The battle-lines are being drawn, staking out the ground around the Supreme Court's ruling on the Constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, made earlier this week.
Republican talking-point "oracles" are all up in arms about 'freedom and liberty and the American way of life, being under attack by Obamney-care ...'
And they see an opening ...
Morning Bell: Join the Fight to Repeal Obamacare
by Ed Feulner, President, The Heritage Foundation, heritage.org -- June 29, 2012
[...]
They will receive this ruling as a clarion call to action. Once again, the people will have to rise to defend a fundamental American concept: that the power of government over individuals must be limited.
First, let’s acknowledge what was good in the decision. The Court recognized that there are limits to what Congress may do under the Commerce Clause. Big-government forces have for too long abused this clause’s grant of congressional authority, but the Court’s decision reaffirms that there are limits on their actions.
There’s also the fact that the individual mandate has acquired the official constitutional status of a “tax”—and if it is indeed a tax, then that is even more reason for the U.S. Senate to repeal it with the 51-vote threshold available under the Budget Act’s reconciliation process. It is a revenue provision. No filibuster problems there now.
[...]
We must resolve to check this dangerous expansion of power.
As I said, battle-lines are being drawn ...
Republican Governors have also vowed to turn this into a political "game of chicken" ... they think they can pivot on the ruling, to sweep the democratic party out of power this fall.
Until then, not one finger will be lifted (in red-states) to enact the law of the land, which has now been re-affirmed by the Supreme Court.
GOP governors vow to ignore Obamacare
washingtonexaminer.com -- June 28, 2012
Republican governors are planning to ignore the Supreme Court's decision Thursday to uphold Obamacare hoping that the issue will drive voters to dump President Obama in favor of Mitt Romney who has vowed to kill the Affordable Care Act.
After the decision, the Republican Governors Association said that nothing should be done by the states until after the election, a clear signal that they believe a GOP president, House and Senate will kill the health care reform pushed through by Democrats and opposed by Republicans.
[...]
Other governors have urged a similar strategy. Scott Walker, the newly re-elected Wisconsin governor, said that he won't put into place any elements of Obamacare until after the election. Other governors are taking a similar position.
Talk about Obstruction. It's alive and well in a red-state near you. Elections have consequences, ask Wisconsin.
Anti-tax zealots appear to by hanging their hopes on the word "Tax" -- that was basis of the Scotus ruling.
Taxes are like "cooties" apparently in GOP-land, and nobody on the right wants to touch them ... no matter how narrowly defined they actually are.
Is ObamaCare The Largest Tax Increase In U.S. History?
by Merrill Matthews, Contributor, forbes.com -- June 29, 2012
(pg 2)
[...]
Indeed, several defenders of the legislation pointed out that workers have long been required to pay a 2.9 percent tax on their income, known as the Medicare FICA tax. And, they concluded, if the government can require workers to pay the FICA tax, which functions as a type of health insurance premium, and force them to have Medicare coverage when they turn 65, then the government should be able to require everyone under 65 to have coverage.
Of course, the architects of Medicare were clear that FICA is a tax, while the architects of ObamaCare were clear that the mandate isn’t a tax. It was only after the constitutional challenges that the Justice Department had to go on a fishing expedition for justifications.
[...]
So, it's not the principle of the Government-funded Health Care they object to,
it's just the word "Tax" they hate, eh?
When is a Tax, not a Tax?
When it is a Penalty, that effects less than 1% of American people.
Thankfully, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi is taking a stand to explain the difference ...
Obamacare 'Tax Increase' Debate Heats Up Sunday Morning News Shows
International Business Times, ibtimes.com -- July 1, 2012
"It's not a tax. It's a penalty."
[...]
Across rival networks, on NBC's "Meet the Press," House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., also pushed the line on host David Gregory, who had kicked off the show by saying the debate was "all anyone's talking about in Washington."
"It's a penalty that comes under the tax code for the 1 percent of the population who might decide they want to be free riders," Pelosi said, adding that "middle-income families get, on average, $4,000 in tax breaks and tax credits" as a result of the law.
"What we're saying is those that take responsibility get the benefits, those that decide to be free riders get the penalty," Pelosi added.
When is a Tax, not a Tax?
When it like a "parking fine," which effects only those who ignore parking meters.
In case you missed it, Pelosi was awesome on MTP this morning:
Pelosi: Health care decision a ‘victory for the American people’
Meet the Press
Partial NBC Transcript:
[...]
Gregory: Would you concede the public is not yet sold?
Pelosi: well, with $200 million of negative publicity both from the health insurance industry and anti-public -- what would you call it -- anti-government idealogues who don't think there should be any public role yet support medicare. there are some contradictions here. but the fact is, yes, more needs to be done, but the most eloquent statement of all will be from the experience the people have, if they have a pre-existing condition in their family, if they have been subjected to lifetime limits, when they get their check in august that says you're getting a refund because your health insurance company spent more money on corporate CEO compensation and on administrate administrative costs than it did on meeting your health care needs. some people have told me they're getting ready for next year, thanks to affordable care. seniors are already paying less for prescription drugs. they may not know it, but it's because of the affordable care act and we have to make sure they do know it. but already the health insurance industry has collected millions of dollars to go back out there to put themselves in charge. and that's the fight we have.
Gregory: to the extent that you believe and others believe that the supreme court has conferred an extra level of legitimacy on this health care act, the reality is that the court also said that the act is in effect a tax, that the individual mandate requiring that folks who can buy insurance is a tax. won't that make it more difficult to sell the popularity of this program to the American people?
Pelosi: well, who is the penalty on? the penalty is on people who have the wherewithal but refuse to buy health insurance figuring they won't be sick and if they do other people will have to cover it. so these free riders, as they were identified by governor Romney himself, said people have the ability to pay and don't can't expect to be free riders. and I think that he tailored it exactly right. these free riders make health insurance for those who are taking responsibility, making it more expensive. personal responsibility is a principle of our country. conservatives claim it. progressives claim it. liberals claim it. we all claim it as --
[...]
Pelosi: It's a penalty. it's a penalty that comes under the tax cold for the 1% perhaps of the population who may decide that they're going to be free riders. but most people are not affected by that.
Gregory: but it is a tax on the American people.
Pelosi: No. it's a penalty for free riders. but since you're bringing up the subject, it's important to note the middle-income families will get about $4,000 in tax breaks and tax credits in order to have their health insurance, to buy their health insurance. so middle-income families make out very well in this. businesses get tax credits to provide health insurance for their workers. so what we're saying is is those who take responsibility get the protections of this bill. those who want to be free riders have to pay -- they either have to take responsibility and buy insurance, and there are many ways for them to do it, or they get a penalty, and the penalty, yes, it is charged under the tax code. it could come any other place, but it's under the tax code. and the tax code is the place where the federal government has all the constitutional authority to act as the court said.
[...]
David Gregory should send his Resume to Fox -- because it's pretty obvious that is the
only kind of "fair and balanced" journalism he knows.
ie. just parroting the rightwing talking points, as issued by the usual Heritage Foundation zealots "anti-government idealogues" ... (thank you Ms Pelosi, for those powerful new frames. NOW we just have to put them to good use.)
This election is going to be battle. It's best to be prepared, ... or be willing to surrender everything gained so far, to those who hate government just for the hell of it. You know, let those individually-irresponsible "American-way" yahoos, finally get their who-gives-a-damn way.