Just the Facts, Mr. President…
Campaigning in Ohio yesterday, President Obama – in typically modest fashion – said this about the health care law: “The law I passed* is here to stay.” He followed that up by making the following statement at another campaign event: “We don’t have to re-litigate the last two years. I don’t want us to keep having political arguments that are based on politics and not on facts.” Herewith, two compelling facts:
Fact No. 1: The Supreme Court upheld the law’s individual mandate as a tax – and ONLY as a tax. If the President doesn’t want to re-litigate the past two years, as he claims, then why doesn’t he acknowledge that the mandate is a tax increase? Because some would argue that to do otherwise might be based on politics – not on facts.
Fact No. 2: More Americans think the law will harm the economy than will help it. So said a new Gallup poll released yesterday. Which means that if the law really is here to stay, as the President claims, then the American people think the current economic malaise is here to stay as well. Not an ideal platform on which to run for re-election.
* One could also point out Fact No. 3: Presidents don’t pass laws, Congress does. While all the Democrat Members of Congress who lost thanks to Obamacare might thank the President for his implicit assertion that he can unilaterally waive his wand and pass a law, it doesn’t actually work that way. One wouldn’t think a constitutional law professor would make such casual yet incorrect statements. But then again, one wouldn’t think a constitutional law professor would put half of the health care law’s coverage expansions in jeopardy by signing a bill with unconstitutional provisions either.