June 28, 2012 by David K. Sutton
Republican Reaction To Obamacare Supreme Court Ruling Is Way Over-The-Top
Here’s a small sampling of the way over-the-top Republican reaction to the Supreme Court upholding the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare):
House Representative Michele Bachmann: “We lost religious liberty, that is a fundamental right under the constitution. We lost economic liberty, that is a fundamental right under the constitution. We lost our individual liberty to set our course in this country. This court has forced us now to pay for their utopian dreams, ones we simply can’t afford to pay for.”
House Speaker John Boehner: “The real outcome of today’s decision is to strengthen our resolve to make sure that this law is in fact repealed.”
House Representative Tom Price: “This law, just like yesterday, it hasn’t changed today, violates every single principle that we hold dear as a nation.”
House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy: “The economy won’t be turning around because this health care bill actually harms the economy.”
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor: “The decision today really indicates we have entered an age in which the government, Washington, will be controlling health care, unless something changes.”
House Representative Jeb Hensarling: “Today was not a good day for freedom. It was not a good day for struggling American families who wish to keep the health care that they have.”
Texas Governor Rick Perry: “It is a shocking disappointment to freedom-loving Americans desperate to get our country back on track. Obamacare is bad for the economy, bad for health care, bad for freedom.”
And then of course there is the ridiculous statements made by some on the Right that this was legislating from the bench. I’m sorry, come again? Wouldn’t overturning legislation be legislating from the bench? The Supreme Court upholding the law (essentially equal to doing nothing) is not legislating from the bench. If the Supreme Court had overturned the Affordable Care Act that would have been closer to legislating from the bench, although I would argue that would still be a stretch.
Republicans have gone bonkers today, especially fueled by the fact CNN and their beloved Fox News initially got it wrong and reported that SCOTUS overturned the health care law. SCOTUS upholding the law is not a reality they were prepared for, and it shows.
dks
