Bill Posey is the Republican state legislator running for the Republican held (David Weldon) open seat (Weldon quit) in the FL-15.
Here he is on the uninsured:
"I would guess that half of those people don't have it because they have other priorities. A Plasma screen is more important, a new set of wheels...."
. Posey also wants to make the Bush tax cuts permanent, privatize social security, drill in ANWR, the whole Republican right wing package.
It's an open seat in a district trending Democrat. Now is the time to grab it!
The Democrat is Dr. Steve Blythe, Family Physician, single payer supporter, endorsed by The Orlando Sentinel, NOW, the local teacher's union and environmental groups. He needs our ActBlue help.
First, to be clear, despite the name and initial I am not he, and he is not me: I am Pediatrician in NY and he is a Family Physician in Florida. We are not in any way related, and I have met him in person just once, at the 2007 national meeting of Physicians for a National Health Program. I do not work for his campaign; I just support him from afar.
Okay some more facts:
Steve Blythe is a great guy, family man, family physician, environmentalist, outdoorsman, supporter of real universal health care coverage and access, and he is right on all the issues important to all of us.
This is an open seat that, yes, has been held by a Republican.
But it seems to be a district unfairly flying under the radar in this year of change, says Blythe:
Our district's demographics have changed from 35% Democrat and 40% Republican to 38%/40% in the past few months! We expect more non-affiliated voters to vote Democratic this year, so we can do it in District 15 this year!
From the Orlando Sentinel Endorsement of our man Dr. Steve Blythe:
Democrat Steve Blythe and Republican Bill Posey sound more partisan than practical in their approaches to issues spanning health care, taxes and energy. But Mr. Blythe, a physician, appears more capable than Mr. Posey, a state senator, of bucking party orthodoxy to pass legislation benefiting his entire constituency. The district runs from the Space Coast to just west of Kissimmee. It's up-for-grabs with the retirement of seven-term Rep. Dave Weldon.
Despite Mr. Posey's generally accomplished record as a state legislator specializing in insurance, he surprisingly lacks the curiosity and openness needed to navigate and solve issues at the federal level. That makes him tailor-made for marching lock step with his party.
Indeed, he says the Bush tax cuts should be made permanent because they'll pay for themselves; he has no objection to drilling "ugly property" inside the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge; and he believes government's not to blame for the country's growing uninsured population.
Mr. Blythe, while sounding his party's call for universal health insurance, nevertheless would entertain different approaches to achieving it. He echoes party calls to reduce the nation's carbon footprint, but doesn't rule out more nuclear power to make that happen. And he'd fight to preserve social-services programs, but also the right of residents to bear arms.
The Sentinel endorses Steve Blythe in the 15th Congressional District.
Here is Florida Today's lukewarm "endorsement" of Republican Bill Posey, apparently based mostely on his exprience (State Leglislature vs. local family physician:
All that said, we have fundamental differences with Posey on some major issues.
He doesn't think all Americans deserve access to affordable health care; we do, considering it a basic human right. We also must note Posey and other Florida lawmakers get taxpayer-subsidized health care, as do members of Congress.
He backs the partial privatization of Social Security; we don't, with today's stock market collapse proving it would be a disaster.
He supports continuing President Bush's tax cuts; we don't, with Congressional Budget Office studies showing they would increase the already staggering $11.3 trillion national debt.
Posey should reconsider these views and understand that, if elected, they would not serve the best interests of many of his constituents. That's especially true on health care with more than one in five Floridians lacking insurance.
Posey would need to be his own man in Washington, and not think he could represent the politically diverse district by parroting GOP talking points and allowing party bosses to lead him around by the nose.
Yeah, right!
That's what Republicans do after elected!
This is an open seat in a change year, where registration and demographics and the facts are all running Democratic. Let's not ignore this one and allow a new Republican to get entrenched.
Show some ActBlue love for Dr. Steve Blythe.