AZ Dem Ron Barber tied in knots on ObamaCare
Increasingly under pressure from liberal activists in Tucson, Arizona Democrat Ron Barber has himself tied in knots over ObamaCare – and he’s now in full-on defense mode, illustrating what a problem this issue is for him in November.
In an interview this week in the Tucson Weeky, Barber admits he doesn’t believe in principle Southern Arizonans should get to keep their plan if they like it under ObamaCare if the Web site had been working.
For starters, in explaining his vote in November for the Keep Your Health Plan Act, sponsored by Congressman Fred Upton, Barber calls these policies people liked, “junk policies.”
Then, Barber suggests that if the Web site had been working, he may not have voted for the Upton bill at all:
“But you know, if the website had been working—and it looks like it’s working a lot better know (sic)—we wouldn’t be in this fix.”
And apparently Barber just doesn’t believe people should be able to keep their plans. He reveals that he isn’t upset that the president didn’t stick by his promise – instead, Barber doesn’t think the promise should have ever been made:
“It should have never been said, because anyone realistically looking at the changes we were going to expect could have said that with a straight face.”
WHAT THIS MEANS: The broken promise made by the president had nothing to do with the broken Web site. These are two different issues. Barber has revealed that he’s actually OK with people being forced off their plans – he just wants to make sure the ObamaCare Web site works before they are. That’s a stunning revelation.
CONTRAST TO OTHER DEMS: This is a significant and substantive difference from the position many of Barber’s Democrat colleagues have taken: Arguing that people should be able to keep their plans if they like them, and that the president should stand by a promise they support.
MOREOVER: Barber offered his support for ObamaCare in December 2009. At that time, Barber seemed content with the policy – even as the president traveled the country making a false promise that has been called the “lie of the year.”
BOTTOM LINE: Ron Barber is part of the problem in Washington. Despite his attempts to distance himself from the ObamaCare trainwreck, Barber support ObamaCare when it mattered. Now that he’s getting blow-back from his liberal base, Barber is trying to have it both ways.