Stacey Campfield: Lawmaker Compares Obamacare To Holocaust

In a rare moment of bipartisanship, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle came forward to condemn a comment made by Tennessee State Senator Stacey Campfield on Monday. Writing in a blog post titled “Thought of the Day”, Campfield compared Obamacare enrollment to one of history’s darkest moments.

“Democrats bragging about the number of mandatory sign ups for Obamacare is like Germans bragging about the number of mandatory (sic) sign ups for ‘train rides’ for Jews in the 40s.”

-Stacey Campfield

Reaction was unsurprisingly swift from his opponents across the aisle. Tennessee Democratic Party Chairman Roy Herron called Campfield’s comments “outrageous, pathetic, and hateful.” Democrats weren’t alone in their response though, as Republican Chairman Chris Devaney also came forward with his own statement, publicly condemning Campfield’s post.

“While Stacey Campfield routinely makes remarks that are over the top, today’s comments are ignorant and repugnant. No political or policy disagreement should ever be compared to the suffering endured by an entire generation of people. Those comments have no place in our public discourse. He should offer an apology to members of the Jewish faith immediately.”

-Chris Devaney

Campfield at first stood by the statement, telling Politico that “Jewish people should be the first to stand up against Obamacare.” When asked about Devaney’s response, Campfield said “He never called me. If he wants to apologize to Obama, he can.” Other Republican lawmakers were also critical of Campfield’s statement. State House Majority Leader Gerald McCormick referred to them as “distasteful and classless,” while Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey said Campfield was “extremely insensitive and crossed the line.”

Later on Monday, however, Campfield responded to criticism with another post that was, in effect, an apology.

I regret that some people miss the point of my post. It was not to offend. It was to warn. To draw attention to Obamacare and the slippery slope that I see occurring in the lives of myself, my constituents, and the rest of the country with the continued taking of freedom by the federal government.

In no way was my post meant to diminish or detract from the pain, suffering and loss of human life that occurred during this dark time in human history. Instead the post was meant to draw attention to the loss of freedom that we are currently experiencing. I stand by my steadfast opposition to Obamacare.

-Stacey Campfield

Although he is hardly the first Republican lawmaker to compare his opponents to Nazis, Campfield is no stranger to controversial statements. In the past, he has drawn headlines for remarks blaming “one guy screwing a monkey, if I recall correctly, and then having sex with men,” for the AIDS epidemic. In the same comment, Campfield claimed it was “virtually impossible to contract AIDS through heterosexual sex.” Campfield is also notorious for sponsoring Tennessee’s failed “Don’t say Gay” bill, which would have made it illegal for teachers to discuss homosexual behavior.

Images via ForgetTheBox and Memphis Flyer