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Referendum in Missouri: Will the Show-Me State Show Up Obamacare?
TIME MAGAZINE ^ | 08/03/2010 | Karen Ball

Posted on 08/03/2010 1:41:11 PM PDT by SeekAndFind

Missouri voters go to the polls Tuesday for the first-in-the-nation referendum on President Obama's health care plan. It is likely to give Republicans a chance to brag about the unpopularity of Obamacare, but the vote will be largely symbolic. Courts will eventually decide whether Missouri and other states can legally trump federal law and exempt citizens from the mandate to buy insurance. But sending a signal to Washington will be victory enough for the Republicans and Tea Party activists pushing Proposition C.

"You don't need to worry about the courts when the people are trying to have their say," says Lloyd Smith, executive director of the Missouri GOP. "The people are saying this is going too far. It's a referendum on the overreach of the Obama Administration and the liberals in Congress." The vote is as much about "anger and frustration" at all things Washington as it is about health care, explains Representative John Diehl, a Republican from St. Louis County who was one of the chief proponents of the referendum when it passed the Missouri legislature.

But the specific issue boils down to this: Can the government require that citizens buy health insurance? Mandatory insurance is a key element of the health care reforms passed by congressional Democrats and signed by Obama this year. Adding healthy people to the insurance pool spreads the cost of policies for people with health problems. Missouri's referendum rejects that mandate by asking voters whether state laws should be amended to forbid penalties for failing to have health insurance.

(Excerpt) Read more at time.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Front Page News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Missouri
KEYWORDS: missouri; obamacare; referendum
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Opponents of Prop C — those who support the insurance mandate — have been frustrated by the lack of a vigorous campaign to defeat it. Apart from a mass mailing by the Missouri Hospital Association, no organized effort existed until a few weeks ago when three 19-year-olds started a Facebook campaign

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2008087,00.html#ixzz0vZqsQuPg

1 posted on 08/03/2010 1:41:13 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

Any MO FReepers out there...how did the polling places look today in comparison to other non presidential year primaries?


2 posted on 08/03/2010 1:49:13 PM PDT by lovesdogs
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To: lovesdogs

I’m in the 7th Congressional district of Missouri (Springfield). My polling place was pretty slow. One and two voters at a time. Still that’s probably busier than average for a non-general election. On the Missouri board some FReepers said they had lines at their polling places.


3 posted on 08/03/2010 1:54:21 PM PDT by Artemis Webb (DeMint 2012)
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To: SeekAndFind

There hasn’t been a lot of organized opposition to Propostion C because it’s pretty much a given that the courts will shoot it down. To me that’s not the point though. The point is that conservatives can now prove, by popular vote, that it’s a lie to say, “The American people support the presidents health care reforms”.


4 posted on 08/03/2010 1:57:01 PM PDT by Artemis Webb (DeMint 2012)
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To: lovesdogs

I am in District 8 (Lees Summit) and it was dead. I went up at noon and I was the only person there to vote. I am concerned about the effort to GOTV.


5 posted on 08/03/2010 2:08:03 PM PDT by Dartoid
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To: SeekAndFind

And if enough actual Americans do happen to show up in Missouri, some Clinton/Carter/Hussein appointed judge will simply OVERTURN the people’s decision!!!


6 posted on 08/03/2010 2:09:28 PM PDT by Oldpuppymax
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To: Artemis Webb

I’m in the 9th Congressional dictrict of Missouri (Kirksville) Adair county, Northeast part of the state. I was voter #109 at about 0900 this morning but the voting traffic was really starting to pick about that time. I’m hoping Blunt gets beat, but it’s probably wishful thinking.


7 posted on 08/03/2010 2:13:01 PM PDT by anchorclankor (From the main part of Missouri)
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To: anchorclankor

I support Blunt but if Perguson somehow pulls out a win I’ll wholeheartedly support him (God knows he’ll need all the help he can get since he doesn’t have a penny to his name).


