Krauthammer: Overturning ObamaCare Could Energize Left Like Roe v. Wade Energized Right
Syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer on Friday said the Supreme Court striking down ObamaCare could energize the Left in this nation in much the same way 1973's Roe v. Wade decision galvanized the Right.
Such was said on PBS's Inside Washington (video follows with transcribed highlights and commentary):
As the discussion predictably moved to this week's Supreme Court oral arguments regarding ObamaCare, Krauthammer said, "I think the way it works is in the short run it will be a devastating defeat for the president, because his singular achievement will be shown by the Court to be unconstitutional. He’s supposed to be a constitutional expert, that’s not very good."
"People will say," he continued, “'You’ve spent a year and a half on that, you ignored everything else.'”
"But I think in the longer run, which would mean after this year, after this election, it could have an effect of galvanizing liberals, who would say, 'We worked for 100 years to achieve this, we passed it legally through the House and the Senate and the presidency, a rogue court struck it down.' It could have an effect on the Left that Roe v. Wade, in striking down all the abortion laws, had in radicalizing and energizing the conservative Right, the religious Right."
The question is whether or not today's Left is as emotionally tied to ObamaCare as the Right in the '70s were anti-abortion laws.
Polls don't seem to suggest that's the case.
Another thing to consider is the far-left viewed ObamaCare as a watered substitute for the universal healthcare they so desperately crave.
As such, it is equally likely such partisans will view this defeat - if it happens at all - as opening a door to an even broader piece of legislation.
Stay tuned.
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Comments
Yes, it probably would.
Submitted by GregE on Fri, 03/30/2012 - 10:42pm.
Overturning a clearly Constitution-disregarding statute would energize them. They have no respect whatsoever for the Constitution. None. I heard Ginsburg and Breyer speak during oral arguments. Disgusting. Our Constitution has been thwarted for years, but we're at a crossroads right now where the Left is out to destroy it completely.
How the Court would even have to hear a law forcing citizens to enter into private contract is unbelievable. Then to hear a full session of argument about what to do if that part of the law is struck down. Simple, the entire law goes, because there was a severability clause in it, and it was pulled out, so Congress knew EXACTLY what they were doing and said it's all or nothing. It's NOT for the Court to decide that. No clause, its all or nothing, period.
Ginsburg was basically pleading a case for "salvaging" the rest of the bill. She couldn't care less about the Constitution. And took an oath to uphold it? BS, that shows how little that oath means.
'Could' energize the left?
Submitted by Slyrr on Fri, 03/30/2012 - 10:40pm.
'Could' energize the left? As if they haven't been acting like socialists on steroids already? Look around you, Charlie. 'Occupy' protests, hoodie wearing thugs running amok, Sharpton et. al, calling pretty much for the overthrow of law and order, Pelosi, Reid and co. passing communist health care against the will of the people...
They're plenty 'energized' already I think.
In any case, what's he saying? That he wants the Right to just grab their ankles and let this horrible law stand?
Slyrr
Submitted by amyshulk on Sat, 03/31/2012 - 8:03am.
I took it as Charles thinks the left will view everything in the future through this prism, but after Bush vs Gore, they already do, this will just cement the "we was robbed!" feeling.
Personally, I'm sick to death of R's being pulled left, then when they try to moderate the damage from what the left truly wants, they get beat about the head with it, with snappy, vacuous, sound bites that fool the surface voters!
The mask is slipping, but the damage is too severe IMHO - no wonder the R's get to Washington and roll over - it must be exhausting fighting against the "my way or the highway" crowd!
Ronald Reagan
You nailed it. Bush beating
Submitted by Slyrr on Sat, 03/31/2012 - 10:20am.
You nailed it. Bush beating Gore.
I've said before that all this current unrest traces straight back to when Gore 'contested' the results of the election because he was too arrogant to believe he could have lost. Gore set the stage for the current liberal playbook. 'If you lose, say your opponents cheated and keep complaining/agitating until they give you what you want'.
Since 2000, every time the liberals have lost, it was because those darn republicans 'cheated'. All during the Bush years, they said Bush was 'illegitimate' because he 'stole the election'. They encouraged everyone to rebel, and they're still doing it.
They refuse to accept defeat.
Slyrr
Submitted by amyshulk on Sat, 03/31/2012 - 11:04am.
