MEMO: Remember Scott Brown 41?
Now that the Supreme Court's majority has chosen legal precedent over Republican talking points, voters of Massachusetts should be reminded that despite his claims of bipartisanship, Brown took office on a promise to be the 41st vote against health care reform. Brown's efforts - to drive young adults off their parent’s health insurance coverage, to allow insurance companies to deny coverage for a pre-existing condition or to cancel your coverage after you get sick – have been frustrated. And the people of Massachusetts have learned that their Senator is more concerned about standing with his party’s leaders than taking real action to address the problems that plague our nation.
Background:
Brown Spoke Out against Health Care Bill. At a press conference at the headquarters of the Massachusetts Republican Party in Boston, Scott Brown spoke out against the health care reform bill. He said, “I could be the 41st senator that could stop the Obama proposal that’s being pushed right now through Congress. I could stop it and they could bring it back to the drawing board.” According to the Boston Globe, “Brown said this afternoon that everyone should have some form of health care coverage, but much of that should be done on a state-by-state basis. And while he supports the landmark health care proposal that Massachusetts approved in 2006, he said, he doesn’t see any benefit to the Bay State that the federal legislation would provide. ‘My primary responsibility is to ensure that the people of Massachusetts get the best value for their dollar,’ Brown said. ‘I’m not concerned about subsidizing South Dakota or North Dakota or Idaho or other states.’” The article also noted that Brown has filed a bill to ease requirements for insurance companies which, he said, would bring down costs. He believes that they should not be required to cover some medical procedures, like in vitro fertilization. [Boston Globe, 12/28/09]MEMO: The Individual Mandate Record Tommy Thompson Hopes You Forget
Today, the Supreme Court chose to uphold the individual mandate provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. But when Tea Party-pandering GOP Senate candidate Tommy Thompson releases his statement expressing his profound disappointment with the Court’s decision, Wisconsin voters should remember that just a few short years ago it was Thompson, the former Secretary of Health and Human Services, who was touting the necessity of an individual mandate in health care reform.
Background:
Thompson’s Former State Health Secretary Said Thompson “Recognized That Government Worked” For Health Programs. “Tommy Thompson is the state’s most famous example of this tough love approach, once hailed as ‘compassionate conservatism,’ and up for discussion today is one of Thompson’s proudest achievements, greatly expanded under Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle: Wisconsin’s BadgerCare, Family Care and SeniorCare insurance plans… It is also a shift from Thompson’s approach only a decade ago. The guy who trumpeted, ‘It’s good to be a Republican!’ was proud of his Medicaid programs, too. He started BadgerCare with just a few thousand teenagers in 1999 as a way to support families kicked off welfare due to his controversial ‘workfare’ reforms. Another motivation, according to his former health secretary, Joe Leean, was to one-up Hillary Clinton, whose efforts at health reform while her husband was president were a humiliating disaster. Leean, now retired in Waupaca, recalls those days fondly and calls the BadgerCare program ‘the highlight’ of his public service career. Thompson was a governor with more heart than people gave him credit for, Leean says. (Several Democrats confided that things are so bad under Walker that they find themselves praising Thompson and wishing he were still around.) ‘When he was first elected, he was proclaimed as this awful conservative, a Dr. No kind of guy,’ Leean recalls. ‘But when I went in there and said we needed to do this health program, he needed no prodding at all. He became a compassionate conservative right from the start. He recognized that government worked.’” [Capital Times, 4/20/11]VIDEO: Mitt Romney Applauds Supreme Court Decision
With the Supreme Court upholding the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate, here is American Bridge's newest video highlighting Mitt Romney's…
MEMO: Berg Went To Washington
It’s a long way from North Dakota to Washington, DC. But not quite so far that after nearly 30 years in the North Dakota House of Representatives, it took less than eighteen months for Rep. Rick Berg to fit right in as a DC insider. Unfortunately for Berg, it’s also not so far that his actions in DC don’t make it back to North Dakota voters. Berg has developed a habit of telling North Dakotans one thing, but doing the opposite in DC when he thinks no one’s watching. This means siding with his party to cast votes that hurt the people back home he’s supposed to be representing. From rural hospitals to essential air service, Berg’s votes to cut funding would jeopardize the well-being of North Dakota residents. He supported the Paul Ryan budget to please the Republican leadership, but abandoned North Dakota farmers who would suffer from the cuts to crop insurance and farm programs. The Ryan budget would also end Medicare as we know it. And twice Berg joined his party to cast votes to block the House from even considering the Senate’s bipartisan version of the Violence Against Women Act. Rep. Berg is asking for a promotion to the Senate. But when voters see his record of putting his Republican pals before North Dakotans, what he’ll get instead is sent packing for the long trip back home. See the research after the jump.
