1. Butthurt over the ACA Verdict Part 1 - the People's Grand Jury is resurrected
Lawyer Larry Klayman, whose attempts to have President Obama declared ineligible for the 2012 Presidential Election are going the way of the dodo (total score at state level for all lawsuits is 0-134 and counting), has hit on a new strategy. Perhaps because of desperation or the need for a diversion (who knows?) he has decided that he is butthurt by the ACA verdict, so he is convening a "People's Grand Jury" to indict members of the Supreme Court that he does not like. As Dr. Conspiracy points out here, the term "People's Grand Jury" is coded language for a lynch mob.
2. Butthurt over the ACA verdict Part 2 - the militia members speak
The bunch of paranoid individuals who form members of militias across the USA are very distressed by the ACA verdict, which they see as conspiratorial statism run amok. So, what better to do than to threaten some armed insurrection? (Note that just about every comment on this blog is either "anonymous" or a pseudonym...). I am fond of saying that America has to decide what it wants to be when it grows up, and these ratchet-jawing chest-thumping people are proof that there are a lot of pretty childish individuals out there, whose response to something they don't like, instead of working to change the picture (like, for example, voting for somebody who is not a member of either of the two major parties), is to throw their toys around, and engage in revolutionary masturbation fantasies like marching on Washington DC. It's not 1770-something folks. The world has moved on. It's time to grow up.
3. The correlation between health and opposition to the ACA
Interesting blog posting here showing the clear correlation between opposition to the ACA and levels of obesity and other indicators of poor health. As some economists have pointed out, this is probably an indication that many people are not rational actors.
4. Idiotic reactions to the ACA verdict
There have been intemperate reactions on both sides of the political spectrum to the ACA verdict. However, a couple of GOP reactions leap out at me for their sheer stupidity and, well, wankerdom.
Sen. Rand Paul apparently appears to think that the Supreme Court is not the final arbiter of what is constitutional. Perhaps he would like to explain who is. Sen. Rand Paul? Did he appoint himself as the arbiter? If so, somebody needs to fire him from that role immediately if not sooner. If he doesn't like the Constitution, he is free to work to change it. Until then, he needs to STFU.
Then Mike Pence apparently tried to compare the ACA verdict to 9/11 in a closed door GOP meeting. He swiftly corrected himself and issued what, by most politician's standards is actually a proper apology. However, am I going to be impressed by a politician who becomes unhinged so easily?
NOTE - Sen. Paul's utterances on this subject are a classic piece of rationalization much beloved of people whose worldview is challenged by actual facts. Some time ago, I was discussing healthcare in the USA with a nursing professional who was ranting about "socialized medicine" in Canada. When I tried to point out that Canada spends a lot less of its GDP on healthcare, and has better overall healthcare metrics in a number of key areas, the response I got was "that's just your opinion". When I responded that no, it's not my opinion, it's published numbers, she suddenly wanted to talk about the weather. Any time I read bloviations of the sort issued by Sen. Paul, I know I am dealing with a person who does not want to deal with facts contrary to their fixed worldview.
5. The GOP attempt to fillibuster the ACA at the state level
No real surprise here...the Governor of Louisiana, Bobby Jindal, has already announced that, effectively, he will continue to ignore the ACA and will not set up an insurance exchange. He appears to be relying on a "perfect storm" which will result in the repeal of the ACA. Over to you, Louisiana voters. The decision is yours, you need to consider whether the lack of an ACA infrastructure in the state is going to make it a less attractive place for people to move to. Look next door to Mississippi if you want to see how severely fucked up you could become...