Does anyone doubt that the Obama administration's request for the Supreme Court to rule on the health care law ASAP is designed to decide the next election? If the court nixes the insurance mandate section of the law -- its crucial requirement -- then the law won't survive, except perhaps in pieces. If the court affirms the law in all its parts, then the Republicans have lost a crucial attack on the president and their constituency will be without its cause celebre.
The request from the administration is risky, of course, because if the law is struck down, Obama will have lost his signature piece of legislation and he will be left adrift without a major accomplishment to bolster claims that he deserves a second term.
The Republicans with their Tea Party allies in the driver's seat have been screaming about Obamacare ever since it was passed. The recent debates have highlighted the Far Right theme of Freedom from the mandate and illustrated the anger many feel for having to buy insurance, or else face fines or worse.
By asking the high court to decide the constitutionality of the law, the right will either be silenced or they will take to the streets, a doubtful reaction. What is more likely is that protest will come in the form of refusal to respect the mandate, to test the government's resolve to deal fairly with scoff laws.
It certainly appears that the administration has responded to the shouts and cries from audience members in the recent debates, not to mention the obvious refusal of any of the candidates to speak out against such audience reactions. It could well be that President Obama fears that without a final court decision, the issue could very well turn violent during the fall campaign.
Let's see if the court sees that possibility as well and moves quickly to decide the fate of the law.
Follow Richard Geldard on Twitter: www.twitter.com/richgeldard
Jon "Bowzer" Bauman: Compassionless Conservatives
It has nothing to do with reelection, as the majority of the voters don't want the pay for the 100 agencies to man this behemoth of a mess. Didn't he admit that if this bill causes him to be a one-termer, that he would be willing to accept that trade? Obama knows that all he can do is spit on the people, the majority who were against this bill, before his brand of Marxism fades into oblivion.
To be a free-loader.
Let the liberal suckers pay for my health care.
Additionally, the more people learn about the law, the more they like it.
Don't you think he has weighed the risks and decided he has a good chance to get it approved?
Black or White Paradox.........................Obamacare is so much more than Healthcare, it is laced
with many other Laws which enslave a Free Society !
We have to Pass It in order to know What's In It....................now we know !
The LADY or the TIGER ?
All it turned out to be was a TRANSFER OF WEALTH to the Publishing Industry and Dumbing down American Kids by taking away Art and Music from most schools !
Is it because young people feel that they don't need it? Young people DON'T get sick?? Young people DON'T have accidents? Of course, since Obama said that insurance companies can't turn you away if you have a preexisting condition, maybe those people will wait to get insurance until they get REALLY sick...insurance companies will love that...and will charge accordingly to make up for the expense of having to take care of these cheapskates...so we'll ALL wind up paying more because of them.
I just don't get it! Is the consensus of the American people that right is wrong and wrong is right? Republican neocons and teabaggers will be dancing in the streets if the neocon influenced Supreme Court declares "Obamacare" unconstitutional. But what will they be dancing ABOUT? So they'll be free to pay higher premiums? Or not pay any insurance, and pay $100,000. to $500,00. out of their pockets for an operation? I just don't get it!
Plus, $7000 deductibles are illegal under the new law.
The law mandates that anybody selling insurance in America can only offer policies that meet certain requirements for coverage, cost, and exclusions.
No more ripoffs!