The Supreme Court Waiting Game: Defiance, Politicking, and ’80s Playlist
Over on the lawn outside the Senate, Democrats were giving a less musical defense of the health-care law as Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) milled with a few others nearby while curious tourists streamed past.
“Opponents are basing their arguments on politics instead of precedence,” Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) lamented to reporters.
Harkin, who was joined by Sens. Pat Leahy (D-Vt.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Jack Reed (D-R.I.), predicted “this court can go no other way than to uphold the individual mandate.”
He also challenged Republicans to use ObamaCare in the 2012 campaign.
“Make our day,” Harkin said. “Continue to go out and campaign against this health-care bill.”
As soon as the Democrats left the podium, a pack of Senate Republicans swooped in, joined by several of the state attorneys general challenging the law and led by Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who decried “the single worst piece of legislation passed since I’ve been in Congress.”
Sen. Mike Johanns (R-Neb.) reflected the upbeat mood of the pack. “I would say the government had a tough day,” he said.
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) predicted that a mandate found to be unconstitutional “will make this whole law unconstitutional.” Her Texas colleague, Republican Sen. John Cornyn, reiterated the mantra “as government grows, individual freedom shrinks.”
Florida Republican Marco Rubio linked the health-care law to job losses. “ObamaCare has been a disaster for America,” he said. “Thousands of businesses are afraid to grow or hire new people.”
Rubio repeated his full remarks in Spanish. When he left the press conference, a chunk of the press corps broke away to chase after the senator.
I smell a rat after yesterdays faux interrogation by the surpremes. Are they really establishing an argument and leading their buddies in the MSM to believe they will overturn Barry O’s signature achievement or are they throwing raw meat to conservatives to quiet their opposition so they can rest comfortably between now and June when they really screw us by voting FOR Obamacare?
Who knows. As a cynic I am always cautious when legal scumbags like Tobin start going into melt downs with Wolf Blitzer comforting him. This is almost too much.
I do hope they are sincere however it is hard to take Sotomayer seriously that she might actually vote conservative for once in her pathetic life.
Four members of the Supreme Court are enemies of our Republic and are dedicated enemies of our Constitution. They should be impeached and removed for perjury for falsely swearing to uphold our Constitution. But we are basically a third-world country and most politicians in power will not be prosecuted regardless of their crimes (cf. Eric Holder, Barack Obama, Charlie Rangle and many others). They may well get away with it because most Americans are more preoccupied with sports or endless stupid scandals. If the Commerce Clause is verified as a mandate that that Americans buy health insurance, our Republic is finished!
Quo usque tandem patientia nostra, O Bambine? Purge patriam.
The cynical nature of this SCOTUS kabuki dance is hard to overestimate. Which part of predetermined voting by the nine is hardest to understand? Having this show does bring out the public debate again on all of the associated topics of Obamacare and federal limitations, and the aftermath is rather unpredictable, but there is no secret ballot and concensus of our wise, patriotic, and elder constitutional jurists. We can guess there is to be much secret lobbying until the June announcement while the supremes finish their paperwork. The fallout factories and spin doctors will profit greatly. We the People must settle for the entertainment values while those select few determine our fate.
AMATEUR HOUR FOR ADMINISTRATION AT COURT
It was amateur hour for the Obama Administration at court yesterday. Solicitor General Donald Vermilli (aka Lacking Virility) was poorly prepared to argue the case for the mandate. A reflection of his boss (the Great Amateur in Chief) who was poorly prepared for the presidency and will soon be losing his job.
Apollo, very well stated.
BTW-it is times like this (when the left is drowned out by Conservative voices) that I miss being in the US, but these times have been VERY few and far between since the Radical-in-Chief, Usurper-in-Chief, Poser-in-Chief took office. Nevertheless, if I were there I would be right beside the Tea Party, but I ‘heart’ with them from as far away as Israel.
GO Tea Party…..
Adina Kutnicki, Israel
It’s really sad that the judiciary is our only chance to push back socialism as the GOP with the notable exception of Ryan sits on their collective thumbs.
