Isakson defends health-care vote
ATLANTA, Aug 16, 2017 – By Jill Nolin U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson defended his support for a failed health care measure this week at an at-times raucous town hall meeting.
An audience member, Dawn Alford, who is an advocate for people with developmental disabilities and who also has a disability, reminded Isakson of a promise made in an earlier telephone town hall that he would not “knowingly” support a plan that would cut disability benefits.
Alford asked why Isakson then supported a proposal to restructure Medicaid in a way that would have significantly cut federal funding to the program, potentially hurting thousands of people in Georgia with disabilities who rely on the aid.
“I live in fear of this, Sen. Isakson. I’ve been losing sleep over it,” Alford said during the town hall held at Kennesaw State University.
It was Isakson’s first in-person town hall held this year.
The Georgia senator’s response, which he repeated several times during the event, was not well received by the fiery crowd packing a campus auditorium that holds 600.
Isakson defends health-care vote Isakson defends health-care vote
Isakson said he did not like the Senate’s plan to remake the Affordable Care Act, but he voted for it anyway because he saw it as the only way to move the bill to a conference committee, where he said he could have more influence.
“I couldn’t get to where I wanted to go unless I followed the road that led me there,” Isakson said. “Where you are is where I wanted to go.”
His comments were met with shouts over which Isakson at times struggled to be heard.
This is the mood other Republican congressional leaders, U.S. Reps. Doug Collins and Buddy Carter, have also found at town halls held during the August recess. Collins reportedly put down his microphone until the audience calmed at a forum held in Gainesville.
Others quietly held events or controlled who was allowed into them. Some, such as Georgia’s other U.S. senator, David Perdue, have so far steered clear of the in-person gatherings altogether.
“I hope all 99 of my colleagues will jump in. The water’s fine,” Isakson told reporters afterwards.
Isakson started the town hall condemning the violence carried out in Charlottesville during the weekend. One counter protester and two police officers were killed during a protest regarding the removal of a Confederate monument organized by white nationalists.
“We can have differences over lots of things, but there’s never going to be a difference over human dignity, the right to life and the right to live in the freest, greatest country on the face of this earth without fear of intimidation because of your race, your religion, your sex, your national origin or any other discriminatory factor,” Isakson said.
His comments prompted cheers and a standing ovation, but the tension in the room remained. Isakson would later leave the auditorium with chants of “shame” at his back.
Health care was the dominant issue, with many people pressing Isakson to focus on fixing the Affordable Care Act or moving toward a single-payer system. Isakson said he supports finding a way to push people to buy health insurance without resorting to a mandate, as the current law does.
Attendees also raised subjects ranging from immigration and climate change to whether Isakson would insist the president remove Stephen Bannon from the White House (he said he would not).
Isakson was met with jeers after commenting about what he called “parental deficit” disorder, a reference to attention deficit disorder being a major concern when he chaired the state Board of Education.
The remark was made in response to a mother, who was a black woman worried about her son’s safety, who asked whether Isakson believes law enforcement should undergo de-escalation training. (He later clarified that he does and that he was attempting to compliment the woman for being actively involved in her son’s life.)
Tension then grew when audience members shouted questions about whether Isakson believes that “black lives matter.”
“All lives matter,” Isakon said to a mixture of boos and applause.
Jill Nolin covers the Georgia Statehouse for The Valdosta Daily Times and CNHI's newspapers and websites.
The original article was posted on The Valdosta Daily Times on August 16, 2017.
