Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear (D) had a sharp message Thursday for congressional Republicans, including those from his home state, opposed to Obamacare: “get over it.”
Writing in an op-ed published in the New York Times, Beshear acknowledged that Kentucky is a red state claiming two prominent Republican members of Congress, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Sen. Rand Paul. But Beshear argued even Republican governors like Arizona’s Jan Brewer, Ohio’s John Kasich and Michigan’s Rick Snyder have been able to accept Obamacare as “a tool for historic change” rather than “a referendum on President Obama.”
“So, to those more worried about political power than Kentucky’s families, I say, ‘Get over it,'” he wrote. “The Affordable Care Act was approved by Congress and sanctioned by the Supreme Court. It is the law of the land.”
“Get over it … and get out of the way so I can help my people.”
Beshear wrote that he was “offended” by the “partisan gamesmanship” of Obamacare’s detractors, since he said Kentucky residents rank among the worst in the nation in several major health categories due to their lack of affordable health coverage. McConnell has been vocal about his opposition to Obamacare, but has admitted that shutting down the government wouldn’t stop the implementation of the health care law. For his part, Paul assisted Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) in his 21-hour floor speech against Obamacare, but has also been noncommittal about forcing a government shutdown.
The health insurance exchanges set up by the Affordable Care Act are slated to open on Oct. 1.
