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Rep. Billy Long Shares a Romney Story You May Not Have Heard…and Predicts ObamaCare Will Die Even If Obama is Reelected

Oct. 17, 2012 1:02pm Erica Ritz

Representative Billy Long (R-MO) stopped by TheBlaze newsroom this week for an interview with senior contributor Mallory Factor, where the two discussed everything from free trade to the presidential campaign.

“You consider yourself a conservative,” Factor addressed the congressman, “[but] you started supporting Mitt Romney after Iowa.”

At the time, Romney was often considered to be less conservative than Bachmann or Santorum, but the congressman said “the writing was on the wall” for the other candidates and he was impressed by Governor Romney.

Rep. Long told Factor one story in particular about how the eventual Republican nominee tackled issues during his time as governor:

They were drowning in red ink, just like we are in Washington today. He said, ‘Bring me every agency, I want to look at the books.’ When he got to the homeless, folks told him, ‘Oh, you can’t look at the homeless, governor. They’ll have your hide, they’ll run you out of town.’ He said, ‘I’m not going to hurt the homeless, I want to look at the books.’

Long story short, they were renting thousands and thousands of nights in hotel rooms, millions and millions of dollars for hotel rental for their homeless. And [Romney] said, ‘Well how does that work? What are we doing with all these hotel rooms on the books?’ They said, well you come to the homeless shelter and we’re full, we send you to the hotel.’

He said, ‘Really…here’s what we do. Next time somebody comes to the homeless shelter, I want them to stay in the shelter that night. I want you to go into the shelter and find…whoever spent the most time in our shelter…You send them to the hotel that night, they’ll have cable T.V. and air conditioning, and we’ll have room for you.’

According to Long, just because of that “common sense solution” that eliminated free hotel rooms for anyone who wanted one, they rented almost no rooms the next year, and were still able to provide for their homeless.

After a discussion of free trade– which the congressman is a staunch proponent of– Factor turned to the issue of healthcare: “You are one of the most conservative guys out there, and you’ve done a great job, but why haven’t you really achieved anything about getting rid of ObamaCare, or some of these other issues that you really ran on?”

Long replied that, while they have succeeded in preventing any massive spending bills like the stimulus package from being initiated, “you realize that when you don’t have the Senate, you don’t have the White House, you don’t have a whole lot.”

Moreover, Long also believes the president’s health care overhaul “will come unraveled” one way or another because of its intrinsic flaws– unlike many on the right who point to countless “temporary” government agencies still in effect decades later.

Long explained: “ObamaCare will come unraveled either on November 6 when we elect Mitt Romney president, and if for some reason he’s not elected president, I think it’ll die of its own volition, I think it’ll come unwound.”

Long also spent some time discussing the most controversial political story out of the congressman’s home state in recent months– Rep. Todd Akin’s “legitimate rape” remarks.

Though the congressman endorses Akin based on his conservative record, he was quick to say the remarks were “egregious” and that he doesn’t associate himself with them in any way.

Rep. Long summarized: “I think that if people would’ve stayed out of it, it would’ve been dead in about 72 hours. But instead of that a bunch of people jumped in [and] asked him to get out of the race– which I didn’t really think was their place– and just made a big national news story out of it.”

Watch video of Rep. Billy Long’s interview with Mallory Factor, below (Romney story around 3:48):

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Comments (37)

JillGeoLA
Posted on October 19, 2012 at 3:25am
This take on Obamacare may bring a smile throughout election tension! :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Sg4yAgQN7c&feature=plcp
Paula Priesse – “Obamacare”

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freedomnetworker
Posted on October 18, 2012 at 12:48am
liberals get away blaming bush for the downturn in 2007.Bush, tried to get it under control. the truth: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jb03-UI3LC8&feature=share&list=UUoraMikfXRAM1iETaLFPE

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Bob Brown
Posted on October 17, 2012 at 11:16pm
Pres O is anti-woman.. Obamacare will not allow routine mammograms for age 40-49 then only every other year and then only to age 75. That is pure anti-woman. The cancer death rate will “necessarily rocket”

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Busplunge
Posted on October 17, 2012 at 9:01pm
You guys been punked. Billy Long’s been telling this story since 2010

“In a strange shift, Long goes from the never ending story shifted to Mitt Romney and a never ending story about hotels. Then he goes to the most polar opposite of Mitt Romney in the Republican party, Ron Paul. How does one go from praising Mitt Romney to praising Ron Paul in the same speech? These men are rivals in their own party.” h++p://longiswrong.blogspot.com/2010/05/billy-longs-never-ending-story-at.html

Didn’t Glenn Beck in January 2011 condemn Congressman Billy Long for abusing his powers and launching an FBI witch hunt of a blogger who simply disagreed with him.

