Photo of Kerry leaving the SC hearing this morning

[karynnj]

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=C4&Date=20120327&Category=FEATURES08&ArtNo=120327047&Ref=AR&MaxW=640&Border=0&Conservative-U-S-Supreme-Court-justices-sharply-question-health-care-law

[Inuca]

1. I earlier saw a related tweet of his

"listening to supreme court health care. haven’t been to court arguments since bush v gore"

[MBS]

2. I was very, very nervous after I saw Kennedy comments

Kerry's pensive look mirrors my feelings. Boy do I hope we pull through this.

[karynnj]

3. Same here

I really can't imagine the Congress as constituted could "fix" it if it deemed unconstitutional.

[Inuca]

4. I continue to be very nervous

They are playing political and mind (broccoli!) games with people's lives

[Mass]

5. Kerry's comments about the hearing and Kennedy's comments.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=newssearch&cd=11&ved=0CFYQqQIwCg&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rollcall.com%2Fissues%2F57_117%2FGOP-Likes-What-It-Is-Hearing-in-Court-213469-1.html%3Fpos%3Dhftxt&ctbm=nws&ctbs=sbd%3A1&ei=zfpyT8rMDMzzggeJpq1t&usg=AFQjCNEl7A-WEiJcYvINmRP5VFjQshsaFA&sig2=_z2HYFKOCIxrFkPDQmTHAg

“I think there are probably a few votes on each side that are pretty determined and a few votes up for grabs,” Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) said. But Kerry later said it would be a big mistake to draw firm conclusions about the opinions of Kennedy or other justices based on the questions alone.
“Sometimes people are playing devil’s advocate, sometimes they are trying to flesh out their thinking,” he said. “Anybody makes a big mistake to take a question and say this is how somebody’s going to vote.”

[karynnj]

8. I think Kerry's own style of asking questions is often to play the devil's advocate

This is not reassuring, but likely as optimistically stated while remaining realistic.

[Mass]

6. Worst segue in history. Somehow, if Obamacare gets beaten by the SC, it would be because Kerry lost

in 2004. Glen Johnson seems to have a hard time not blaming Kerry for anything.

http://www.boston.com/Boston/politicalintelligence/2012/03/outcome-supreme-court-review-obamacare-could-hinge-election/K8Nuu42F9dCmwMzGPWXkFK/index.html

Outcome of Supreme Court’s review of ObamaCare could hinge on 2004 election

...

While history cannot say that Kerry would have pursued universal health care in the same manner as Obama, history can show he would have gotten at least one of the two Supreme Court appointments made by Bush had the senator won the 2004 election.

Yesterday, as a conservative instead of liberal court weighed the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, Kerry sat in the Supreme Court’s chamber, hanging on the oral arguments, instead of back at the White House as a second-term president, feeling confidence in the outcome of the debate.

In 2004, at least, the outcome of an important future debate may, in fact, have hinged on the results of a presidential election.

[karynnj]

7. Another way of looking at it, is that the SC explains the uneven playing field

in 2004 - almost as much as Bush being a war time President. It explains why the Catholic church was more active in 2004 than in 2008. Kerry would have picked at least 1 and possibly 3 judges - and this was known before the election. (Stevens likely would have retired earlier before the 2008 election.) (Obama replaced 2 judges, but they were both liberals - Kerry would have replaced at least one Conservative, Renquist - thus changing the balance of power.)

It also says that the court with its Bush vs Gore decision really made that determination.

Going back further, I would blame the Democrats who allowed the completely unfit Thomas on the SC - including Biden, who cut off the hearings, even though he voted for him.

From a chart in the NYT last fall comparing approval ratings of incumbent President's November and December approval ratings the year before election showed that of all incumbent Presidents since Eisenhower, only Eisenhower was higher than GWB. There was a reason Hillary Clinton did not run. That Kerry would have won if Ohio had put enough voting machines in the cities is remarkable and it would have been an incredible upset. The sad think is that if the media had really helped people know Kerry, it would have happened. (Here - Glen Johnson has a unique responsibility as his disgusting question when Kerry had a news conference to announce that he had cancer likely colored the opinion of Kerry for other reporters.)

[YvonneCa]

9. You and Mass ought to post this discussion...

...in GD. Especially this part, karynnj:

"...the SC explains the uneven playing field in 2004 - almost as much as Bush being a war time President. It explains why the Catholic church was more active in 2004 than in 2008. Kerry would have picked at least 1 and possibly 3 judges - and this was known before the election. (Stevens likely would have retired earlier before the 2008 election.) (Obama replaced 2 judges, but they were both liberals - Kerry would have replaced at least one Conservative, Renquist - thus changing the balance of power.)

It also says that the court with its Bush vs Gore decision really made that determination."


EXCELLENT!