NC-03: The doctor fights back
Politics IS a full-contact sport. (As if you didn’t already know this.) Far too often, I see really good people play way too nice and get their reputations destroyed.
Judging from a video taken at a recent Third District GOP confab, congressional candidate and state Rep. Greg Murphy (R-Pitt) is deciding to assertively stand up for himself.
Considered by many to be a front-runner in the race, Murphy has been accused by opposing campaigns of: (1) being a RINO, (2)favoring the expansion of Medicaid, and (3) supporting ObamaCare, among other blasphemies. The state legislator, also a Greenville physician, decided to take time and set the record straight.
On his philisophy, he said:
“[…] I’m here to tell you what I stand for, and what I stand against. First of all, I consider myself a Ronald Reagan Republican. I believe in lower taxes. I believe in smaller government. I believe in more personal responsibility and more personal liberty.”[…]
Okay. Now, let’s move on to some meat-and -potatoes:
[…] I want to tell you where I stand on issues that are important to me, and I also want to talk to you about where I don’t stand on issues. Because I think there’s a There’s a lot of misinformation that’s gone out and I actually want to clarify that. There’s several things that are being said about my candidacy, about me, which are untrue and uninformed and I am here today to inform you.
I tell you, I am a surgeon. I am a pretty direction individual. If there’s a question, you come to me. We talk about it. All of the half-truths, etc. that are going on are really not fair. We’re Republicans. We’re supposed to deal with the truth. That’s what we’re supposed to be about. So, invite you when we’re done, to actually have conversations with me and we can talk about things.”[…]
Number one, I do not work for Vidant. I am in the private practice of surgery. I have been for twenty-five years. Eastern Urological Associates. Look it up on the Internet. Research it. It’s there. Okay? That’s misinformation. […]
And ObamaCare?
[…] Number Two, I do not support ObamaCare. Somehow that’s gotten into the lexicon, into the words these days that I support it. If you go back on my Facebook posts, long before I was ever in politics. Three and a half years ago. I talked about how it was the most disgusting disastrous piece of legislation we’ve ever had. Don’t support it. Never will.
Something that’s also got out because I was appointed to the position is that I told the Executive Committee in Pitt County that one of my goals was to expand ObamaCare. Flat out lie. Flat out lie. Untrue. […]
Okay. So what about Medicaid expansion?
[…] And since we’re going to talk about expansion, let me also talk about Medicaid expansion. I do not want it, and I do not believe in it. Let me say that again. I do not want Medicaid expansion. I do not believe in it. Medicaid expansion and ObamaCare have created a class of individuals specifically with Obamacare — our farmers, our fishermen, our clergy — who cannot afford insurance. They have been pushed out — groups that could afford insurance before — to where they don ‘t make enough to qualify for Medicaid and they make too much to combat the skyrocketing cost of healthcare which have been caused in great part because of ObamaCare.
What I have offered is a Republican response to Cooper’s Medicaid expansion. This will be the number one issue in 2020. If we do not have a good conservative Republican response to Medicaid expansion, it will be the critical issue. And if we don’t do something, the election will get flipped in 2020. We will be sitting on the back row, and our governor will have a clear road to Medicaid expansion.
Carolina Cares, the bill I submitted two year ago and we’re working again to revive, does several things. It does not add anyone to our state’s Medicaid rolls. It does not add anyone to our state’s Medicaid rolls. It has a work requirement. These are people who are working hard for a living. They just need that extra push to be able to be healthy individuals.
There’s also premiums they have to pay. OK? Somebody has to pay two percent of their gross income to buy into this new insurance product. This insurance product will be very much metered just like our state health plan. That comes from the state. Medicare comes from our government. These are people who care about personal responsibility but have been squished out because of ObamaCare.
So, flat out lie. I do not support Medicaid expansion. […]
What about HB2?
