“Republican” House member Jo Ann Emerson, representing south east and south central Missouri is the worst possible choice for conservatives or republican voters to send back to Washington DC this November. If the people want a leader that will take on the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, more commonly known as “Obamacare”, Ms. Emerson is not that person. Although she finally cast her vote against this legislation, she took longer than most House Republicans in condemning it. Her protracted delay left her conservative constituents wondering what her stance was going to be on this issue.
Ms Emerson further worried her constituents who viewed her banter with President Obama during the White House Health Care Forum in March of 2009.
In Ms Emerson’s own words, as seen in this CSPAN excerpt, she thanks the President for his passion on this issue and admits that for her, “This [comprehensive healthcare reform] has been a passion of mine for the whole 13 years (now 16) that I’ve been in the Congress.”
She also cautioned her colleagues at the forum that it’s time “to take a fresh look” at reform and further encouraged them to compromise on this important issue, saying, “All of us need to be willing to give a little” to enact the monumental and highly controversial legislation that the Affordable Care Act has now become.
Sentiments like those that Ms Emerson exchanged with the Obama in March of 2009 are hardly indicative of a Representative that can be trusted to lead the charge to fully repeal this legislation. Last Thursday’s decision by the Supreme Court of the United States, has apparently rewritten the legislation in order to uphold it, now as a Tax. It is now more important than ever to get true conservative fighters elected to both our Houses in Washington DC, as well as in our State Legislatures.
In the sixteen years that Ms Emerson has been a Congresswoman, taking over for her late husband Bill Emerson who likewise served for sixteen years, she has written and passed less then half a dozen bills through Congress. She is the epitome of a career politician who goes with the flow in the Halls of Congress mainly choosing the path of least resistance. Conservatives in the 8th district are still reeling from all the Bailout votes Ms Emerson has cast and if they trust her to deal with the monstrosity of this legislation they will be wringing their hands and pulling their hair yet again.
Ms Emerson is currently in a highly contested primary election race for the Republican nomination. She is running against a tea party conservative Bob Parker. Bob Parker is a farmer / rancher / business owner that has lived, worked, and raised a family in Texas County for over 30 years. Mr. Parker took on the three decades of the “Emerson machine” in 2010 and garnered 35 percent of the vote at that time. The most any challenger has ever received against Ms Emerson. That was an amazing feat despite being largely unknown to the citizens of the district and relatively new to politics at that time.
Since 2010 Bob Parker has amassed a tremendous amount of real grassroots support while Ms Emerson’s approval ratings have continued to plummet. If the recent primary defeats of entrenched established incumbents like that of Senator Dick Lugar in Indiana, Rep. John Sullivan of Oklahoma, and the failed attempt to remove the conservative Governor of Wisconsin, Scott Walker are any indication Ms Emerson’s days may be numbered. The primary election and the fate of Missouri’s 8th Congressional district will be decided on August 7th.
Thanks, Jo Ann for good statesmanship on this critical, 70 yr. effort to join the rest of the world in addressing the need for kust access to qualigy healthcare that offers better outcomes for everyone!