As it becomes clearer that Supreme Court Chief Justice cowed to east coast media pressure and switched his vote to uphold ObamaCare, it’s tempting to rebrand the taxes associated with the bill — and there are many new taxes associated with it — the “Roberts Tax.” Here’s one example. Here’s another.
If the chief justice really did bow to pressure, his behavior is deeply disappointing and unworthy of his role on the court. He deserves our anger. But in pure political terms, dubbing ObamaCare the “Roberts Tax” is a grave mistake.
The Democrats controlled Congress, wrote the bill, and passed it over the objections of the majority of the American people in 2010. The Democrats engaged in all of the smarmy back room dealing that bought enough votes to secure the bill’s passage. President Barack Obama lobbied hard to get the bill passed, and then signed it into law. In the two years since ObamaCare’s passage, the Democrats have consistently touted the law and fought to defend it from critics and in court. Republicans have just as consistently fought the bill in the courts of law and public opinion. Republican attorneys general led the fight to kill ObamaTax in court, and Republican governors have consistently fought the legislative side of implementing the law. Congressional Republicans have voted consistently to repeal it, but they do not control the Senate yet, so their repeals have not taken the law off the books. This GOP consistency helped them win the House and many state legislatures in 2010, and this consistency will help them keep the House, probably capture the Senate and maybe the White House in 2012.
John Roberts did not “pass” the taxes contained in ObamaCare. He upheld the part of the bill that the Democrats refused to call a tax, as a tax, buying into the argument that the Obama administration’s solicitor general offered during Supreme Court arguments, but that the Democrats did not offer when the bill was under discussion. If they had been honest and called it a tax, it would never have passed. In last week’s decision, Roberts upheld the law but may have pointed the way toward a more lasting and satisfying way to kill it off: In the legislature and the presidency, rather than in the courts. Roberts signaled in his opinion that he knew SCOTUS would not have the last word on the law.
Calling ObamaTax the “Roberts Tax” obscures the undeniable, incontrovertible fact that in the political world in which the American people have the most say this year, the Democrats from President Obama on down own every penny of the taxes imposed. They wrote the bill. They lied about what it was, they argued for it and they passed it. Obama signed it. ObamaTax is theirs.
ObamaTax constitutes a multi-billion dollar violation of President Obama’s promises not to raise taxes on the middle class. It has been a drag on the economy since it was passed and will be a drag on the economy as long as it is on the books. John Roberts didn’t give us the Get Out of ObamaTax card that a majority of the American people wanted, but he didn’t pass it into law either. It’s Obama who lied, and thereby the economy died. The GOP should have an easy time making that case through the November elections to the point of ripping ObamaTax out by the roots in the next Congress.
So, focus, folks. ObamaTax is 100% the Democrats’ political problem for November. They should be forced to own it and explain it, or run away from it and promise help get rid of it.
More: Democrats are already obviously very uncomfortable with the SCOTUS ObamaTax outcome. They should be.
I agree, this is certainly an Obama-tax. And when he loses in November it should be re-branded as a Democrat-tax.
Yet, Chief Justice Roberts should not be allowed off the hook his naked cowardice.
History used to be written by the victors. However, today history is written by the millions who take to the Internet and voice their opinions.
Despite anything he does in the future, I for one, will not mention Mr. Roberts unless the mention is also accompanied by an explanation of the disservice he has done the constitution and the nation.
Make no mistake–it is a permanent finanical burden on each American, regardless of whether or not they actually pay the government any money in any given year.
It is Obama-tax. Healthcare tax. ACA-tax. What have you. And we know how popular taxes are with the public. Increasing taxes does wonders for a candidate’s political career. Right Mr. Mondale? Mr. Mondale!? What happened to him?…Oh, that’s right, HE LOST IN A LANDSLIDE!!! This is going to be fun watching the port-side of our political class try to deal with this self-inflicted wound in the midst of a tight race.
Roberts has just made them eat a $#!+ sandwich, served up with a smile.
Actually, it is the Robert’s Inactivity mandate tax. It’s not a direct, unavoidable, head tax, authorized by the constitution, provided it’s apportioned among all the state’s population of heads. It’s not an authorized indirect excise, duty, post or income tax levied on optional activity, activity that may be economic or otherwise. No, it’s an indirect inactivity tax nowhere authorized in the constitution. It’s a tax totally dreamed up by an unelected branch of the government, namely by five judges on the Supreme Court. And I certainly haven’t seen any of the talking heads advocating impeaching the Supreme Court for such lawless behavior, or advocating the remedy of a constitutional amendment forbidding congress the limitless power to levy an inactivity tax. For example, it’s now possible for a compassionately conservative congress to pass the Failure to Procreate Healthy Family Tax Act for parents not producing the ideal 2.5 babies per family. Or, conversely, a progressive congress can now pass the Healthy Families Minimum Dependent’s Tax Act for the parent’s failure to abort excess babies to achieve the ideal 2.5 babies per family: a taxable inactivity event good for the life of the excess babies or the death of the parents, whichever comes first. Getting taxed by congress for not eating your broccoli, curds and whey is the lest of it. I bet you at some point there will be the failure to go to the poll and vote inactivity poll tax in the near future to make sure there’ a 99.9 percent voter turnout to bestow legitimacy on the process.
Actually, it is the Robert’s Inactivity mandate tax. It’s not a direct, unavoidable, head tax, authorized by the constitution, provided it’s apportioned among all the state’s population of heads. It’s not an authorized indirect excise, duty, post or income tax levied on optional activity, activity that may be economic or otherwise. No, it’s an indirect inactivity tax nowhere authorized in the constitution. It’s a tax totally dreamed up by an unelected branch of the government, namely by five judges on the Supreme Court. And I certainly haven’t seen any of the talking heads advocating impeaching the Supreme Court for such lawless behavior, or advocating the remedy of a constitutional amendment forbidding congress the limitless power to levy an inactivity tax. For example, it’s now possible for a compassionately conservative congress to pass the Failure to Procreate Healthy Family Tax Act for parents not producing the ideal 2.5 babies per family. Or, conversely, a progressive congress can now pass the Healthy Families Minimum Dependent’s Tax Act for the parent’s failure to abort excess babies to achieve the ideal 2.5 babies per family: a taxable inactivity event good for the life of the excess babies or the death of the parents, whichever comes first. Getting taxed by congress for not eating your broccoli, curds and whey is the lest of it. I bet you at some point there will be the failure to go to the poll and vote inactivity poll tax in the near future to make sure there’ a 99.9 percent voter turnout to bestow legitimacy on the process.