Sonny Perdue and health care as a wedge issue
The state House is currently debating HR 1086, a proposed constitutional amendment declaring that the federal government can’t compel participation in any health care system.
Republicans are clearly looking at Sunday’s vote in Washington as a wedge issue that can be used in Georgia through November. And Gov. Sonny Perdue is positioning himself as the hammer driving that wedge.
Last week, the governor wrote a very public letter to U.S. Reps. John Barrow of Savannah and Sanford Bishop of Albany, both Democrats who hadn’t announced their positions on health care reform. Vote no, Perdue advised.
On Friday, Barrow announced he was a no vote. Bishop said he was a yes vote.
On Saturday, Perdue dashed off an op-ed piece for the Sunday papers – again leaning on Bishop. But not John Lewis, David Scott or Hank Johnson, who also had declared themselves in favor. “Congressman Bishop’s vote on health care will further devastate our state’s budget. It will eventually result in an additional billion dollars of Medicaid costs per year,” the governor wrote.
And this morning, a Perdue press release declared that the Sunday vote in D.C. should become a litmus test for any candidate in this year’s elections:
Since this bill has such a significant impact on future state budgets, it is imperative that current candidates for elected office publicly state their plans to either support the Obama-Pelosi legislation or fight for the people of Georgia.”
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30 comments Add your comment
Jacob D
March 22nd, 2010
3:00 pm
better dead than red, better dead than red, better dead than red. this is the land of the free so take your hammer and sickle and put them you know where!
Cutty
March 22nd, 2010
3:00 pm
As if Sonny and Georgia republicans have any credibility on budgets.
Williebkind
March 22nd, 2010
3:08 pm
Cutty:
And Obama does? How many trillion dollar deficits can a progressive liberal make before he loses credibility. In your mind infinite. I rather have a hundred Perdues than a republic crushing progressive liberals like Pelosi and Obama.
wesleywhatwhat
March 22nd, 2010
3:11 pm
perdue makes me laugh.
wesleywhatwhat
March 22nd, 2010
3:12 pm
as does williebkind.
Byron Mathison Kerr
March 22nd, 2010
3:13 pm
November? Gee, that’s a long way off! And for better or worse, people have shorter memories and attention spans than ever. The health care reform brouhaha will grow stale and be replaced by several brouhahas by then.
I never understood this whole thing about Republicans targeting Democrats who vote for the health care bill. The Republicans are going to challenge all Democratic incumbents anyway. These Democrats have much more to fear from the DNC backing new Democrats running against them.
losersville
March 22nd, 2010
3:17 pm
Not to fear. Sonny and his cronies in the legislature have done such good job coming up with a budget, a transportation plan, a water plan, and an education plan that I’m sure they will be just as effective (?) on the health care issue. Also, wasn’t it Sonny who ran up to Washington a few months ago to get help for the SCHIP program. If I’m not mistaken Federal law supercedes state law. This is just another smokescreen by Sonny to avoid doing the states business.
Base
March 22nd, 2010
3:24 pm
Sonny whines about everything! Georgia,Inc.
Port o'John
March 22nd, 2010
3:24 pm
Yeah — what does Obama know about budgets? He took the huge surplus from the Bush administration and squandered it in what, 3 weeks? And all that Iraqi oil money that Bush and Cheney paid for the Iraqi war — what has Obama done with that? Its not like the Bushies ever lost $12 billion in cash, or gave no no-bid contracts to Halliburton…
oh wait, I forgot, Iraqi oil money didn’t pay for the war. There was no surplus from the Bush years? But he’s a conservative! He’d never run a budget deficit! Except he did and didn’t Dick Cheney say “deficits don’t matter”?
And that $12 billion in cash? Oops. Lost that too.
You republicans are almost as silly as the democrats.
Bit more corrupt though.
Rockerbabe
March 22nd, 2010
3:38 pm
Thank God Sonny is going to leaving the Governor’s office; he is such a force for freeloading and stupidity!
