Lots of back and forth today on why Justice Roberts did what he did. I think Charles Krauthammer has it right: National health care has been a liberal dream for a hundred years. It is clearly the most significant piece of social legislation in decades. Roberts’s concern was that the court do everything it could to avoid being seen, rightly or wrongly, as high-handedly … [Read more...] about Why Did Justice Roberts Do It? The Silver Lining
A Very Hollow Victory
Chief Justice John Roberts gave his approval to the ACA. Don't fool yourself - it may look like a victory for the Democrats and Obama but it's a very hollow one at best. For starters Roberts gutted the Commerce Clause. It will be far more dificult to use it for social engineering in the future. The worse part though is it just became much less likely that the Democrats … [Read more...] about A Very Hollow Victory
Rand Paul And Respect For The Rule Of Law
The quote from Senator Rand Paul speaks for itself. “Just because a couple people on the Supreme Court declare something to be ‘constitutional’ does not make it so. The whole thing [ACA] remains unconstitutional... While the court may have erroneously come to the conclusion that the law is allowable, it certainly does nothing to make this mandate or government takeover of … [Read more...] about Rand Paul And Respect For The Rule Of Law
A Win for Obama — and Roberts
WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court's decision upholding the health care law is not only a huge victory for President Obama but also a moment of leadership for Chief Justice John Roberts. The court's mixed verdict could create problems, notably in its weakening of the law's Medicaid provisions in the name of states' rights. While the impact of this part of the ruling is not fully … [Read more...] about A Win for Obama — and Roberts
(Im)Proper Constitutionalism: Roberts’ Revenge?
Now that the original frenzy over the ACA ruling has died done (a little), folks are starting to dig a little deeper into the opinions (particularly Roberts') to figure out what it means for the next case (incidentally, you can read the opinions here). Chief Justice Roberts' formulation is that the individual mandate does not lie within Congress' commerce clause power (nor the … [Read more...] about (Im)Proper Constitutionalism: Roberts’ Revenge?
Obama Health Plan Bites
This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. … [Read more...] about Obama Health Plan Bites
Liberals Need Not Serve Crow
While certainly the Supreme Court ruling today was a victory for the Obama administration and supporters of the Affordable Care Act, conservatives need not eat crow and the left should not be saying "I told you so". There are a couple of reasons for this. One has to do with some of the hidden or largely ignored inner aspects of the ruling, and I will be discussing that in … [Read more...] about Liberals Need Not Serve Crow
The Bigger Picture
WASHINGTON -- The political impact of Thursday's stunning Supreme Court decision on health care reform is clear -- good for President Obama and the Democrats, bad for Mitt Romney and the Republicans -- but fleeting, and thus secondary. Much more important is what the ruling means in the long term for the physical and moral health of the nation. All but lost in the … [Read more...] about The Bigger Picture
CNN and FOX News Collide in SCOTUS Train Wreck
WASHINGTON - Pete Williams led MSNBC's coverage, bringing in SCOTUSBLOG for full analysis, giving new media the starring role in today's historic Obamacare ruling. Meanwhile, CNN and Fox News vied for the first to break the news, but instead not only got beat by SCOTUSBLOG, but had an embarrassing collision with both networks blowing the call completely. Howard Kurtz of the … [Read more...] about CNN and FOX News Collide in SCOTUS Train Wreck
Why Roberts Why?
That must be the question conservatives are asking themselves today. After all, the prevailing wisdom (one I signed onto) was that this was a 5-4 decision one way or the other, with Kennedy holding the swing vote. Now, I thought maybe if Justice Kennedy bit, Roberts might come along -- both to keep the decision from being yet another 5-4 ruling and to keep the opinion for … [Read more...] about Why Roberts Why?
