Washington News

Supreme Court To Hear Arguments On Healthcare Reform Law Beginning Today On the eve of the first day of arguments before the Supreme Court on the constitutionality of the healthcare reform law, print and television coverage continued to be heavy, with nearly three minutes of coverage on network newscasts. ABC World News reported, "Lines have been growing all weekend long with people hoping to get actual tickets to get inside the Supreme Court to hear arguments over President Obama's healthcare reform law."
USA Today reports, "Not since the court confirmed George W. Bush's election in December 2000 - before 9/11, Afghanistan and Iraq, Wall Street's dive and Obama's rise - has one case carried such sweeping implications for nearly every American." USA notes, "A poll this month by the non-partisan Kaiser Family Foundation found 42% were either unsure of the law's status or believed the Supreme Court had already overturned it." USA adds, "This year's presidential election and the agenda of the next Congress will be affected by the justices' ruling, expected in late June."
NBC Nightly News reported, "Tomorrow's arguments begin with this question, can the challengers bring the case now, or do they have to wait until 2014 when the insurance mandate kicks in?" Tom Goldstein, Supreme Court expert: "I doubt the justices are going to say they can't decide this case. There's too much at stake, billions and billions of dollars. And I think they realize the nation really needs an answer to this question."
The Washington Times reports, "A curious thing about this week's Supreme Court hearings on President Obama's health care law is that while nobody doubts how the four Democrat-appointed justices will decide, there is no such certainty on how the Republican appointees will rule in the case, which will go a long way toward defining the scope and limits of government power in the 21st century."
The New York Times reports, "The three days of Supreme Court arguments that start Monday on the constitutionality of President Obama's health care law will be a legal marathon, and the lawyers involved have been training. Last week, there were so many of the mock arguments that lawyers call moot courts that they threatened to exhaust something that had never been thought in short supply: Washington lawyers willing to pretend to be Supreme Court justices."
First Arguments Will Be About Timing Of Challenge The Washington Post reports, "The Supreme Court begins its constitutional review of the health-care overhaul law Monday with a fundamental question: Is the court barred from making such a decision at this time?" The court "will hear 90 minutes of argument about whether an obscure 19th-century law -- the Anti-Injunction Act -- means that the court cannot pass judgment on the law until its key provisions go into effect in 2014." The Post notes that "the Obama administration lawyers and those representing the states and private organization challenging the new law argue that the Supreme Court should decide the constitutional question now," but that a panel of the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals disagreed.

Obama Warns North Korea Not To Test Missile, Urges China To Do More President Obama's appearances in South Korea Sunday were covered extensively last night and this morning. Most reports focused on the nuclear threat from North Korea and the North's plans to launch a long-range missile in defiance of the deal it recently made with the Administration, rather than this week's Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul.
According to the Los Angeles Times , "Administration officials had been cautiously optimistic just a few weeks ago about a deal with the North Koreans to provide food aid in return for an end to some parts of the nuclear program. But even before Obama arrived in Seoul, that agreement was in tatters." Similarly, the New York Times reports, "Already, North Korea's announcement of plans to launch a...long-range missile upended a fragile American diplomatic opening to" Kim Jong-un. The Times adds that "analysts" believe North Korea is "reverting to a familiar cycle of provocations, as an untested leader consolidates his grip on power in Pyongyang."
NBC Nightly News reported that the President is in South Korea "meeting with world leaders about the threat of loose nuclear materials around the world...amid heighted nuclear anxieties. ... North Korea plans to test launch another long-range rocket, threatening to derail a deal with the US for food, and isolate itself even further. At a news conference with the South Korean president, Mr. Obama said he will urge China's president to restrain its communist neighbor, when they meet." President Obama: "What are they doing to help guide, or encourage North Korea to take a more constructive approach."
ABC World News showed Obama "peering through binoculars, right to the DMZ...aiming those lenses north and hoping to send a bold message in that direction too before tough talks coming on a nuclear North Korea." ABC's Jake Tapper noted North Korea "said it would consider any criticisms of its nuclear weapons program during the two day summit a declaration of war as it prepares to test launch a long range missile next month in violation of its international agreements," which "may mean the US will withhold a vital package of food aid for the starving North Korea people."
The Washington Post says the President "spoke in stern terms as he sought to ramp up international pressure on Pyongyang to abandon what US officials have termed a direct violation of the North's pledge to end weapons tests in exchange for food aid. ... The North's belligerence has overshadowed the summit's primary agenda, securing loose fissile materials and keeping them out of the hands of terrorists. More than 50 world leaders are gathered for the summit, which begins Monday."

