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Dems Warn Of ‘Grave Damage’ To SCOTUS If ‘Obamacare’ Is Struck Down
TPM ^ | 3/28/2012 | sahil kapul

Posted on 03/29/2012 1:50:01 PM PDT by Sybeck1

A handful of Senate Democrats sought to assure doubtful liberals that the Supreme Court justices aren’t ready to strike down their crowning achievement, standing before cameras and mics Wednesday in front of the court. One warned that doing so would ruin the court’s credibility.

“This court would not only have to stretch, it would have to abandon and completely overrule a lot of modern precedent, which would do grave damage to this court, in its credibility and power,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D), a former attorney general of Connecticut. “The court commands no armies, it has no money; it depends for its power on its credibility. The only reason people obey it is because it has that credibility. And the court risks grave damage if it strikes down a statute of this magnitude and importance, and stretches so dramatically and drastically to do it.”

Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) said the law has been thoroughly vetted.

“As a senior member of the Finance Committee,” he said, “I can tell you that we had one of the most rigorous and transparent legislative processes that I have witnessed in almost 3 decades here in the Congress. We worked with some of the brightest, most thoughtful and experienced constitutional lawyers in order to make sure that the law was constitutional.”

Kerry said the assumptions that tough questions from the justices will amount to striking down some or all of the Affordable Care Act are a fallacy — he predicted, as the final oral arguments were transpiring inside, that it would be upheld.

“Now I am glad — as I think any of us who’ve practiced law are — to see the intense questions from the justices. They’re engaged, and they are thoughtfully working through these issues,” Kerry said. “But questions are a legitimate way of probing the basis of their own thinking. They are not an indication of a judgment made, or a vote ready to be cast. They’re working through this process as they ought to, mindful of the fact that 30 courts below them have already made a judgment upholding it.”

Blumenthal and Kerry — who were joined by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) — called the press conference one day after liberals and other court watchers expressed serious doubts that the justices would uphold the Affordable Care Act’s requirement to purchase insurance, a central pillar of the law. The firestorm was ignited by legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin, who called Tuesday’s arguments a “train wreck” for the White House and predicted that “Obamacare” would be struck down.

Pushing back, Blumenthal said that there’s a “heavy burden” on the challengers.

“Everybody learns in the first year of law school that the law that’s challenged is presumed to be constitutional,” Blumenthal said. “That is a heavy burden for anyone challenging the constitutionality of a law to overcome. When in doubt, uphold the law. There is a lot of room for doubt here, and there is a lot of clear precedent that requires this court to uphold this law.”

The Democrats’ level of confidence has diminished since the days when they dismissed a constitutional challenge to the Affordable Care Act as frivolous. Indeed, the tough questioning from swing Justices John Roberts and Anthony Kennedy about the limits of federal power at least rattled liberals enough to require the nerve-soothing press conference. But Democrats are seeking to quell liberal fears that the game is already over.

Experts say it’s too difficult to predict how the court will rule.

Affordable Care Act, HCR/SCOTUS, Supreme Court


TOPICS: Front Page News; Government
KEYWORDS: 2012; abortion; chicagoway; corruption; deathpanels; dementalillness; democratcorruption; democrats; democratthuggery; elections; fascistleft; johnkerry; leftuniverse; liberalfascism; mediawingofthednc; nodemocrats2012; obamacare; occutardation; occutards; occuturds; partisanmediashills; richardblumenthal; scotus; scotusintimidation; scotusocareanalysis; scotusthreat; thugbama; zerocare
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To: I cannot think of a name
I have always believed that liberals RATS are so determined to get their way that they are willing to risk civil war to do so.

Well, they did it once before didn't they?

161 posted on 03/29/2012 4:30:13 PM PDT by ROCKLOBSTER ( Celebrate Republicans Freed the Slaves Month.)
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To: Sybeck1

“The court commands no armies, it has no money; it depends for its power on its credibility. The only reason people obey it is because it has that credibility.”


Here we go. I knew this would happen. He is essentially saying that the court will be unable to enforce a ruling (which is true) that strikes down any part of obamacare, and that any such ruling should be ignored. President Andrew Jackson pretty much did the same thing. The SC made a ruling he didn’t like, so he told them to shove it and to try to enforce their ruling. An entire branch of our govt. is becoming virtually useless. This country is going down the toilet faster and faster every day. No matter what the SC decides, neither side will accept the ruling if it is against them.


162 posted on 03/29/2012 4:33:18 PM PDT by chessplayer
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To: Sybeck1
Is it wrong to enjoy the smell of fear emanating from the democRATs/socialists/communists?

5.56mm

163 posted on 03/29/2012 4:33:37 PM PDT by M Kehoe
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To: SoFloFreeper
By the way, Blumie wasn't even around to vote on this turd law, was he? He was still skunking the people of Connecticut.

Blummie is *so* much like Eliot Spitzer in *so* many ways that I've often wondered if he might even be Client #10.