Yep - and the D's say the R's are the ideological ones! The D's have mastered the art of obfuscation to the point where the surface of their statement has *some* truth {ie drilling is up} but the lie is in "The REST of the story" so you have to pay attention or you'll pull the lever for the D's!
The biggest one IMHO? The "common knowledge" that voting R is in effect "Voting against your own interests"
I've heard some variation of that for years, and it works on low info/don't have time to ferret out the truth types.
I would LOVE it if these pols were hooked up to a lie detector, and by LAW, had to clarify when they set it off - that would be hilarious!!!
Ronald Reagan
Bush vs Gore SCOTUS vote
Submitted by texasborngranny on Mon, 04/02/2012 - 8:53am.
is something we should all know the truth of and be able to throw that truth in the face of any democrat/liberal/progressive/socialist that tries to use it in debates/arguments/discussions against the court, republican candidates or whatever...
A well-written 'refresher' by Terry Moran is at American Thinker...
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2012/04/abcs_terry_moran_is_a_know_n...
I doubt it
Submitted by MidAmerica on Fri, 03/30/2012 - 10:46pm.
Maybe in the circle that Charles lives there will be bitterness at the loss of obamacare but down at the street level the democrat voters aren't all that wedded to obamacare. Even they understand that obamacare is not universal or free. The individual mandate is a burden on the little people not the comfortable.
There won't be any riots in my neighborhood. if there are any protests I'm sure there will be union fingerprints all over it.
I disagree with the Hammer here and it seems as this is more
Submitted by gmaniac1 on Fri, 03/30/2012 - 10:55pm.
of him prognosticating than stating fact. However, the liberals have been vehemently attached to socialized medicine since Billary attempted to force it down our throats. The only similarities between these two cases is that they are both unconstitutional, infringe on individual liberties, and need to be overturned.
Buh-bye
Submitted by In Excess on Fri, 03/30/2012 - 10:56pm.
Not only are 60 - 70% of the people against it, the Dem's won't have the votes in the House or Senate to pass a similar Healthcare bill again.
"It's just a step to the left and a jump to the right"
Submitted by neutron on Sat, 03/31/2012 - 1:34am.
The Government lawyer arguing at the SCOTUS said that "50% of people get their healthcare insurance from their employer."
That is true. The other half don't have an employer. Most of them get it from the Government, while some are healthy enough to forgo the insurance and use that money elsewhere.
I live in MD, where there are 5th generation people, descendants of the original inhabitants, who still live in Public Housing, None of the generations held a job. They don't work, but they loyally vote Democrat in every election in which the Party and Unions transport them to the poles.
Krauthammer is correct. The Dems will go berserk.
neutron
Submitted by amyshulk on Sat, 03/31/2012 - 8:10am.
Nice - Rocky Horror fan from waaaaay back, saw it {many times} at the Tiffany on the strip back in the day.
Ronald Reagan
where there are 5th
Submitted by Dan The Man 2 on Sat, 03/31/2012 - 10:08am.
where there are 5th generation people, descendants of the original inhabitants, who still live in Public Housing, None of the generations held a job
How do they do this? And more important why do we let them do it.
It's Maryland.
Submitted by no tingly legs on Sat, 03/31/2012 - 4:52pm.
Do you really need further explanation?
more succinctly stated:
Submitted by neutron on Sat, 03/31/2012 - 10:09pm.
This is more clear (calmer emotions now)
"... there are people, 5th generation descendants of the original inhabitants, who still live in Public Housing, None of the generations held a job."
Roe vs. Wade was wrong, and
Submitted by killa37 on Fri, 03/30/2012 - 11:26pm.
Roe vs. Wade was wrong, and the BFD Obamacare is also wrong, so too bad for the libs who will have a cow if the bill is struck down. It was NOT 'passed legally through the House and the Senate and the Presidency', unless we need a new definition of 'legal', and it is NOT a Constitutional bill by any stretch of the imagination.
But I know that the libs ALWAYS have their collective panties in a wad, and ALWAYS want more - regardless of what the get. So if they DON'T get what they want, they will just become more brattier and more spoiled and more nasty. Big deal.............we're used to it, we can handle it, so get over it allready.............................we KNOW who the 'enemy' is, and they are living amoungst us.
It will be nothing in
Submitted by robert108 on Fri, 03/30/2012 - 11:33pm.
