Proposition C Passes Overwhelmingly in Missouri

[Perchoutofwater]

Prop C passes overwhelmingly

 

BY TONY MESSENGER • tmessenger@post-dispatch.com > 573-635-6178 | Posted: Wednesday, August 4, 2010 12:25 am | (185) Comments

 

ST. LOUIS • Missouri voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly rejected a federal mandate to purchase health insurance, rebuking President Barack Obama's administration and giving Republicans their first political victory in a national campaign to overturn the controversial health care law passed by Congress in March.

 

"The citizens of the Show-Me State don't want Washington involved in their health care decisions," said Sen. Jane Cunningham, R-Chesterfield, one of the sponsors of the legislation that put Proposition C on the August ballot. She credited a grass-roots campaign involving Tea Party and patriot groups with building support for the anti-Washington proposition.

 

With most of the vote counted, Proposition C was winning by a ratio of nearly 3 to 1. The measure, which seeks to exempt Missouri from the insurance mandate in the new health care law, includes a provision that would change how insurance companies that go out of business in Missouri liquidate their assets.

 

"I've never seen anything like it," Cunningham said at a campaign gathering at a private home in Town and Country. "Citizens wanted their voices to be heard."

 

About 30 Proposition C supporters whooped it up loudly at 9 p.m. when the returns flashed on the television showing the measure passing with more than 70 percent of the vote.

 

"It's the vote heard 'round the world," said Dwight Janson, 53, from Glendale, clad in an American flag-patterned shirt. Janson said he went to one of the first Tea Party gatherings last year and hopped on the Proposition C bandwagon because he wanted to make a difference.

 

"I was tired of sitting on the sidelines bouncing my gums," he said.

 

Missouri was the first of four states to seek to opt out of the insurance purchase mandate portion of the health care law that had been pushed by Obama. And while many legal scholars question whether the vote will be binding, the overwhelming approval gives the national GOP momentum as Arizona, Florida and Oklahoma hold similar votes during midterm elections in November.

 

"It's a big number," state Sen. Jim Lembke, R-Lemay, said of the vote. "I expected a victory, but not of this magnitude. This is going to propel the issue and several other issues about the proper role of the federal government."

 

From almost the moment the Democratic-controlled Congress passed the health care law — which aims to increase the number of Americans with health insurance — Republicans have vowed to try to repeal it. Their primary argument is that they believe the federal government should not be involved in mandating health care decisions at the local level.

 

While repeal might seem an unlikely strategy, the effort to send a message state by state that voters don't approve of being told they have to buy insurance could gain momentum.

 

That's what Republicans are counting on at least, hoping that the Missouri vote will give the national movement momentum.

 

"It's like a domino, and Missouri is the first one to fall," Cunningham said. "Missouri's vote will greatly influence the debate in the other states."

 

Proposition C faced little organized opposition, although the Missouri Hospital Association mounted a mailer campaign opposing the ballot issue in the last couple of weeks. The hospital association, which spent more than $300,000 in the losing effort, said that without the new federal law, those who don't have insurance will cause health care providers and other taxpayers to have higher costs.

 

"The only way to get to the cost problem in health care is to expand the insurance pool," said hospital association spokesman Dave Dillon. He said the hospital association didn't plan to sue over the law, but he expected it would be challenged.

 

"I think there is going to be no shortage of people who want to use the courts to resolve this issue," he said.

 

Democrats also generally opposed Proposition C, though they didn't spend much time or money talking about it.

 

In the closing days of the campaign, many politicians 'sidled up" to Proposition C, Cunningham said, seeing the momentum the issue had gained.

 

Among them was U.S. Rep. Roy Blunt, who won the Republican primary for U.S. Senate on Tuesday night. Late last week, Blunt announced his support of Proposition C.

 

On Monday, Blunt said he hoped Missouri voters would send a "ballot box message" to the Obama's administration by overwhelmingly passing the measure.

 

The question now is whether the administration will respond by suing the state to block passage of the law, much as it did in Arizona recently over illegal immigration.

