Healthcare Summit

[XtremeJibber2001]

Scott Matheson Jr.

That is all

[Coydog]

Scott Matheson Jr.

That is all

The BLT
…

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), a former chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released this statement on Matheson's nomination: “I’m pleased President Obama has nominated Scott Matheson to fill the vacancy on the Tenth Circuit. I’ve known Scott a long time and he is a capable, bright attorney whose experience has prepared him for judicial service. The Matheson family has had a significant impact on Utah and can rightly be proud of Scott’s nomination.”

[JerseyGuy]

Scott Matheson Jr.

That is all

The BLT
…

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), a former chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released this statement on Matheson's nomination: “I’m pleased President Obama has nominated Scott Matheson to fill the vacancy on the Tenth Circuit. I’ve known Scott a long time and he is a capable, bright attorney whose experience has prepared him for judicial service. The Matheson family has had a significant impact on Utah and can rightly be proud of Scott’s nomination.”

Sounds like a huge conspiracy to me. That Obama and Hatch, always scheming together...

[XtremeJibber2001]

Scott Matheson Jr.

That is all

The BLT
…

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), a former chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released this statement on Matheson's nomination: “I’m pleased President Obama has nominated Scott Matheson to fill the vacancy on the Tenth Circuit. I’ve known Scott a long time and he is a capable, bright attorney whose experience has prepared him for judicial service. The Matheson family has had a significant impact on Utah and can rightly be proud of Scott’s nomination.”

So it's okay if Orrin Hatch says so? I don't care what Orrin says - it still wreaks of ethical issues to me.

[Coydog]

You, the conservative blogosphere and Faux News. The rest of the galaxy seems to think the fellow is extremely well qualified.

Salt Lake Tribune, 3/4/2020

The White House had barely announced its appointment of Utahn Scott Matheson Jr. to a federal appeals court when a conservative blog intimated the nomination was a bribe to win Matheson's congressman brother's vote for health care reform.

And then the allegation spread.

Without regard for the veracity of the claim, the blogosphere erupted into a fiery clatter that President Barack Obama was buying votes with judgeships that found its way into mainstream news outlets and eventually prompted a Republican congresswoman to call for an investigation.

Rep. Jim Matheson called the claim simply absurd, as did the White House, Sen. Orrin Hatch and pretty much everyone who knows the Mathesons.

"One person makes a blog entry, and it somehow filters in to where people are reporting it, but it is just absurd on its face. Anyone who knows me, I think knows that's the case," Jim Matheson said.

"It is an illustration of how people with a political agenda can very easily manipulate the media," he added. "A completely baseless statement is now being reported everywhere and I think that is unfortunate."

The Weekly Standard , without citing any evidence, first posed the question of whether it was vote buying on its blog, which led to a link from the conservative news aggregator, the Drudge Report. Rep. Michelle Bachmann, R-Minn., chimed in by asking for an investigation.

On Thursday afternoon, a Fox News reporter asked about it at the daily White House briefing.

Press Secretary Robert Gibbs dismissed it out of hand.

"I think based on Mr. Matheson's [American Bar Association] rating, based on Mr. Matheson's long legal resume, and based on the support he has from somebody important like Orrin Hatch, who has agreed to help shepherd his nomination through the Senate, I think it's a pretty silly argument," Gibbs said.

Rep. Matheson, who attended a White House reception with the president Wednesday night, noted that the president praised his brother when the two chatted but didn't once ask him to back health care. But that didn't stop the rumor mill from bouncing the allegation to sites like RedState, Politico and others, including The Wall Street Journal .

Never let the truth get in the way of a good blog post, quipped Rich Hanley, an assistant professor of journalism at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut.

"Blogs don't work with sober analysis and the give and take within the given subject that you would normally see, in the mainstream press," Hanley said. "An appointment like this will be interpreted as nefarious and evil because that's our discourse today."

Hatch said he knew Scott Matheson was going to be the nominee more than a month ago and disputes any idea that Obama was trying to get a vote for the nomination.

"I can assure you [of] that," Hatch said. "I don't think Jim would change because of it anyway."

Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, questioned the timing of the nomination, coming as the White House makes an earnest press for action on health care, but Chaffetz says he still finds it hard to believe Obama was trying to buy Matheson's vote.

"It should be crystal clear that Scott Matheson is imminently qualified, and I applaud the president for appointing him," Chaffetz said. "The timing, I can see why it raises eyebrows. [But] I find it hard to believe. I see no evidence" of vote buying.

Utah Republican Party Chairman Dave Hansen noted how "coincidental" the appointment was on his Facebook page but when questioned about it said he really just thinks the timing is odd.

"Yes, he is qualified, but there are a lot of qualified people in this town," Hansen said in an interview. "The timing, it looks a little funny."

Kirk Jowers, director of the University of Utah's Hinckley Institute of Politics, also says Obama should have named Scott Matheson to the judge seat months ago but doesn't buy an ounce of the conspiracy theory.

"I have no sympathy for any rumors of vote buying with Representative Matheson on his brother," said Jowers. "Scott Matheson was the consensus choice months ago."

[XtremeJibber2001]

You, the conservative blogosphere and Faux News. The rest of the galaxy seems to think the fellow is extremely well qualified.

Who cares? Did I say he isn't well qualified? It's a clear conflict of interest .....

