Yesterday this blog advised that it would be delayed by one day to allow the Supremes to release their rulings on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, affectionately referred to as Obama-care, including the following evaluation: “The bet is that they will strike down the mandate, though they might suggest it would be constitutional if it was a tax, instead of a mandate.”
That’s exactly the the Supremes did in a 5-4 vote. Sometimes you just get lucky and pick the right horse! 
Chief Supreme John Roberts, who read the majority decision, said that although the individual mandate could not be considered constitutional under the Commerce Clause of the US Constitution, it was indeed constitutional under Congress’s right to impose taxes.
Also, in a 7-2 decision, the Supremes did strike down as unconstitutional the federal government’s plan to tell the states how they would have to spend the additional Medicaid funds that the federal government was to provide them for people who cannot afford any other health insurance. The court said that the states cannot be punished by the feds if the states refuse to spend the extra Medicaid money as intended for Obama-care.
That kind of sucks. However, that part of the law can be fixed easily if congress is willing to do so in a bipartisan manner. But the smart money says that there isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that the republicans will work with democrats to do ANYTHING that could enhance the law. Quite the contrary: the GOP has made it crystal clear all morning that they are going to once again start broadcasting at the top of their lungs all their Obama-care lies in an effort to get the American voters to hate and fear Obama-care. That is, after all, what they do on every issue they can’t win on merit.
Mitt Romney, the presumptive republican presidential nominee, had claimed during the primaries that he opposed Obama-care because the insurance mandate, while okay for a stat to impose, was unconstitutional for the federal government to impose. But now that the Supremes have ruled that it’s actually a tax instead of a mandated insurance purchase, Romney has flip-flopped and is now claiming he hates Obama-care because its a tax.
And yet, Romney-care, which he implemented in Massachusetts when he was governor, is almost a carbon copy model for Obama-care. But Mitt knows better than anyone how to lean into the wind.
Notably, by the way, 84% of Massachusetts residents like their Romney-care. And yet, only 50% of those same folks favor Obama-care, despite there being no significant difference between the two. The reason for the disparity is simple and clear: Marketing, or lack thereof. Over the past two years, the democrats have done an absolutely miserable job of selling Obama-care. while the republicans have done a very effective job of fabricating lies to get Americans to hate and fear it.
The lesson here is that the democrats have very quickly got get really good at selling the true benefits of Obama-care to the voters, and they’ve got to instantly jump all over every single GOP lie about Obama-care between now and the November election. That’s not going to be an easy task because Pro-Romney Super-pacs announced this morning that they will immediately spend over USD $20 million on anti-Obama-care ads. But the dems have to bite the bullet and make certain that their message and the facts about Obama-care are clearly and repeatedly understood.
In the meantime, the legal analysts will pick apart the Supreme Court decision. In doing so, they’ll probably figure out that if the tax collected from people who don’t buy health insurance by 2014 is sequestered from general revenue, it might just become a source of funding for a single-payer public option. Sooner or later, the for-profit private health insurance companies will have to adapt and expand into other insurance areas or go out of business.
The public-option-single-payer is what should have happened in the first place, and if it wasn’t because republicans strive like addicts to protect big business and corporate America, the USA would have had universal health care of the type enjoyed by every other western advanced industrial country on the planet two years ago.
For now, though, ponder the following: The republicans are maneuvering to make this election partially about repealing Obama-care. That’s actually cool, because according to several recent polls, 33% favor Obama-care while 47% oppose it.
BUT!!! Among those opposing Obama-care, fully 27% said their opposition to Obama-care is that it doesn’t go far enough! That means that almost 60% agree that there has to be some health care reform that is at least as far-reaching as Obama-care.
Of course, you won’t hear that from republicans. And do you know why?
Because it’s an “Inconvenient Truth”!
You might add that of those that do oppose Obama care 100% watch Fox news or think Rush Limbaugh has a soul. Considering all the lies the GOP has told about Obamacare its amazing anyone likes it..
Just today Marco Rubio told reporters that people will not be able to keep their current health care program if they like it.. Its a “Pants on Fire” type lie but what the hell does the GOP care? The end always justifies the means for them..
I think it’s really funny how the right was all set to run on the premise that Barrack Obama had “wasted” three years on a failed health care bill.
Now, President Obama will be running against a do-nothing Republican Congress that wasted three years fighting a law upheld as constitutional . . . and that the upholding crucial swing vote was cast by the right-leaning Chief Justice.
God, how I love the irony.
The DEMS need to really promote what the Affordable Healthcare Act provides and get the people of this country informed! Once everything kicks in, in January 2014 they will have an overwhelming majority supporting it!
However, the REPUB/BAGGERS will continue their lies and deceptive practices from now til January 2014 to keep the people of this country uninformed of the real truth! Their only reason for existing right now is to defeat President Obama. They would rather let student loans double, have no Transportation Bill that would create needed jobs, if they thought for one minute they could win the Presidential election.
The people of this country need to wake up, become informed and take action with their votes to protect their own best interests. If not, we will have another 4-8 years of the old “Trickle Down Theory”! If the REPUB/BAGGERS should get a Senate majority of sixty-one (filibuster proof) and keep their House majority, heaven help the middle and poor classes of this country! As mentioned above, the “Pants on Fire” lies being told by our elected officials is disgraceful!
Isn’t there some way that an elected official who lies to their constituents (on the floor of Congress / TV / Radio/ Print or in person) can be held accountable? If I’m called before a Congressional hearing and I lie, I can be charged with contempt of Congress(Fined and/or Jailed).
Are these elected officials above the law?
Yes so we all get to pay higher taxes. You must have to take a shower after you peddle this crap!
Remember this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wzs3aoRnl0E
VM-AOL,
Tighen up your seat belt. The spin coming out of the left over the tax/not a tax issue is going to get rough.
Besides, the SCOTUS case was always Plan B and repeal was going to be the ultimate option.
VM-AOL you must be a REPUB/BAGGER peddling your uninformed lies!
Your taxes aren’t going up! Your healthcare costs should not rise so quickly and you may even get a rebate from the health insurance companies, which are now required to spend 80% on healthcare, rather than bonuses and administrative costs! (You will undoubtedly return your rebate, right?).
Plus 30 million more Americans will be covered by healthcare, reducing hospital costs, since 20% of all hospital costs are eaten by the hospital for people that have no healthcare! Its a win / win situation for the people, hospitals and healthcare companies!
Get informed VM-AOL, stop watching FOX NEWS and stop forwarding erroneous information!
Romney tried to take credit for the successful car industry bail out and tried to tell everyone that the decision to take out Bin Laden was a no brainer. What 1 really good thing that Obama did that Romney can actually, truthfully take credit for is the new healthcare law. What does he do?, He is trying to vilify it and scream and yell The first thing I will do is repeal the law. Romneycare and Obamacare are almost exactly alike and written by the same person. By the way all the kids in Massachusetts and 98% of the adults now have health coverage. From what I have heard, they love it.
ya gotta ask these lie-fabricating repug-lickens to explain their clam of a “massive tax on the middle class.” Ask them for facts and figures, because there is no such thing. Someone who wants to freeload will have to pay a fee, and that will affect maybe 1% of the population…1%…some familiar?
Ask them to explain how they’re losing their freedom, like that dumb bitch Palin tweeted. Are you losing your freedom because you have to buy car insurance? Is protecting your car more important than protecting your family and their health?
The repugs will have no place to turn if the democrats hold their feet to the fire of fact.
I wonder if we can make the GOP illegal.