Monday, July 2, 2012

Rumors confirmed: Roberts changed sides during deliberations






So Roberts flinched under pressure.  Will we?


At least one writer predicted that Roberts might flinch under pressure and look for a way out of presiding over another 5-4 vote.  So he opted to call the mandate's penalty a tax, as this writer predicted he might (why do the liberal justices never fall on a grenade to prevent a 5-4 split ruling?) 

From the June 25 LA Times, four days before the decision was published: “Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. has said he hopes to avoid momentous rulings that turn on a 5-4 vote, and both cases offer the justices options that have been overlooked…Lurking in the background is a way to decide the case on tax law grounds. No one can be prosecuted, punished or fined for violating the mandate. In fact, the word "mandate" does not appear in the law. In ‘practical operation,’ the administration argued, it's just a tax law.”  Read more here

And apparently, Roberts did an about face from his original position - did the political pressure get to him?  Did the President's inappropriate remarks prior to the ruling have anything to do with it?

From CBS News: "Chief Justice John Roberts initially sided with the Supreme Court's four conservative justices to strike down the heart of President Obama's health care reform law, the Affordable Care Act, but later changed his position and formed an alliance with liberals to uphold the bulk of the law, according to two sources with specific knowledge of the deliberations..." Read more here

And what did Roberts accomplish with his betrayal? Obamacare represents one of the biggest tax increases in history, orchestrated and rammed through by a President who has repeatedly promised he would avoid taxing the middle class
“Taxpayers are reminded that the President’s healthcare law is one of the largest tax increases in American history.  Obamacare contains 20 new or higher taxes on American families and small businesses. Arranged by their respective effective dates, below is the total list of all $500 billion-plus in tax hikes (over the next ten years) in Obamacare, where to find them in the bill, and how much your taxes are scheduled to go up as of today…” Read more here

Has the Supreme Court ruling left you feeling defeated, or ready to fight?

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