(Laura Clawson)
If you can think of a remotely health care-related issue, someone is probably in front of the Supreme Court holding a sign about it as the Court hears arguments on the Affordable Care Act. Giant anti-circumcision sign? Check. Single-payer? Check. The full range of tea party slogans, including that the health care law is socialism, is the war on religion, is putting the taxpayer in debtors prison? Check. But the vast majority of people out there Tuesday morning were cheerfully pro-Obamacare.
Say what you will about the sign-waving supporters having been turned out by progressive organizations, the fact is, they turned out in force, beginning to show up very early on this very cold morning. And they represented a lot of groups. It's not that one organization unloaded several buses full of people and that was it—there are women from NARAL and NOW and the AAUW and the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health; SEIU health care providers from around the country; students from local medical schools; dozens of people carrying homemade signs about their family members, their own health care needs, Social Security; and at least two people dressed as the Statue of Liberty.
Nothing says "keep your politics out of my healthcare"
like Michele Bachmann in front of the Supreme Court.
(Laura Clawson)
Most of the cameras were crowded around the relatively small tea party group chanting things like "Constitution yes, socialism no" before holding a press conference featuring such luminaries as Rep. Michele Bachmann. From where I stood, Bachmann could only intermittently be heard over the competing chants of "the health care works for you, the health care works for me, the health care works for every American family" and "protect our care, protect the law," but who appeared to be giving her standard "I am the author of the bill to repeal Obamacare" spiel.
Ultimately, of course, the Supreme Court will do what it does; as Armando wrote Sunday, the question is "Do the conservative justices think they can do it[?]" But the turnout these two days so far demonstrates not just the organization but the enthusiasm of Obamacare supporters, enthusiasm that has rarely been a part of the media story in the way that tea partiers at town hall meetings in the summer of 2010 were. By contrast, though repeal of the law remains, in theory, a high priority for the far right, they didn't put many bodies on the street to demonstrate widespread, passionate commitment to that.
(Laura Clawson)