Jeb Bush now has a Supreme Court problem
Jeb Bush's response to the Supreme Court upholding the subsidies in the Affordable Care Act is notable for a bit of curious wordplay, which may hint at some of the political headaches the decision will cause him. In a fundraising solicitation to supporters, he said, "The Supreme Court just upheld ObamaCare again."
He continued, "This is the direct result of President Obama. He deliberately forced ObamaCare on the American people in a partisan and toxic way."
Now, however you feel about the latter sentence, the former is inarguably incorrect. The Supreme Court upholding ObamaCare is clearly the direct result of, well, the Supreme Court. In particular, to continue this strange syntax, the decision is the direct result of Chief Justice John Roberts, who wrote the court's opinion and is quickly becoming persona non grata on the right despite boasting a strong conservative record.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Roberts was, of course, nominated by Jeb Bush's brother, which might explain why Bush is so loath to criticize the court. But the question of whether Roberts is conservative enough, and whether his brother made a mistake, is sure to come up on the campaign trail.
Update: In his statement to the press, Bush did say he was "disappointed" in the Supreme Court's ruling, adding, "But this decision is not the end of the fight against ObamaCare.'
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Ryu Spaeth is deputy editor at TheWeek.com. Follow him on Twitter.
-
What’s the best way to use your year-end bonus?the explainer Pay down debt, add it to an emergency fund or put it toward retirement
-
10 concert tours to see this winterThe Week Recommends Keep cozy this winter with a series of concerts from big-name artists
-
What are portable mortgages and how do they work?the explainer Homeowners can transfer their old rates to a new property in the UK and Canada. The Trump administration is considering making it possible in the US.
-
ABC News to pay $15M in Trump defamation suitSpeed Read The lawsuit stemmed from George Stephanopoulos' on-air assertion that Trump was found liable for raping writer E. Jean Carroll
-
Judge blocks Louisiana 10 Commandments lawSpeed Read U.S. District Judge John deGravelles ruled that a law ordering schools to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms was unconstitutional
-
ATF finalizes rule to close 'gun show loophole'Speed Read Biden moves to expand background checks for gun buyers
-
Hong Kong passes tough new security lawSpeed Read It will allow the government to further suppress all forms of dissent
-
France enshrines abortion rights in constitutionspeed read It became the first country to make abortion a constitutional right
-
Texas executes man despite contested evidenceSpeed Read Texas rejected calls for a rehearing of Ivan Cantu's case amid recanted testimony and allegations of suppressed exculpatory evidence
-
Supreme Court wary of state social media regulationsSpeed Read A majority of justices appeared skeptical that Texas and Florida were lawfully protecting the free speech rights of users
-
Greece legalizes same-sex marriageSpeed Read Greece becomes the first Orthodox Christian country to enshrine marriage equality in law