“Romney, so we can have more like John Roberts on the Supreme Court.”
No! No! We need more TRUE conservatives like George W Bush, so we can have more like John Roberts on the Supreme Court. :/
John Roberts was as well vetted as any “conservative’ justice could have been. He had a long relationship with the Federalist Society and liberals were opposed to his nomination based on his record.
His actions last week were surprising and disappointing and could not have been predicted.
We will never know why he ruled as he did.
Maybe, because of his history of epilepsy, he let his emotional sympathy for those with pre-existing conditions trump his fealty to the Constitution and just did NOT want to throw out the whole law.. despite the mandate being unconstitutional under the commerce clause?
Maybe he mistook bleating from the left wing press as reflecting real public opinion and didn’t want to hurt the court’s standing with the public and allowed himself to be swayed?
Maybe his epilepsy drugs affected his thinking?
Maybe he has nasty skeletons in his closet and was blackmailed?
We will never know.
It would have been nice to have this behind us, but we just has to deal with the situation as it is.
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.
His decision also gave us some gifts.
1. A fired up conservative base. Romney raised over 5 million dollars in small donations in the 24 hours following the decision. Since the only way to defeat Obamacare is now to rally behind Romney.. there is no longer any logical reason for NOT getting on board. The stakes are too high. This could be a repeat of 2010!
2. For the first time in 75 years, the SCOTUS has put limits on the expansion of government powers under the commerce clause. Left wing jurists are NOT happy over this. What’s more, it was the opinion of a majority of 5 of the 9 justices in this case..and is now legal precedent!
3. The refusal to allow the government to penalize, monetarily, states that refuse to expand their Medicaid eligibility requierements under this law is ALSO a first.. that could come back to haunt big govt types that use the federal government’s power of the purse to blackmail state governments. It places many federal govt programs that cut off funds for state noncompliance in legal question..Again, ANOTHER precedent that is giving pro-big government left wing jurists nightmares.
4. Obamacare is STILL unpopular..and Roberts has now indelibly branded the mandate in the public’s mind as a TAX..a HUGE tax.. making Obama AND the Democrats in Congress who pretended that it wasn’t a tax..as liars who deceived the American people. and pulled a shell game. It also now has Obama breaking his promise NOT to tax those making less than $250,000 a year; it will actually impact the POOR! This a HUGE bludgeon with which to bloody Obama.. and we aren’t waiting around to take advanage of it! Americans for Prosperity, a conservative super-PAC, has already taken out a 9 million dollar media buy in swing states to point this out.
5. MOST American voters oppose this law. Romney and the Republcians have promised to repeal it. Obama and the Democrats defend it. Not a good place to be if you are an incumbent running in an election year. This will not only affect the Presidential race.. but all races down ticket. Can you say..GOP US Senate?
All in all... a short term victory lap for Obama and the Dems , but potentially a huge victory for the GOP both in November.. and long term in terms of some of the legal precedents set... IF we are aggressive, don’t let up thepressure and take full advantage of it!
John Roberts was as well vetted as any “conservative’ justice could have been. He had a long relationship with the Federalist Society and liberals were opposed to his nomination based on his record.
His actions last week were surprising and disappointing and could not have been predicted.
We will never know why he ruled as he did.
Maybe, because of his history of epilepsy, he let his emotional sympathy for those with pre-existing conditions trump his fealty to the Constitution and just did NOT want to throw out the whole law.. despite the mandate being unconstitutional under the commerce clause?
Maybe he mistook bleating from the left wing press as reflecting real public opinion and didn’t want to hurt the court’s standing with the public and allowed himself to be swayed?
Maybe his epilepsy drugs affected his thinking?
Maybe he has nasty skeletons in his closet and was blackmailed?
We will never know.
It would have been nice to have this behind us, but we just has to deal with the situation as it is.
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.
His decision also gave us some gifts.
1. A fired up conservative base. Romney raised over 5 million dollars in small donations in the 24 hours following the decision. Since the only way to defeat Obamacare is now to rally behind Romney.. there is no longer any logical reason for NOT getting on board. The stakes are too high. This could be a repeat of 2010!
2. For the first time in 75 years, the SCOTUS has put limits on the expansion of government powers under the commerce clause. Left wing jurists are NOT happy over this. What’s more, it was the opinion of a majority of 5 of the 9 justices in this case..and is now legal precedent!
3. The refusal to allow the government to penalize, monetarily, states that refuse to expand their Medicaid eligibility requierements under this law is ALSO a first.. that could come back to haunt big govt types that use the federal government’s power of the purse to blackmail state governments. It places many federal govt programs that cut off funds for state noncompliance in legal question..Again, ANOTHER precedent that is giving pro-big government left wing jurists nightmares.
4. Obamacare is STILL unpopular..and Roberts has now indelibly branded the mandate in the public’s mind as a TAX..a HUGE tax.. making Obama AND the Democrats in Congress who pretended that it wasn’t a tax..as liars who deceived the American people. and pulled a shell game. It also now has Obama breaking his promise NOT to tax those making less than $250,000 a year; it will actually impact the POOR! This a HUGE bludgeon with which to bloody Obama.. and we aren’t waiting around to take advanage of it! Americans for Prosperity, a conservative super-PAC, has already taken out a 9 million dollar media buy in swing states to point this out.
5. MOST American voters oppose this law. Romney and the Republcians have promised to repeal it. Obama and the Democrats defend it. Not a good place to be if you are an incumbent running in an election year. This will not only affect the Presidential race.. but all races down ticket. Can you say..GOP US Senate?
All in all... a short term victory lap for Obama and the Dems , but potentially a huge victory for the GOP both in November.. and long term in terms of some of the legal precedents set... IF we are aggressive, don’t let up thepressure and take full advantage of it!