The Healthcare Ruling
June 28, 2012
Topics: 2012 Presidential Election;
The big news today is the Supreme Court's ruling on the so-called "Obamacare" law. The law has been controversial since before it was passed in March, 2010, and opinion polls have consistently shown it to be an unpopular law for a majority of the population.
It was widely believed that the Supreme Court would strike down the law, but in a surprise switch, Chief Justice John Roberts ruled in favor of the law, along with four other justices. Most pundits had expected Roberts to side with the conservative wing of the court based on his track record of generally ruling in favor of conservative causes. However, in this particular case, he determined that the law was not a mandate, but a tax, which is a constitutionally legal right of the government.
The government has constitutional authority to tax, but not to issue mandates. It is difficult to say whether this ruling will increase the popularity of the law, or decrease it.
The Supreme Court's opinion is respected by the American public, and this ruling will be the final say on whether the law is constitution. As such, it is expected that many people who previously opposed the law on constitutional grounds will now recognize its legitimacy.
However, most people oppose new taxes, so the court's ruling may increase opposition.
In either case, conservatives will campaign for the 2012 election hoping to overturn the law, and liberals will try to uphold it.
