While Fellow NC Dems Buck Costly Health Care Bill, Etheridge Falls In Line With Pelosi

Monday, 09 November 2009 16:01

WASHINGTON - As U.S. Representative Bobby Etheridge (D-NC) was voting with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) over the weekend to pass a 2,032-page, $1.1 trillion government-run health care plan, three of his fellow Democrat colleagues in North Carolina’s congressional delegation stood up to the Democrat Party leadership and voted against the massive bill.

Democrat U.S. Reps. Larry Kissell, Mike McIntyre and Health Shuler were among the 39 moderate Democrats who voted with Republicans in opposing the legislation. Etheridge declined to join his Democrat colleagues and instead voted with Pelosi, as he has done more than 97 percent of the time during the last two years.

"While three of his fellow North Carolina Democrat congressmen rejected the Democrats’ health care takeover, Bobby Etheridge once again followed the marching orders of Nancy Pelosi," said National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Colin Reed.

"Should he decide to run for the U.S. Senate, Etheridge’s support of Nancy Pelosi’s massive government-run health care plan will absolutely come back to haunt him as he masquerades as a moderate candidate to North Carolina voters," Reed continued.

"In 2009 alone, Etheridge voted for the trillion-dollar stimulus, the bloated budget and most recently, the $1.1 trillion, government-run health care plan. North Carolina simply cannot afford another vote for the Pelosi-Reid spending agenda in the U.S. Senate," Reed concluded.