Conservatives are always whining about "activist judges legislating from the bench" except when its their conservative judges attempting to legislate from the bench.
Thus, right wingers were rubbing their hands together as they counted on the five conservative Supreme Court justices act on their partisan convictions and strike down the Affordable Care Act. A Washington Times columnist even predicted the Court's ruling on immigration earlier in the week was designed to set up the president for a stinging rebuke.
So it was with great trepidation progressives watched the Supreme Court hustle to rule on Obama's signature achievement, duly enacted by Congress and signed into law by the president. I and many others were 99 percent certain the conservatives on the court would deal the president an embarrassing and costly political defeat just in time for the 2012 election.
Well hush my mouth.
Chief Justice John Roberts refused to be part of a plan to undermine the American democratic process. He voted with the four liberal-leaning justices to uphold most of ACA. Not only that, Roberts made a correction to the original legislation. He rejected the commerce clause argument offered by Obama, but called the penalty of those who failed to comply a "tax" that falls well within Congress' bailiwick.
The timing is splendid. Here we go into July 4 holiday with a rousing affirmation that, indeed, our democracy and the separation of powers created by the founders works.
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I could be wrong but I believe the $2T spending cuts you cite are spread over the next 10 years. You and I both know that politicians - Republicans and Democrats - who brag about FUTURE spending cuts are just blowing smoke.
I agree; the Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA) is law and addresses debt ceiling limits and spending cuts - mostly discretionary spending, but some minor entitlement spending. It is a framework of sorts that does not address the whole ball of wax.
BCA also allows the Senate to punt for FY2012 and FY2013 in that they will be DEEMED to have passed a resolution, and that's the rub. Note however, BCA does not PROHIBIT the Senate from taking up a budget resolution. They could if they wanted to.
A resolution forces the hard, and possibly unpopular, political decisions in that a resolution addresses the whole ball of wax - discretionary spending, entitlements and taxes.
Again, the Senate just does not want their plans on paper.
The Budget Control Act brings more than $2 trillion of total spending cuts. It’s the biggest package of cuts in the history of the United States. And it’s already the law of the land.
A law is much stronger than any budget resolution. A budget resolution is purely an internal Congressional document. It never goes to the President for his signature. A law, on the other hand as you know, is passed by both houses of Congress and signed by the President. That’s what the Budget Control Act is – it’s a law.
When someone says the Senate hasn’t passed a budget in more than a thousand days, what they’re not telling you is that something else was done. An actual law was passed that is much stronger than any budget resolution.
The GOP is playing to the emotional hot buttons of their constituents by making wild and inaccurate statements on the floor of their respective chambers. Senator, Jon Kyle, AZ stated that Planned Parenthood's business is 93% abortion, that number is very close to 3%.
The GOP has and is being driven by their rage, that a liberal Democrat is in office and they continue in their attempt to make up for the beat down which took place in 2008. The history of the hate dates back to the 2008 campaign and it hurts the nation. Gone are the days when bi-partisan cooperation can be achieved all based in the rage of the GOP.
:)
What about the fact that the Senate, controlled by Harry Reid and the Democrats, in violation of the 1974 Budget Act, has not passed a budget in over 3 years.
What about Obama's FY2012 budget that was voted down in the Senate 97-0. Ninety seven to...ZERO! Not even 1 Democrat voted for it.
What about Obama's FY2013 budget that was voted down in the House 414-0. Four hundred fourteen to...ZERO! Not even 1 Democrat voted for it.
The obvious answer is that Senate Democrats don't dare put down on paper what they plan to do.
In the Spring of 2011, the new House majority produced a budget, brought it forward in committee and passed it on the floor. The next action SHOULD be the Senate offering their budget. Then, they bargain, compromise and horse trade for a final budget to present to the President.
The Democratic Senate has abandoned one of its most fundamental legal duties - production of a budget - which clearly demonstrates that they don't deserve to govern.
"The congressional Republicans have said no to everything the president has proposed, a primal instinct driven by rage, which gets them nothing".
Michael Tomasky, The Daily Beast
If President Obama was in favor of oxygen, the Republicans would suffocate.
The GOP cares as much as the Dems. The difference is that the GOP also cares about how to pay for this. From where I'm sitting, the Dems never appear to do a cost/benefit analysis. They only do benefit analyses with little to no regard for the funding of the benefits.
So McConnell doesn't have a plan and Romney doesn't have a plan involving the single most important piece of legislation since The Civil Rights Act. They have no plan. Perfect, just perfect.
Since a mandate to buy insurance was ruled unconstitutional, Democrats should concede President Obama's signature achievement involved passing a giant tax. His lawyers argued that it was a tax when they got so much flack on the mandate, so the government must have felt it was a tax. Now the president has to own that tax.
I wonder why you'd call a dog a duck in the first place? Do you or Kevin or anyone else really think people are going to care the president said that dog was a duck when the dog, which is clearly a dog, is biting them in the backside? If you like your dog, that's great! But be honest about it being a dog. Silly goose.
No more lifetime limits on coverage, no more denials for pre-existing conditions, no more free riders who let the rest of us pay for their healthcare.
I seem to recall Obama promising not to raise taxes on the middle class. Yet, with yesterday’s ruling that now deems the individual mandate a “tax”, Obama has done just that. According to the non-partisan CBO, at least 75% of the penalties (“taxes”) imposed by the mandate will be borne by the folks who earn less than $250,000.
Some posit that Chief Justice Roberts has “split the baby” brilliantly by sending ACA back to congress. That is, the controversy around ACA is so great, that a legislative (not judicial) solution is required.
It's not over, folks. Gonna be interesting to watch.
I have mentioned a few times on various threads, that the GOP and the associated mouth breathers really don't care about all those uninsured who worry each time their child goes out to play that he/she breaks an arm or a leg. They don't care that our elderly often times have to decided between food or medication. They don't care that some people have lost their homes due to illness. The Republicans don't care that thousands and thousands die each year because they don't have access to healthcare.
I will remind you that your standard bearer, Romney, championed a bill in MA which was/is very similar to the ACA. Now of course, he is opposed to that bill. How is it that a man who wishes to be president can be such an obvious hypocrite? BTW, Romney also claims to be a man of god. This is the type of person who validates my decision of many years ago to remain god and religion free.
Are there any Republican heads out there not yet explded? A metaphor.
Politically this is the second best day of the last four years. The best day was when our president beat the snot out of McCain and his running dope. Today was a very close second.