It will be nothing in comparison to how they will react to obama being thrown out of the WH. If you haven't noticed, the left is all over even the smallest issue like a 200 pounf bulldog with painful rectal itch already, and it's not even Summer yet. This clown act they're pulling over a guy defending himself from a street thug is nothing compared to what they are prepared to do.
So true
Submitted by Blonde on Sat, 03/31/2012 - 8:20am.
....they're now up in arms over a Katy Perry video!!!
I mean really?
Sharpton et. al. are determined to blow this thing up in Florida, and if there is rioting, I hope he gets tossed in jail, do not pass Go, do not collect $200.
Handy Reference Guide to Obama's Gaffes and Goofs ~ Currently Numbering 200 (and Counting)
Charles is wrong this time
Submitted by stunned on Fri, 03/30/2012 - 11:39pm.
Only the hard left who is always energized will go ape. The Democrats I know don't like Obamacare and are sad not angry about it going down in flames as they think Obama blew it by "wasting" so much time on this nonsense when all anyone was concerned about was the cost of healthcare not with tearing down the entire system just to cover some who don't have insurance. My lib buddy joked the Dems could just have signed them up on blue cross/blue shield and saved trillions and a lot of headaches.
tired of liberal lies
The left
Submitted by Okieflyover on Fri, 03/30/2012 - 11:50pm.
Will forever be held with the reAlization that they wrote a terrible bill that increased costs even before it was fully implemented. It is seen by America as a power grab not a way to insure the uninsured. There are a lot of ways tools that happen and people are not dying in the streets as Obama would have you believe.
Like their policies or not, the Dems are just not good at this.
I would rather take my chances with the 31% of Americans
Submitted by Rush Fan on Sat, 03/31/2012 - 12:00am.
(not necessarily voters) who identify as Democrat who may be galvanized if it's overturned, rather than attempt to overturn this monstrosity in Congress.
I think you're way wrong on
Submitted by ex buff e-dub on Sat, 03/31/2012 - 12:04am.
I think you're way wrong on this Mr. Krauthammer, but even if you are right, that result in itself will even further energize the right. We are poised for a cultural civil war, and instead of the blue v grey, it's gonna be blue v red. And red will win out!
I disagree.
Submitted by NeoKong on Sat, 03/31/2012 - 12:12am.
This will be highly demoralizing.
They put their heart and souls into this. They gambled Congress on this.
This law gave rise to the Tea Party and helped Ted Kennedy's seat go blue.
If they lose this in June with the double whammy of losing the Wisconsin recount they won't have any steam left.
It will be like 1944 Berlin and they are the Wehrmacht.
Obama will be in a bunker.
Charles is usually. . .
Submitted by rickbren on Sat, 03/31/2012 - 12:35am.
. . . spot on. But not this time. . . More than 1/2 the libs think this is a bad idea. It will only galvanize the 5-10% of the Kennedy left.
The MOST important thing to remember...
Submitted by MacWell on Sat, 03/31/2012 - 1:19am.
is that Congress is to blame for this whole mess, starting before Obama even. The career politicians that have OUR Congress at ransom. The career politicians who trade their votes like baseball cards. The career politicians who name their own compensation packages. The career politicians who lie to us, steal from us, and make fools of us.
Congress was never intended to be a career.
Congress was intended to be filled with a cross section of Americans, people from all walks of life, not all lawyers!
We get 2700 page bills that "we have to pass to find out what's in it", from the career lawyers in Congress.
We MUST return to the founders intentions for America. Government, of the people, by the people, and for the people.
We must get off our collective butts and vote out all of the people who believe that America needs to be "fundamentally transformed" in November.
We must also begin to remove all career politicians from our Congress. This is NOT how America was envisioned.
" If the government isn't working for you, then it's working against you!"
A bucket of cold water
Submitted by Unsane on Sat, 03/31/2012 - 10:53am.
Sadly "career politicians" that are so moaned about every election year have in fact existed ever since the ink dried on the very first, original copy of the Constitution.
As for Congress being intended to be filled "with a cross section of Americans": as awesome as that would be, I don't see anywhere in the Constitution that indicates that was in fact the intention.
One of the primary causes of "career politicians" is voter laziness, which is a disease which is very difficult to cure. There will never be a substitute for an involved, attentive citizenry as far as government goes.
