As you may know, our state’s Attorney General, Rob McKenna takes credit for co-founding the state attorneys general lawsuit against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
Apparently, McKenna lost control of the lawsuit, because he repeatedly claimed that he only wanted the “mandate” and the Medicaid provisions thrown out. Indeed, his own official web site claimed that, “This suit will not ‘overturn’ or ‘repeal’ the new health care reform legislation.”
His co-conspirators colleagues saw it differently. The lawsuit ended up asking the courts to strike down the entire law.
So…remember a couple of Thursdays ago when the Supreme Court found the PPACA “mandate” constitutional? That very day, McKenna gave a press conference in has capacity as Attorney General and as one of the instigators of the ill-fated lawsuit against PPACA. Here is a excerpt from the Q&A (video here):
Jim Brunner: Do you support Congress repealing this law […]?
Rob McKenna: This law is not going to be repealed…
Jim Bruner: Do you support it being repealed?
Rob McKenna: No. There are a number of provisions in this law that ought to be maintained.
Okay…he had to be asked a second time when he tried giving a non-answer the first time, but…pretty clear answer, no?
Yesterday, McKenna further “clarified” his position when speaking before Chamber of Commerce in Yakima :
…McKenna said the reports were a misinterpretation by “Seattle media” and that his position on the Affordable Care Act hasn’t changed.
“I wish I had been better prepared with a better articulated response than the one I gave at the press conference,” McKenna told the luncheon audience after an attendee accused him of changing his stance. “Frankly I didn’t think we were going to lose so I wasn’t ready for that question.”
McKenna insisted he was only asked whether Congress would go forward with repealing the act, not whether he thinks it should be repealed.
Huh. The media clearly reported that McKenna didn’t want Congress to repeal the PPACA. So…um, now, under criticism on the other side of the Mountains, McKenna claims the “Seattle Media” misinterpreted him? So…he is suggesting to a more conservative audience that he believes it should be repealed?
So…to further “clarify” exactly how McKenna feels, his campaign manager, Randy Peeple points out:
…McKenna’s position has not changed and that his [forthcoming] op-ed will not be calling for repeal of the health-care law. Instead, he said McKenna will more fully lay out the parts of the law he still has concerns with and how he’d responsibly approach them as governor.
McKenna has continued to warn about the expense of the law’s Medicaid expansion and has said its individual mandate is problematic despite the court’s ruling. (At his June 28 news conference, however, McKenna said the mandate should remain in place “for now” because it is so closely tied to key positive parts of the health-care law.)
So…the “mandate” is problematic (East) but he wants it to remain in place (West).
Come on. He’s just fucking with everyone now!
yd spews:
Yes and my whole family is voting for McKenna! We need a BIG CHANGE in this state. Take a look at Texas! Top State for Business 2012
http://www.cnbc.com/id/47818860
No Income Tax, No Owebamacare (and there will not be) Business friendly!
MikeBoyScout spews:
BREAKING – Republican candidate is a bald gave liar in Washington state race for governor.
HappyHeathen spews:
We should vote for Scott McKenna so we can be more like Texas. First in poverty, last in health care. Something about a large pool of below minimum wage workers to suck in businesses. Benefits…………don’t even ask. Yeah, we should be more like Texas.
yd spews:
Oh please talk to me about Poverty, 6 trillion pissed away could have solved poverty, but no, Owebamma IS THE WELFARE PRESIDENT. the rich are leaving the country, 1700 plus Billionaires and Millionaires turned in their American citizenship to aviod this idiot’s tax plan, which by the way would only fund government for 1 week! One stinking week. It’s not a taxing problem, it’s a spending problem!
Michael spews:
What yd said:
What the news actually said:
Richard Pope spews:
Governor Rick Perry of Texas is absolutely brilliant. He wants to turn down the Obamacare expansion of Medicaid — which would cover all poor people making less than 138% of the poverty level — even though the federal government would be paying 100% of the costs of this expansion.
yd spews:
[Deleted — see HA Comment Policy]
yd spews:
[Deleted — see HA Comment Policy]
yd spews:
[Deleted — see HA Comment Policy]
yd spews:
And if you think your government job and pension is safe – See Scranton or dang near any large city in Liberal California.
Say Bye Bye to these massive underfunded pensions
Lauramae spews:
I suppose it is helpful to get a bit of insight into the kind of world people like YD think they live in…
Yes, have pity for the victimized rich people. They need the uninsured! They love having poor people! Any sense of patriotism (you know, like compassion and care about your fellow citizens) is unimportant and should be eschewed. So what if people die because insurance companies are heartless and strictly bottom-lined focused! That’s the capitalist way! Freedom isn’t for the little people. Freedom is only for the rich people.
rhp6033 spews:
YD is holding up Denise Rich as an example???? She and her former husband have been avoiding (evading) taxes for decades through off-shore investments, etc. She considers herself an “International VIP”, not subject to the laws of mere nations. She wrote a few songs back in the day, but otherwise hasn’t done a thing to create American jobs.
