Gettemy says AMA cash raises question about Miller-Meeks' opposition to health care reform

UPDATED: MARION – A contribution from the American Medical Association has ignited a last minute war of words between two of the candidates seeking the GOP nomination in Iowa's 2nd District.

A $5,000 contribution from the AMA, which President Obama recognized as a key supporter in winning congressional approval of his health care reform package shows that presumptive frontrunner Mariannette Miller-Meeks isn't much different than Democratic incumbent Rep. Dave Loebsack, according to Rob Gettemy.

Accepting a contribution from a group so instrumental in the passage of health care reform made Gettemy wonder what difference there is between Miller-Meeks and Loebsack -- “our current liberal congressman?” 

“Apparently not as much as Mariannette would like you to believe,” Gettemy said June 6. 

Nothing could be further from the truth, according to Miller-Meeks, an ophthalmologist and former president of the Iowa Medical Society. 

“I was running against government-run health care before Rob Gettemy even knew it was an issue,” Miller-Meeks said. “To say that I support ObamaCare gave me a very good laugh, which is how absurd these last minute smears are.” 

Gettemy, a late entry into the four-way primary, believes he's gaining on Miller-Meeks as the race nears the June 8 finish line. 

That might be why after three years of Miller-Meeks campaigning against government-run health care, Gettemy is trying to convince voters she supports it, a Miller-Meeks campaign spokesman said. 

Gettemy and Miller-Meeks, along two other 2

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District Republicans -- Christopher Reed and Steve Rathje -- are seeking the GOP nomination to face Loebsack. All four have called for repealing, defunding or making significant changes to “ObamaCare.” Which Loebsack supported. However, Miller-Meeks' backing by the AMA raises questions about her opposition, Gettemy said. 

Miller-Meeks “cannot campaign on the promise to repeal and replace this legislation while accepting any kind of help from the organization that along with the pharmaceutical companies and the insurance industry was most responsible for its passage,” he said. 

 “I hope that voters in the 2nd District will see that Dr. Mariannette Miller-Meeks does say one thing and then does another,” Gettemy said. Republican voters can “depend upon me to be a consistent conservative.” 

Miller-Meeks said the AMA is fully aware of her opposition to “ObamaCare” because at an AMA meeting in November she asked the organization to rescind its endorsement. 

Despite her opposition, the AMA chose to support her campaign “because as a physician I have the ability in Congress to be a voice for altering parts of the health care reform that hurts Iowa,” Miller-Meeks said. 

“A physician in Congress can, in fact, actively support and advocate for true health care reform that is patient-centered, that is affordable, that is portable, that gives access to everyone, brings down cost, but does not mean big government has to take over health care,” Miller-Meeks said. 

Miller-Meeks then went on the offensive, raising questions about a fundraiser by Gettemy's former employer, Bob Parsons, owner of GoDaddy.com. 

“If Mr. Gettemy wants to play guilt-by-association, he can explain why he had the owner of a company that uses commercials bordering on pornography to be the hallmark fundraiser for his campaign last month,” she said. “That doesn't sound like the values we need in Congress. 

“Voters should be on the lookout for other false attacks and lies in the remaining hours of this campaign,” she said, attributing the late criticism as “just another desperate candidate trying to create a distortion or an outright lie to peel off votes so this will go to convention.” 

If none of the candidates gets at least 35 percent of the vote Tuesday, the nominee will be selected at a 2nd District convention, probably July 10. 

Miller-Meeks called that a “horrible strategy” because it would cut into the time a challenger would have to amount a campaign against Loebsack.