Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, the rising conservative star who sued the federal government over health care reform, told audience members at the Federalist Society’s National Lawyers Convention yesterday that if the government is allowed force everyone to buy health care, forced gym memberships could be next.
“It is not about health insurance, it is about liberty,” Cuccinelli said. He said that if the government could force citizens to buy health care, a gym membership or even the forced purchase of a car could be next, since jobs are needed in Detroit.
“I own a Chevy Equinox. You don’t want to own a Chevy Equinox,” Cuccinelli said.
He also said that the government’s biggest hurdle in the suit against health care reform, which was filed in the Eastern District of Virginia known to lawyers as the “rocket docket,” was the dictionary.
“They call it the penalty in the bill, but [say] there’s nothing punitive about it,” said Cuccinelli.
He also rebuffed the idea — put forth by other members of the panel — that conservatives should be careful about how much power judges should exert, even if it is in their favor, because of concerns about judicial activism.
“Of course liberals respect judicial restraint now that the courts have given them everything they couldn’t get through the legislative process,” Cuccinelli said.
Ryan J. Reilly
Ryan J. Reilly is a D.C.-based reporter for TPM. Prior to joining TPM, he worked for a news website covering the Justice Department and was a researcher for Bloomberg News. His email address is ryan(at)talkingpointsmemo.com.
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