Sunday Spin Cycle

I don't think there was any question about which topic would dominate the Sunday shows this week. Pretty much every show was devoted to discussion of the Supreme Court's ruling on ObamaCare and trying to make some sense of Chief Justice Roberts' decision. While the blog-o-sphere and talk radio are lamenting that the bill is upheld, I think it is good to pause for a moment and take note that the liberals in Washington and the MSM appear like they've taken the loss.

Case in point: on ABC This Week, CBS Face the Nation, and NBC Meet the Press, their respective guests, White House Chief of Staff Jack Lew, Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley, and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi all read from the same script refusing to acknowledge the High Court's determination that the ObamaCare mandate does constitute a tax. Even in the face of this legally set definition, all three vehemently insist that the tax is merely a "penalty," and one directed at the 1%, I might add.

So in synch were the three that they all even related the same bizarro narrative about one-percenters wealthy enough to buy their own health insurance refusing to so and leaving the rest of us to front the cost. This is news to me. I thought the problem was untold millions in poverty who were unable to afford for insurance, not wealthy cheapskates gaming the system. I mean, if that were the case, why not just go after them for fraud? That's rhetorical. We all know they're just making it up as they go along at this point, reverting to class-warfare talking points because that's what they know. If that's how they plan to carry on to November, I don't see how they can win.

It probably also comes as no surprise that big names from the GOP were trotted out today. House Speaker John Boehner (CBS), Wisconsin Representative Paul Ryan (ABC) and Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal were called upon to defend the Republican position of "Repeal and Replace" and I think each did so superbly in spite of media attempts to vilify each of them.* Not only did they hit almost every hardball thrown their way, they all spoke well about this next election deciding between individual liberty and government control. How that resonates with the Sunday morning audiences, I don't know.

Finally, many of the hosts and liberal guests on the Sunday shows were exceptionally free with ridicule for the idea that the Republican Party could hang onto the House and take the Senate, let alone actually follow through with Repeal and Replace, with nervous chuckles abounding. In other words, the liberals doth protest too much. So maybe the decision didn't shake out very well for conservatism. But the ruling has plainly spooked the left. If they stay spooked, they should be easy pickings in the fall.  

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[*aside: Norah O'Donnell's interview of Boehner was unbelievable! Her eyes might have fallen out of her head if she'd rolled them any more, and her constant sighs of exasperation almost certainly hyperventilated her.  I suppose "accusatory" and "wry" are more acceptable than "bitchy" in describing her general demeanor toward the Speaker. The excessive number of "reaction shots" of O'Donnell while Boehner was speaking suggests this was a conscious decision. Some might call this a petty observation, but in reality, it is the nonverbal cues that determine how most viewers interpret an interview.]