Since I launched my campaign for California’s 48th congressional seat, the one constant refrain I have heard during my conversations with constituents is that they are eager to see decency restored to our national political discourse.
I would argue that nothing in politics is less decent than looking your constituents in the eyes and misleading them for personal gain.
However, my opponent Dana Rohrabacher is flat-out lying to Orange County voters when he cites "his support" for helping individuals with pre-existing conditions.
One of the Affordable Care Act’s most strident opponents, Dana has voted more than 50 times in his congressional career to eliminate or weaken the ACA and 17 times to weaken protections for individuals with pre-existing conditions. Even Forbes Magazine has called Dana out for his obvious lies.
Just last year, Dana voted for the Republican health care repeal bill that would have eviscerated protections for individuals with pre-existing conditions.
Why would Dana say he supports a provision that he has clearly acted to undermine more times than Michael Phelps has won Olympic medals? It’s because he’s afraid.
A July Kaiser Health Tracking Poll found that a candidate’s position on pre-existing conditions protections was voters’ top healthcare issue, with 63 percent citing it as at least a “very important factor” in their vote. Worryingly for Dana, the same even applied for 49 percent of Republicans who marked pre-existing condition protections as their top category of importance. It’s no wonder his campaign is forcing him to back-track.
But while Dana may think he can pull the wool over our eyes, voters know that as a Member of Congress, you are defined by your vote. There are more than 300,000 people in Rohrabacher’s own district who have a pre-existing condition, including almost 34,000 children. Where was Dana’s support for these people when he stood with President Trump and Speaker Ryan on taking away protections from his constituents? Dana’s posturing on pre-existing conditions is transparent, and voters will see right through it.
Dana’s hypocrisy on the issue is highlighted by his proposed solution: a taxpayer-funded database of all those who have a pre-existing condition. This is half-baked at best and fiscally reckless at worst, which is rich coming from a Congressman who is practically allergic to increasing government spending - even when it comes to funding programs that are proven to help millions of American people, like the Affordable Care Act.
Even if Dana’s proposal was worth any salt, voters should have no confidence in his ability to pass it. After all, in his 30 years in Congress, Dana has passed a measly three bills. Who’s to say his success on a politically tough topic such as health care would be any better?
In fairness to Dana, there are plenty of issues he’s out of touch with that he hasn’t yet changed his mind on. For example, he still supports offshore drilling, despite polling that shows that 60 percent of people in his district oppose it. He still claims climate change is a “fraud.” Dana also says he supports arming children and teenagers in schools, and he’s refused to denounce the Trump administration’s tragic policy to separate families at the border.
However, there’s a difference between having an honest change of heart, and exploiting a popular position for political gain. The latter is what Dana’s doing here, and voters in California’s 48th won’t be fooled again.
I have always stood with those who have pre-existing conditions, not because it’s the politically popular thing to do, but because it’s the right thing to do. While the ACA was not perfect, it was a step in the right direction, especially with respect to prohibiting discrimination against those with pre-existing conditions. In Congress, I will always vote to support those with pre-existing conditions in my district and across the nation.
Equally importantly, I will lead common sense conversations to find common ground solutions to ensure that our nation’s health care system reflects how we treat each other in times of need. For example, I believe it’s time to join the rest of the advanced world and finally ensure that health care coverage is a right for every American, and, in order to do that, we must pursue Medicare for all as a long-term solution.
In the meantime, it is critical we stop treating Americans’ health as a political football and attend to the nation’s most pressing public health crises. For example, we must tackle the opioid crisis by prioritizing treatment and prevention efforts and ending the over-prescription of painkillers, and we need to empower and expand organizations like Planned Parenthood, who help fill the void of our fragmented health care system.