Gov. Pat: Going wobbly on ObamaCare fight? | Eastern North Carolina Now

   Publisher's note: Brant Clifton keeps an eye on the Republicans in Raleigh in his "bare knuckles" Conservative online publication known as The Daily Haymaker.

    Businesses have been downsizing, closing facilities, implementing employee layoffs, and instituting hiring freezes in anticipation of the impending fiscal and regulatory nightmare known as ObamaCare. Pat McCrory won the 2012 governor's race in an impressive fashion by pledging to lead a Carolina Comeback. What better way is there to instill some confidence in the business community -- and possibly kickstart that comeback -- than throwing a monkey-wrench into the implementation of ObamaCare?

    Michael Cannon of The Cato Institute has pointed out that states can sabotage and delay the implementation of ObamaCare by refusing to set up health care exchanges. Some right-thinking governors have taken that idea and run with it. Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) has pledged to not set up a health exchange in Virginia.

    South Carolina governor Nikki Haley (R) has pledged to not set up a health care exchange in her state. Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley says his state will also say NO to a health care exchange. Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal (R) is also saying NO to health exchanges. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is also offering up a resounding NO on health care exchanges. Tennesee Governor Bill Haslam (R) -- a moderate who campaigned for McCrory -- is speaking somewhat favorably about health care exchanges, but he is taking some very public heat from conservatives in his state.

    What's going on in our state -- which reportedly underwent a "conservative revolution" on November 6? Gov-elect McCrory has said he wants to "study" the issue of health exchanges and have a discussion with Lame Duck Bev -- who his campaign just spent months telling us was an incompetent disaster.

    What is there to study? An overwhelming majority of people in this state -- especially those with skin in the game -- DO NOT want anything to do with ObamaCare. Pat just got elected by a convincing majority of people seeking change from the status quo.

    It's no excuse to roll over and concede this fight because Obama got reelected. Gov. Pat and the rest of the NCGOP owe it to their constituents to fight ObamaCare's implementation to the very end. Pat told us he was serious about bringing our state -- with its record unemployment -- back from the brink. A great way to start is to give the business community some confidence by aggressively fighting the implementation of ObamaCare in North Carolina.