Craig Virgin was arguably the greatest U.S. distance runner of the early 1980s. He is the only American man who has won the world cross country championships, and he did so twice (in 1980 and 1981). He would have had a good shot at gold in the Olympic 10,000 meters in 1980 if not for the U.S. boycott.
Virgin maintains a public Facebook page where last night he took a rare foray into the world of politics. In his post, he used the King v. Burwell Supreme Court case as a launching point to praise Obamacare and to lash out at its critics. An excerpt:
Foes of President Barack Obama have tried every approach to derail his Affordable Healthcare Act (ACA). I am not a huge Pres. Obama fan…but, for the life of me… I don’t understand why… since it was a truly bipartisan affair to create it! I am one of those 9 million or so individual people in 34 states on a health insurance policy sourced through the federally run Healthcare Marketplace and with some degree of subsidy to help me get decent coverage at an affordable price. Without it… the insurance companies have priced me right out of health insurance due to my age, the upward spiraling cost of medical care (even basic preventative maintenance!), and their damn greed! Reasonable healthcare shouldn’t be based on a profit motive! The old system didn’t work unless you were an employee of a large company who had you covered under a large group policy! Not all of us are! Who doesn’t understand that?
“A truly bipartisan affair”?! Was he kidding when he wrote that?
Virgin’s fans responded with a large dose of hard truth:
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I like you, Craig, but don’t waive a “bipartisan” flag on this one. Actually, the most offensive part of the ACA is the way it was passed–rammed through by an arrogant president with his “my way or the highway” attitude that continues to this day. Arguably, much of the rancor in Washington is due to Obama’s apparent belief that he is an emperor with no need to work with the Congress. Maybe this “drafting error” wouldn’t have happened without the “we have to pass it to see what’s in it” attitude of Pelosi and the sheep-like Dems.
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Craig, not bipartisan. It is why there is all the fighting. Good laws need to be bipartisan in order to stand the test of acceptance. The ACA was forced through in a partisan fashion. Check out following spreadsheet I created as a way to understand this:
* * *Sorry,Not Bipartisan.We needed more competition,not government intervention.Our insurance has gone up 500 dollars a month,with less coverage.It all boils down to redistribution ,with the middle class,what’s left of it,with the burden.
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As a self employed person let me say…”you’re welcome” my premiums have tripled. Anytime I can help you out, Craig let me know. Hey, maybe you’d like to go back to college for free, just let me know so I can budget that expense for you too. LIFE, LIBERTY, AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS…the rest is up to you.
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Others have already set you straight in no way was this mess called Affordable Healthcare act bipartisan. Not only was it 100% democrat, they used shady backroom deals, lies really to get enough votes to pass a bill that they themselves didn’t know what was in it remember this quote: “We have to pass the bill to know what’s in in it” Speaker of the House Nancy Peloci
In his prime, Virgin was a ferocious competitor who was a source of inspiration to many. He writes with insight about his beloved sport:
Craig Virgin always has a great perspective on anything to do with running. http://t.co/yZQYMKdNL3
— Breakaway Running (@BreakawayRuns) March 1, 2015
With all due respect, we suggest he leave the political bloviating to others.
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