“Resign now” is what the email campaign screamed on Thursday. That was likely a part of the same response to Ralph Hudgens’ comments about Obamacare that led to a “hastily called” press availability later in the day. And of course it was all the result of an AJC article reporting on the Insurance Commissioner’s remarks to a GOP group in November about pre-existing health conditions. The article was placed in a prime spot in the print edition of the newspaper.
A quick look at recent stories on Hudgens in the AJC would easily explain his predicament. In early October Jim Galloway’s “Morning Jolt” heralded Commissioner Hudgens’ future with a headline that proclaimed that Obamacare could put a target on the Commissioner’s back. As is often the case, Galloway’s prediction came true.
The comments by Hudgens mirrored those made by many a politician. In discussing pre-existing medical conditions and healthcare, he offered an analogy, to the effect that one can’t get auto insurance for a wrecked car after the wreck.
Logically, he was dead-on correct. But as I’ve written previously, the upcoming election season will be, for Democrats, an effort to woo independent women voters. The Democrats will grab all opportunities to establish this theme, and all the more if media amplifies it for them.
Ralph Hudgens’ comments were made to a seemingly friendly GOP-leaning group. He surely meant them as standard fare for speechifying. They were never intended to have the weight of a grand policy pronouncement. Hudgens readily acknowledged that he was less than articulate on the matter, and he made clear his understanding of the problems facing those who suffer from pre-existing medical conditions.
Such reasons for his unfortunately worded remarks normally wouldn’t qualify as legitimate excuses for them, at least not with media looking to make it all a big deal. But these days aren’t “normal” when it comes to healthcare, and the reason is the Affordable Care Act. In short, polling shows plainly that Georgians absolutely despise the new law known as Obamacare.
And Hudgens has been its most ardent critic in Georgia. Plus, Republican candidates for state offices, as opposed to only federal ones, have been trying desperately to make the Affordable Care Act a tangible issue in their campaigns. Wrapping their arms around Hudgens may be the answer.
Yes, one poll recently suggested that while the ACA is not popular, parts of it, such as providing insurance for those with pre-existing conditions, have strong approval. But trust me: The public does not parse through the various parts of 2,000-page federal laws. With every day that passes, more Georgians come to dislike Obamacare.
To be blunt, it would take scores of real, or perceived, or manufactured misstatements by Hudgens to swing independent voters, women or men, to support any candidate opposing him in 2014. Indeed, it would be well-advised for the Hudgens campaign team to center their ads on the headline proclaiming that his opposition to Obamacare makes him a target by the Democrats.
Ironically, Hudgens may well be the man whom other Republican nominees seek to be seen with to defeat their Democratic rivals in next year. If Obamacare and Hudgens’ steadfast opposition to it become a part of the mix in the races for the U.S. Senate and for governor, then the Democratic ticket will implode.
There might be plenty of issues that could give Democrats an outside shot at winning a Senate contest and, less likely, a race for governor. Legislation might pass that appears to put guns on college campuses. That notion is unacceptable to most women voters in Georgia.
Or the state might continue to fumble dealing with children under its protection.
Or a GOP Senate nominee, whose legislative votes or comments seem extreme on issues related to rape or abortion, might cause some independent voters to give Democrats a second look.
But if the issue becomes Ralph Hudgens having a bad day — or a hundred bad days — talking about pre-existing conditions, when he is a determined opponent of Obamacare, then the Democratic ship will sink and the independent vote will go heavily GOP, as it has since 2002.
Galloway, as usual, was astute to proclaim Hudgens a likely target. But in this case Hudgens is the last person Democrats should be shooting at. Not when their target holds the “nuclear weapon” of opposition to the hugely unpopular federal healthcare act.