164 posted on 03/29/2012 4:33:41 PM PDT by Gay State Conservative (Jimmy Carter Is No Longer The Worst President To Have Served In My Lifetime.)
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To: Sybeck1

Hmmm. Maybe we should dismantle the Constitutionally appointed USSC and make these RAT senators the new court. Because they are experts and all. We don’t even need a court. Just RAT lawmakers.


165 posted on 03/29/2012 4:34:29 PM PDT by petitfour
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To: BobL
Hitler made a similar comment when he asked (rhetorically) how many divisions the Pope commands.

I think that was Stalin but what's the difference? The point's been well made.

166 posted on 03/29/2012 4:39:27 PM PDT by Gay State Conservative (Jimmy Carter Is No Longer The Worst President To Have Served In My Lifetime.)
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To: Sybeck1
Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) said the law has been thoroughly vetted.

This is a demonstrable lie, of course, since the Dems had no idea what was in the bill in the first place. Nice of the Dems to make veiled threats to the SC justices, though.

167 posted on 03/29/2012 4:40:31 PM PDT by Major Matt Mason ("Journalism is dead. All news is suspect." - Noamie)
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To: JrsyJack

This is a blatant attempt to intimidate The Court by 3 sitting Senators by referencing the Courts reliance on the Senate for funding.


Yup. And they have 3 more months to apply more and more pressure on the SC and to threaten them.


168 posted on 03/29/2012 4:44:04 PM PDT by chessplayer
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To: Gay State Conservative

“I think that was Stalin but what’s the difference? The point’s been well made.”

Yea, not much difference, thanks. It’s scary to hear that from a SENATOR.


169 posted on 03/29/2012 4:45:21 PM PDT by BobL (I don't care about his past - Santorum will BRING THE FIGHT to Obama)
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To: LouD

>He might want to check that. A whole lot of us have pledged to defend the Constitution against ALL enemies, foreign and domestic...

That does assume that the Supreme Court’s actions are themselves Constitutional. Things like Kelo, Wickard, and Roe v. Wade indicate that it is not; things like the very recent 9-0 smackdown of the EPA’s denyal of due-process do give me some hope for the Court though.


170 posted on 03/29/2012 4:47:27 PM PDT by OneWingedShark (Q: Why am I here? A: To do Justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with my God.)
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To: Sybeck1

Damn these liars !.......


171 posted on 03/29/2012 4:48:43 PM PDT by Squantos (Be polite. Be professional. But have a plan to kill everyone you meet)
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To: JohnKinAK

They only have to “get to” Kennedy and he won’t be that hard to coerce behind the scenes. I’m not at all convinced the court will overturn,


Yup. I wouldn’t put it past them to threaten his family. I’m pretty much convinced the court will rule in obama’s favor. I think it will be passed by more than 5-4. More like 6-3, maybe even 7-2. Threats can change a lot of the justices minds.


172 posted on 03/29/2012 4:52:39 PM PDT by chessplayer
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To: I cannot think of a name
“The court commands no armies, it has no money; it depends for its power on its credibility.

And how many divisions has the Pope? But when 0bamacare knocked down the conscience clause exception to abortion related medical care, the Church found that it had allies all across the religious spectrum.

Reiterating my tagline, the Mandate of Heaven resides in the hearts of men.


173 posted on 03/29/2012 4:54:23 PM PDT by magooey (The Mandate of Heaven resides in the hearts of men.)
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To: Oberon
"...Do liberals really think this way...?"

They don't "think"—they plot.

174 posted on 03/29/2012 5:05:57 PM PDT by Does so ("What elephant?")
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To: LostPassword

Playing politics and attacking the court’s credibility seems dangerous. If I was a justice on the fence this may be what pushes me the other way


You, maybe,,,but not Ginsberg, etc. They are probably applauding Kerry’s comments. Even thought the govts. arguments were ripped to she shreds, they will still vote in favor of obama.


175 posted on 03/29/2012 5:07:32 PM PDT by chessplayer
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To: Oberon; mickie
"The court commands no armies.....it depends for its power on its credibility."

As we all know, the Dems command legions of gimme entitlement takers for their power and armies of effeminate, idiotic intellectuals for their credibility. Their ranks also include an ever-shrinking corps of union dolts plus 9 or 10 overweight New Black Panthers who are the Dems Special Forces.

Bring 'em on.....

P.S.....you can make book that the Court's decision will reflect payback time for Obama's State of the Union insult.

Leni

176 posted on 03/29/2012 5:08:45 PM PDT by MinuteGal
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To: Sybeck1

It’s just talk, for now. We’ll see if it gets ignored if overturned. If so, that anger in the country is gonna boil over.


177 posted on 03/29/2012 5:12:23 PM PDT by Tench_Coxe
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To: Dick Bachert

Nice!


178 posted on 03/29/2012 5:18:43 PM PDT by Thorliveshere
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To: Sybeck1

The court has no armies. Sounds like a threat from the left.


179 posted on 03/29/2012 5:22:00 PM PDT by Terry Mross ( "It happened. And we let it happen. - Peter Griffin, Family Guy)
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To: Sybeck1

FDR said pretty much the same thing.

Put Reagan on the dime!!!


180 posted on 03/29/2012 5:26:24 PM PDT by <1/1,000,000th%
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