 

The issue in both is the same: When state laws conflict with federal laws, the courts have generally ruled in favor of the federal government, because of the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

 

Richard Reuben, a law professor at the University of Missouri School of Law, said that if the federal government sues on the issue, it would likely win. Several other Missouri legal and political scholars agreed.

 

But Cunningham is undaunted. She's got her own experts, and they're ready to do battle in court.

 

"Constitutional experts disagree," she said. "There is substantial legal status to this thing."

 

St. Louis Today

 

While it will probably be struck down in the courts this shows the anger and frustration over Obamacare. Three other states have similar initiatives on the ballot in November. Virginia has won it's initial case against the federal government over Obamacare. Between Obamacare and the DOJ's handling of the AZ situation it is becoming apparent that those in power in Washington are out of step with the American Public.

[TimC]

It's easy...find a hippie radical judge (normally look no further than San Francisco idiots) and make a ruling that overrides it. Right?

[rattsass]

And that was the only politive outcome of our elections yesterday. My district nominated a neophyte Repubican for US Congress who is so devoid of principles, ideas, and intelligence that I will have no choice but to vote for his Democratic counterpart. And we also will send Roy Blunt or Robin Carnahan to the Senate. I will have to go libertarian or not vote at all in that race to avoid self-loathing.

 

Disgusted in Missouri, where we love the status quo.

[Chief Dick]

And that was the only politive outcome of our elections yesterday. My district nominated a neophyte Repubican for US Congress who is so devoid of principles, ideas, and intelligence that I will have no choice but to vote for his Democratic counterpart. And we also will send Roy Blunt or Robin Carnahan to the Senate. I will have to go libertarian or not vote at all in that race to avoid self-loathing.

 

Disgusted in Missouri, where we love the status quo.

 

What part of Missouri do you live in?

[rattsass]

What part of Missouri do you live in?

7th district

[Big John]

What part of Missouri do you live in?

And your state could be sending a Moran to the senate.

[Chief Dick]

And your state could be sending a Moran to the senate.

 

Yep.

[rattsass]

And your state will be sending a Crook or a Moran to the senate.

fixed

[TimC]

And your state could be sending a Moran to the senate.

 

Yeah, we've got a Moran here in Virginny too. Guy is a hugh moran...and his kid is too. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

 

 

[SayItAintSoJoe]

Sounds like a big waste of time and money. Like it or not, "Obamacare" is now the law of the land and attempting to pass laws on the local level is not going to change it. Call it what you want the mandate is a tax imposed by the federal government. Missouri voters have about as much chance of passing a law to keep its citizens from adhereing to the mandate as they do of passing a law to keep their citizens from paying federal income tax.

[Yukon Cornelius]

from 2008.... bottom of the healthiest states..... see a trend or 2?

 

# North Carolina

# Kentucky

# Missouri

# West Virginia

# Alabama

# Georgia

# Nevada

# Arkansas

# Oklahoma

# Florida

# Texas

# Tennessee

# South Carolina

# Mississippi

# Louisiana

[skylive5]

........ it is becoming apparent that those in power in Washington are out of step with the American Public.

 

It has been apparent that the Feds have been out of step for the last 75 years or so.

 

As far as overturning anything.... The Feds are in charge and there is no such thing as States Rights or even Individual Rights and hasn't been for a very long time now and once that is finally understood we can all just get on with trying to make it day to day.

[TimC]

from 2008.... bottom of the healthiest states..... see a trend or 2?

 

# North Carolina

# Kentucky

# Missouri

# West Virginia

# Alabama

# Georgia

# Nevada

# Arkansas

# Oklahoma

# Florida

# Texas

# Tennessee

# South Carolina

# Mississippi

# Louisiana

 

Yankees die fast because they live in such crapholes? Or they're murdered?

[cre8tiff]

Yankees die fast because they live in such crapholes? Or they're murdered?

 

Um, Tim, that's the BOTTOM of the list of healthiest states. Makes them the UN-healthiest States there. Yankee's ain't the ones dying fast...

