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Hey, GOP – How About a Kiss First Next Time?

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In January of 2011, I posted an article written by Adam Love, the North Carolina State Coordinator for Campaign for Liberty entitled, “Obamacare: Symbolic Gestures are NOT Enough”.  Adam’s post gave a voice to thousands of healthcare workers that cautiously placed their votes for GOP candidates that vowed to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (a.k.a. Obamacare).  Like it or not, all we had to go on was a campaign promise.  I am holding on to hope that we will continue to be watchful and keep our elected officials on task.

The House of Representatives voted to repeal the PPACA.  The vote passed with a solid majority.  The bill went to the Senate and was subsequently ignored.  I have called, emailed, faxed, and otherwise made efforts to drive my elected officials crazy.  One of my Senators never returns my calls or correspondence – no real surprise.  She hasn’t had time for children of lesser gods such as myself since the day she was elected.  A friendly young gentleman at my other Senator’s office has assured me they are doing “their best” to try to push the legislation forward.

I appreciate the lip service. But I’m not seeing any results here, hoss.

Instead, I’m watching in horror as family practice doctors are drowning in “Patient-Centered Medical Home” paperwork and tasks as simple as ordering medications for patients with cancer require several additional pages of codes and justification – with a disclaimer printed at the top: “…in compliance with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act”. Insurance premiums are skyrocketing as major insurance companies prepare to collect windfall profits once the insurance mandates finally take effect. All this is happening while Congress – and Americans in general – are unusually silent about it.

As most of the mainstream GOP is shrugging their shoulders in an “Oh, well, we tried” gesture, now even “Tea Party Favorites” are deciding that the healthcare battle isn’t worth their time.  On May 8th, The Hill released an article about Representative Allen West (R-FL), a known Tea Party “favorite”, who has decided that the one option we have left – defunding key parts of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act – was not worth his vote.  He “believes there are bigger funding issues to be focusing on right now”.

Apparently Representative West has learned quickly the classic Congressional stance: priorities of the constituents that got you elected are only important if they match your own personal priorities or the priorities of the people that are padding your pockets. Hopefully the Tea Party that got him into office will show their appreciation for his inattention to campaign promises at the ballot box when he runs for re-election.

In the meantime, big GOP names are lining up to challenge Barack Obama in 2012 for the Office of the Presidency. I expected Mitt Romney to throw his name in the hat.  But of all ways to get into the race, he has decided to give a speech on…healthcare?

The Wall Street Journal released an article about Romney’s announcement of his speech:

“Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney will seek to blunt a major criticism Republican primary voters harbor against him by delivering a health-care speech in Michigan on Thursday that lays out a plan to replace the new national health-care law with other, more targeted changes.”

Nice…since his first healthcare law was such a resounding hit.

I have an idea for you, Mr. Romney. How about talking with healthcare workers and patients that are already starting to hit brick walls with the PPACA – and people that have to purchase their own health insurance that are reeling at the skyrocketing premiums they are having to pay in anticipation of ObamaCare rolling out mandates – and see what they have to say about government being involved in healthcare? And here’s a more novel concept: how about calling out the rest of your party about sticking to their campaign promises and not giving up the second it looks like it might require just a little bit of a fight?

Because right now, GOP, all I’m seeing is a party of turncoats that said all the right words to get into office and gave nothing more than one token vote – and a ton of lip-service – to the campaign promise that got you elected.

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