(Dennis Hof) – There are certain immutable laws. For example, what goes up must come down. The sun will rise in the east. And Assemblyman James “The Big Selloutski” Oscarson (District 36) will sell his soul for a campaign contribution.
That last law was reaffirmed by an investigative report published by the Nevada Independent over the weekend revealing the truckloads of campaign cash dumped on various state legislators, including Mr. Oscarson, by various health care special interests in the last election.
“Businesses and individuals in the medical industry,” Riley Snyder and Megan Messerly reported, “from insurance giants to individual doctors, didn’t hesitate to open up their pocketbooks during the 2016 campaign, doling out more than $916,000 to individual legislators between 2015 and the start of the legislative session.”
“Republican Assemblyman James Oscarson,” the report continued, “a nurse and former chair of the Assembly Health and Human Services committee, raised more than $63,000 in fending off a tough primary and general election challenge after supporting a $1.1 billion tax increase championed by Gov. Brian Sandoval.”
Show me the money!
Among those who tossed serious coinage into The Big Selloutski’s tin cup while he was chairing the committee overseeing their industries…
- Sunrise Hospital Medical Center: $10,000
- Summerlin Hospital Medical Center: $5,000
- Nevada Hospital Association/ Nevada Health PAC: $3,611.49
- MEDNAX Inc: $2,500
- Anthem Blue Cross: $2,250
- UnitedHealth Group: $2,000
- Nevada Health Care Association/NVAHF PAC: $1,500
- Amerigroup: $1,500
- Centene: $1,500
- Express Scripts: $1,000
- NVOS Bone PAC/Nevada Orthopedic Society: $1,000
- Desert Springs Hospital: $1,000
- Nevada Dental Association: $1,000
- MCNA Health Care Holdings: $1,000
- Nevada Anesthesia Patient Safety PAC: $1,000
- Healthy Minds: $750
- Nevada Optometric Association: $500
- Nevada Medical Association: $500
- Med PAC Political Action: $500
- Marquis Companies: $500
- EmpRes Healthcare Management: $500
- HealthCare Partners Nevada: $500
The big question is whether or not these big special interests will continue to cough up big dollars this election cycle now that The Big Selloukski is no longer sitting in the health committee chairman’s chair.
A bigger question is whether or not The Big Selloutski will run again for re-election next year or whether Gov. Brian Sandoval will “pay him off” for his vote for the biggest tax hike in Nevada history with some plum appointment or government position.
Of course, the biggest question is whether or not enough District 36 voters will be fooled once again into voting for The Big Selloutski if he does have the nerve to run for re-election in 2018.
I’m not usually a gambling man, but I’m betting his luck in that department has pretty much run out.