A Duck Dogs DeWine On Dodging Healthcare Questions

It’s a mouthful, but it’s true. For the last week, a large inflatable duck has been following Mike DeWine around Ohio, highlighting his refusal to give a straight answer on what he would do about Medicaid expansion.

While current-Governor John Kasich expanded Medicaid, the Republican candidates running to be his successor have been mum on their plans for the 700,000 Ohioans covered by the program.
One columnist went so far as to say DeWine is more likely to “offer you some free copies of his wife’s cookbook rather than spend time giving clear answers on the Medicaid expansion question.”
Maybe he hopes those recipes will ward off sickness when Ohioans lose access to basic healthcare?
“Mike DeWine has been a career politician for four decades, and yet, he can’t answer the most basic of questions about his proposals for Ohio’s healthcare system,” said Deputy Communications Director David Turner. “We get it. He doesn’t want the President to tweet something critical of him, but this is a matter of life and death for the hundreds of thousands of Ohioans who use the program. It goes beyond partisan politics, and it’s a shame he can’t gin up the courage to tell people where he stands.”
See some highlights below.
Toledo Blade: Big duck dogs DeWine

• “This week, Lucas County Democrats staged a stunt with a 15-foot-tall inflated duck, about three times as tall as Mr. DeWine, outside the party’s headquarters on Madison Avenue to dramatize how Mr. DeWine was ducking the issue affecting 30,000 Lucas County residents.”
• “What voters would really like to know from Mr. DeWine is a very simple thing — will he keep in place the expansion that has provided a lifeline to health care for many Ohioans?”
• “Mr.  DeWine is trying to avoid answering the question because he wants to keep from burning the support of Tea Party-leaning Republicans who may otherwise support him.”
• “I look for Mr. DeWine to offer you some free copies of his wife’s cookbook rather than spend time giving clear answers on the Medicaid expansion question. Cookbooks and big ducks we understand. Waivers, shmaivers.”

WLWT: Democrats: DeWine Ducking Health Care Questions

• “One thing DeWine wasn’t talking about is Governor Kasich’s Medicaid expansion.”
• “DeWine’s staff told us he was on a tight schedule and not able to do any interviews.”

WNWO: Protests Over Health Care

• “They use the animal to tell Governor DeWine to stop ducking questions about Medicaid expansion.”

Cleveland.com: Capitol Letter