ABC News forgets to mention that state AG's opposing health care reform are GOP

Written by Eric Boehlert

Published

Seems like a rather glaring oversight. In fact, the word “Republican” is never even mentioned.

Instead of noting that the 14 states that have indicated that will challenge the legality of health care reform are all red states, and that 13 of the 14 state attorney generals involved are Republican, ABC News depicts the partisan legal move as being distinctly non-partisan.

From ABC News:

The ink on President Obama's signature was barely dry when attorneys general in 14 states filed papers in federal court today challenging the constitutionality of the newly signed health care bill.

“We are convinced that this legislation is fundamentally flawed as a matter of constitutional law, that it exceeds the scope of proper constitutional authority of the federal government and tramples upon the rights and prerogatives of states and their citizens,” David Rivkin, Jr., an attorney representing 13 of the states, told ABC News.

The challenges to the legislation focus on the mandate that requires an individual to buy health insurance. The states are also worried about the extent to which the statute imposes a financial burden -- in resources and personnel -- on them.

Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum is leading the attack for 13 of the states and filed papers in the Northern District of Florida shortly after noon today.

See, states are simply concerned about the constitutionality of the new legislation. The fact that 92 percent of the state attorney generals who indicate they'll be involved in the lawsuits are Republican is of no interest to ABC, which fails to mention that salient fact.

UPDATED: Note this passage [emphasis added]:

“We simply cannot afford the things that are in this bill that we're mandated to do,” McCollum, who is running for governor of Florida, said at a press conference this afternoon. “It's not realistic. It's not hype, it's just very, very wrong.”

Gee, no politics in play here, right? ABC doesn't think so and doesn't even inform readers on which ticket McCollum, a former partisan GOP member of Congress, is running for the governor spot.