Senator Dean Heller says one thing to constituents, but his votes tell the real story
Senator Dean Heller (R-NV) is considered one of the most vulnerable Republican senators up for re-election in 2018. His town halls with angry constituents are a road map to how to lose an election. First he defended the Republican health care plan that would roll back protections for Americans with preexisting conditions by allowing them to be grouped in high-risk pools. Those high-risk pools would mean astounding increases in premiums. Had a baby? You could be looking at a 425% increase. Survived cancer? Try a 700%-3,500% increase, depending on the type of cancer.
In another moment at his Reno town hall, Heller surprised the crowd when he vowed to protect Planned Parenthood:
Heller said he was a supporter of women’s health care, including Planned Parenthood and had “no problem” with federal funding.
“I will protect Planned Parenthood,” Heller said to initial applause before quickly clarifying he wasn’t sure if federal funding should cover “some of the activities” that occur in Planned Parenthood, producing boos.
One woman wasn’t pleased with the answer.
“We know how you voted, senator,” the questioner said. “We saw it.”
The woman who asked the question was Nevada constituent Donna West. After her question, she asked for everyone in the room who supported Planned Parenthood to stand up and nearly everyone in the overflow room jumped to their feet in applause. The very next day, Heller’s staff “clarified” his statement by completely backtracking on his pledge to the crowd:
"Senator Heller has worked hard to improve women's access to health care and the quality of care they receive. While he doesn't have a problem with many of the health care services Planned Parenthood offers to women, he is opposed to providing federal funding to any organization that performs abortions and is supported by taxpayers' dollars; he has a long record that reflects his position."
In a special with the Reno Gazette-Journal, Donna West says Sen. Heller lied to her face about Planned Parenthood:
Although Senator Heller has a long record in Washington of trying to defund and undermine Planned Parenthood, I believed that we’d finally broken through to him after months of marching, rallying, calling and showing up at his office. It was my hope that he finally saw the benefit of Planned Parenthood’s services for his constituents.
The very next day, Senator Heller’s office revealed that he had lied to us. He completely reversed himself, pushed false talking points and said he still doesn’t support Planned Parenthood because they provide access to abortions. Safe and legal abortions account for just 3% of Planned Parenthood’s services, and this service is funded by private donations. It cannot be funded with federal dollars under the Hyde Amendment.
Senator Heller knew all of these facts when he looked out and decided to blatantly lie to our faces. I will never forget that he chose to lie to me. Going back on a public pledge to hundreds of your constituents is a recipe for getting kicked out of office.
Emphasis added. Dean Heller is vulnerable. It’s time for Nevada Democrats to step up with a contender and get serious about unseating him in 2018.
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