to push fellow Republicans — including their cautious leaders — into cutting off financing for the entire federal government.
Posted on: Mon, 07 Oct 2013 13:18:47 +0000