Bachmann: If health reform passes, Americans could sue

Rep. Michele Bachmann appeared on the air with talk radio host Chris Baker on Friday to speak out against health care reform. Bachmann said that if the House used the “self-executing route” to pass the Senate version — a tactic used many times by Republicans when they were the majority — then each American will “have standing to sue” over the health reform bill.

BAKER: Is there any point in which these people should be removed?

BACHMANN: Well, you’re right. It’s as though the people’s representatives are irrelevant because they want what they want and that has more in common with Chavez in Venezuela than it does with the way that we do business here in the United States. Yes, what, I believe, what could happen is if they decide to go down this very bad road, pass a rule that says that we’re just going to pretend that the bill is already passed, if they do that then American citizens have standing to sue against this bill because everyone will be negatively impacted because of the bill. It will impose the mandates, it will jack up everyone’s insurance premiums and taxes. So people would have the right to sue. So you will see, you’ll see scores of people filing lawsuits against this and it will be just tied up in knots. I mean, we’ve had nothing but division and disruption and frustration and it’s just been chaos here in Washington, DC.

Bachmann repeated her assertion that Democratic leaders are like Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez at the Kill the Bill Rally the next day.

ThinkProgress has the full transcript of Baker and Bachmann’s exchange.