Third, House Bill 2. I voted for House Bill 2. I supported House Bill 2. Men need to go to men’s rooms. Women need to go to women’s rooms. Period. Point blank. Let there be no discussion or controversy about that.
But I will tell you this. And this is something that people read half the story and don’t make the next step. The state under Roy Cooper sued the legislature against House Bill 2. That was heading right for the Fourth Circuit. And if everybody knows what the liberal radical Fourth Circuit would have done, is that they would have overturned House Bill 2 and today those bathrooms over there would be equal access for anybody. We had to have a Republican response to do things on our own terms. “[…]
On the video, Murphy also addresses the controversy in the House over treasurer Dale Folwell and the state health plan:
[…]”There is a lot of misinformation going out that I am opposing Dale Folwell. I support our treasurer in 98 percent of the things he is doing.”[…]
A bill seeking to limit Folwell’s influence over the state health plan has been sent to the committee Murphy chairs by House leadership. (Murphy is not a sponsor of the bill, and has not publicly taken a position on the bill.)
Murphy says he has sat down with Folwell to try and work things out on fixing the health plan.
“[…] We 100 percent agree on the goal. We just disagree on how to get there.” […]
ANYONE but NIX! Anyone except that political whore Nix!
Come on “Ed” calling names is not nice………. try to use facts to make your argument why you do not support someone. When one calls people names like that is plays right into their hands and you will end up the looser instead unless you prove your case that the names you call are truthful and accurate
He may know his way around your urethra, but he is a political self-proclaimed neophyte (aka idiot). The way I understand it…. doctors and nurses are supporting him in the same theory as promote the village idiot to prevent further damage at home (aka Vidant Hospital).
I’m not sure how Greg Murphy can lie and say Carolina Cares doesn’t add anyone to Medcaid. Does it not extend the threshold that’s currently in place. Putting a “work” requirement accomplishes zero. There’s plenty of people currently on Medicaid who are employed.
Greg Murphy is nothing but a greedy physician that only wants to further line his pockets. He’s an opportunist and being very dishonest.
He will sell Eastern North Carolina to special interests if he’s sent to DC.
We deserve better.
“What I have offered is a Republican response to Cooper’s Medicaid expansion”
Any more response than “No” is unnecessary and not to be trusted.
Murphy was a Co-Sponsor of HB 867 that would have devastated Commercial Fishing and ENC. He does not support our way of life.
Does Murphy understand dredging? Um, no.
His Carolina Cares Bill is a farce. NC does not need another tax funded program.
Murphy is against the TRANSPARENCY that the Treasurer seeks. We ALL need to know why the Hospitals charge different prices for the same procedures at different medical facilities. It is past time that the Hospital Monopolies get exposed.
Murphy is against the Repeal of Certificate of Need Laws. This is debilitating to Rural Healthcare.
Murphy voted to repeal HB 2. There was zero reason to repeal.
Murphy is in favor of Wind and Solar. Let’s not forget that this is another tax funded debacle.
Does ENC need Murphy? No.
He convinced no one with his incredibly defensive talk, except that he is one of the guys who sold us out on HB2 because he was afraid of the Fourth Circuit.
These are the same people about to give away redistricting for the same pathetically weak defensive position.
The Fourth Circuit was just the excuse of the liberal surrender monkeys who decided to betray the Republican base, of which Murphy was one, on HB2. Any bad decision there could, of course, be appealed to the SCOTUS or did that pack of liberals forget that? What really caused these wimpy RINOs to pee in their pants was the corporate bullies who were attacking North Carolina., which had just been joined by the ACC and NCAA, Greg Murphy and his fellow sellouts showed that they lacked a complete set of vertebrae. Do we need a coward like that representing us in Congress? Hell, NO! Almost half of Republican House members showed they could stand up to the far left, and that included both of the other legislators running for the Jones seat, Speciale and Sheppard. Murphy betrayed us because he is a weak sister.
