COMMENTARY: Coats is the wrong man for the job

My concern is that his opposition will focus on these peripheral non-issues (much as President Obama’s opposition focused on the non-issue of his former minister’s rants) rather that on Coats’ beliefs and voting record.  When Coats served his district, and then his state, he eagerly aligned himself with the conservative “family values”  wing of the Republican Party.  Coats never passed up any opportunity to restrict women’s access to a full range of reproductive medical care, including abortion.  Had Coats been President during the Terri Shiavo catastrophe, he, like President Bush, would have “erred on the side of life,” and restricted her husband’s ability to make very personal end-of-life decisions. 

Yet, Coats is against providing easier access to health care for the millions of Americans who cannot afford it.  He is against providing more affordable health care to the millions of Americans who are financially strapped because their health care is so expensive.  He says, somewhat hypocritically, that he is against government intrusion into our lives.  Coats supports the big insurance companies – those who see no irony in awarding multi-million dollar bonuses to their CEO’s while raising their clients’ rates by 40% -- at the expense of real

hard-working Americans.  Currently, health insurance employees are given bonuses and raises based on how many claims they deny rather than how many claims they pay.  Coats doesn’t want to change this status quo. 

During his time in the Senate, Coats never saw a military spending bill he didn’t like – even voting to increase spending on outdated cold-war weaponry that the Pentagon said was unnecessary.  Surely, Coats realizes that a Pentagon budget reduction of just 20% will fully fund public health care in this country for years.  But Coats supports weapons manufacturers just as he supports giant insurance companies.  Don’t believe me?  Ask him.  Check his voting record. 

So Indiana Democrats, please attack Coats for his statements and his beliefs.  It’s not difficult for me to discern that Coats is wrong for Indiana and wrong for America.  It shouldn’t be that difficult for you either.  But stay away from his lobbying firm.  He did the same thing many politicians do when they retire.  Don’t hold that against him.  Look at the issues, and hit him where it counts.