No doubt about it: with a dozen or so Republican State Attorney Generals taking aim at it, the Affordable Care Act is headed for the Supreme Court.
And no doubt about this: one sitting member of the court has a great big, fat conflict of interest.
Clarence Thomas is already in hot water because, last month, he neglected to mention his wife’s place of unemployment on his financial disclosure forms.
Maybe the reason he didn’t is because, until recently, Virginia Thomas was head of Liberty Central, a corporate-funded conservative think tank that pushed a right-wing agenda – including opposition to President Obama’s health care plan.
And now she’s left Liberty Central to form her own conservative lobbying shop, specializing in, again – guess what? – opposition to, and repeal of, President Obama’s health care plan.
See what I mean? This is simply no way Clarence Thomas can pretend to rule objectively on a case in which his wife is a major player and has a direct financial interest.
To avoid even the appearance of wrong, Thomas should immediately announce he will recuse himself from the health care debate.
If he refuses to act, Democrats in the Senate should immediately start impeachment hearings.
That’s my parting shot for today.
Yes, Clarence Thomas has every right to be hear this case. Clarence is not the person who is running a lobbying firm, his wife is. Democrats will not hold impeachment hearings as a response, because Justice Thomas does not deserve to be impeached.