Governor Brewer brewed up more controversy last week with a robocall in which she encouraged the public to support lawmakers who supporting her Medicaid expansions plans. Brewer names lawmakers names and says she is calling on their behalf to save sixty thousand people from her own party.
The robocall has some of the named lawmakers nervous as they had hoped to not completely alienate their voting base while supporting Brewer and her scare tactics. The call was paid for by the Arizona Business Coalition.
One consultant told the Yellow Sheet that legislators “do not appreciate” the calls. The consultant said, “When you’re in the middle of an intraparty fight among your own caucus and among your constituents, and you’re trying to listen to all sides, this is not a helpful exercise.” He concluded that Brewer named names to serve her own agenda, not the Party’s or the legislators’.
Republicans are lining up primary challengers against the GOP representatives backing Brewer. However, Brewer is prohibited from running for governor again and party members say she seems to care little about the future of her party which is being torn apart by her turn about on Obamacare.
Nearly every Republican County organization has condemned the Governor’s plan, but her long-time associates are closely tied to the healthcare industry which stands to profit under expansion.
Senate president, Andy Biggs recently responded to the Governor’s tactics and the “paid shills and hirelings of the hospitals.” The Foundation For Responsible Accountable Government released Biggs’s response to one of the Governor’s shills, Mike Broomhead, “Recently local talk show host and Medicaid Expansion spokesperson Mike Broomhead wrote a column aimed at rebutting the Republican Legislative District 15 Resolution against the proposal to restore the entire population of Proposition 204, as well as expanding coverage to fully implement Obamacare. In the debates over Obamacare, Mr. Broomhead was a harsh critic, calling it socialized medicine. Now he’s on the frontlines in support of the expansion in Arizona.
The fact is that the Medicaid expansion is full implementation of Obamacare. It far exceeds the will of the voters expressed in Prop 204. It disregards the will of the voters expressed in Prop 106. It expands government. It fails to eliminate the “hidden healthcare tax.” It was not in harmony with the Republican principles espoused when Obamacare was debated at the federal level, nor is it in harmony with Republican and free market principles today. Elected Precinct Committemen, County Republican Officers, and elected leaders of legislative districts are expressing their discontent with the Governor’s proposal. Instead of being heard by our elected officials, they are being attacked by them. Paid shills and hirelings of the hospitals (who want to expand their profits) are using every medium to give the appearance that there is widespread support for this Democratic supported proposal among Republicans. Perhaps supporters of this proposal would do well to listen to the base of the Party.” To view the rest of the response visit the Foundation For Responsible Accountable Government website, here.