Yes, it is ironic
“But back during the 2008 campaign, Obama argued strenuously against the individual mandate. In a debate in South Carolina, he said: “A mandate means that in some fashion, everybody will be forced to buy health insurance. … But I believe the problem is not that folks are trying to avoid getting health care. The problem is they can’t afford it. And that’s why my plan emphasises lowering costs.”
“In February 2008, he said that you could no more solve the issue of the uninsured with an individual mandate than you could cure homelessness by ordering people to buy a home…”
I was really surprised how unprepared Vermilli was. To stand in front of the Supreme Court of the United State of America and provide such an amateurish, unprepared, bumbling performance was astounding.
If I were being Machiavellian I would say that it left me with the impression that Obama views the outcome as a foregone conclusion.
An excellent question
Half of our Supreme Court doesn’t hold to the Constitution(their primary reason to exist). The other half are doing their job as far as judging goes. But the Supreme Court is not keeping their own house clean as long as Ole Ruthie is going to other countries and promoting “anything but OUR Constitution”, Kagen left her previous position’s post at the request of the very people that seated her to this court, for this case.
In my mind half of this group is doing half of their job well. But, that would only add up to 25% of the power in that court is working for US. And, in that room, is OUR last chance to be heard before this massive machine turns completely on.
Some seem to think that the fix is in, and they may be right, but if Kennedy holds it will be interesting to see if maybe Breyer joins him. Ginsberg and Kagan are Marxists who interpret the Constitution by ignoring it, but Sotomayor seemed to have some intellectual trouble with the Solicitor yesterday. If the conservatives can peel Kennedy and one of the liberals off on the mandate and severability, it is going to be a testicle kick with steel toed boots for his royal majesty and his hysterical little clan of totalitarian fellow travelers.
I love how the lefties are now spinning that “unconstitutional” would be good for their election prospects. I don’t know what the Court will do, but either way it is not going to be good for socialists.
If the mandate is upheld, November turnout by the substantial majority of Americans against O-care will be a most powerful and angry tide. Opinion is hardening against the legislation.
If the mandate goes down as unconstitutional, the fecklessness of the liberals, who wasted two years of our lives on this garbage while unemployment went up along with petroleum, food and other commodities will be exposed for all time. We have an attorney general who thinks it’s ok for the Black Panthers to put a bounty on a white guy and advocate openly for kidnapping. We have the OWS clowns. The vast majority of American voters are going to slap fellow travelers and enablers hard in November.
Let O try to run against the Court and Congress if the law is overturned. The American people are getting more and more impatient with this charlatan.
He has been exposed for what he is, a problem creator, not a problem solver.
Totally agree with what you said. Obama and Holder appear keen on instigating a race war (with the aquiescence of the liberal media and the whole “white Hispanic” thing) but they seem to think Blacks are the majority; they’re only 10-12% of the voting population. Whenever Obama said “his son would look like the kid who got shot” I heard every White Democrat slap their palm on their forehead because I really don’t think that the Dems want to make this a political issue – Obama and the liberal media just forced it on them.
And about Obamacare, its lose-lose for the Dems; either the GOP base becomes energized like in 2010 if the law is upheld, or the law is struck down and Obama has no real achievements to put to his name and every Democrat in a purple-red state or district is voted out; for example Max Baucus of Montana actually went to the hearings on behalf of the administration is basically conceding defeat in his Senate race in 2014.
I fear the AFL-CIO protesters are at a disadvantage. The demonstration lasts from 8-12. They will need a 15-minute coffee break at 10. They will require that temperature, lighting, and humidity be monitored and logged to OSHA standards. Ready access to toilet facilities, including male, female, and unisex, will be needed. The racial and gender make up of the protester group must be noted and it must match national demographics. Non-union supporters will be barred.
It’s amazing what you see when you don’t have a machine gun handy.
The Supremes better look out if they overturn Obamacare.
Spike Lee will publish their addresses and the New Black Panther Party, after issuing a Wanted, Dead, or Alive decree, may take action against them. And, our DOJ, lead by Eric Holder, will overlook anything the NBPP did or will do. That’s Eric’s method of dealing with the criminal element, as long as they’re black.