Last updated on February 7th, 2013 at 04:28 pm
From the annals of deep conservative thought we got this “insight” re SCOTUS upholding ObamaCares from Sarah Palin’s Twitter feed:
“Obama lied to the American people. Again. He said it wasn’t a tax. Obama lies; freedom dies.”
If there’s one thing Sarah can do, it’s write a talking point on her hand and provided it doesn’t smudge before she gets her “thought” out, she’s a golden delivery girl for the RNC. Hence she delivers to us the GOP’s NEW and improved talking point regarding the Affordable Care Act. Turns out, it’s not death panels after all!
Yes, hidden deep in that long bill Republicans didn’t bother to read or have their aides read, preferring as they do to deliver bills written on Boehner’s soggy cocktail napkins, was the Big Secret.
The Big Secret (again, it was online for all to read but for those who are reading impaired, this is quite the shocker) is that instead of implementing the individual mandate under the commerce clause, it was implemented under the federal power to tax and collect fees:
As Jason Easley explained this morning when the news broke:
The Court found that the individual mandate was not constitutional under the Commerce Clause, but is constitutional under the federal government’s taxation power.
Indeed, Justice Roberts wrote, “Because the Constitution permits such a tax, it is not our role to forbid it, or to pass upon its wisdom or fairness.”
Yes, now we will have to purchase health insurance or pay a fee, which is sort of like a tax for everyone, only not really because this fee will only apply to those who chose not to purchase health insurance. You know, those people who chose not to be “personally responsible” for their own welfare.
Media Matters clarifies:
What may be surprising, however, is that if the ACA were in effect today, 94 percent of the total population (93 percent of the nonelderly population) or 250.3 million people out of 268.8 million nonelderly people — would not face a requirement to newly purchase insurance or pay a fine. [Urban Institute, March 2012]
Of the remaining 7 million to 8 million uninsured, some individuals will be granted exemptions from the penalty because of hardship, and others will be exempted from the mandate on the basis of their religious beliefs. [CBO, 4/30/12]
Poor Sarah. She’s such a trooper as an attack dog. She’s never bothered by cognitive dissonance and she’s blessed to be spared acknowledging the reality that her talking points on Healthcare Reform were awarded the Lie of the Year award in 2009.
It is with deep regret that I come to my conclusion on this matter, and that is that I believe it’s fair to say that the majority of Republicans either cannot read or suffer from a contagious comprehension problem made epidemic due to the epistemic closure of their soured tea bubble. Thus, Sarah Palin has become the Affordable Care Act’s official Clown of the Decade. And no, sadly, I don’t think it’s premature to call it for the decade.
In order to clear this matter up in a manner that even Ms. Palin can understand, I will borrow from DNC Executive Director Patrick Gaspard, who tweeted succinctly, “it’s constitutional. Bitches.”
Palin may want to write that on her hand. It might come in handy one day.
H/T: Media Matters
Sarah has been credentialed to cover President Barack Obama, then VP Joe Biden, 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and exclusively interviewed Speaker Nancy Pelosi multiple times and exclusively covered her first home appearance after the first impeachment of then President Donald Trump.
Sarah is two-time Telly award winning video producer and a member of the Society of Professional Journalists.
Connect with Sarah on Post, Mastodon @PoliticusSarah@Journa.Host, & Twitter.
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