Previously: Ask Nixon about Medicare for All (June 27, 2012)

Governor Jay Nixon spoke at Missouri Boys State on the campus of the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg on Sunday, June 17, 2012. We were there. We heard his speech and the question and answer session that followed. We recorded it.

In today’s St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

Nixon: Health care stance explained at Boys State

JEFFERSON CITY • Gov. Jay Nixon has responded to Republican criticism that his position on the federal health care law has been murky, at best.

But his response still leaves some unanswered questions….

….Nixon’s office followed up by distributing audio of Nixon’s question-and-answer session with youths attending Boys State in Warrensburg — an event that took place earlier this month….

Governor Jay Nixon (D) at Missouri Boys State on the campus of the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg on June 17, 2012.

And yes, we caught the exchange. We didn’t transcribe it at the time. So, late, here it is:

….Question: […] In your support of Obamacare what outlook do you have for health care professionals [crosstalk]…

Governor Jay Nixon: My support of what?

Question: Obamacare.

Governor Nixon: Where’d you, what, what, what, what kind of fact based? [voices: “Woo.”] I mean, where’d you get that, I, that I support that?

Question: I just assumed you were a Democrat, so. [voices: “Whoa.”]

Governor Nixon: You know, I, it, uh, I lost to a guy in the, in, in tennis from Chillicothe so I’ll assume you’re a good tennis player, too, you know. [laughter]

Um, the, uh, I don’t think that, I don’t think you should have, uh, uh, a, uh, I don’t think you should have the federal law that orders people that they have to buy insurance. I never have supported that. Uh, you know [applause], I, I, [cheers]. So, I’ll give you a second shot. Go ahead, fire away. [laughter]

Question: Okay, so what is your opinion of Obamacare and what do you think the outlook of it will have for health care officials? [crosstalk][inaudible]

Governor Nixon:  Yeah, I do think it’s, I think it comp, I think there’s a couple things. The short run it’s had some, some, some, some, some challenging effects. I mean, I think people’ve kind of frozen up, they’re not sure what’s gonna happen. And when you get, you know, o, a quarter of your economy waiting, you know, to, to, what to do next, what are the rules gonna be, I think, I think it slugs things, that slows things down. I think that’s, I think once the Supreme Court rules that, that, I think then some decisions can begin to be made.

Um, uh, clearly I think that, that some of the insurance reforms are important and needed. I think that ya, parents should have the option to con, to, to have kids on their policies much older. I don’t think you should be able to, just because you get sick an insurance company should say, [unintelligible] now it cost a hundred thousand or two or three hundred thousand we’re cutting off your insurance. I don’t think you should be able to say, uh, that, that you’re just gonna say, if you get cancer that you’re poor the rest of your life, there’s no, even if you pay for insurance for ten or fifteen or twenty years. I think there’s some really solid insurance reforms in there that are important. But I just think the states are much better positioned, because we’re much more, um, close, uh, in as far as what health care needs to be expanded. I think every kid needs to be covered. I mean, I, I, I think that, that, that, that, that while I’m interested in, kids, to say, ’cause this year I had a big fight with the legislature as they tried to cut blind health care. I mean, my golly. Um, you know, it, it’s, so, I think that kids and, and disabled folks, uh, ex, the expansions that, that’ll help them, uh, are important. Uh, I think some of the stuff that, that, that messes with the market, uh, and, and drives too much on the government side is problematic. I wish they had go, had, had gotten rid of a, a prohibition that we currently have as states that makes it impossible for us to bid, for example, for drugs, uh, you know the quantities of drugs. So, I think that, that, uh, uh, I’m not sure what the Supreme Court will do, uh, but it’ll good to get that done and us then get back to what we’re doing before, which is running these programs from the state level, uh, with, with some federal dollars coming in. But I think this, this, uh, uh. I, I think that that level of sweeping reform and, and the, and the, the constitutional principle of saying that the federal government can pass a law saying you have to buy something, I just, maybe it’s just because I’m from Missouri, but I, I don’t, I don’t like that, they, they haven’t done that before. I, I, you know, I, I think we live in a, in a, uh, in a society that should be much more, much more free. And I understand economically why, if you’re gonna sit there theoretically and say you ought to do it that, that, that folks would, would do it. But I just have never supported that. [inaudible][applause]…

“…But I just think the states are much better positioned, because we’re much more, um, close, uh, in as far as what health care needs to be expanded…”

“…this year I had a big fight with the legislature as they tried to cut blind health care. I mean, my golly…”

Game, set, match. If you don’t see the incompatibility of those two statements I’ll spell it out for you. If we have federal health care reform the Missouri General Assembly won’t be able to cut health insurance for blind people. Instead they’ll be better able to use their time erecting bronze busts of right wingnut radio jocks.

As we hear in some Democratic Party circles: “Jay Nixon is the best republican governor we’ve ever had.”

Also previously:

Missouri Boys State 2012 (June 16, 2012)

Attorney General Chris Koster at Missouri Boys State 2012 – Q and A (June 17, 2012)

Governor Jay Nixon (D) and Kansas City Mayor Sly James at Missouri Boys State 2012 (June 18, 2012)

Kansas City Mayor Sly James at Missouri Boys State 2012 (June 18, 2012)

James Carville at Missouri Boys State 2012 – photos (June 19, 2012)

James Carville at Missouri Boys State 2012 (June 19, 2012)