We also need to never forget or forgive what else was in that “repeal” bill that Greg Murphy voted for. One section of that bill gave new powers to local governments that they had never had before, beginning in 2020, to inflict more “social justice” crap on us. That is inexcusable and Murphy badly needs to be defeated on this vote alone, but there is so much other stuff to Murphy’s liberal record.
In addition to Murphy’s Obamacare Medicaid expansion plan, for example, there is the bill Murphy sponsored to implement Michelle Obama’s “food deserts” boondoggle in North Carolina. The Haymaker put up an article on that when Murphy did it, and the stupid waste of money it constituted. As to the Medicaid expansion plan, the idea of doing something “Democrat Lite” in response to the Democrats is NOT a concept we should be sending to Washington. We need Congressmen who will stand their ground like Walter Jones did, not wimps like Murphy who want to give in to the Democrats.
It is weird to hear Murphy’s “I did not support Obamacare” defense. I have never seen anyone accuse him of that so he is putting up a straw man to knock down. When accused of supporting the Obamacare MEDICAID EXPANSION on this site, he tried to change the subject to “I did not support Obamacare”. Well, duh, that was not the topic that was being discussed. It was Murphy’s dodge to get around his support for the Obamacare Medicaid expansion.
Then there is the Big Solar / Big WInd boondoggle that Murphy has voted for in the legislature. Wind and solar power has proven around the world to massively drive up electric rates and to make electricity unreliable. Ask an Australian or a German. Murphy and Sheppard both voted for the special interests and against the interests of NC electric ratepayers on the special interest legislation for the solar and wind lobbies. Speciale was the only one of the three who are running who stood firm for our electric ratepayers. Walter Jones consistently voted against Big Wind and Big Solar subsidies. Murphy would, based on his record at the legislature, go the opposite direction and kow tow to these crony capitalist special interests.
Liberal RINO Murphy the “frontrunner”? Only in his own mind. He got lucky that no other substantial establishment candidate filed, so that might get him in the runoff, but once it is him and someone more conservative in a one on one race, he is GONE. The only danger is Woodhouse’s corrupt new 30% threshold allowing him to get a bit over 30% in the first round. From talk I hear, that would be a big shot in the arm of the Constitution Party. Medicaid Murphy is just not acceptable as a GOP nominee to a great many conservatives.
When Murphy was first appointed, he gushed to the media that he wanted to “give back” to the community. This is rhetoric that liberals use, and it was the first sign of what Murphy is, politically. He is no Walter Jones or anything close. Indeed, he tested the water to run against Walter Jones in last year’s primary.
Shakespere said it best – “Methinks the lady doth protest too much”.
Jeff Moore for Congress?
As of today, and this is subject to change tomorrow, the race is between the three candidates who topped the 3rd CD straw poll earlier this month (Speciale, Murphy and Nix and probably also in that order), and if they’re sucking up all the oxygen, there won’t be a runoff. The question is if any of the others in the race produce any kind of money and if so whether they can gain traction with it, filling a lane none of the frontrunners are filling.
Ok now I get it. Medicaid Murphy is now looking through his crystal ball and telling us ole dumb folks out here what the number one issue in 2020 is going to be. And he is so smart and ahead of the curve he is tackling it for us. Note to Medicaid Murphy: Those who will be making medicaid expansion the number 1 issue next year certainly arent going to be Republican voters. Might be ole Coops playbook and you are dumb enough to get in his game. Medicaid expansion will be way down the line in order of importance for Republican voters. With the Trump train rolling next year there will be much bigger fish to fry and although Im not as smart as Medicaid Murphy apparently Id be willing to bet illegal immigration and the economy will be way ahead of his medicaid expansion as the number 1 issue.
Republican voters arent going to be fooled by Medicaid Murphys explanation of this and are smart enough to know that any government intervention on this at the state level is growing government. No thanks Medicaid Murphy!!
If you don’t stand on principle because you are afraid of the Fourth Circus, then why stand for anything at all. Perhaps he should fight for judicial reform? Reign in the tyrant rogue courts. I really admire Mr. Speciale. He has a clear voting record.
