The reviews have begun on John Kasich’s end run around his own Republican Party to bring more Medicaid coverage to Ohioans.
Kasich being an old-fashioned guy, perhaps this should be characterized by a football analogy. It was a single wing student-body-left move against a defense that’s never seen an offense run out of anything other than the T or I formation, let alone a play to the left.
However it is characterized, views on Kasich’s surprise move from the right side of Ohio’s political spectrum are not favorable.
To recap the issue, Kasich was defeated by the Republican members of the Ohio General Assembly whose reply to his request to accept additional Medicaid funds for about 365,000 Ohio citizens was a resounding, “You gotta be kidding me.” Acceptance of the Obamacare funds would add $256 billion to the state’s Medicaid budget over the next two years, beginning in January.
The prohibition was written into the most recent two-year budget submitted to the Gov earlier this year, but Kasich used his line item veto to eliminate the relevant provision.
In a previous post on this issue, it was pointed out that Kasich ran his famous bus (as in get on our bus or get run over) over his own most passionate supporters. But that may be stretching the point. The single-wing analogy now seems more appropriate.
Evidence is accumulating that those supporters of “You gotta be kidding me” have picked themselves up, dusted themselves off, and started all over again.
From a story on Think Progress:
"Two anti-abortion groups and six Republican lawmakers filed a lawsuit on Tuesday to prevent the state from accepting the federal money intended to fund the Medicaid expansion." They contend it was really sneaky football to go around the legislature and approve the move through a special committee.
If anyone knows football, it's Ohioans who have watched their Buckeyes go undefeated since September, 2012, 18 straight games. But, owing to an NCAA prohibition, not to a bowl game.
The suit was filed with the Ohio Supreme Court, and was joined by Right to Life organizations in Cleveland and Cincinnati because they “oppose the use of federal funding for expansion and wanted the chance to debate the issue with the Legislature….”
Reading through the petition to the Supreme Court (not recommended reading unless you are a fan of such things), the plea amounts to two charges — which we paraphrase in plain language: 1) We think it sucks, and 2) We think it was sneaky, underhanded, illegal and contrary to public opinion. Or at least in the opinions of seven lawmakers with approximately 600,000 constituents in total and two non-profit Right to Life groups.
We should note the population of Ohio, according to the latest estimates of U.S. Census, is about 11.5 million people.
The anger of lawmakers is understandable.
That Right to Life groups, with goals of restricting and reducing abortion rates, can have such an interest in defeating expansion of health care opportunities of down-on-their-luck Ohioans — at least some of whom will be Ohioans possessing a uterus that contains or will contain at least one future baby needing health care — is beyond easy explanation. Or any explanation, really.
But wait, there’s more. The suit was brought to the Supreme Court as a mandamus (loose English translation: Command them to stop this right now!) request, which requires a detailed affidavit which must “be made on personal knowledge, setting forth facts admissible in evidence, and showing affirmatively that the affiant is competent to testify to all matters stated in the affidavit.” (Thanks to news site Plunderbund for pointing that out.)
What’s more, the suit must be brought before the court, argued and approved by no later than December 31, 2013, or the whole question becomes kind of moot.
The affidavit, signed by Representative Matt Lynch (R, Bainbridge Township, Geauga County), states that 1) Matt Lynch has personal knowledge about the matters presented to the court, and 2) Matt Lynch's allegations are true and accurate.
Seems a trifle short on facts admissible in evidence. That lack of facts could mean the lawsuit will be tossed into the nearest dumpster by the Court.
There’s more to come, of course. The Ohio Liberty Coalition is distributing a petition — via Facebook, of course, isn’t that where petitions live these days? — to remind the Governor that “Ohio says NO to Obamacare and to our Republican governor.”
No word as yet from Kasich himself. Yet.
Trust me, there’s more to come….