Dan Gelber sat upright in his chair, listening to Holly Benson. The Republican Attorney General candidate was explaining why she supports the lawsuit filed by the current AG, Bill McCollum, challenging the federal government’s mandate that every citizen must buy health care insurance when the law goes into effect in 2014.
Benson told the 50 or so people in attendance at the Tampa forum that the bill was clearly unconstitutional, violating the Commerce Clause and specifically the 10th Amendment. The moderator at the debate asked if any of the other candidates cared to respond.
Gelber stood quickly, grabbed his microphone, and said he would. “You’re wrong!” he bellowed, staring down at Benson and getting a cheer from the decidedly liberal audience. But he was just getting started.
This article appears in Jul 29 – Aug 4, 2010.