
A bombshell dropped today in the Virginia Governor Election courtesy of a six-year-old debate question asked of Ralph Northam during his 2011 State Senate reelection campaign against Republican Ben Loyola. The question: “Do you believe that health care is a right or a privilege?” To which, as per the video below, Northam responds:

I believe it’s a privilege.

And let me clarify that.

If people can get up in the morning and go to work like I can, then it needs to be a privilege. They need to work for their health insurance, for their benefits.

If they’re disabled, I will take the shirt off my back to help them.

In the face of the House GOP’s pushing through the American Health Care Act of 2017 (AHCA, aka #TrumpCare (or, more accurately, the TCCLAAHCA: Trump Couldn’t Care Less About Americans’ Health Care Act) and the unified Democratic voice that we should fix and strengthen (not repeal) the Affordable Care Care (ACA, aka ObamaCare, and accurately, the ODCAAHCA: Obama Does Care About Americans’ Health Care Act), hard to imagine that most Democratic Party primary voters in Virginia support the framing of (even just basic preventive) health care as a “privilege” as opposed to a right (e.g., universal coverage as legitimate societal objective).

Ralph Northam, in the 2016 Democratic gubernatorial primary, has seemed to have the edge over Perriello when it comes to health care issues — doctor, track record on medical issues, support from abortion rights organizations, etc. This video bombshell could put a serious dent in Northam’s healthcare “armor.”

Northam has had the challenge of explaining his past. Voting for George W Bush (twice) … Self-described “conservative.” Potentially never voted for a Democratic politician before his own election. This video adds to the challenge.

As per after the fold, this bombshell did not magically appear: the Perriello campaign sent it out to the press.

NOTES:

Full video here. Truth in disclosure, I explained my reasons for supporting Perriello in Choosing Tom.

Perriello press release:

Perriello Press press@tomforvirginia.com>

Date: Tue, May 9, 2017 at 10:48 AM

Subject: Ralph Northam in 2011: Health Care Is a ‘Privilege’

To: Perriello Press < From:Date: Tue, May 9, 2017 at 10:48 AMSubject: Ralph Northam in 2011: Health Care Is a ‘Privilege’To: Perriello Press < press@tomforvirginia.com ​ Ralph Northam in 2011: Health Care Is a ‘Privilege’ Monday evening, Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam’s record “questioning” the Affordable Care Act came to light in a evening, Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam’s record “questioning” the Affordable Care Act came to light in a Washington Post report , which stated, “While seeking reelection to the state Senate in 2011, Northam offered tempered support for the law, expressing concerns with the tactics Democrats used to pass it and questioning if it went far enough to bring down the cost of health care.” In response, Northam’s spokesman told the Post, “He firmly believes that every American and Virginian has a right to affordable health care.” But in 2011, when Northam was running for reelection to the Senate, a debate moderator asked him this question: “Do you think that access to quality health care is a right?” and Northam replied, “I believe it’s a privilege.”

Tom Perriello has been a consistent champion for health care reform. The Daily Beast called Tom “the most courageous man in DC” for taking the tough vote to expand access to health care to millions of Americans, regardless of political consequences. In Congress, he not only voted for health care reform; he fought for it, pushing to ensure pre- and post-natal care were included in the Affordable Care Act and even supporting a version of the law that included a public option. He also ran in a conservative district on the belief that access health care is a right, saying , “Every American deserves access to a doctor.”