VIDEO: Rick Scott Turns His Back on Medicaid Questions, Florida Families
The failure of Gov. Rick Scott and Florida Republicans to expand Medicaid as provisioned under the Affordable Care Act has subjected hundreds of thousands of low-income Floridians to uncertainty over their access to affordable health insurance. According to the Tampa Bay Times, these are families too poor to qualify for federal subsidies, yet can’t qualify for Florida’s Medicaid program, “one of the stingiest in the nation.”
We told you: Steve Lonegan is the face of the "new" GOP
Just over two months ago, on the night Steve Lonegan won the Republican nomination, American Bridge sent the memo below arguing that Lonegan's brand of extremism was perfectly in line with the "new" & "rebranded" Republican Party. If Washington Republicans' reckless and embarrassing behavior over the past three weeks weren't proof enough, take a look at what RNC Chairman Reince Priebus said at a Lonegan campaign rally just last night (VIDEO HERE). "I'll tell you what. Steve's been able to do something that we need a lot more of in this party. And that's unify our party, bring our party together. The Tea Party, the Republican Party, all in this together." -- Reince Priebus, RNC Chairman What Mr. Priebus doesn't seem to understand is that the Republicans' problem isn't a lack of unity with the Tea Party. This month's shutdown fiasco proves the GOP's problem is, in fact, its obedience to the Tea Party.
Cuccinelli on video: Senate needs "more Ted Cruzes"
With just hours left until the federal government shuts down, Ken Cuccinelli is still refusing to condemn the efforts of Sen. Ted Cruz and his followers. Cuccinelli's stubborn refusal to stand up to the Tea Party and fight for what's best for Virginia speaks volumes about his extreme views misplaced priorities. Cuccinelli's silence is no surprise. Last summer, Cuccinelli addressed a gathering of the Tea Party blog RedState and told the crowd that the Senate needed "more Ted Cruzes in there to back up Jim DeMint."
VIDEO: Christie & Lonegan: We "believe in so many of the same things"
During his endorsement event on Tuesday, Gov. Chris Christie heaped praise on New Jersey Republican Senate candidate Steve Lonegan. "I am proud to have him as our candidate for the United States Senate," Christie said. "Steve and I have believed and still believe in so many of the same things." So what exactly was Christie endorsing? Here's American Bridge's newest video:
Romney Applauded Individual Mandate In 2006
Just prior to the Supreme Court's ruling on health care reform, American Bridge released video footage from 2006 in which Mitt Romney said that he was “very pleased” with the inclusion of the individual mandate in Massachusetts’ health care reform, as it was “essential for bringing health care costs down for everyone and getting everybody the health insurance they deserve and need.” The video was included in coverage of the health care decision from the New York Times and Wall Street Journal and was a fixture on cable news programs. It was also featured on this past Sunday's Meet the Press, as Romney surrogate Gov. Bobby Jindal was questioned about the footage.
Romney: "It's Not A Tax Hike. It Is A Fee."
With Romney & other Republicans attacking Obamacare as a tax increase, it's worth looking at how Romney viewed an identical policy when he was governor. Here's brand new video from the Mass. archives in which Romney says of the tax penalty for not purchasing health insurance: "It's not a tax hike. It is a fee, an assessment."
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.