[Coydog]

You, the conservative blogosphere and Faux News. The rest of the galaxy seems to think the fellow is extremely well qualified.

Who cares? Did I say he isn't well qualified? It's a clear conflict of interest .....

How so?

[XtremeJibber2001]

You, the conservative blogosphere and Faux News. The rest of the galaxy seems to think the fellow is extremely well qualified.

Who cares? Did I say he isn't well qualified? It's a clear conflict of interest .....

How so?

I think "conflict of interest" was not the right word choice, but it looks very suspicious.

[JerseyGuy]

You, the conservative blogosphere and Faux News. The rest of the galaxy seems to think the fellow is extremely well qualified.

Who cares? Did I say he isn't well qualified? It's a clear conflict of interest .....

How so?

I think "conflict of interest" was not the right word choice, but it looks very suspicious.

Wow... from "that is all" to "wreaks [sp] of ethical issues" to "clear conflict of interest" to "it looks very suspicious" in less than forty-hours.

On the plus side, you'd make a lousy member of the right-wing bloggerhaterati...

[XtremeJibber2001]

You, the conservative blogosphere and Faux News. The rest of the galaxy seems to think the fellow is extremely well qualified.

Who cares? Did I say he isn't well qualified? It's a clear conflict of interest .....

How so?

I think "conflict of interest" was not the right word choice, but it looks very suspicious.

Wow... from "that is all" to "wreaks [sp] of ethical issues" to "clear conflict of interest" to "it looks very suspicious" in less than forty-hours.

On the plus side, you'd make a lousy member of the right-wing bloggerhaterati...

Yup! I kinda feel like I'm Eric Holder ....

[Bubba]

The majority of Virginia's Democratic representatives voted for this along with the Republicans.


Va. OKs 1st bill banning mandated health coverage

Published: 3/10/10, 5:25 PM EDT

By BOB LEWIS

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Virginia's General Assembly became the first in the nation Wednesday to approve legislation that bucks any attempt by President Barack Obama and Congress to implement a national health care overhaul in individual states.

The Republican-ruled House of Delegates, with wide Democratic support, voted 80-17 without debate for the largely symbolic step aimed at the Democratic-backed reforms pushed by Obama and stalled in Congress. The vote sends the measure to Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell who intends to sign it.

Thirty-four other state legislatures have either filed or proposed similar measures - statutes or constitutional amendments - rejecting health insurance mandates, according to the American Legislative Exchange Council.

Obama carried Virginia in his historic ride to the presidency in 2008, the first Democrat to do so in a presidential race in 44 years. But since then, the tide has turned. Virginia's Republicans routed Democrats in last year's gubernatorial and legislative elections, partly because of public distrust of Democrats' proposed health care reforms.

GOP lawmakers expedited the bill and three others like it as a legislative statement reflecting broad voter discontent over the proposed reforms. Virginia's legislative session is, on average, the nation's briefest, and the bill passed four days ahead of Saturday's scheduled adjournment.

The legality of bills like Virginia's is questionable because courts generally rule that federal laws supersede those of the states.

The bill's sponsor, Del. Robert G. Marshall, R-Prince William, and other supporters advocated the measure as a defiant statement to an overreaching federal government. They say it falls under the Constitution's 10th Amendment that deals with state sovereignty. Marshall said he expects the law to be challenged and ultimately decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.

"There are limited powers the federal government has. Simply because of the supremacy clause, it doesn't mean anything that the Congress does, in fact, must be enforced at all levels of government in the United States," Marshall said in an interview after his bill won passage.

"It gives the state of Virginia the right to intervene on behalf of individuals should they decide not to pay for insurance and they refuse to pay the fine or they refuse to pay the fee or the tax or whatever you call it," he said.

Separate bills passed by the U.S. House and Senate would impose a penalty on people who don't have health insurance except in cases of financial hardship. The intent of the mandate is to expand the pool of people who are insured and paying premiums and thus offset the increased costs of insuring those with preexisting conditions or other risks.

More distressing for Virginia Democrats was that 21 of their 39 delegates in the 100-member House sided with the GOP in defying the initiative that is their party's national priority.

There was no immediate response to a telephone message seeking comment from former Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, now chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

DNC spokesman Alec Gerlach said Virginia's legislation only burdens middle-income families struggling to pay insurance premiums and medical bills, adding "they'll have to answer to those folks on election day."

One opponent of the bill likened its passage to Virginia's failed efforts to defy federal orders to desegregate public schools in the 1950s.

"It's a rejection of the federal role in the provision of health care and an extension of the old idea of interposition," said Del. James M. Scott, D-Fairfax. He was referring to a discredited legal theory that the state had a right to interpose itself to shield residents from some federal directives

[Coydog]

I wonder if they have mandated auto insurance in Virgina - or segregated schools?

[BadDog]

The majority of Virginia's Democratic representatives voted for this along with the Republicans.

Typical Confederates.

[Bubba]

The majority of Virginia's Democratic representatives voted for this along with the Republicans.

Typical Confederates.

Yep, Virginia voted for Obama. They must be rebels.

[Coydog]

The majority of Virginia's Democratic representatives voted for this along with the Republicans.

Typical Confederates.

Yep, Virginia voted for Obama. They must be rebels.

The people of Virgina voted for Obama, but apparently the legislators of Virginia feel those with health insurance should be forced to pay for those who choose not to get insurance.