2nd District candidate accuses GOP runoff opponent of supporting 'Obamacare'

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Read the Tulsa World continuing coverage of the health care law.

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The ad pairs Mullin with President Barack Obama and a clip of Obama saying he is "a proponent of a single-payer universal health care system."

"We need to repeal Obamacare," says a voiceover, "not elect Republicans like Mullin who support single-payer health care."

Mullin's camp said the candidate misspoke on that occasion and that the ad misstates Mullin's position.

"My opponent is trying to deceive voters," Mullin said in a statement. "The truth is, I completely oppose Obamacare, and I have pledged to repeal it. That has been my position from day one. In fact, one of my main reasons for getting into this race was because of the damage Obamacare will do to my business and other businesses."

Except for a provision that potentially expands Medicaid eligibility, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act does not implement a single-payer system. It requires most Americans who do not have health insurance to buy it from private carriers, either individually or through their employers, and provides low-income and small business subsidies and tax credits to encourage compliance.

The act also provides for penalties - defined by the U.S. Supreme Court as taxes - for businesses and individuals not in compliance.

"For the last year," Mullin said, "my opponent and his campaign staff have followed me around taping everything I say, obviously planning to take my words out of context like they just did."

Mullin finished 19 points ahead of Faught in the six-way 2nd District GOP primary last week. Tuesday, Faught repeated his claim that the Mullin is "an inexperienced candidate" who cannot win a general election and who owes his frontrunner status to a "slick media campaign."

Faught, who operates a Muskogee carpet-cleaning business, has served three terms in the Oklahoma House of Representatives.

Mullin, who owns a Broken Arrow-based plumbing company, has never actively sought public office before, though he did explore the state labor commissioner race in 2010.

The runoff election between Faught and Mullin is Aug. 28, with the winner to face the winner of the Democratic runoff between Rob Wallace and Wayne Harriman in the Nov. 6 general election.

Original Print Headline: 'Obamacare' at issue in 2nd District GOP race

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Randy Krehbiel 918-581-8365
randy.krehbiel@tulsaworld.com

Source: http://www.tulsaworld.com/site/articlepath.aspx?articleid=20120704_16_A4_George78524&rss_lnk=12

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