If she wants to renounce U.S. citizenship, then I say good riddance. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out. But when Somali pirates take over your yacht, don’t expect the U.S. Navy to lift a finger on your behalf.
Darryl spews:
yd,
Your four most recent comments do not belong in this comment thread. Take ’em to an open thread (the DL comment thread would suffice).
Other folks…PLEASE don’t respond to off topic comments these threads!
Liberal Scientist is a a dirty fucking hippie spews:
Cupcake McKenna is a fairly transparent dishonest political hack. He has cultivated the appearance of a wonky, moderate-to-right, competent technocrat, and this has worked for him up to now.
I don’t know if it’s the increased scrutiny just illuminating him better, or if something is provoking him to come out of his shell and reveal who he really is. Perhaps he knows that the unusual favorables in the Puget Sound area can’t last and he is pivoting to his natural, more Eastern Washington constituency.
Whatever. Inslee needs to hang this and contemporary Republicanism around his neck like an albatross.
Harry Poon spews:
To be politically realistic, McKenna is going to look like Barney Fife in a televised debate.
Gman spews:
@4 – get your facts straight. 6 trillion – overstated. Secondly, where did most of this debt come from? Try GWB, you patron saint monkey.
Roger Rabbit spews:
What? The individual mandate will survive in Washington even if McKenna becomes governor?
Looks like Robbie is fixing to backstab the Tea Partiers he pandered to when he filed the lawsuit.
Roger Rabbit spews:
What? The individual mandate will survive in Washington even if McKenna becomes governor?
Looks like Robbie is fixing to backstab the Tea Partiers he pandered to when he filed the lawsuit.
Roger Rabbit spews:
Robbie McKenna = Another Republican that conservatives can’t trust.
Rujax!...if there's bigger liars than then the cereal clownservative and the puddypussy...I've yet to meet them. spews:
Only ignorant fucking crap heads like you and your family will vote for the lying moron McKenna.
The guy is a perfect complement to the “Man Who Doth Flip-Flop Too Much”.
It’s the new Rethuglicant playbook:
“If I say NOTHING I’ll be held accountable for just that.”
Deniable Accountability…the new core Rethuglicant Principle.
Nice!
rhp6033 spews:
# 15: I wouldn’t take him that lightly. He’s debated in court quite a few times, and won as well. While a political debate is different from lawyers debating in court, he’s not going to be a pushover. He does, however, has his weaknesses, and forcing him into specifics would be fun. It will be interesting to see if the debate format allows that to happen – I’m sure McKenna will fight hard for a formula where each side simply recites their position papers, with little opportunity to push further, so he can remain as vague as he wishes to be.
I’m still waiting for Romney to claim he’s a “compasionate conservative”, not realizing that dog won’t hunt any more.
Paul Watson is a liar, thief, all around douchebag piece of shit who needs to go down with his ship spews:
Wow…yet another hit piece McKenna..
the screams of agony will be thunderous here at HA when Mckenna wins….
Darryl spews:
…Liar, thief… @ 22,
Wow…yet another hit piece McKenna..
Hit piece? Hit piece!?!
What the fuck are you talking about? We’re just doing our civic duty in helping McKenna to clarify his position.
“the screams of agony will be thunderous here at HA when Mckenna wins….”
Oh…yes. In our angst, we’ll probably be compelled to join, en masse, the Nutbergers escaping Obamacare by fleeing to Canada….
don spews:
According to taxfoundation.org, Washington ranks 7th, ahead of Texas in 9th as a better place in which to do business. Texas citizens also pay more in property taxes than they do in Washington.
http://taxfoundation.org/artic.....mate-index
Paul Watson is a liar, thief, all around douchebag piece of shit who needs to go down with his ship spews:
I wonder where your civic duty was during the tenure of queen christine?
conveniently lost it, eh?
go right ahead and ship out towards canada – makes no difference to me.
Darryl spews:
…liar, thief… @ 25
“I wonder where your civic duty was during the tenure of queen christine?
conveniently lost it, eh?”
I’ve been blogging for just about her entire two terms (started doing guest statistical analyses during the election contest right here at HA).
But so far, I’ve not found Gregoire to have an amorphous position on ObamneyCare. Nevertheless, I do remain vigilant…just in case.
yd spews:
20
Only ignorant fucking crap heads like you and your family will vote for the lying moron McKenna
Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha
And more than half of this states ignorant fucking crap heads me and my family will vote for the lying moron McKenna it seems is more the case!
yd spews:
[Deleted — off topic, see HA Comment Policy]