Tom Corbett Says What?!?!
He was against the healthcare law before he was for it
PITTSBURGH: Harrisburg Republican Tom Corbett continued to show his willingness to politicize important issues and say anything – regardless of whether it’s accurate or even makes sense – declaring that the national healthcare law he previously said “under NO CIRCUMSTANCES will I go along with” actually presents a “great opportunity” for Pennsylvania.
In a little-noticed health care policy paper released this week, Corbett said that as Governor he would “implement the federal health law wisely.” He added: “The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) offers great opportunity to extend coverage to thousands more people throughout Pennsylvania…” [Corbett website].
Corbett’s position would be reasonable… except that in March he joined a partisan lawsuit to stop the national healthcare reform law from taking effect, and since then he has used the issue as a fundraising tool. In fact, Corbett wrote in a recent letter to potential donors that, “under NO CIRCUMSTANCES will I go along” with the healthcare law (see image below; markings in original):
It later emerged that the Attorney General’s Office had discussed its lawsuit plans with the Republican State Leadership Committee, the national organization dedicated to electing Republicans to statewide row offices and which contributed heavily to Corbett’s 2004 campaign.
Corbett’s office rejected Right to Know requests about this political coordination. Instead, Pennsylvania voters were only able to discover the truth because Wisconsin officials obeyed that state’s public disclosure law and released e-mails containing the evidence.
“Pennsylvania is facing an economic crisis and a budget mess, and voters are looking for a Governor who understands the issues and can address the state’s challenges,” said Onorato Communications Director Brian Herman. “It’s bad enough that Tom Corbett has consistently politicized his office, but to now speak about how he will ‘implement’ the same law he’s suing to stop is stunning.”
A life-long Pennsylvanian, Dan Onorato was raised in a working class neighborhood on Pittsburgh’s North Side. He graduated college from Penn State and received his law degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. Onorato has served as Allegheny County Executive since 2004 and was unopposed for re-election in 2007. Prior to being elected County Executive, Onorato served as Allegheny County Controller and a Pittsburgh City Councilman. Dan and his wife Shelly reside in the Brighton Heights neighborhood of Pittsburgh with their three children.
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