Democrats Attack McCollum's Healthcare Challenge

Florida Democrats launched multiple attacks Thursday on Attorney General Bill McCollum's legal challenge of the new federal health care law, including a motion on the state Senate floor to prohibit his lawsuit as well as calls for a state audit of his office.

"Ideological escapade," "political frolic" and "silly, silly, silly game of theatrics" were among the phrases state and national Democrats hurled in accusing McCollum of using his office and taxpayers' money to further the Republican Party's agenda and his own political ambitions in his GOP bid for governor.

McCollum's campaign dismissed the attacks as political stunts, and Republican leaders in Tallahassee defended the lawsuit.

"His legal challenge, regarding the constitutionality of the federal government's health care legislation, falls within the duties and responsibilities of an officer sworn to uphold the State Constitution," Senate President Jeff Atwater, R-North Palm Beach, said in a statement. "I applaud Attorney General McCollum for his courage and commitment to protect Floridians' constitutional rights."

Minutes after President Barack Obama signed the health care package into law Tuesday, McCollum filed the federal suit alleging that reforms passed by the Democrat-controlled Congress are unconstitutional.

State Democratic legislative leaders Thursday asked for an auditor general investigation into whether McCollum is shirking his duties as the state's chief legal eagle by throwing his office's resources behind the lawsuit.

But both Atwater, who is running for chief financial officer, and House Speaker Larry Cretul, R-Ocala, rejected the Democrats' request.

Earlier Thursday, during discussion of a bill that McCollum supports, Sen. Dan Gelber, a Democrat running to replace him as attorney general, offered an amendment that would have barred the attorney general from using state money to hire outside lawyers to fight the federal health care law.

McCollum hired Washington lawyers David Rivkin and Lee Casey to help with the lawsuit. They work at McCollum's former law firm, Baker and Hostetler, and will be paid $250 an hour under a contract capped at $50,000.

Some of the other 12 attorneys general that have joined the lawsuit will share the costs, according to McCollum spokeswoman Ryan Wiggins, bringing Florida's share of the fees to about $30 an hour.

In what sounded like a campaign speech of his own, Gelber said McCollum was on a headline-grabbing "ideological escapade" and "political frolic" to boost his popularity.

"This is nothing other than a political fraud," Gelber, D-Miami Beach, said. "The question we should ask ourselves is why is the attorney general … on this political frolic whose only purpose is to simply get headlines? It is wrong."

The amendment failed along party lines, 24-12, with two senators from each party not voting.

"Pretty brazen accusation when the attorney general is charged under our constitution with protecting constitutional rights. I took it for what it was worth. Not a lot," Sen. John Thrasher, a former GOP House speaker from St. Augustine and chairman of the state Republican Party, said later.

U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the vice chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, also condemned the lawsuit Thursday in a telephone conference.

"This challenge to health care reform is nothing more than pure politics. It is a stunt to boost the attorney general's gubernatorial campaign and a waste of the taxpayer's money," Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston, said.

Wednesday, the Florida Democratic Party made a public records request of McCollum's office seeking any information about the contract with his former law firm, and Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, the Democratic candidate for governor, blasted McCollum for the no-bid contract.

"Bill McCollum is using our tax dollars to pay one of his old Washington lobbying colleagues who is now his lawyer for this frivolous lawsuit, proving once again that he will consistently play Washington politics and look out for his own interests, instead of the best interests of Floridians," Sink said in a campaign statement.

McCollum's campaign spokeswoman, Kristy Campbell, responded to the attacks with a written statement.

"Silly political antics by Democratic Attorney General candidates on the Senate chamber floor aside, a vote for the Democrats' amendment on the President's health care reform was a vote to support Washington's unconstitutional health care plan that will raise taxes, kill jobs and cut Medicare.