MEMO: What you need to know about Deb Fischer
Thanks to the more than $250,000 investment from billionaire Joe Rickett’s super PAC, Deb Fischer won a surprising last-person-standing victory in Nebraska’s Republican senate primary. But now Nebraskans are left wondering: who is their Republican nominee? As an untested, unknown, unscrutinized candidate, Deb Fischer didn’t “win” on Tuesday, her opponents lost. But now that she will be the Republican standard bearer in the most high profile race in the state, her record, votes, and positions will be thoroughly vetted by voters. While no means exhaustive, below is a quick primer on what you need to know about Deb Fischer.
The Maddow Blog: The 'Romneycare' Anniversary
On April 12, 2012, The Maddow Blog reported:
Exactly six years ago today, then-Gov. Mitt Romney put his signature on his most notably political accomplishment: an overhaul of Massachusetts' health care system, which brought coverage to all of the state's residents, thanks in part to a government mandate. To mark the occasion, American Bridge 21st Century released this video, showing Romney's remarks at the time, many of which sound, with the benefit of hindsight, like a defense of President Obama's Affordable Care Act.
POLITICO: Steve King Flags Concern On Romney Federal Court Picks
On April 5, 2012, POLITICO reported:
Iowa Congressman Steve King, one of the staunchest conservatives in the House and a member whose endorsement was sought by almost all the presidential hopefuls ahead of the caucuses, said he will be an "enthusiastic" supporter of the eventual nominee of the party - but raised concerns about Mitt Romney's potential judicial picks as opposed to those who Rick Santorum would tap at a town hall in his home state last night. He also expressed being "uneasy" about Romney and how he will address the health care law as well during the forum, which was captured by the Democratic outside group American Bridge.
Journal Sentinel: Thompson Worked For Birth Control Maker
On February 19, 2012, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported:
In Wisconsin, U.S. Senate candidates Tommy Thompson, Mark Neumann and Jeff Fitzgerald condemned the president's actions. But in the case of Thompson, his criticism comes with a more complicated past when it comes to the issue of contraception.
AP: Santorum Views On Birth Control At Odds With Most Of U.S.
On February 17, 2012, the Associated Press reported:
Most Americans don't share Rick Santorum's absolutist take on abortion. He's out of step on women in combat. He questions the values of the two-thirds of mothers who work. He's even troubled by something as commonplace as birth control - for married couples. Even among a Republican presidential field eager to please religious conservatives, Santorum's ideas stand out.
Washington Post: Scott Brown Struggles To Refight Old Culture War With Elizabeth Warren
On February 16, 2012, the Washington Post wrote:
Late yesterday, Scott Brown — who is under fire from Elizabeth Warren over the issue — went on a New England TV station and faced an absolutely brutal grilling from his questioner, forcing him to repeatedly dissemble about the legislation. You can watch video of the interview here. The reporter repeatedly pointed out that the measure goes much further than just exempting religious organizations from covering contraception; it also allows employers and insurers to refuse to cover any health service they findmorally objectionable. Brown repeatedly insisted that the bill doesn’t do this. [...] Republicans like Brown are desperate for this battle not to be about women’s health or the health care economics of familes, as Warren is framing it, and want to fight it exclusively on old culture war turf by alleging a war on religion. After all, polls suggest that large majorities, including of independents and moderates, see it as the former.Read the full column here.