Now This is Just Silly
Stephen G. Smith isn’t the first guy to peddle this theory, but it’s the first time I’ve noticed it coming out of a right-leaning publication. Brace yourself:
It may sound counterintuitive, but here’s betting that President Obama wouldn’t be at all upset if the high court rules that his health plan is unconstitutional.
By urging an expedited review by the U.S. Supreme Court, the president knows that the politics cuts his way. If the court strikes down the plan, then Obama won’t have to defend it in the fall campaign, robbing the Republicans of one of their two lines of attack, the other being the moribund economy. He could rally his base by arguing that he had pushed through a great “progressive” reform only to be foiled by the conservative-leaning Supreme Court. People, like markets, hate uncertainty, and the presumed swing vote by Justice Kennedy could settle the issue.
To buy this, you’d have to beleive that Progressives would rally around a failed President and Conservatives would sit back and give him a chance to do it again.
Not. Gonna. Happen.
You’d also have to buy into the theory that the President and those around him are aware that supply side economics work, and that Keynsian ones don’t. This would make Obama a closet conservative, pushing a liberal agenda to pander to his constituencies. While I buy the pandering part, at least partially, I disagree with the beliefs part. He thinks he’s doing the right thing, he just doesn’t have a clue…
David,
You have it exactly right. I don’t think Obama and company actually understand that Obama-care is a political liability. They probably see the current polls on the issue as just a reflection of an ignorant public. Once we are properly “educated” about the program, we will all step inline.
But they haven’t tried selling it for months. The polling numbers on it has been remarkably stable the RCP average in the last few months has moved from -12.8 to -13. I pay attention to this particular poll because I’ve taken the notion that when that number starts to change you’ll know Obama is toast. If you’re familiar with the expression “f**kyou and the horse you rode in on”. Health care is the horse Obama rode in on.
Y, from what I’ve read about Obama, he’s surrounded with yes-men and women who feed each other’s and Obama’s delusions about his political popularity, far-reaching “vision” etc, etc. They all really DO think that their problem is simply that they have not yet found a way to communicate the wonderfulness of ObamaCare to the great unwashed. They still think it’s gonna reduce premiums 3000%, eliminate the deficit and wash everyone’s dishes without them lifting a finger. They all believe that any contrary evidence is a political trick dreamed up by racist Tea Partiers or the do-nothing Republicans. It may actually be a very severe shock to their whole worldview if the court throws it out.
People are saying crazy things because it’s such a WTF. A lot of things Obama does are decipherable in some way — just imagine that you’re an avocado, for instance, and it all makes sense — but for some of his actions we’ll have to wait for the tell-all books to get the explanations.
I’ll say the other counterintuitive thing. If the SCOTUS gives Obamacare a thumbs up, it’s a good thing, on a pragmatic level, for the limited-government side. It will give them fire in the belly to turn out to vote in a congress and president that will get rid of the bill politically, which is how it needs to be killed. Relying on courts is a bad idea. Limited-government folk need to stop relying on courts and vote.
Bush taught that lesson oh-so-well when he signed McCain-Feingold — over his own objections! — and hoped the Supremes would take care of the rest.
Pure cowardice.