8 posted on 08/03/2010 2:17:10 PM PDT by Artemis Webb (DeMint 2012)
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To: SeekAndFind
...the vote will be largely symbolic. Courts will eventually decide whether Missouri and other states can legally trump federal law and exempt citizens from the mandate to buy insurance.

No where in the article does Time mention the flimsy pretext of using the Commerce Clause to legitimize the Federal overreach, which is more at the heart of the matter than Federal preemption of State laws. Time doesn't want to mention it, because neither Time nor the Dems can defend it.

9 posted on 08/03/2010 2:17:46 PM PDT by Plutarch
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To: SeekAndFind

St. Louis County here...went about 1pm and I was the youngest one there by about 20 years...I’m 48...


10 posted on 08/03/2010 2:18:13 PM PDT by demsux (Obama: THE job destroyer)
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To: Dartoid

Look at it this way -
of the people that were at the polling place at the same time as you, the vote was 100% in favor.


11 posted on 08/03/2010 2:18:51 PM PDT by MrB (The difference between a (de)humanist and a Satanist is that the latter knows who he's working for.)
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To: lovesdogs

I just got back from my polling place. It is 4pm, and 100 degrees here. There were two filing out as I went in, and three coming in the door as I left. I stupidly forgot to look at the turnout counter on the machine. I believe it was at four digits, though.

My wife went earlier in the day, and said that the polling place was deluged with blue hairs asking for Republican ballots (no offense to present company blue hairs).


12 posted on 08/03/2010 2:29:03 PM PDT by BattleHymn
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To: SeekAndFind
Courts will eventually decide whether Missouri and other states can legally trump federal law and exempt citizens from the mandate to buy insurance.

That question should be pretty darn easy -- self-evident even!

[Amendment X]
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
Since the Constitution does not delegate to the US (i.e. Congress) any powers regarding requiring citizens to buy health insurance, nor does it prohibit the states from legislating in these areas, then the right to exempt citizens from such unauthorized legislation by Congress is CLEARLY reserved to the states or to the people.
13 posted on 08/03/2010 2:30:04 PM PDT by VRWCmember
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To: SeekAndFind

Prop C was the only thing that motivated me to go to the polls today.

YES WE CAN!


14 posted on 08/03/2010 2:33:24 PM PDT by St. Louis Conservative
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To: SeekAndFind

Missouri Hospital Association was bought off in the ObamaCare bill just like the national hospital lobby.

Doesn’t matter. The clowns that run the MHA won’t be able to stop the steamroller that is Prop C.


15 posted on 08/03/2010 2:35:03 PM PDT by St. Louis Conservative
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To: lovesdogs

Mine was very light, however I live in a staunchly Dem area (St. Louis city), and conservatives were really the only ones motivated to get out and vote. I guess that’s a good sign.


16 posted on 08/03/2010 2:36:08 PM PDT by St. Louis Conservative
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To: Artemis Webb

What about St Louis where elections are stolen?


17 posted on 08/03/2010 2:36:58 PM PDT by bert (K.E. N.P. N.C. +12 ..... Greetings Jacques. The revolution is coming)
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To: Artemis Webb

I’m from Springfield originally (the heart of the 7th). My family is friends with Billy Long and are big supporters. The Republican primary is tantamount to the general election in that district.

Go Billy!


18 posted on 08/03/2010 2:37:22 PM PDT by St. Louis Conservative
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To: MrB

Turnout is always very light in a midterm primary. Prop C is really the only thing out there to turn out the vote. The electorate today will be largely Republican because of that, and I predict a solid win for Prop C.


19 posted on 08/03/2010 2:39:35 PM PDT by St. Louis Conservative
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To: SeekAndFind

Slightly heavier than usual turnout (for a Primary) in mostly conservative SW St. Louis county.

I was REALLY hoping for some “intimidating” Panther presence, as I had the shotgun on board. Racking a shell into the chamber within earshot of those ignorant savages, would have given me great satisfaction.


20 posted on 08/03/2010 2:42:04 PM PDT by EyeGuy
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