It is absolutely amazing how a serious primary challenge refocuses the mind of moderate Republicans. Take Nevada State Sen. Michael Roberson (please!).
The guy ran as a tea party conservative in 2010…then went RINO on us in 2012 once safely in office, proposing and supporting over $1 BILLION in tax hikes this year alone!
But now that he’s facing a credible and viable Republican challenger, liberty movement leader Carl Bunce, in next year’s primary contest, Moderate Mike is singing a different tune.
Despite voting three times this last legislative session to implement ObamaCare and expand Medicaid, Roberson suddenly this week issued a statement opposing the program – not coincidentally just as the public opinion winds and polls shifted against it.
To which Mr. Bunce issued the following statement on Thursday…
CARL BUNCE WELCOMES MICHAEL ROBERSON BACK TO THE CONSERVATIVE RANKS FOR THE MOMENT WHILE HE REVERSES HIS SUPPORT OF OBAMACARE
Henderson, NV – As Nevadans and others around the United States are trying to shake off the hangover of the flawed and misguided implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA); Carl Bunce noted that “many individuals are realizing for the first time that government mandates, no matter their good intentions do not work as intended, even if their websites eventually do.”
The conservative ranks have been fighting to stop the rollout of the PPACA since 2009, and it seems that Michael Roberson has finally learned that government interventions are unworkable after all, but this disingenuous “reversal” is nothing more than a political lifeline for Michael Roberson.
Michael Roberson has been complicit in the implementation of PPACA and the massive expansion of Medicaid welfare in Nevada with his “Yea” votes in Carson City, even though he could have voted against them as other conservative leaders did with principled opposition to the clearly flawed construction of the PPACA.
Bunce stated, “His recent opposition to government intervention in the market is welcomed, but it is a little too late to help his record of going along to get along with Obamacare.”
The current unintended consequences were predictable and are growing by the day. The first signs of fallout started when once full-time employees were getting their hours cut back to less than 30 hours to counter the insurance coverage mandate placed on employers with more than 50 calculated full-time employees.
Soon after the health exchanges opened for business, individuals starting getting letters from their current health insurance carriers, stating that they will no longer be able to provide coverage due to increased costs and regulation. The most ironic surprise for some is that the Affordable Health Care Act has actually increased premiums in Nevada by 179% across all age groups, and we have not even gotten to the tax penalty nightmares yet.
Moderate Mike fooled an awful lot of us in 2010. Will he get away with it again in 2014 with his born-again opposition to ObamaCare? And what other conservative principles will he soon again be paying lip-service to…at least until the primary is over?