Healthcare costs are at crisis level in this state. It’s the hospitals versus the citizens. Which side do you think Medicaid Murphy will come down on? Ok, that’s a silly question. He says he supports Dale Folwell 98% of the time. Well, it’s the other 2% that matters. Any Republican, including Medicaid Murphy, who votes for the hospitals and against transparency deserves to be primaried. They sure don’t need to be sent to Congress to nationalize this lack of transparency.
Let’s consider where the bathroom / locker room privacy fight stood when liberal Republicans like Greg Murphy joined Democrats to cave in and pass Roy Cooper’s HB2 repeal bill.
This battle had grown to a nationwide struggle between liberals and conservatives with bills similar to NC’s HB2 pending in almost half of the states and more joining all the time. It was moving most rapidly in Texas, and NC Lt. Governor Dan Forest was down in Texas helping the conservatives push its passage. The liberals were frantic to shut down this growing grassroots pushback against their agenda and they focused on repealing it in NC to shut down the nationwide drive. They knew if they could kill it here, the wind would go out of the sails on the movement elsewhere.
Passage in other states would mean that the 4th Circus would not matter at all. Texas, for example, is in a circuit that still has a conservative majority among its judges.
Within North Carolina, this had become a key issue for the likely Republican nominee for Governor, Dan Forest, who supported HB2 and the liberal Democrat incumbent governor, Roy Cooper, who was leading the fight for repeal. Those legislators who voted to repeal HB2 were stabbing Dan Forest in the back and helping boost Roy Cooper.
For many reasons, this was probably the most important policy vote in that entire term of the legislature, and it had impact for the 2020 governors race in our state and on policy far beyond North Carolina. It clearly separated the conservatives from the liberals.
Why has no one talked about the fact that Murphy is running around the district claiming to have the endorsement of Congressman Meadows when that is in fact a flat out lie?
I know of several people in the district who have seen and heard Murphy make this claim firsthand, and each contacted Meadows and are in possession of emails in which Meadows is very, very clear that he has not endorsed anyone, specifically Murphy.
I would share the emails, if they were mine to release. I encourage those who do (you know who you are) to go public with the information. Last thing we need is yet another lying politician that just wants to climb the ladder, as Murphy appears to be.
It is not just the claim of the fake Meadows endorsement. Murphy and his allies have intimated that he is the personal choice of Walter Jones for the seat. That is all so very convenient since Walter is dead and therefore cannot refute him, but the claim is contrary to what Walter told a lot of other people. Murphy’s voting record in the legislature is in stark contrast to Walter’s voting record in congress on many issue, and Murphy even tested the waters to run against Jones in the 2018 primary. Murphy hiring Jones former consultant does NOT make him Walter’s man. Consultants go running when someone waves cash around.
Had heard this as well. But unlike the Meadows situation that I originally posted about, I hadn’t heard it from anyone who had heard Murphy say this firsthand, so didn’t want to include just in case. But with you, and many others, continuing to say the same thing, there’s no doubt that it’s true. After all, you know the old saying — “where there’s smoke there’s fire.”
In light of all this, not to mention Murphy’s record that you also mentioned, I find it very hard to comprehend why so many “conservatives,” many on this site, are seemingly doing everything they can to cover for Murphy and push him on NC-O3.
With a distirict that Republicans will undoubtedly win in a general, now is NOT the time to elect anyone other than the BEST, most conservative candidate possible. Period.
As each day passes, Murphy looks like a bigger liar and con-man. Sad.
Murphy doesn’t believe in smaller government and more personal freedom. He sponsored a bill to raise the age for tobacco sales from 18 to 21. Folks on the left want to extend adolescence, while we conservatives support freedom and the responsibility that comes with it. There should be one age of majority. If our 18, 19 and 20 year-olds can fight and die for their country, surely they can decide for themselves whether or not to smoke.