Posted on 09/11/2012 7:42:08 PM PDT by Republican Wildcat
Indiana is becoming a frequent destination for U.S. Senate Republicans who support the election of Richard Mourdock.
Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., joined Mourdock in Indianapolis on Monday to talk about health care legislation at an orthopedics hospital.
Other senators who have appeared with Mourdock since his May 8 nomination include Dan Coats of Indiana, Rick Rubio of Florida and John Thune of South Dakota.
Mourdock’s campaign said Monday that Sens. Coats, Rob Portman of Ohio and John Cornyn of Texas plan to gather for Mourdock events Sept. 26 in Fort Wayne and Indianapolis. Cornyn is chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which gave Mourdock’s campaign $43,100 three days after his primary election victory.
“This is one of the most targeted and important races if Republicans are going to win back the majority,” Brose McVey, deputy campaign manager for Mourdock, said in a telephone interview.
State Treasurer Mourdock faces Rep. Joe Donnelly, D-2nd, in the Nov. 6 general election. Democrats hold a 53-47 Senate majority with 33 seats up election, and the Hoosier race is among a dozen in which neither party appears to have a clear advantage.
The Indiana seat has belonged to Republicans since Richard Lugar’s election in 1976. Mourdock easily defeated Lugar in the primary.
On Monday, Mourdock outlined ways he would replace the federal health care law if it were repealed.
According to a news release, he favors making all health care expenses fully tax-deductible, allowing health insurers to cross state lines and enacting additional “reforms” for medical malpractice insurance and liability.
Republicans generally propose capping damage awards when talking about changes to medical malpractice laws.
Mourdock did not go into detail.
“What we are embracing is the concept of legal reform, of tort reform” to protect medical providers from “uncontrollable and almost game-stopping risk and financial costs to insure themselves,” McVey said.
Coburn, a physician, said this summer that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act – which Donnelly voted for – will “Sovietize the American health care system,” an apparent reference to socialism under the former Soviet Union, according to a story in the Eagle Daily Investor.
He later told media he meant that government bureaucrats will be in charge of medical care.
The Indiana Democratic Party released a statement Monday critical of the visiting senator’s record.
“Coburn, known as ‘Dr. No’ in the Senate, is known for placing holds on critical legislation and appointments, most famously the bill to help cover healthcare costs of 9/11 first responders,” state Democrats said.
Coburn relented in December 2010 when Senate Democrats agreed to reduce a 9/11 survivors compensation fund from $6.2 billion to $4.2 billion.
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120911/LOCAL08/309119932/1044/LOCAL08
“Rick Rubio of Florida....”
Well I hope Rick is not the liberal, amnesty-loving, Bush-hugging Rubio like Marco is...
Mourdock is in trouble against Joe Donnelly, a liberal tax-and-spend liberal Congressman who voted in lockstep with Pelosi & 0bama. However, he is running an effective campaign, portraying himself as a “blue dog” moderate, trying to pick up Lugar moderate Republicans, while portraying Mourdock as a right-wing extremist. Mourdock has not run nearly as aggressive a campaign against Donnelly as he did against Lugar. Mourdock has come across as hesitant and uncertain.
The GOP needs to come help Mourdock, and he needs to re-tool his campaign quickly, or this could be a surprise pick up for the democrats. Pence is a shoo-in for Governor against Gregg, who is a buffoon. 0bama has abandoned the state to Romney (no 0bama ads in the Indy market since the Olympics). But Hoosier voters don’t follow the coat tails so much. In 2008, Daniels crushed his democrat opponent so badly, I can’t even recall who he was. But 0bama won the state.
IN could well be a Democrat Senate gain if the Republican thinks he has the seat in the bag. Prior to Lugar, IN had two Democrat senators for quite some time. People there may be looking for federal programs from which they could benefit.
Paging Jim Thomspson! Do you know Rick Rubio?
Hank
What next, Jack Ryan?
Repeal & This state is a lot like Illinois, where Chicago is one universe and the rest of the state is another. Here it is Indianapolis and the northwest corner (Chicago burbs). The rest of the state is very conservative with the exception of a couple little trouble spots (Bloomington, South Bend, etc).
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