The Limiting Principle
By The key to Kennedy’s vote, evidently, is whether he can be convinced that there’s a limiting principle. Kennedy, unlike the other conservatives, does seem to understand that the health care market is different:
But I think it is true that if most questions in life are matters of degree, in the insurance and health care world, both markets — stipulate two markets — the young person who is uninsured is uniquely proximately very close to affecting the rates of insurance and the costs of providing medical care in a way that is not true in other industries.
That’s my concern in the case.
But despite this, it’s clear elsewhere that he also feels the pull of the broccoli mandate crap. It’s hard to say which way he’ll go.
I also agree with Adam that if this was debate judging the ACA would be utterly doomed; despite starting with the stronger hand Verrilli was completely overmatched. He was puzzlingly weak even facing predictable questions with obviously better answers. Carvin wasn’t terribly good either, but Clement was about as good as you can be given the arguments he had to work with. Fortunately, it’s not a debate and oral argument will matter only modestly if at all, but Verrilli sure didn’t help.