Health Care Going Forward
Now that the Supreme Court has upheld most of Affordable Care Act under the power of Congress to tax rather than the Commerce Clause of the Constitution, where does health care go from here? Assuming that the Republicans don’t repeal the ACA in the future, people with pre-existing conditions will be able to get coverage from insurance companies at prices comparable to those … [Read more...] about Health Care Going Forward
Chief Justice Spotted Carousing With Liberals
In the span of a week Chief Justice John Roberts has twice been seen frequenting liberal hot spots. First, he jumped ship from the USS Conservative to eviscerate Arizona’s SB 1070 immigration law. By the time he and his liberal comrades were finished the only thing left of 1070 was a toothless and unenforceable right to check provision. ICE didn’t have to, and wouldn’t, … [Read more...] about Chief Justice Spotted Carousing With Liberals
SCOTUS Does No Harm
John Stuart Mill on the harm principle, “The only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others.” Michael Tomasky argued some time ago that Mills' harm principle should be the one liberals use to justify the healthcare mandate: I can think of no situation that fits this better than … [Read more...] about SCOTUS Does No Harm
Defense Update: Our Military Fighting the Colorado Fires (UPDATES)
A helicopter drops water on the wildfire burning in Waldo Canyon on the U.S. Air Force Academy outside of Colorado Springs, Colo., June 27, 2012. The fires, which have burned more than 15,000 acres, began spreading to the southwestern corner of the academy, causing base officials to evacuate residents. Officials estimated that the fire had spread to about 10 acres of land … [Read more...] about Defense Update: Our Military Fighting the Colorado Fires (UPDATES)
ObamaCare SCOTUS Decision
The Individual mandate has been ruled unconstitutional under the Commerce Clause, but survives as a tax, which Obama always insisted it was NOT a tax. I guess it is. Basically this means the fight continues. The NYT gives us this timeline on what happened with the bill leading up to today: The first lawsuits were filed the day Mr. Obama signed the plan in March 2010. By … [Read more...] about ObamaCare SCOTUS Decision
Supreme Court Upholds Affordable Care Act
The United States Supreme Court has ruled on the Affordable Care Act and ruled that the individual mandate can be upheld as a valid exercise of the taxing power of the US Constitution. The decision written by Chief Justice John Roberts held that the law was not a valid exercise of the Commerce Clause but was a valid exercise of the Taxing Power. Surprisingly this was a 5-4 … [Read more...] about Supreme Court Upholds Affordable Care Act
(UPDATE XI) Court Upholds Individual Mandate As Roberts Sides With Liberal Justices
In this case . . . it is reasonable to construe what Congress has done as increasing taxes on those who have a certain amount of income, but choose to go without health insurance. Such legislation is within Congress’s power to tax. ~ CHIEF JUSTICE ROBERTS America's great shame -- and there is much shameful about this once great nation these days -- is that it has been … [Read more...] about (UPDATE XI) Court Upholds Individual Mandate As Roberts Sides With Liberal Justices
Around the Sphere (News and Blog Roundup)
Our roundup of news and blog links. Links do not necessarily reflect the opinions of TMV or its many writers. (Bloggers are welcome to send links for future editions). DECODING SCOTUS: Andrew Sullivan on how the Supreme Court ruling on health care may not be what people immediately think it is at first glance. IS THE BLAME ELSEWHERE? A suspended Politico reporter points … [Read more...] about Around the Sphere (News and Blog Roundup)
Gas Prices Will Likely Drop Below $3 a Gallon for 4th of July Holiday Weekend
Get ready for gas prices to drop below $3 a gallon --- and for the political football to be tossed around again: South Carolina is the first state to see its gas prices drop below $3 a gallon – the first time a state price has been that low since January. AAA, the national motorists’ organization, forecasts that within the next week, the Palmetto State, whose average … [Read more...] about Gas Prices Will Likely Drop Below $3 a Gallon for 4th of July Holiday Weekend
DEA’s ‘El Chapo Fiasco’ Sets Drug War Back for ‘Years’ (El Universal, Mexico)
Embarrassing, unprofessional, clumsy, self-destructive: all of these adjectives and more could describe last week's arrest in Mexico of a man thought to be the son of one of the Hemisphere's most wanted: Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán. According to columnist J. Jaime Hernández of Mexico's El Universal, the mistake has badly damaged U.S. and Mexican authorities in terms of … [Read more...] about DEA’s ‘El Chapo Fiasco’ Sets Drug War Back for ‘Years’ (El Universal, Mexico)