ObamaCare Watch: Today Is the Day

At 10 a.m. ET this morning, the U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to announce its final decisions from the 2011-2012 term, including its long-awaited ruling on the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Will the Court strike down ObamaCare in its entirely? Uphold it? Void only the individual mandate? We'll soon learn the answer. In the meantime, prepare yourself for the legal and political fallout by studying this selection from Reason's ObamaCare archives. And stay tuned to Reason.com all day for coverage and analysis of the decision.

ObamaCare on Trial. The libertarian legal movement threatens Barack Obama's signature law. By Damon Root.

The ObamaCare Tax? Regulation, taxation, and the insurance mandate. By Jacob Sullum.

Wonky Justice. The dubious policy assumptions behind ObamaCare's legal defense. By Peter Suderman.

What's Next if ObamaCare Is Struck Down? The political upside of ditching the health insurance mandate. By Peter Suderman.

Fair-Weather Federalists. Why conservatives and progressives should unite against an overweening national government. By Jacob Sullum.

The 4 Best Legal Arguments Against ObamaCare. Why the president's sweeping health care overhaul should be struck down by the Supreme Court. By Damon Root.

Don't Buy It. The crazy constitutional logic of the individual insurance mandate. By Jacob Sullum.

The Liberal Legal Bubble. Liberals can't even imagine the opposition's arguments to the individual mandate. By Peter Suderman.

How Will the Supreme Court Rule on ObamaCare? Andrew Sullivan, Richard Epstein, and others place their final bets.

Will John Roberts Vote to Uphold ObamaCare? By Damon Root.

Gaming Out the ObamaCare Ruling. 3 Possible Outcomes. By Peter Suderman.

Click below to watch Reason.tv's "3 Reasons to End ObamaCare Before It Begins."

Click below to watch "Wheat, Weed, and ObamaCare: How the Commerce Clause Became All Powerful," the Reason.tv documentary cited on page 47 of U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson's decision striking down the individual mandate.

Comments

[heller]

Woohoo we did it! Suck my dick Obama!

[heller]

Fuck we lost! Suck my dick Obama!

[Auric Demonocles]

You seem to have an unhealthy attraction to the president.

[Brutus]

What could be more diversity-embracing than interracial gay sex?

[Randian]

Interracial trannies?

[Groovus Maximus]

That's the other Obama, TAO.

[heller]

Just wanted to cement my reaction to this historic/infamous moment, but I won't be around at 10:00, so hedging my bets.

[Fist of Etiquette]

History will look back upon this day and wonder, How did the Court manage to trick people into wrongly thinking they were going to make a ruling on ObamaCare yet again?

See you all next session!

[Auric Demonocles]

You always end the season with a cliffhanger.

[Auric Demonocles]

Justice Roberts: And the vote on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act came out at-

*cut to "To be continued"*

[Rich]

"Our historic ruling is ... Argghhh!"

/Monty Python

[Brutus]

I think they ought to do it like the end of "The Bachelorette" episodes. Line up Obama, Reid and Pelosi on one side and Boehner, McConnell and Ryan on the other. Lots of minor-chord music, then John Roberts hands a rose to the winner and tears flow all around.

[Randian]

No, I say that we get a shot of John Roberts opening the envelope and then have Meadow walk in the door.

[Auric Demonocles]

I might be too young for this.

[Randian]

Reference.

[Randian]

The reference.

[Randian]

At this point, I do not particularly care about the liberty interest (I know, I know, but I will probably be rich, so fuck it), but I have to have those tears. I just have to. Any decision that does not result in rivers of naive lefty tears is just a tragedy.

[Auric Demonocles]

In case the law stands, enjoy your last 90 minutes of a country where the feds can't tell you what to do with every part of your life.

[Rich]

In case the law is overturned, enjoy some of your last minutes of a country where the feds can't tell you what to do with every part of your life.

[wareagle]

as it is, if the feds aren't the ones telling you what to do, state and local folks are doing it. Seriously, try to think of one activity that is not in some way regulated, taxed, or otherwise touched by govt.

