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By Carten Cordell Watchdog.org Virginia Bureau
ALEXANDRIA—The sweltering summer sun did little to stifle anticipation for the possibility of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on the Affordable Care Act, commonly called Obamacare.
Crowds of protesters, media and curious tourists gathered in front of the Supreme Court building Monday morning, hoping to hear the justices’ ruling on whether the landmark health-care law will be upheld or overturned by the court.
Protesters from “It’s Our Economy” come to argue against the individual mandate in Obamacare in front of the Supreme Court building Monday in Washington, D.C.
The court made them wait until Thursday, with the Arizona Immigration law as the biggest ruling of the day. But the protesters jockeying for media exposure made strange bedfellows, coming from opposing ends of the political spectrum, eager for the same outcome: an overturn of the landmark law.
“We came out when they argued the case, we came out today and we’ll be back on Thursday when they issue a decision on the health-care law,” said Kevin Zeese, codirector of It’sOurEconomy.us, a website with ties to the Occupy D.C., movement holding an anti-corporate view of Obamacare.
Zeese said It’s Our Economy is protesting the mandate that requires every resident to possess some form of health insurance, one of the most controversial clauses in the law.
“We don’t see the regulation of insurance as unconstitutional, we don’t see the expansion of Medicaid as unconstitutional, but forcing Americans to buy a corporate product with up to 9 percent of their income overstretches the bounds of government,” he said.
“They can tax for general welfare, as they do with Medicare and Social Security. That clearly is constitutional, but forcing people to buy a corporate product, there is no basis in the Constitution for that power.”
It’s Our Economy members were clad in surgical masks with “Silenced Majority” emblazoned across the front, while others held signs calling for Medicare for all.
On the other side of the ideological divide, Tea Party protesters advocated the complete overturn of Obamacare as well as to support Arizona’s partial victory for immigration reform.
Tea Party members shouted “Hey, hey, ho, ho, Obamacare has got to go,” and then began serenading members of the media and the Capitol Police with “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “America, the Beautiful.”
Ron Kirby of Alexandria, center, holds a sign to protest Obamacare outside the Supreme Court on Monday.
Toting an American flag and a sign that bemoaned the insurance mandate, Ron Kirby of Alexandria said he also came out to celebrate the Arizona decision, which upheld police officers’ ability to question the immigration status of residents at traffic stops.
“I am out here to say thank (Arizona governor Jan) Brewer and (state Sen.) Russell Pearce for having the guts to tackle this problem,” he said. “It is a big problem.”
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