By John Lyon
Arkansas News Bureau
LITTLE ROCK — About 200 people opposed to the new health care reform law gathered outside Gov. Mike Beebe’s office at the state Capitol today to protest Beebe’s decision not to challenge the law and ask him to change his mind.
The protesters stood or sat quietly for about an hour after delivering a letter asking Beebe to direct Attorney General Dustin McDaniel to join a multi-state lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the health care law, which expands Medicaid and requires almost all Americans to have health insurance.
Beebe has said he has concerns about the law resulting in increased Medicaid costs for the state, but he and McDaniel have not questioned the law’s constitutionality.
“They need to know that there’s a lot of people that feel very strongly not only about the health care bill but the direction of the country in general,” said Gunner DeLay, a Republican candidate for Arkansas’ 3rd District congressional seat. DeLay, who has called for acts of civil disobedience in resistance to the health care law, organized today’s protest with KARN radio host Dave Elswick.
“I don’t think they (the federal government) are following what the Constitution says,” said protester Linda Johnston of McRae. “I don’t believe they have the right to come in and order us what we have to do. I don’t think that they ought to tell us that we have to have part of this Obamacare.”
Beebe spokesman Matt DeCample said the governor read the protesters’ letter but did not change his position.
“He respects their right to get politically involved, but that doesn’t change the legal precedent in the matter, and what the attorney general has said, and the governor agrees with, is that all the precedent with the Supreme Court says that such a lawsuit would fail,” DeCample said.
Elswick said another protest is planned for the Fayetteville office of U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln on Thursday. More protests are likely, he said.
“We’ll keep doing this until we don’t have to,” said Elswick, who maintained he spoke for himself but acknowledged promoting the event on his radio show.
