Would The President Be Hurt Politically If The Supreme Court Rejected "Obamacare" ?

We won't know for another couple of months whether the Supreme Court will uphold the president's health care reform or shoot it down, but the Republicans are already celebrating what they see as a victory. They seem to think that they would be the winners if the Court strikes down the law. Is that true? Maybe not.

My fellow blogger over at TakeMyCountryBack has a different take on things. He feels like the Republicans have painted themselves into a corner, and however the court decision comes out they will be the losers. It's a good post and I urge you to read the whole thing, but here is some of what he had to say:

Republicans, as we know, are not the sharpest tools in the shed. They may actually think that striking down the ACA will mean they have won; that somehow this would be a huge win for the right and they can take it all the way to victory in November. To that I say — if I may quote W. — bring it on! Because unless Obama is actually a complete idiot, then that is exactly what he is hoping for.

Let’s break it down:

1. The first scenario has SCOTUS striking down the individual mandate while leaving the rest of the plan in place. If this happens then Obama wins. Sure, Republicans will think they scored a huge win here, but Obama can and should go on talking about the good things that still remain, like the pre-existing condition piece and what seniors are going to still get from the plan. Talking points aide, what Republicans will have accomplished is exactly nothing, except to play right into the Presidents hands.

2. The next scenario has SCOTUS striking down the entirety of the ACA as a result of the individual mandate being unconstitutional. Ok, but Obama still wins. The court will be seen as totally partisan by not only the left, but also by anyone who does not watch FOX “news” on a regular basis. In other words, those so-called “independent” voters we hear so much about during an election season.

Obama then takes it on the road and goes on the offensive, blaming Republicans for your no longer having that exemption from pre-existing conditions. He is already starting to do that. In Maine today, the President told voters they “would have a choice between his policies and Republicans’ “you’re-on-your-own economics.”

3. The third, and most unlikely of these scenarios, is that the corrupt and totally paid for SCOTUS will leave the whole thing as it is. I think this is pretty much impossible at this point. If you were paying attention to the proceedings this past week, the lack of willingness of the Justices to even read the ACA should be enough for you to give up all hope in our legal system completely. Yeah, I know. It’s the best legal system in the world. But compared to what?!

Point is, no matter which way this goes, Republicans will find, as they often do, that they have painted themselves into yet another corner. And when they finally realize it I like to think the last thing that will go through their heads…other than their defeat…is to wonder how the hell Barack Obama ever got the best of them.