Running for U.S. Congress, people often ask me how hard is it to kick a 16-year incumbent like Lloyd Doggett out of office.
How about hard enough to break a foot?
That’s exactly what happened to me on September 23, when I took a tumble in a parking lot at work. I then proceeded to finish my shift at the ER, seeing patients while unaware anything was broken, before finally getting X-rays … and becoming a patient myself. The good news? I broke my left foot, and thanks to the last four years of Democrat policies, we all know everything on the Left is broken anyway.
Oddly enough, my accident occurred the same week that ObamaCare turned six months old. Coincidence? For the next six weeks I get to wear a painful reminder of the damage the Democrats’ 2,500 page monstrosity is doing to our health care system. If only we could repeal ObamaCare in such a short time.
How is ObamaCare affecting me as a patient? It means the plate and pins surgically placed in my foot now cost more thanks to tax hikes on medical manufacturers. The same goes for the monitors and instruments used during surgery, as well as the crutches I’m now using.
The fact is the burden of a broken foot is nothing compared to the drag ObamaCare is now, and will increasingly be, on our economy — not to mention the debt it saddles our children and grandchildren with. We know Speaker Pelosi and crew sold the health care nationalization ploy as “deficit neutral,” legis-speak for “no added cost.” But former White House Budget Director Peter Orszag corrected that whopper for the record. Already ObamaCare is costing employees their current coverage, causing corporations like McDonald’s to lobby federal bureaucrats for compliance waivers (many of which have been granted, and seemingly arbitrarily), and forcing insurance premiums through the roof.
Lloyd Doggett, my Democratic opponent in TX-25, championed this legislation, claiming he not only read the bill, he helped write it. Never has pride in authorship been so ardent. He was one of three deciding votes to join Speaker Pelosi in pushing ObamaCare through the U.S. House despite strong opposition by the people. But these days, Mr. Doggett is keeping his key ObamaCare role silent as the election fast approaches and the flaws of the legislation become more evident. You can hardly blame him. I’d rather stand on my broken foot than Lloyd Doggett’s record.
This election is about four things: reducing the deficit, reining in big government, extending the Bush tax cuts so businesses can start hiring again, and repealing ObamaCare. These issues make up my to-do list in Congress. But, even with 1 in 10 Americans looking for work, what’s the first issue my opponent brings up? Abortion. Now I’m proud of my pro-life stance, and as a physician I have always felt called to help save lives, not end them. For me, barring severe risks to the health of the mother, the only “choice” in the matter is whether to parent the newborn, or connect the child with adoptive parents. But this social issue is not what’s keeping most Americans up at night.
Families are worried about jobs.
They are concerned about the out-of-control spending coming out of Washington, and they want accountable leadership. After 16 years in the swamps of D.C., career politician Lloyd Doggett is simply, sadly, and significantly out of touch with Central Texas.
I talk with a lot of folks on the campaign trail. These people are genuinely worried about the opportunities that will be available for their children and grandchildren. So am I.
But I also know that America is the greatest nation on the planet with the most innovative citizens capable of overcoming any obstacle. These are the people I am running to serve. I don’t care if I have to crawl to the finish line, I am going to keep fighting to be their voice in Washington; to get the federal government out of our wallets, homes ,and lives; and restore our liberties under the Constitution.
Central Texans can’t afford a 17th and 18th year of Lloyd Alton Doggett II. Luckily, we don’t have to.
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