Do you think this impending bill will let me NOT have to keep car insurance? If so, I could save a lot of money! Afterall, if one wants to drive on GA roads, insurance is a requirement.
Most people eventually show up at some type of healthcare setting when they are sick or injured and expect to be cared for; what’s the issue about them having to carry insurance so their caregivers can get paid? I thougth the Repugs were all about taking personal responsibility or is that just for everyone else?
losersville
March 22nd, 2010
3:38 pm
Port o’John you call it like you see it. Fiscal responsibility and the Republican Party is a joke that so many people blindly buy into. Sonny is scrambling right now hoping to throw up a smokescreen and get out of office before walls come crashing down around him; just like Bush did.
East Lake Ira
March 22nd, 2010
3:49 pm
I want to know where any potential Congressmen, Senators, Reps etc stand on my right to fish.
Right Sonny? That’s what’s really important, right Sonny?
KMA
Base
March 22nd, 2010
3:55 pm
Sonny should go to Congress and show us how it is done.
The Snark
March 22nd, 2010
3:56 pm
We don’t need any more &^#%$&^% wedge issues. We need solutions to problems.
SPEAK FOR YOURSELF
March 22nd, 2010
3:59 pm
PLEASE DON’T SPEAK FOR ME, SPEAK FOR YOURSELF. I AM EMPLOYED BY LOCKHEED MARTING AND INSURANCE FOR ME AND MY FAMILY IS $368.00 A WEEK!!! NOW WTH. SONNY PERDUE AND HIS BOYS (REPUBLICANS) HAS THE BEST INSURANCE FOR HIM AND THEIR FAMILIES, WHILE ME AND MY CHILDREN HAVE TO GO WITHOUT. YOU TAKE A $11,000.00 PAY CUT, BECAUSE LOCKHEED MARTIN BOUGHT OUT YOUR COMPANY AND MADE PROMISE THAT THEY NEVER INTENDED TO KEEP (NO LOSS OF JOBS, BETTER INSURANCE. I COME FROM A MOM AND POP COMPANY AND PAID $84.00 EVERY TWO WEEKS. NOW, MY INSURNACE HAS WENT UP 185% AND NO ONE IS TRYING TO HELP ME. SO, I SAY THE HE!! WITH SONNY PERDUE AND HIS BOYS AND GO OBAMA (WHO CARES FOR THE PEOPLE NOT THE RACE)STOP THOSE REPUBLICANS FROM GETTING PAID FROM THE INSURANCE COMPANIES AND SITTING ON THE BEST HEALTH PLANS ON MY TAX DOLLARS.
GOP Voter
March 22nd, 2010
4:10 pm
A friend of mine spoke with Clay Cox this morning. He said he would have voted FOR the Obamacare! What is up with that?
gasgop
March 22nd, 2010
4:11 pm
I thank God everyday we have Sonny in office. He is the reason we still as a state have a AAA bond rating. One of only six states that still do.
It’s also nice not to listen to Sanford Bishop call himself a “bluedog” anymore. Because of his vote on healthcare we can now call him a “lapdog” democrat.
killerJ
March 22nd, 2010
4:12 pm
How much longer is it going to sink in that big government is killing us?,doesn,t matter if your a pub or dem,you could be peter piper and it wouldn,t make a dam.I guess when we all lose,only a matter of time and you,ll be jobless too.
pete12
March 22nd, 2010
4:12 pm
we need this healthcare speak for yourselfs
td
March 22nd, 2010
4:17 pm
SPEAK FOR YOURSELF, I am calling BS on you. Show proof that you pay $368.00 per week for health insurance working for Lockheed. They are a Union shop and have the cadillac plans that have been excepted from paying taxes on. Total BS!!!!!!!!!!!
Peachcare Advocate
March 22nd, 2010
4:19 pm
Barrow is a coward. Bishop is a hero.
