Hastings Out Of Step With Washington On SCHIP

Doc Hastings remains the sole Washington state representative in Congress to continue to oppose the renewal of SCHIP. Reichert supports the legislation. Even hard core Republican McMorris-Rodgers supports this bill. But Hastings? Nope.

As the Yakima Herald reports Hastings seems to be living in another world:

"Regrettably," Hastings wrote in response to Gregoire, "some Democrats are trying to turn renewal of health insurance for poor children into a political weapon. As a supporter of SCHIP's creation and renewing it today, it's terribly disappointing to see Democrats making cold political calculations trying to paint Republicans as uncaring instead of working to renew this program in an open, honest way."

Excuse me? He's a supporter of SCHIP? Could have fooled us commoners. What's up Doc? Reichert and McMorris-Rodgers aren't Democrats, and they support this bill - really support it, with "yea" votes. You've voted against it. You've voted against appropriately funding the program, while having no problem voting to fund the money-pit occupation of Iraq.

Hastings indicated he won't be shamed into supporting an expansion that he views as helping middle-income Americans at the expense of the poorest. States haven't done a good job recruiting the poorest of the eligible children to their programs, he said.

"Sadly, millions of kids currently eligible for care under SCHIP have not been signed up by the states -- including thousands of children in our Washington state. This is not acceptable."

But Gregoire said Washington state has successfully enrolled 91 percent of the poorest eligible children already.

"Only one state, Vermont, has been more successful and reached 92 percent," she said.

You're kidding me, right? Since when did Republicans ever give a rats ass about the poor, or poor children. Talk about making cold political calculations at the expense of those that are in need of the support the program provides.

Doc Hastings is showing that he is just as out of step with his constituents as Bush is with the nation as a whole. Even prominent Republicans with more sense and compassion have abandoned him on this issue.

Fortunately, come next year, and not a moment too soon, voters in the 4th will be able to dump Hastings just as he has dumped, and dumped on them.