Sunday, July 1, 2012

The Day the Earth Stood Still: Republican Lies and Over-Reaction to the Supreme Court Decision on Healthcare

Now that the sun has continued to rise for the third day in a row and the Republicans have put away their cyanide capsules, before we turn the page and finally start concentrating on jobs and the economy, I just had to take one last look back and survey some of reactions to the Supreme Court Decision handed down last Thursday upholding the Affordable Care Act.

While the Supremes decision, and especially the majority decision written by Chief Justice Roberts was anything but predictable, the hysterical, sky is falling, end of the world, knee jerk reaction on the right certainly was.  Surprisingly, at least to me, was that two of the most astute and measured reactions I have come across so far came from Republicans:

From Peggy Noonan, the former Reagan speechwriter in Friday’s Wall Street Journal: 

“It is a big victory for the White House. ObamaCare, including the insurance mandate, was upheld. What would have been a political disaster for President Obama has been averted. He has not been humiliated, and the centerpiece of his efforts the past 3½ years has not been rebuked by the Supreme Court.” http://on.wsj.com/LVfyNI
and

From conservative Republican U.S. Senator from Ohio and likely Romney running mate, Rob Portman:

“As a lawyer, I can see where Roberts is concerned about the institution and maybe that explains it..." http://bit.ly/N2xhV1

But of course rational and reasoned Republican reactions like the above were far from the usual and there were few in between those and the hysterical.  Two of the most hysterical and delicious reactions came from some in the Minnesota Republican Congressional delegation.

Republican Congressman John Kline from Minnesota called the ruling '’a devastating blow to the American people.’ ‘If Washington can penalize private citizens for failing to buy government-approved health insurance, then there is no reasonable limit on federal power,’ Kline said in a statement."

Even more delicious was the  reaction from Minnesota Congresswoman and poster girl for  politicians dropped on their heads at birth, Michele Bachmann, who had slept her way into a seat in the courtroom when the decision was announced, and at first was unusually Marcel Marceau like in her reaction, so much so that one onlooker reported:  "‘you could see her astonishment" by just looking at her face.  Later, after collecting herself, Bachmann, truer to form, called the decision "...a turning point in American history. We will never be the same again."  I for once hope she's right, but think it will be change for the better!

 Rounding out the white noize from the Right were the following reactions from:

Mitt Romney, formerly viable Republican Presidential candidate: “If we want to get rid of Obamacare, we’re going to have to replace Obama.”

Sarah Palin, reality t.v. star who said on Facebook  “Thank you, SCOTUS (i.e. Supreme Court of the U.S.). This Obamacare ruling fires up the troops as America’s eyes are opened! Thank God.” http://on.fb.me/NJ9MNZ

and the radically UnAmerican rantings of Republican and Tea Party imbecile and Senator from Kentucky, Rand Paul:   “Just because a couple people on the Supreme Court declare something to be ‘constitutional’ does not make it so. The whole thing remains unconstitutional.” http://politi.co/MuJ2Vt.  Perhaps someone should slip Sen. Paul a copy of Marbury v. Madison and suggest he read it before opening his stupid pie hole.  If such a statement were made by a sitting Demoratic Senator, the Republicans would be falling over each other in a race to censor him.

In summation, perhaps no one summed it up better than Patrick Gaspard (former White House political director and current executive director of the DNC): “it's constitutional. Bitches.” http://bit.ly/NVt2eH

Now live with it!




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