[Joe R.]

Yeah. At this point we might as well throw out the constitution except for the parts that specify how/when to have elections. That's about all we follow anymore.

[Mike M.]

A bunch of last-minute money is being put down in favor of the mandate on InTrade.

I think it's dumb money that's almost as dumb as the small surge of last-minute money that went in against Scott Walker, but we'll find out very shortly.

[Groovus Maximus]

Three year rageboner here. In buckets filled, there must be cum...

God/G-d/SOD/Fates/FSM/Life/Luck/Random Chance, just give me this one, please.

[Rich]

In any event, will ObamaCare cover all the heart attacks, depression, etc. triggered by the anxious suspense and the actual ruling?

[Randian]

The Chicago Sun Times already knows the answer.

[Groovus Maximus]

That's odd...My Magic Meatball gave me the exact same answer...

[Brutus]

The SCOTUS as professional wrestling melodrama. I like it.

[wareagle]

so, we're all waiting to see Roberts' new cool finishing move off the top rope. Alternatively, whether Kennedy decides to be heel or face, though it would be doubly cool if the one of the liberal judges did the unexpected.

[Brutus]

I'd like to see Harry Reid get a Rude Awakening.

[Randian]

I'd like to see Harry Reid get a Rude Awakening.

The Stone Cold Stunner, with full glass breakage and Coors Light flowing like water.

[Brutus]

NB: Coors Light is water.

[Randian]

"If you smell...what the Roberts...is cookin'"

"Oh, JR, can you believe it? Sotomayor attacked Vince! She's pummeling him!"

[Groovus Maximus]

"So...uh...Whaddya think there Ginsy...whaddya think about that..eh?"

"Well, I think the Individ-...."

"I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU THINK YOU ROODY POO CANDY ASS!!!! THE 'STUTION'S GOT TWO THICK STEAMING PILES OF MONKEY CRAP FOR YA, YA WRINKLED OLD JA-CRONE!!!!!"

[Rich]

Supreme Court XXXX Obama health law

I like that version of the headline.

[Ken Shultz]

Just for the record, Obama sucks even it is constitutional.

[Auric Demonocles]

Just for the record, Obama sucks even it is ruled constitutional.

We already know it's unconstitutional.

[Suthenboy]

I fully expect the mandate at least to be struck down. I am having fits of pleasure thinking of all the dems that lost their jobs in congress over this already. They threw their careers away for nothing hahahahahahahahaha!
If the democratic party has any sense, which they dont, they will shitcan obama over this. God that would be lovely.

[Boomer]

More Tomasky hand-wringing...

http://www.thedailybeast.com/a.....ction.html

[Brutus]

What's so instructive about these primal screams is that everything, absolutely everything, is about current political exigencies. The SCOTUS can't possibly be looking at the Constitution, precedent, etc., it has to be balancing public reaction, Congressional backlash, the 2012 electoral race...anything but what it's supposed to do.

Tomasky lives in a world where everything is placed into the political realm and nothing is ever settled. It's not a world we want to live in.

[Concerned Citizen]

I've got a buddy like that. Per his facebook posts, politics is everything and everything is politics. Liberal politics, that is, anything else is pure greedy evil. I no longer respond to his idiotic posts and rarely have contact with him. He is truly deranged. For example, he's Catholic, and makes anti-death penalty posts all the time, but not one word against abortion. I finally got him to admit that he's opposed to abortion, but since it's the law of the land, women should have access to it. I tried to point out his inconsistencies, such as slavery was legal, death penalty is legal, everything Hitler did was legal, but it just bounces off him.

[Randian]

The Reference.

[Drax the Destroyer]

I don't know guys. I'm inclined to be nagative naturally, so I fear this nightmare will be allowed to be shoved up our collective asses, and hope it will be smothered in the crib as it deserves. Either way we still sprint or jog to the cliff. If only we knew how to turn around.

[Concerned Citizen]

Unconstitutional, bitches! Suck it leftists, suck it hard!