Yeah, I thought so. h++p://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aO_0wRARKY

It’s only a little over 2 minutes long, surely your attention span can last two minutes.

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Busplunge
Posted on October 17, 2012 at 9:00pm
You guys been punked. Billy Long’s been telling this story since 2010

“In a strange shift, Long goes from the never ending story shifted to Mitt Romney and a never ending story about hotels. Then he goes to the most polar opposite of Mitt Romney in the Republican party, Ron Paul. How does one go from praising Mitt Romney to praising Ron Paul in the same speech? These men are rivals in their own party.” http://longiswrong.blogspot.com/2010/05/billy-longs-never-ending-story-at.html

Didn’t Glenn Beck in January 2011 condemn Congressman Billy Long for abusing his powers and launching an FBI witch hunt of a blogger who simply disagreed with him.

Yeah, I thought so. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aO_0wRARKY

It’s only a little over 2 minutes long, surely your attention span can last two minutes.

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olliehop
Posted on October 17, 2012 at 8:15pm
Romney, looks at the books and applies common sense solution.
President Obama ‘focuses like a laser beam’ and nothing happens

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DOra Glasberg
Posted on October 17, 2012 at 5:55pm
He HAD Todd Akin on his bus?
Was it a legitimate rape?

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- Detroit paperboy
  Posted on October 17, 2012 at 7:05pm
  Dora, did you not get your foodstamps this month, please use your Obama phone to contact your local welfare office…..thanks.
  
  Report this comment
- DOra Glasberg
  Posted on October 17, 2012 at 9:03pm
  Bush started the phone program.
  But calling that dolt is not high on my do do list
  
  Report this comment
- TEA4Me
  Posted on October 18, 2012 at 11:02am
  Dora, don’t use Liberal talking points as “research.” The phone program goes back to the Telecommunications Act of 1996 under BILL CLINTON!!! Still, the point is, it has been most widely PROMOTED (obamaphone.net) by Obama, just like other government programs such as Food Stamps are actually being PROMOTED through community advertisement in a concerted effort to sign up MORE people!!! Perhaps another of your liberal hero’s (Clinton) started the program, but OBAMA is the one who blew it out! And either way, BUSH didn’t start it.
  
  Report this comment
DOra Glasberg
Posted on October 17, 2012 at 5:49pm
Hey fatso HOW will it unravel.
You sound like Romney and Ryan.
All bluster and NO DETAILS.

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DOra Glasberg
Posted on October 17, 2012 at 5:47pm
Long story short?
Don’t ya mean Long story FAT?

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DOra Glasberg
Posted on October 17, 2012 at 5:46pm
This guy makes Candy Crowley look anorexic.

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- loriann12
  Posted on October 17, 2012 at 6:13pm
  You must be a leftie….have an obsession with weight?
  
  Report this comment
- DOra Glasberg
  Posted on October 17, 2012 at 9:04pm
  A lefty?
  How read some of the other blog posts.
  
  Report this comment
Anadara
Posted on October 17, 2012 at 5:03pm
Contributions from Gov workers and Gov unions, have given 4 times more than Romney’s highest corporate donor (~2M vice ~500K). If Romney chooses to look at the books them I’m sure that there will be a lot of nervous Gov workers. … Go get ‘em, Mitt!

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kmltmpx6
Posted on October 17, 2012 at 5:02pm
I want the country I took for granted back, my family is 110% behind Mitt Romney.
I will not take her for granted again. Thank you Mitt for offering to help us. Lets help him by also electing conservative senators and representatives to help make his job easier. And continue to pray.

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trueblueday
Posted on October 17, 2012 at 3:10pm
Bet if Romney gets his hands on the books of this crooked administration, he’ll have a hemorrhage.

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ReaganBaby
Posted on October 17, 2012 at 2:20pm
Romney is a mechanic, Øbama looks so foolish next to him. November 6th can’t come sooner.

