The past week has been a huge disappointment for conservatives who seek good fruits in the form of policy victories in the North Carolina General Assembly. Consider the following:
Exhibit A: The General Assembly’s Republican leaders held a press conference during which they announced that a deal had been reached to expand Medicaid under Obamacare. There was some loosening of Certificate of Need requirements, but hospitals systems continue to enjoy monopoly protections with their main profit centers. The reports I had seen do not state that the hospital systems will be charged an assessment to cover the state’s portion of Medicaid expansion costs, as had been previously discussed. New surgical centers will have a charity care requirement placed upon them. It appears the hospital systems got what they wanted.
Exhibit B: The North Carolina Senate passed the legalization of medical marijuana. This is an entirely unnecessary measure. Enough said about that.
Exhibit C: NC House Speaker Tim Moore “cautioned against expecting quick movement” to restrict further legal abortion on demand in our state. Abortion is now legal until 20 weeks. Proposals for 12-13 weeks and 6 weeks have been floated and discussed. Remain mindful that Republicans have near-veto proof majorities in Raleigh.
The Daily Haymaker properly excoriates Republicans over Medicaid expansion. He states:
Unfortunately, there is very little conservative or courageous in Raleigh here at the tail-end of the *glorious* “conservative revolution” in North Carolina.
He properly points out that Medicaid Expansion is a special interest bill. Monied interests– hospital systems, insurance companies, drug companies, etc., all wanted it. Even the North Carolina Medical Society has disgraced itself for many years by supporting expansion.
The medical marijuana bill is a special interest bill also. It creates a new industry that is eager to do business.
When all these special interests line the pockets of legislators, it leads to very bad outcomes. And the Republican Party’s conservative base gets betrayed repeatedly.
It’s reminiscent of Charlie Brown, Lucy and the football.
“What a revoltin’ development this is!”…..Chester Riley
Except it’s plural… “developments”.
It seems the Republicans regard their base the way moderate Democrats used to view the Jesse Jackson wing of the party– “they have got nowhere else to go”.
Now the Jesse Jackson wing is in charge of the Democratic Party; and the GOP has once again adopted a center-left posture, decidedly, as it was before Reagan. We therefore have far left and center left primarily influencing government.