Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell Agrees ObamaCare Is Unconstitutional, Explores Implementation Anyway

Let's say you're a state governor who is on record as saying that last year's health care overhaul is unconstitutional. Should you then also be spending taxpayer money exploring whether or not to implement the law in your state? If you're Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, that's exactly what you're doing. And the Cato Institute's Michael Cannon wants to know why. 

Comments

[rather]

I understood the refusing to expedite the case to the supreme court was part of the Obama strategy for the HC bill to be put through. Opponents have long argued that millions would be spent on preparation because they were required to get ready, and based their for a bypass for that very reason

[Cyto]

Ooh, lemmmie guess!

Is it because you have no expectation that the courts will enforce the constitution as written, preferring instead to find linguistic machinations that allow them to bend the law to fit "important policy implications"?

How'd I do!?! Did I win?

[David]

Exactly. Or variations thereof.

E.g. aside from thinking it's unconstitutional but might be upheld by the courts (risk management, plan for possible downside), one could also think that it is unconstitutional if forced, but legitimate for those states that choose to participate and one should at least consider whether to do so for that reason.

[Alan Vanneman]

Maybe McDonnell said ObamaCare was "unconstitutional" to satisfy the hysterical right-wing assholes in the Virginia Republican Party. Maybe, deep down, he thinks it's actually a good idea. Politicians sometimes lie! Who know?

[Mr. FIFY]

Or... maybe he said it because it's true, Alan?

[Barely Suppressed Rage]

You evidently are confused between a "good idea" and one that is constitutional.

And you also evidently have a strange and unfounded belief that anyone who expects Congress to actually adhere to the explicit limits on its power set forth in the Constitution is a "hysterical right-wing (Republican) asshole".

[mofo]

Maybe he setup his exploratory committee so that is assured of saying that implementing the law is going to be prohibitivly expensive.

[Virginia]

Yet he has created a state commission to study whether Virginia should implement an illegitimate law.

My guess is he's acting centrist for when he runs for president in 2016.

[Barely Suppressed Rage]

I note the article did not identify what commission Gov. McDonnell supposedly "created" to study this issue. Because I don't think he actually created a new commission for this. The Virginia Joint Commission on Health Care has been around since 1992 and it seems to me that this is right up its alley.

So McDonnell might have directed or asked the commission to study the implementation of Obamacare or something, but that certainly is not the same as "creating" a commission to make it happen.