Today was the second day of oral arguments in battle over the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Today the Court considered the constitutionality of the individual mandate. The sidewalks around the Supreme Court building were packed today with activists on both sides of the issue. The Left was dominated by activists from NOW, NARAL, and Planned Parenthood who focused on the women’s health/abortion side of the health care law debate, despite the fact that it is an incredibly small part of the overall plan and that so far women have been able to get along just fine in the current “oppressive” climate that forces individuals to take responsibility for their own actions.
Tea Party Patriots rallied those on the Right, and despite the alleged violence of the tea party movement, The Don’t Tread on Me crowd had a difficult time being heard above the drumming, yelling, and aggressive jostling of the opposition. It should also be noted that though the Tea Party Patriots had a permit to hold their press conference, it was almost impossible to do so thanks to groups that did not have permits. Nothing was done to try to enforce or protect the permitted area.
Here’s your daily dose of essential resources to stay abreast of the health care law debate:
Emily Ekins, Reason.com, “54 Percent of Americans Expect New Health Care Law Will Lead to Rationing”
Peter Suderman, Reason.com, “Is the Supreme Court Skeptical of ObamaCare’s Insurance Mandate?”
Nick Gillespie & Jim Epstein, Reason.com, “Why ObamaCare is ‘the Most Important Case’ in 50 Yrs”
Peter Suderman, Reason.com, “The Secret Word for CBO is Banana, Or: How Obama Flip-Flopped on the Mandate”
Highlights Reel: President Obama on the Mandate in 2008
The Federalist Society, “Randy Barnett on ObamaCare Day 1”
The New York Times, “Vindication for Challenger of Health Care Law” (Randy Barnett)
Michael Cannon, Cato, “IPAB: ObamaCare’s Next Constitutional Hurdle”
Ezra Klein, The Washington Post, “A Bad Day for ObamaCare’s Supporters”
RedState.com, “Toobin on ObamaCare Supreme Court Arguments: ‘This Was a Train Wreck for the Obama Administration”