One thing I'd like to see happen is that Congressional perks and privileges gets boiled down to just one - a paycheck. No more endless privileges like an adjusted-for-inflation pension that they get for either three terms as Rep or one Senatorial term (for but one example).
"CONSUMED DEMOCRACY RETURNS A SOCIALIST REGIME" - Slayer, "Fictional Reality", from Divine Intervention (1994)
They are freedom-hating commies
Submitted by Dave. on Sat, 03/31/2012 - 1:25am.
Fork 'em, and don't even feed 'em beans.
-Dave
Vote for the American in November
BTW, Dr. K,
Submitted by Dave. on Sat, 03/31/2012 - 1:28am.
You do realize that leaving this hideous law intact will mean the end of America as founded, don't you?
-Dave
Vote for the American in November
Coincidentally, Dave....
Submitted by Jer on Sat, 03/31/2012 - 2:11am.
I believe those were the very same words uttered by the anti-Obamacare lawyer in concluding his oral argument before the Supreme Court Justices this past Wednesday.
Jer
Jer,
Submitted by Dave. on Sat, 03/31/2012 - 3:27am.
The term " strange bedfellows" comes to mind, for some reason or other.
Not sure what to make of it all as yet, but given the scuttlebutt I am sensing from my liberal acquaintances, the bloom has fallen off the Obamacare rose.
Not that that will have any impact here.
We don't know as yet what the final ruling will be, as the SCOTUS justices are not a little skilled at questioning one way, then voting another.
Pins and needles for the duration it will be, I guess.
-Dave
Vote for the American in November
?????
Submitted by Jer on Sat, 03/31/2012 - 2:19am.
double post. Strange goings on at NB.
What will happen of upheld
Submitted by Unsane on Sat, 03/31/2012 - 10:57am.
It will mean the turning of America from an economic and military superpower into a whiny babying country in which its "citizens" will not be citizens but rather helpless Wards of the State. The United States of America at this point begins the slow process of rotting off the face of the earth. It will be the "Sick Man of the Western Hemisphere".
"CONSUMED DEMOCRACY RETURNS A SOCIALIST REGIME" - Slayer, "Fictional Reality", from Divine Intervention (1994)
The first thing
Submitted by ahusser on Sat, 03/31/2012 - 11:22am.
That will happen, besides mass confusion, will be that sucking sound as the economy swirls down the drain as thousands if not more small business employers are made to lay off workers or raise prices astronomically for goods and services. Somebody has to pay for all that free stuff.
"Somehow, I told you so, just doesn't quite say it." Will Smith in 'I, Robot.'
Chuck Craphammer
Submitted by DemsRFascists on Sat, 03/31/2012 - 2:28am.
Ok, So my subject line was a little too much...
..but I think Charles Krauthammer is quite overrated. Yes he is the lone voice of reason on a PBS show, but really...how much does that count for?
The world needs more Steven Hayes, Ann Coulters (except when she's talking abt RoboRomo) and Michelle Malkins.
I'm not sure what Charles'
Submitted by Semus on Sat, 03/31/2012 - 12:01pm.
I'm not sure what Charles' point is, except for the sake of making a point. I would like to know what makes him think the left isn't energized, it's always energized, trouble waiting for something to happen to further their cause. Is Mr. Krauthammer being polite, obtuse or deliberately obtuse?
Bad Analogy by Krauthammer
Submitted by libBuster on Sat, 03/31/2012 - 8:53am.
Roe-v-Wade created a new Constitional right: abortion -- and made it impossible to pass a federal or state law outlawing abortion.
In the present instance a single Federal Statute is a risk. The left is free to go back to the drawing board. Roe-v-Wade left conservatives without a drawing board.
Kraut
Submitted by Jersey Girl on Sat, 03/31/2012 - 8:54am.
Kraut needs to stop reading those democrat talking points. The polls show a large majority of Americans are against O-care.
The economy will boom if this monstrosity is removed from the horizon.
If true, let's hope any boom doesn't occur until after Nov 6th.
Submitted by no tingly legs on Sat, 03/31/2012 - 4:59pm.
Personally I'm hoping for $8/gallon gas by October if that's what it takes to rid us of Odumbo.
I also disagree
Submitted by seen the light on Sat, 03/31/2012 - 9:41am.
