President (To Win Colorado) See Full Big Line

(D) Joe Biden*

(R) Donald Trump

80%

20%↓

CO-01 (Denver) See Full Big Line

(D) Diana DeGette*

90%

CO-02 (Boulder-ish) See Full Big Line

(D) Joe Neguse*

90%

CO-03 (West & Southern CO) See Full Big Line

(D) Adam Frisch

(R) Jeff Hurd

(R) Ron Hanks

40%

30%

20%

CO-04 (Northeast-ish Colorado) See Full Big Line

(R) Lauren Boebert

(R) J. Sonnenberg

(R) Ted Harvey

20%↑

15%↑

10%

CO-05 (Colorado Springs) See Full Big Line

(R) Dave Williams

(R) Jeff Crank

(R) Doug Bruce

20%

20%

20%

CO-06 (Aurora) See Full Big Line

(D) Jason Crow*

90%

CO-07 (Jefferson County) See Full Big Line

(D) Brittany Pettersen

85%↑

 

CO-08 (Northern Colo.) See Full Big Line

(D) Yadira Caraveo

(R) Gabe Evans

(R) Janak Joshi

60%↑

40%↑

20%↑

State Senate Majority See Full Big Line

DEMOCRATS

REPUBLICANS

80%

20%

State House Majority See Full Big Line

DEMOCRATS

REPUBLICANS

95%

5%

Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
May 15, 2014 03:42 PM UTC

Beauprez and the Individual Mandate, Part II: Forget All That!

  • 8 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

Yesterday, we republished a now-deleted blog post written by GOP gubernatorial candidate Bob Beauprez, which featured Beauprez articulately defending an individual mandate that every American carry health insurance coverage–one of the core components of "Obamacare." Beauprez took this position in defense of then-Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, whose "RomneyCare" health care reform plan for Massachusetts was centered on a similar mandate that residents obtain insurance or pay a tax penalty. Beauprez wrote unequivocally on Romney's behalf, "just as motorists are required to have auto insurance, and lenders require homeowners insurance, citizens should have to have health insurance."

Obviously, that's not a position Beauprez could afford to stick with and expect the "Tea Party" to support him in any future endeavor–any more than Romney could as the GOP presidential candidate in 2012. And sure enough, in a June 2012 video clip, filmed at an Americans for Prosperity rally the day after the Supreme Court's decision upholding the Affordable Care Act and the individual mandate, we hear a very different Bob Beauprez:

BEAUPREZ: We now apparently have a government that is big enough, powerful enough, to tax us into submission. Who would have thought? As the Wall Street Journal said this morning, a mandate is now a tax, except when it isn't… [Pols emphasis]

In a 5-4 decision yesterday, in a 5-4 decision, a decision that, uh, I'm not, I'm not an attorney, I didn't even play one on television. But I think I know what happened. We had an extremely tortured case of legalese logic, to get to a conclusion that while this mandate, while this legislation didn't violate, didn't violate the Commerce Clause, it somehow was okay under the taxing authority of the government although the author, the architect, the chief proponent of this legislation swore vehemently this was not a tax. Now if that isn't convoluted logic, tell me what is? It is what it is. And where are we now?

"Where are we now," Beauprez asks? Well, if anyone listening to 2012's Bob Beauprez knew what Beauprez was saying in 2008 about the very same individual mandate, they'd have no idea where Beauprez is now. We assume Beauprez will respond with a similarly tortured explanation for why this is not the same massive flip-flop it was when Romney pulled it–Romney's mandate wasn't a federal mandate, or RomneyCare was right for socialist Massachusetts but clearly wrong for real Americans, et cetera.

How did that work out for President Romney again, folks?

Comments

8 thoughts on “Beauprez and the Individual Mandate, Part II: Forget All That!

  1. They don't call him "Both Ways Bob" for nothing. I personally think the GOP brass is too invested in Beauprez to dump him now, especially since there's not real alternative. But if they don't, this is the shit that will sink his ass like a stone.

  2. The GOP has a bad case of amnesia.

    "Reagan didn't raise taxes"

    "Neither Reagan nor Bush blew up the deficit"

    "Coffman was never a member of the Tea Party"

    "Coffman wasn't a Birther or anti-immigrant rights"

    Put a nickel in the slot, pull the crank and the next GOTP talking point will get parroted by the candidates and their shills (I'm talking about you Modster and AC!)

  3. I've never said this about a Colorado Pols post, but I really hope all the Republicans endorsing Beauprez are reading this. Beauprez can't win. For the good of the party, it's time to end this madness and support Scott Gessler. Gessler is the only Republican with a shot at beating Hickenlooper.

    Don't be fooled! Beauprez can't win. We can't make this mistake again!! Support Scott Gessler if you want to take this state back.

    1. Gessler may be the best hope for the GOP this year, Moddy, but don't bet the mortgage on him taking out Hick. Unfortunately, for your side, Gessler is not an unknown quantity. He has a nice, long record of words and deeds for Hick to campaign against. "Rampant voter fraud" ring any bells? How 'bout "moonlighting"?

       

    2. but I really hope all the Republicans endorsing Beauprez are reading this.

      Yeah, Idioratus…97% of Republican voters read ColoPols every day…uh huh..that's right…

Leave a Comment

Recent Comments


Posts about

Donald Trump
SEE MORE

Posts about

Rep. Lauren Boebert
SEE MORE

Posts about

Rep. Yadira Caraveo
SEE MORE

Posts about

Colorado House
SEE MORE

Posts about

Colorado Senate
SEE MORE

149 readers online now

Newsletter

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to stay in the loop with regular updates!