June 14, 2011 4:30PM 

# Why Is Virginia Gov. Robert McDonnell Implementing ObamaCare? 

By [Michael F. Cannon](https://www.cato.org/people/michael-f-cannon) 

---

<a class="js-popover-trigger cursor-pointer popover-trigger" data-bs-placement="bottom" data-bs-trigger="click" id="popover-trigger"> 

SHARE 

</a> 

I ask this question in today’s *[Richmond Times-Dispatch](http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/rtd-opinion/2011/jun/14/TDOPIN02-cannon-just-say-no-to-implementing-obamac-ar-1106048/)*:

> Virginia Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell…says [Obamacare](www.cato.org/bad-medicine) is unconstitutional and therefore illegitimate. Yet he has created a state commission to study whether Virginia should implement an illegitimate law. Since the answer does not appear self-evident to commonwealth officials, let’s walk through the reasons Richmond should refuse to create any new health-care bureaucracies.

Didn’t this guy take an [oath](http://legis.state.va.us/Laws/search/Constitution.htm) to support the U.S. Constitution?

##### Related Tags 

[Government and Politics](https://www.cato.org/government-politics), [Health Care](https://www.cato.org/health-care) 

[![Creative Commons License](/build/cato_2020/images/creative-commons.svg)](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) 
This work is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).