This article says as much, and that is perhaps the most important point to take away from it. The HCR crafted by Obama and conservative Senate Democrats actually lost the Democrats many votes - and perhaps the House majority - and Obama now appears set to finish the job:
Pelosi's relentless opposition to former President George W. Bush's plan to add private accounts to Social Security helped her win the speakership in 2006.
She lost her majority last year in part because Republicans accused Democrats of cutting Medicare by $500 billion over 10 years as part of the health care legislation. By positioning themselves as Medicare's defenders, Republicans won back the senior vote.
This year, Republicans in the debt talks are demanding as much as $250 billion in Medicare cuts over 10 years. House Republicans also voted earlier this year for a plan by Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., to turn Medicare into a voucher program. Democrats see that vote as their ticket to winning back the House.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/07/12/MNF01K93VV.DTL#ixzz1S58vir6z
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