 

However, I didn't notice most of them belonging to a certain rebel movement a century and a half ago...

[Caveman_Nick]

from 2008.... bottom of the healthiest states..... see a trend or 2?

 

# North Carolina

# Kentucky

# Missouri

# West Virginia

# Alabama

# Georgia

# Nevada

# Arkansas

# Oklahoma

# Florida

# Texas

# Tennessee

# South Carolina

# Mississippi

# Louisiana

Most of these states have an overwhelming supply of delicious barbeque available?

[TimC]

Um, Tim, that's the BOTTOM of the list of healthiest states. Makes them the UN-healthiest States there. Yankee's ain't the ones dying fast...

 

However, I didn't notice most of them belonging to a certain rebel movement a century and a half ago...

 

You never make it to the list if you die lonely of despair while looking out at a crappy skyline full of morans. Or are shot by gangs.

[Perchoutofwater]

Most of these states have an overwhelming supply of delicious barbeque available?

 

You won't find many tofu eaters in those states.

[Caveman_Nick]

You won't find many tofu eaters in those states.

 

I was down in Bama last week and had the chance to dine* at Jim and Nick's. Mmmmmmm........

 

 

*dine rhymes with swine. do the math.

[Pope Flick]

Confusion Reigns

 

Nick Reed, a program director who hosts the morning call-in show at Springfield radio station KSGF, said Proposition C has been a frequent -- and at times confounding -- topic during the past week.

 

"I have had people call up and think it was the opposite of what it is," said Reed. "People are confused and sometimes even trying to explain why they're confused can be confusing."

 

The connection to the federal health care bill, which isn't stated in the ballot language, is one source of misunderstanding, he said.

 

Because the proposition effectively opposes the federal law, at least in part, it's easy for voters to get turned around about whether they are for or against.

 

"People are confused and sometimes even trying to explain why they're confused can be confusing," he said.

 

"Because you're talking about a yes-or-no vote, a lot of people, when they hear it's about Obamacare, they think you're voting against Obamacare."

 

Some voters may think "if you vote yes, that means you support Obamacare," he said. "They'll sort of be voting the opposite of what they intended to."

 

Reed is open about his support for Proposition C, but said his primary concern is that residents vote the way they intend.

[dmarc117]

the 2 big parties have a strangle hold on politics. we are skrewed.

[billay]

from 2008.... bottom of the healthiest states..... see a trend or 2?

 

# North Carolina

# Kentucky

# Missouri

# West Virginia

# Alabama

# Georgia

# Nevada

# Arkansas

# Oklahoma

# Florida

# Texas

# Tennessee

# South Carolina

# Mississippi

# Louisiana

Top of the Pile!

[The Holy Roller]

Mizzou-Rah! Pass the barbeque.

[Azazello1313]

from 2008.... bottom of the healthiest states..... see a trend or 2?

 

# North Carolina

# Kentucky

# Missouri

# West Virginia

# Alabama

# Georgia

# Nevada

# Arkansas

# Oklahoma

# Florida

# Texas

# Tennessee

# South Carolina

# Mississippi

# Louisiana

 

so creating a massive new health care entitlement just makes them all that much more of a drain on the collective resources. all the more reason to kill that abomination now before it gets off the ground. nice to see we agree for once.

[muck]

the 2 big parties have a strangle hold on politics. we are skrewed.

 

I went to vote yesterday; because I'm unaffiliated, I couldn't vote in but one race (county commissioners or some such). The lady at the poll wanted to know if I wanted to register as a D or a R so I could vote. I said no. She said I could fill out the form and then reverse my decision a week or two later. I said no thanks. I'd rather remain unregistered than affiliate with either bunch of nincompoops.

[WaterMan]

This is going to be real nasty. States are going to pick and choose which federal laws they don't like. It might make people want to vote more often to see that their States can say yes or no to any law they want.

 

We're seeing this now for immigration, healthcare, drug, and marriage laws. I would like to see a State decide that they aren't going to honor federal taxes.