Roberts - Still A Right-Wing Nut-Job

The United States Supreme Court recently upheld the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) in a 5 to 4 decision. The swing vote that upheld Obamacare came from a surprising source -- surprising both to Republicans and to Democrats. It came from Chief Justice John Roberts (pictured).

Until the Obamacare decision, Roberts (appointed by Republican President George W. Bush) had been one of the most reliable conservative votes on the court (along with Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas). And everyone, conservatives and liberals, had assumed Roberts would again vote with the conservatives against Obamacare. The fact that he didn't just once again showed the unpredictability of a court justice once given the lifetime appointment. This is not the first time a justice has risen above their ideology to vote their conscience (who could have predicted conservative governor Earl Warren would be the driving force in outlawing school segregation once on the court?).

And just as interesting as Roberts' unexpected decision, is the reaction of the American public to Justice Roberts after the decision -- across the political spectrum. A recent Gallup Poll shows just how big a change has occurred in the public's perception of Roberts just because of this one decision. For Republicans, he has flipped from hero to traitor -- and for Democrats, he has done just the opposite. Here are the favorability ratings of the different groups (from 2005 and 2012). Note how much they have changed.

DO YOU HAVE A FAVORABLE OR UNFAVORABLE OPINION OF CHIEF JUSTICE JOHN ROBERTS?

General Public

September 2005
favorable...............50%
unfavorable...............17%
no opinion...............33%

July 2012
favorable...............39%
unfavorable...............29%
no opinion...............31%

Independents

September 2005
favorable...............47%
unfavorable...............17%
no opinion...............36%

July 2012
favorable...............38%
unfavorable...............28%
no opinion...............34%

Republicans

September 2005
favorable...............67%
unfavorable...............4%
no opinion...............29%

July 2012
favorable...............27%
unfavorable...............44%
no opinion...............30%

Democrats

September 2005
favorable...............35%
unfavorable...............31%
no opinion...............34%

July 2012
favorable...............54%
unfavorable...............19%
no opinion...............27%

It's no surprise that the biggest changes came from the Republicans and Democrats, but I really don't understand why those changes happened. Roberts now has 40 points less favorability among Republicans and 19 points more favorability among Democrats. Why? Have the Republicans already forgotten the years of solid conservative votes he has given them? They can't really think Roberts has suddenly become a liberal, can they?

And the same goes for Democrats. If any Democrats think Roberts is now a liberal, they are sadly mistaken -- and they are going to be very disappointed in the future. Remember the Citizens United decision? Chief Justice Roberts is one of the justices responsible for that terrible decision, and he voted to uphold it in a decision announced just a couple of days before the Obamacare was announced. And that is just one of many bad right-wing decisions he has made -- and will undoubtably make in the future.

Make no mistake. Chief Justice John Roberts is a die-hard right-winger, regardless of his vote on Obamacare. That vote was an anomaly, and the court still leans far to the right.