Countdown to the 5-4 decision announcement

[Razgovory]

This is probably better for Romney then Obama with regards to the election I'd think, the Tea Party will be super pumped to come out and vote, while if they'd won I think a lot would have passed on Romney.

Except that Romney is not a credible voice in opposition to this. His criticisms fall flat because he did the same thing.

I think the Tea Party has pretty much made its peace with Romney at this point.  He's stated that he will work to repeal Obamacare as soon as he would take office, so he's all they got at the presidential level, unless they want to throw their vote away on Gary Johnson.

I think the Tea Party has run out of steam.

[Malthus]

Also, why do euros always get the impression you can't get picked up by an ambulance without a credit card in the US? I've seen that nonsense a bunch of times on pdox too. Who spreads this crap?

I think it is because, for a first-world nation, the US health care system is so different from that used by everyone else, and seemingly inequitable, that it is easy to believe any sort of urban legend type story that casts it in a bad light.

The notion that middle class type people can be financially ruined by the cost of a hospital stay also seems absurd, but apparently that can be true.

[CountDeMoney]

The notion that middle class type people can be financially ruined by the cost of a hospital stay also seems absurd, but apparently that can be true.

Yup.  Absurd and true.

[The Minsky Moment]

Is this like a Marbury moment for Roberts?  Did he concede this one case to his opponents to win the legal precedent he needed? 

Looks like dicta to me.
Unlike Marbury where the power to invalidate legislation was essential to the result.

[derspiess]

I think the Tea Party has run out of steam.

I think you're drunk with your win today.  But that's fine with me-- go ahead & count them out

[Sheilbh]

I'm convinced we have worse outcomes because of our lifestyles, not a screwed up health care system. So long as our national dish is McDonalds and our national pastime is parking in front of a TV/computer, I think we are going to have poor healthcare outcomes.

That's part of it, but even accounting for that and looking at non-lifestyle influenced bits of healthcare the US has a very inefficient and ineffective system.  The biggest increase in cost is age which all of the developed world is dealing with and does mean all countries should be looking for ways to improve our healthcare systems.  Ever-expanding costs (and the US only decoupled from the rest of the developed world in the late 80s/early 90s in relation to healthcare inflation) isn't, I don't think, the way to do it.

[katmai]

I think the Tea Party has run out of steam.

I think you're drunk with your win today.  But that's fine with me-- go ahead & count them out

Count them out?
Who is silly enough to count them in?
They may have fucked up the Republican party but i seriously doubt their ability to win on National election level.

[Valmy]

I think you're drunk with your win today.  But that's fine with me-- go ahead & count them out

Besides the Paulites how are they even distinguishable from regular Republicans?

[derspiess]

I think the Tea Party has run out of steam.

I think you're drunk with your win today.  But that's fine with me-- go ahead & count them out

Count them out?
Who is silly enough to count them in?
They may have fucked up the Republican party but i seriously doubt their ability to win on National election level.

Really?  They made an impact in 2010 and I think it's possible they could do something similar in 2012, particularly after today's Obamacare ruling.

[Razgovory]

Mostly they've been engaged in cannibalism of late.  The Impression I got was many of the Tea party voters felt that the candidates they elected have already been subverted by the process.

[CountDeMoney]

Rand Paul: 'Obamacare' is still unconstitutional
Sen. Rand Paul doesn't think the Supreme Court gets the last word on what's constitutional.

The Kentucky Republican belittled the high court's health care decision as the flawed opinion of just a "couple people." 

"Just because a couple people on the Supreme Court declare something to be 'constitutional' does not make it so. The whole thing remains unconstitutional," the freshman lawmaker said in a statement. "While the court may have erroneously come to the conclusion that the law is allowable, it certainly does nothing to make this mandate or government takeover of our health care right."

"Obamacare is wrong for Americans. It will destroy our health care system," added Paul, who frequently rails about government overreach on the Senate floor. "This now means we fight every hour, every day until November to elect a new President and a new Senate to repeal Obamacare."

I wonder if he'll move for a Fetal Personhood vote today.

[derspiess]

Mostly they've been engaged in cannibalism of late.  The Impression I got was many of the Tea party voters felt that the candidates they elected have already been subverted by the process.

Where'd you get that notion?

[katmai]

Really?  They made an impact in 2010 and I think it's possible they could do something similar in 2012, particularly after today's Obamacare ruling.

I can only speak from state experience but yeah in 2010 they got Joe Miller nominated for Senate over Murkowski, and then lost to her as a write in.
They just took over leadership of the state GOP  and moderate republicans are now worried that Dems will have chance to take both state houses in fall if Tea Party candidates get the GOP nom.

[Razgovory]

Mostly they've been engaged in cannibalism of late.  The Impression I got was many of the Tea party voters felt that the candidates they elected have already been subverted by the process.

Where'd you get that notion?

Word on the street. Checked some conservative forums.  There was a lot of disappointment last year when they were forced to up the debt ceiling.  Saw a lot of comments that the Freshmen Republicans have "Betrayed the ideals of the tea party".  There seems to be a great deal of talk concerning impeachments again.  If they are considering failed stunts from the 1990's then it would seem they are out of ideas.

[Valmy]

The Government has been running the Health Care thing for decades now.  So I am not really sure what Rand is talking about unless he is talking about things that happened a long time ago.  It is hard to tell sometimes the Paulites like to talk about everything that has happened since 1900 as recent distortions.