I also will respectfully disagree. I think the average person on the street isn't emotionally connected to this. I also think the political libs know the potential political damage of this law if it was actually put into effect. Premiums would have been raised and would have created right leaning politically minded people everywhere. I was actually looking forward to it being passed for that reason.
I would submit that many Dems are actually RELIEVED its not looking good. This will allow them to forever play the victim again, and an "institutionally racist, corrupt court", etc etc, yada yada.
However, they still lose a ton here. Their constitutional expert was wrong. he spent his term doing...nothing.
Silver lining
Submitted by needle on Sat, 03/31/2012 - 11:05am.
Krauthammer see an important connection between Roe v. Wade (the high court ruling that has not been reversed despite generations of effort) and in overturning ObamaCare...
- Looking forward to the self-annihilation of the Manipulated Stories Machine.
No way
Submitted by TSM on Sat, 03/31/2012 - 11:30am.
Not even a comparison.
You simply can't compare the legality of something that people believe is akin to murder, to overruling a mandate that forces everyone to pay for health insurance even if they choose not to carry it.
ObamaCare Defeat Would Energize The Left
Submitted by Netstatter on Sat, 03/31/2012 - 11:45am.
Krauthammer said that the Left could say, "...we passed it legally through the House and the Senate and the presidency, a rogue court struck it down." That sounds exactly right. After all, the Left said that G. W. Bush's presidency was illegitimate when it was perfectly legitimate.
The truth of the matter is that a Democrat Congress rammed ObamaCare through by hook-an-crook, bending the rules to make it happen, making all kinds of deals for it to happen, with the American People screaming "No!" all the way. We need to keep reminding them of that. We also need to make them realize that this Court is not a rogue court and any decision made, we'll have to peacefully abide by.
The Jurists Are Out On Obamacare
Submitted by berlet98 on Sat, 03/31/2012 - 12:33pm.
The Jurists Are Out On Obamacare
Speculation is ripe on how the United States Supreme Court will rule on the constitutionality of the Preservation of Access to Care for Medicare Beneficiaries and Pension Relief Act of 2010, the ultimate title of what most Americans know as Obamacare.
Signed by President Barack Hussein Obama on June 25th, 2010 after extensive late-night machinations, bribes, and add-ons, the bill was originally titled the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act by the Democrat Senate. It was apparently changed in view of the fact there were few patient protections in the 2700 page monstrosity.
Obamacare is not affordable by either patients or the nation but they had to call it something palatable. It’s not known whether any Dems ever read it before they passed it.
Anyway, nine individuals–six men and three women, (six Roman Catholics, three Jews, no Protestants)–are now empowered to secretly decide the fate of a law which applies to almost everyone in a nation of 313,274,338 souls, comprised of 51% protestants, 25% Catholics, 1.7% Mormons, 1.2% Jews, and 21% of other persuasions including Muslims and atheists.
Without suggesting that either the personal faith or gender of the justices will dictate their decision, the religion of the justices is cited here in light of the legislation’s already-obvious impact on religious beliefs of Catholics and other Christians and the widespread discussion of a presidential candidate’s religion for the first time since 1960.
Gender is relevant because the statistical reality is that far more women seek health care than do men and the new law will directly impact the practice of abortion in the country.
Not all of us are affected by Obamacare, however. It won’t be fully implemented until 2014, by design, long after this year’s election. Millions of “exemptions” have been doled out to favored special interests groups, labor unions etc., which didn’t like the legislation anymore than the rest of us but had the political pull to opt out.
Federal government employees, including the president, his family, and Congress, are also exempted, a fact which says a great deal about Obamacare, none of it good. . . (Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=20091.)
It could also demoralize
Submitted by mattm on Sat, 03/31/2012 - 2:25pm.
It could also demoralize them. Either way, it's unconstitutional and un-American, and it should go down in flames regardless of the political fallout.
It could also energize the "right" and inspire patriotic Americans to challenge the hundreds of other un-constitutional laws the libs and RINOs have passed over the years.
The Dems will never have another super majority Congress,
Submitted by no tingly legs on Sat, 03/31/2012 - 4:58pm.
so they can forget about ever having any version of ObamaCare pass ever again. Many of the Dems who voted for it were defeated in 2010 as a result. They walked the plank for Dear Leader, Stretch Pelosi and Dingy Harry. Even a future dumb libtard will be able to remember that.