SPEAK FOR YOURSELF
March 22nd, 2010
4:25 pm
TD, YOU MUST BE IN THE CORPORATE OFFICE. US LITTLE PEOPLE ARE NOT DRIVING THE CADILLACS, WERE ON BICYCLES. YOU GIVE ME A FAX# AND I WILL BE HAPPY TO SHOW YOU THE CADILLAC PLANS THAT WE HAVE HERE AT LOCKHEED MARTIN!
janet
March 22nd, 2010
4:30 pm
Perdue and his buddies have done nothing positive for the people of Georgia in years. They live in their own parallel universe where perhaps everyone lives a great life, with wonderful education available to all, health care for everyone at the same price they pay and everyone has a job.
Check the stats and tell the truth. But it is much easier for the Governor and his buddies to ignore reality and just focus on keeping everyone divided and distracted from the real problems .Without Atlanta, the rest of Georgia would be considered third world. And with the problems in Metro Atlanta we too may be relegated to that status. But they do not care. Perdue promised he would not do much during his tenure and he seems to be right on target.
dylan thomas
March 22nd, 2010
5:01 pm
Anyone who thinks that the federal government can run our healthcare system well is an idiot. Have you been to the DMV lately? The postal system is bankrupt, Medicare is bankrupt, SS is a joke. Can anyone, other than the power hungry social democrats, defend this bill? (to those on the left, that was a retorical question that would best be answered with a resounding no). Oh yeah, by the way, some of you government schooled, welfare-loving ideologues need to learn how to spell.
Sanford Bishop to Sonny Perdue: 'I did the right thing, thanks for your concern' | Political Insider
March 22nd, 2010
5:15 pm
[...] told you earlier this afternoon about Gov. Sonny Perdue’s targeting of U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-Albany) for the vote he cast in favor of the health care bill last [...]
Thoughtful
March 22nd, 2010
6:52 pm
Dylan Thomas: The DMV is an old name for the current, state run, Dept. of Driver Services. It is not federally run. Medicare in Georgia is administered by the Dept. of Community Health, again a state agency. While some people have trouble spelling, others have trouble with facts.
And by the way, I have a hard time calling Bush a conservative, unless you mean a bible thumber. He as a spend and spend more republican. If we are going to spend our money and our children’s money into oblivion, I would prefer we spend it on health care and other benefits for our population rather than unfunded tax cuts for the rich and elected officials.
Perdue’s tax on hospitals will be heard in committee — Peach Pundit
March 22nd, 2010
9:34 pm
[...] Sonny Perdue wants to make health care an issue in Georgia, but his floor leaders will be presenting legislation tomorrow to the House [...]
Jessica
March 23rd, 2010
1:50 pm
Oh please, after 8 years in office Sonnycan’t even get a transportation bill passed.
Michael
March 26th, 2010
3:00 pm
Hey dylan t., yes I hate when people can’t spell…probably caused by the Republican party deciding to let it happen by letting our schools fall apart. BTW-might want to spell check your own comment….”retorical”???? Really? And are you REALLY calling democrats power hungry??? Wow, um hello, this is pot calling for kettle. Might want to lay off Fox news for a while…or maybe you just need a hug – see Glenn Beck
Massai
March 29th, 2010
1:21 pm
This Governor is a crooked ass person and needs to be removed for trying to put this representative in this position by again misleading and abusing the American people conscious…This is straight blasphemy and greed to continuing to stuff fellow republican’s pockets with taxpayer’s money and contributing to county’s or districs that are really hurting with jobs and assistance with social services. it is no wonder why this state remains broke and full of selfish politicians that remain in office. Healthcare is essential to everyone. Not only to democrats, republicans, tea parties etc…it is for everyone so that affordable and quality healthcare is rendered to prevent further disease and death of loved ones. For anyone who does not support this newly created healthcare, shame on you if you protest that Christ is in your lives. Let’s get real existing and prosperous issues in the future so that way we can be stronger as a people.