Friday, June 29, 2012

It's All Up to the Voters Now

Before anyone had time to even read Thursday's lengthy Supreme Court decision narrowly approving the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, the passions and furies of the losing side were unleashed.
One quick consensus, expressed by both liberals and conservatives, was that by upholding Obamacare’s controversial individual mandate on a 5-4 margin -- but only on the grounds that it fell under Congress’ power to tax -- Chief Justice John Roberts and the court’s four-member liberal bloc had handed Republicans a weapon they can use from now until November.
“So Obamacare,” Rush Limbaugh nudged his audience, “is nothing more than the largest tax increase in the history of the world.”
“John Roberts is an evil genius,” lamented liberal Cardozo Law School instructor Robert E. Malchman.
And in a hastily called press conference a few blocks from the Supreme Court building, the Republican Party’s presidential nominee broke it down to its campaign trail essence: “If we want to get rid of Obamacare,” Mitt Romney said, “we’re going to have to replace President Obama.”
Yet winning is almost always better than losing. And so it is with Thursday’s Supreme Court decision. This was a much-needed political victory for Obama. The high court not only saved his signature domestic policy achievement, but it snapped the string of bad news the president has experienced over the last few weeks.
In White House remarks shortly after the court’s ruling, a clearly pleased president declared the decision “a victory for people all over this country whose lives will be more secure because of this law and the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold it.”

Read more: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2012/06/29/on_health_care_its_all_up_to_the_voters_now_114653.html

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