Democrats Label GOP Medicare Proposal A "Voucher" Plan In attempt to convince seniors that the Republican Medicare overhaul plan will end the Medicare guarantee and leave them "holding the bag as their healthcare costs skyrocket," Democrats intend to label the plan a "voucher" program, The Hill reports in its "Healthwatch" blog. A "visibly irritated" House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan "blasted Democrats" saying, "I'd like to debunk the tired political attacks on the Republican efforts to save and strengthen Medicare. ... First, we keep hearing the word voucher, premium support, as if there's some interchangeable word. A voucher is like going to the mailbox and getting a check in the mail... Premium support is: You get a list of guaranteed coverage options that are pre-selected, in this case by Medicare."
The AP reports that the Ryan plan "heated up as a presidential campaign issue Sunday," as Ryan "sparred with top Democrats over its political fallout and downplayed the possibility he could be tapped as a vice presidential candidate." The plan "is quickly sharpening as a line of division for the fall campaign, pitting GOP and tea party pressure for a reined-in budget against White House and Democratic party alarms about a weakened Medicare system and tax relief for the wealthy."
Donna Brazile said on ABC's This Week, "Chairman Ryan exemplifies the old saying, if at first you don't succeed, try, try again, because it's pretty much the same budget proposal that he put together last year, and we all know where that went. It's a gift to the wealthiest Americans."
Plouffe Says Plan Fails Tests Of "Balance And Fairness" Senior White House Advisor David Plouffe said on ABC's This Week, "It fails the test of balance and fairness and shared responsibility. It showers huge additional tax cuts on the wealthy. ... It devastates things like education. And it voucherizes Medicare, which really would threaten that program and threaten our seniors. So the President's approach is the right approach."
Ryan Says Plan Will Help Avoid A Debt Crisis Ryan said on CBS' Face The Nation, "We're putting the budget on a path to balance and to pay the debt off. We want to avoid a debt crisis. The President's budget brings us closer to a debt crisis. And we're not proposing tax cuts. We're proposing to keep revenues where they are but to clear out all the special interest loopholes which are uniquely enjoyed by higher-income earners in exchange for lower rates for everyone, a simpler, flatter, more competitive tax system to create jobs and economic growth and bring at least as much revenue into the government as we're bringing now, but in a fairer way."

