Texas Seeks Medicaid Money It Gave Up Over Planned Parenthood Ban
By ABBY GOODNOUGH MAY 15, 2017
HOOVER, Ala. The suburban Birmingham headquarters of the Alabama Republican Party is something of a shrine to the one-party rule that is a political fact of life here. But on Monday afternoon, the headquarters Chairmans Parlor showcased the less tidy side of the partys total grip on power: The fiercest attacks now come during the Republican primary, which is tantamount to the general election.
What we have is a bunch of swamp critters who are doing their best to ensure that the people of the state of Alabama have limited choices in this race for the United States Senate, said Representative Mo Brooks, a firebrand Republican who announced Monday that he would challenge the incumbent, Luther Strange. I think the Washington swamp critters are making a very big mistake.
Mr. Brooks, a fierce opponent of illegal immigration, was borrowing from the hymnal of President Trump in what could be the first major Republican primary clash of his administration. Mr. Strange, who was appointed early this year to fill the seat vacated by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, will face off in August against a slate of Republicans, including Mr. Brooks and Roy S. Moore, the former chief justice of the State Supreme Court, whose refusal to remove a Ten Commandments display from the court grounds resulted in his removal from office.
Mr. Stranges vulnerability stems largely from the man he owes his seat to: Robert Bentley, the governor who appointed him. Mr. Bentley was on the verge of being forced from office last month when he resigned. What began as a PG-13 sex scandal evolved into a potentially impeachable case involving intimidation and misuse of public money that led Mr. Bentley, a former Baptist deacon, to a pair of misdemeanor charges and ignominy.
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https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/15/health/texas-medicaid-planned-parenthood.html