The Republican candidate’s campaigns continue. Rick Santorum has been declared the winner of the Minnesota primary, the Colorado non-binding caucus, and the Missouri “beauty contest”. Santorum spoke a lot about health insurance in his victory speech.
One of the reasons why it is important for a candidate to win a primary is because of the delegates. The candidate who wins a state primary will get the votes of the delegates of that state. This is important because eventually, the Republican party will have to select one of the many candidates who are running. It is the delegates who vote.
The Missouri primary is called a “beauty contest” because the state has not yet selected who its delegates will be. No delegates from this state will be apportioned to Santorum, or anyone else, at this time. The Colorado caucus is also a non-binding one, that does not apportion delegates to the candidate who wins.
Rick Santorum won the Minnesota primary, the Colorado caucus, and the Missouri “beauty contest”. He gave a victory speech in Missouri, and it seems to be intended to include the people of both Missouri and Minnesota. He had a lot to say about health insurance.
Towards the beginning of his speech, Santorum said:
“When it came to the problems that were being confronted on Obamacare, when the health care system in this country, did President Obama, when he was pushing forward his radical health care ideas, listen to the American people? Why? Because he thinks he knows better how to run your lives and manage your health care.”
The sentence structure is a bit of a mess. However, it is clear that Santorum is attacking President Obama, and the Affordable Care Act that the Obama administration created. Many Republicans prefer to say Obamacare than to say Affordable Care Act. Santorum is saying that the ACA reforms are “radical health care ideas”, and he states that President Obama is not listening to what the American people want.
Later on, Santorum says:
“The president over the last few years has tried to tell you that he, in fact, the government can give you rights, the government can take care of you and provide for you. They can give you the right to health care, like in Obamacare.”
“But look what happens when the government gives you rights. When the government gives you rights, unlike when God gives you rights, the government can take them away. When government gives you rights, the government can tell you how to exercise those rights.”
“And we saw that just in the last week, with a group of people, a small group of people, the Catholics in the United States of America who were told you have a right to health care, but you will have the health care that we tell you, you have to give your people, whether it is against the teachings of your church or not.”
Clearly, the situation that Santorum is referring to here is the battle that is going on between the Obama administration and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in regards to the requirement that all employer-sponsored health insurance plans include coverage of birth control. It is worth noting that Rick Santorum just so happens to be Catholic.
Image by Gage Skidmore on Flickr