[Action alert: Make sure you work the phones and call members who took a stand for the right who are getting inundated with wingnut calls.]
You have already seen a diary about how Veterans groups are claiming this bill screws over our veterans. The next step in the attack from wingnuts on health care reform is to push state constitutional changes to opt out of the new system that has been put into place.
This, of course, is unconstitutional and runs afoul of the commerce clause. But who knows how the corporate crony Supreme Court will rule? The concern I have is that nervous nellie state Democrats who think the federal constitution will invalidate these stupid opt-out laws will think they have a free vote against it.
This means these stupid laws may get passed by state legislatures with a lot of Democratic assistance. It is much better not to risk letting the rightwing Supreme Court have a crack at overturning health care reform. So, we need to keep up all of the pressure we can on state level Democrats to prevent these laws from passing.
Here in Michigan, a petition drive has started to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot for November. This, of course, will get all of the crazy teabagging wackos to turn out in droves for the vote, come hell of highwater.
Its clearly a device to drive up turnout among Republicans and conservatives. Turnout that wasn't guaranteed once health care reform became law. Expect this to be repeated in states across the country. This is a surefire way to create vote and donor lists and also fire up activists.
We have to keep fighting. We have to keep making sure the truth about this bill gets out there to the media. We have to make sure that Democrats in Washington and the Whgite House DON'T STOP FIGHTING FOR THIS BILL AND COUNTERING ALL THE LIES ABOUT IT. Its not enough just to pass it. You have to also defend it.
The other side is not giving up. They are going to keep fighting for as long as they can. We should not either. Fight until they are completely defeated and demoralized.
ADDENDUM. Oh. And here is the irony in all of this. The Health Insurance industry should be flooding the zone with money in all of these states to BLOCK this crazy crap from passing. Why? Because states that opt out of the system -- even if its just during a pending court challenge -- are going to cost insurance companies tons of money.
But, because this bill's major provisions don't kick in for several years, it will be hard to point to other states that do not opt out and show how well they are doing under the system to counteract the bullshit.
ADDENDUM II: There is some discussion in the comments about how the new healthcare bill creates a potentially unconstitutional "mandate" to purchase insurance. This is the incorrect way to view it.
"Mandate" is a negative frame that was adopted by the critics of it to make it sound unconstitutional, when it's not. It is so prevailing, however, that even supporters of the bill use that term. But it's not really a "mandate." What the Congress has passed is really more of a "uninsured tax." i.e. You can opt out of buying insurance -- but you will have to pay a tax for the privilege of doing so. It's an economic incentive to get people to buy insurance, which will work for all but the most well off. That's why it will not cover everyone. Because some will make the economic choice not to purchase coverage and elect to pay the tax instead.
So, what we have is not really a "mandate," that would subject you to prosecution and jail time if you don't purchase insurance. It would just subject you to a tax.
UPDATE: See byteb's diary posted after mine detailing the efforts of 12 (and counting) state attorneys general who will challenge the new HCR law in federal court.