We have shared opinions over time on FR threads and I do respect yours. For what it's worth, here's the support for mine ...
I believe that [Pirate] John Roberts twisted himself into a pretzel loop to 'justify' the horrible initial "0bamacare" decision only to avoid a second case in 12 years where the SCOTUS would have been accused of deciding a POTUS election. The left and the media in the country would have been outraged and would have gone apoplectic on an endless 24/7 (think Citizens United on steroids) spittle-flecked tirade against the SCOTUS and this would have had an impact on the coming POTUS election. And remember, this would have been before 0bamacare collapsed upon itself with website rollout and all of the other failures of the "trainwreck". All of these subsequent failures would have been blamed on the SCOTUS opinion, even if not true. That's what democRATS do.
It was quite clear that the opinion had originally been written as striking 0bamacare down completely and had to be hastily rewritten in order to revise the conclusion. Justices' Scalia and Thomas were clearly P.O.'d.
Now there is no POTUS election and there are plenty of reasons it is dead of its own making. Clearly the country doesn't want it and the November 2014 elections have proven it.
The SCOTUS will now in proper order, following the decision of 'We The People', put the final nail in the coffin of this lawless POS called 0bamacare.
I hope you’re right, and that the Dread Justice Roberts acquits himself this time.
MrB, with due respect, I think you are a prisoner of your own making. It is clear, as SOTC pointed out, that this decision was going the right way until a last second change - and that Scalia and Thomas were livid about it - and they still are.
Meanwhile, you should understand that these 9 people are not in a cave. They see election results. They see videos damning Obama Care by its own creators, they see public opinion.
It was the fear of public opinion that spooked Roberts (IMO) last time - that factor is totally different now. He may end up doing the wrong thing again, but to assume it because he did it the last time is to ignore a lot of changes on the ground.