Campaign News

Coming Off Louisiana Win, Santorum Vows To Fight On Rick Santorum easily won the Louisiana Republican presidential primary Saturday, receiving 49% of the vote to Mitt Romney's 26.7%. Newt Gingrich finished third with 15.9%, followed by Rep. Ron Paul at 6.1%. The AP reports that "although the victory gives Santorum bragging rights and 10 more delegates, it does not change the overall dynamics of the race." CNN shows Santorum picking up 10 delegates in Louisiana, while Romney got 5. Overall, CNN has Romney with 568 delegates, while Santorum has 261, Gingrich has 137 and Paul has 71.
ABC World News reported that despite Santorum's convincing victory in Louisiana's GOP presidential primary on Saturday, "that big win didn't bring big delegate dividends. ... Romney still has twice the number of delegates. The math says Romney will win. And some Republicans believe the bickering between candidates...is hurting their chances...to beat President Obama."
NBC Nightly News reported that coming off his win in Louisiana, Santorum "plans to continue his campaign and fight on even though he trails Romney delegates by a margin of more than two to one."
Santorum said on CBS' Face The Nation, "Even though a lot of folks are saying this race is over, people in Louisiana said, no it's not, that they still want to see someone who they can trust, someone who is not running an Etch A Sketch campaign, but one that has their principles written on their heart not on a erasable tablet. And I think that's what helped us deliver the win in Louisiana. And I think we're going to do very well up here in Wisconsin, too."
Santorum: Romney "Worst Republican In The Country To" Face Obama The AP reports, "An agitated...Santorum on Sunday called...Romney 'the worst Republican in the country to put up against Barack Obama,'" and "later lashed out at reporters, using a profane word as he accused them of 'distorting' his speech." After making the "worst Republican" comment, Santorum "later tried to clarify that he was talking only about Romney's ability to campaign against the national health care law championed by Obama and the Democrats." Speaking with reporters, Santorum said, "I mean, you guys are incredible. I was talking about Obamacare, and he is the worst because he was the author of Romneycare." The AP adds, "Pressed by a reporter from The New York Times, Santorum said: 'Quit distorting my words. It's bulls---.'"
Politico reported on its website, "Looking on, a Romney spokesman -- who traveled to all of Santorum's public events today -- dismissed the attack as a desperate ploy. 'What we saw today was an epic temper tantrum from a desperate and flailing candidate. Rick Santorum understands that conservatives are rapidly coalescing around Mitt Romney and that he has virtually no path to the nomination. As a result he's panicking,' Romney spokesman Ryan Williams said."
Santorum Facing "Rising Chorus Of Republicans Calling For" End Of GOP Race The New York Times reports that while Romney "remains his biggest" opponent, Santorum "is increasingly confronting an even more daunting obstacle: a rising chorus of Republicans calling for the divisive presidential contest to end so the party can turn its full attention to defeating President Obama." The Times adds, "A series of high-profile Republicans, including former Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida and Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina, have urged Republicans to start uniting behind Mr. Romney."
Sen. Lindsey Graham said on CNN's State Of The Union, "I think when the primaries are over Romney will be the nominee. Fiscal and social conservatives will unite and form a bond with libertarians and independents. And we'll win the White House if we can run a good fall campaign. It won't be easy, but I like our chances."

Plouffe Calls Romney The "Godfather" Of Obama Healthcare Law On NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday, White House senior advisor David Plouffe declared Mitt Romney the "godfather of the Obama Administration's healthcare plan," Politico reports in its "Politico Live" blog. Plouffe said, "Mitt Romney is the godfather of our health care plan," adding, "If he is president, remarkably he is running away from that past, and he says he is going to try to throw all this away. We're going to have a big fight about health care again." Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul responded to Plouffe's comments saying, "David Plouffe is the Rumpelstiltskin of Obamacare...trying to spin hay into gold but coming up short. Mitt Romney will repeal Obamacare because it raises taxes, increases spending and represents a federal government power grab that violates the rights of states to pursue their own health care solutions. It is bad policy and bad law and when Mitt Romney is president we will say good riddance to it."
Obama Points To "Success" Of Romney-Backed Massachusetts Healthcare Law In a story headlined "Romneycare's 98% Success Rate Defies Gripes On Obama Law," Bloomberg News reports, "The success of the Massachusetts health-care system is spurring President Barack Obama to extol the virtues of a law Mitt Romney signed as a governor." In Massachusetts, some "98 percent of state residents are insured under the legislation Romney signed in 2006, a 10 percent rise from the previous three-year average."

Romney Up Big In Wisconsin A Rasmussen Reports survey of 1,000 likely Wisconsin GOP primary voters taken March 23 shows Mitt Romney leading with 46%, followed by Rick Santorum with 33%, Ron Paul with 8%, and Newt Gingrich with 7%. Wisconsin holds its primary on April 3.