Katy Grimes: BURBANK — The California Republican Party convention is taking place this weekend in Burbank, CA.  While there have been guffaws and snickers about the relevance of the Caalifornia Republicans, the party made significant gains in the June primary, but this was largely ignored by most of the California media.

The convention agenda is not packed as full as previous meetings given that many politicians are campaigning for November races, but there is still plenty of red meat being offered.

Repeal Obamacare

A forum on “The Future of Health Care” was an excellent panel presentation to a packed room. Health care insiders presented facts about the impacts of Obamacare, and John Eastman discussed Obamacare following the recent Supreme Court decision.

Eastman, an attorney, Professor and Dean at Chapman Law School, and former candidate for State Attorney General, asked audience members, “What happened on June 28, who did it, and why?”

“There was this little case up at the Supreme Court,” Eastman said. “28 states sued the federal government. Eastman said that liberals predicted case wouldn’t even get to Supreme Court. Eventually the liberals won, and Eastman described the Roberts decision as an “unmitigated disaster.”

“It was a 5-4 decision on the individual mandate, forcing you to enter into commerce. It’s just unconstitutional,” Eastman said.  

Another part of the decision Eastman said, is that it positions the states to radically expand Medicaid programs, from just a safety net program, to covering one-fifth of the people in the entire country. And if states don’t adhere to the new mandates, the bully federal government has threatened to take away all existing Medicare and Medicaid funds.

“A few states will beat their chests to make a political point, but outliers won’t be able to stand that position very long,” Eastman said.

Eastman was critical of Chief Justice John Roberts, as it appears that Roberts changed his vote after the tentative vote was taken by the Court. 

It is rare, but not unheard of according to Eastman. But Roberts seems to have done this all by himself, without benefit of briefing or argument. 

It it a tax?

“If this is a tax, we have to ask what kind of tax it is – it is not an excise tax, a duty tax, or income tax,” Eastman said. “It is a tax on everybody just for being there. A direct tax. But his decision was sophomoric and wrong. It could not be possible this good lawyer convinced himself.”

“Is he a grand chess master?” Eastman asked. “Was the vote to uphold this bill, which is so unpopular with American people, cost Obama election, and prove he is a liar?” Eventually Justice Ginsburg will retire and we’ll get conservative justice,” Eastman said. 

“More likely, the vote was getting political and Roberts was trying to protect court from the political,” Eastman said. “But again, he was wrong. If he was trying to keep the court out of politics, he was wrong.”

The saving grace is that Eastman said that this is now part of political discussion going into November. “We have a chance to repeal the bill. The notion that Congress can do what it wants, has to be so repudiated, needs to be set back a generation.”