Yesterday, Democrat Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster (D-MO) broke with his party, and urged a federal judge to invalidate ObamaCare’s onerous individual mandate – reminding voters of U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill’s (D-MO) long-standing support for the mandate, including her assertion that those who oppose it are “dumb.”

Not only did McCaskill help her Washington party bosses ram ObamaCare into law, she voted specifically to defeat an amendment that would have removed the individual mandate from the bill. And McCaskill repeatedly insisted that ObamaCare and its individual mandate – which 72 percent of Missouri voters rejected at the polls last year – was constitutional.

But McCaskill didn’t stop there – she even went so far as to call those who oppose her individual mandate “frankly kind of dumb,” leading the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) to ask – does Claire McCaskill think Attorney General Koster is “dumb?”

“In her own words, Senator McCaskill said she thinks those who oppose the individual mandate are ‘dumb’ – so does she think her fellow Democrat, Attorney General Koster, is dumb now that he has broken with her on this crucial issue?” asked NRSC spokesman Chris Bond today.

Notably, in the face of this constitutional challenge by her fellow Democrat, it appears McCaskill is trying to back away from her long-held support for the individual mandate, saying through her office that “the constitutionality of the law is up to the courts,” according to the St. Louis Beacon. Clearly, McCaskill’s new posture on this matter does not square with her long-held support for the mandate – including her repeated defense of its constitutionality. 

“Ever since she helped her Washington party bosses ram ObamaCare into law, McCaskill has insisted the mandate is constitutional – but now that her fellow Missouri Democrat is breaking with her, she apparently wants to distance herself from her own record,” Bond continued. “One thing is certain – Missourians are not going to buy into McCaskill’s flip-flopping and election-cycle posturing.”

Background Information:

McCaskill: “I can assure you that I would only support the bill if I believed it to be constitutional, and all indications say that it is.” (Springfield News-Leader, “How can government require people to buy health insurance,” 12/16/09)

McCaskill Said Those Who Oppose Individual Mandate Are “Dumb.” “The notion that some legislators want to opt out of all the health care reforms, that seems pretty premature and frankly kind of dumb,” said Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) yesterday in a conference call with reporters. “They want to opt Missouri out of something they don’t know what it is. “I think we are going to pass a health care bill, and the sky will not fall,” McCaskill added. “Health care costs will come down, and it’s going to be better..” Cunningham’s party is opposing changes. At the heart of the debate are mandates requiring everyone to have insurance, requiring employers to offer insurance to their workers and requiring insurance companies to cover people regardless of pre-existing medical conditions. (Columbia Daily Tribune, State senator proposes insurance opt-out ; McCaskill pans idea, calling it premature, 12/10/09) 

McCaskill Voted To Kill An Amendment That Would Have Removed The Individual Mandate From The Health Care Bill. “Baucus, D-Mont., motion to table (kill) the Ensign, R-Nev. amendment no. 3710 that would repeal provisions of the 2010 health care overhaul law that provide for IRS penalties for certain taxpayers that do not obtain basic health insurance coverage.” (H.R. 4872, CQ Vote #101: Motion agreed to 58-40: R 0-40; D 56-0; I 2-0, 3/25/10, McCaskill Voted Yea)