Republican Hypocrisy in Florida

It's early voting time for the Republican primary here in Florida, and the hypocrisy is flying about fast and furious. According to a report on CNN, Romney is being attacked for alledgedly committing Medicare fraud by a pro-Gingrich super-PAC. This mud slinging is bad enough, but what really pushes it over the top is it's being voiced by former Florida state Attorney General Bill McCollum.

To fully understand why this is so hypocritical, especially for anyone associated with the Florida Republican establishment, you need to consider our current governor, Rick Scott. Before he moved to Florida to meet the absolute minimum residency requirements of seven years before running for governor of Florida, he was chairman and CEO of Columbia/HCA. He was forced to resign by the Columbia/HCA board of directors in 1997 when agents of the FBI, the IRS, and the Department of Health and Human Services served search warrants on Columbia/HCA facilities in El Paso as well a dozens of doctors affiliated with Columbia/HCA. As a result of the search warrants and following investigations, Columbia/HCA was charged with 14 felonies related to Medicare fraud, eventually paying over $600 million in fines, the largest fraud settlement in history.

That's right, we elected a real crook as governor of Florida.

And that's why absolutely nobody of this state's Republican political establishment, and I mean nobody, had better sling the accusation of Medicare fraud at anybody else. Not until Rick Scott stands up and tells the real truth about his involvement with Columbia/HCA during that period of time. As chairman and CEO he had ultimate responsibility, and should have had knowledge as to what was going on, and further, that what was happening was wrong. To say anything else shows either incompetence, gross unethical indifference, or both.

Oh. One other little thing. The early voting station had lots of Romney and Santorum signs, and a group of Romney supporters nearby, but not one shred of Gingrich signage anywhere. And I mean anywhere. Although I'm a Democrat, I hope that the Republicans Nuke the Newt this coming Tuesday.

Rick Scott via Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Scott