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- DarkJello
  Posted on October 17, 2012 at 2:30pm
  Obama looks worn out, even though he did have pep last night.
  
  Sure he lied, but it was with flare and creativity. The dems are excited again.
  
  LMBO!!
  
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- The_Jerk
  Posted on October 17, 2012 at 3:09pm
  Long, like his predecessor, Blunt, can not be trusted, but both are better than McCaskill.
  
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JimL
Posted on October 17, 2012 at 2:15pm
The Affordable health care act to become a perennial wedge issue: Obamacare for Romneycare? Open the charity operated school/ hospital then close then open? No thanks!

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- SocialistSlayer
  Posted on October 17, 2012 at 3:14pm
  Call it what it really is the obama Health care tax !
  
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Irememberamerica
Posted on October 17, 2012 at 1:56pm
There it is, “Let me look at the books.”

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Chromo200
Posted on October 17, 2012 at 1:55pm
I wonder if the Romney camp comes to this site and reads the comments. Many of them are great comments that could help him. Romney needs to play on his strength that he took failing companies and made them profitable while Obama has only depended on the natural slow improvement in the economy. Heck spending billions of dollars some of it will some good.

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- Anonymous T. Irrelevant
  Posted on October 17, 2012 at 2:12pm
  Romney should have asked Obama, when Obama was trying to lecture Romney on taxes, he should have asked him, “who, in this room, has an MBA? Who has turned businesses around for 25 years? Who has started a company? Who spent most of their life in private sector business?”
  THAT, would have shut the clown-king up once and for all AND had made a good sound bite.
  
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- DOra Glasberg
  Posted on October 17, 2012 at 9:07pm
  Romney and Bain DO NOT turn businesses around, They “harvest’ them. As Mitt said in a filmed speech.
  Do some reading.
  
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Dismayed Veteran
Posted on October 17, 2012 at 1:51pm
Looking at the books is usually the first thing a new leader in the business does. If you understand the financial system, you can understand the entire system. Efficiency decisions then become effective decisions. I am glad we will have a talented business executive as POTUS. We need the language and practice of business in our government.

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godlovinmom
Posted on October 17, 2012 at 1:49pm
Although I did not support Mr. Romney in the primaries…I do now…and listening to these kinds of stories and the family that Paul Ryan mentioned…come to find out that the Romneys spent their christmas eve to spend time with a family that had a horrible accident involving their children…the Romney’s brought gifts and electronic devices to help this family…to me that says alot…a child of God actually living what they believe…refreshing!…actually it’s pretty refreshing to hear a politician talk about their faith in God period :)

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honor007
Posted on October 17, 2012 at 1:36pm
He said, ‘Bring me every agency, I want to look at the books.’

That right there is what we need in this Country. I love that every time I hear a story of him helping his first action is to look at the books!! what a concept?

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woodyee
Posted on October 17, 2012 at 1:36pm
I don’t want to wait for Gaybamacare to “wither away”. It must be stopped before it becomes a malignancy upon our taxpayers, stuck with it from birth until death, like Social Security, Welfare and Medicare…

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Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on October 17, 2012 at 1:24pm
ObamaCare may come apart due to it being ‘fundamentally flawed’ yet by the time it does, the nation may be truly finished off if Obama gets a second term.

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- JimL
  Posted on October 17, 2012 at 1:33pm
  Who is suggesting this purple path?
  
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- darkknight91
  Posted on October 17, 2012 at 3:55pm
  Obamacare will just continue to be propped up with money no matter how flawed it is. Just like every other government Ponzi scheme.
  
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- JimL
  Posted on October 17, 2012 at 4:15pm
  Romney to fix the progressive train wreck by placing the little trotsky engine that could back on the track? Is there a horseshoe curve ahead?
  
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JimL
Posted on October 17, 2012 at 1:20pm
This Rep supports who?

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mcsledge
Posted on October 17, 2012 at 1:18pm
The is a great misunderstanding amongst Americans. A CEO knows how to pinch a penny just as well as a family on a budget. Although their resources area exponentially greater, CEOs (and business owners alike) seek to maximize profits while minimizing costs.

You don’t get successful by selling a lot and spending a lot. You get successful by selling a lot and spending only what you need to. Obama just doesn’t get it. But would you expect anything more from a community organizer.

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