UPDATE:  The power of the federal government is now complete. There is nothing it cannot do. Federalism is essentially dead. Bad day for America. Obama repeatedly said the mandate was NOT A TAX. It has now been upheld by the Supreme Court .... as a TAX.

• Here's the ruling [pdf]
• Jamie Dupree's coverage
• Roundtable discussion tomorrow 11am-noon ET with Neal, Jamie, and Erick Erickson with Scott Slade hosting.

Well, the day has come.  First thought?  Damn … time do fly.

Today the Supreme Court will issue its ruling on ObamaCare.  Sadly, I suspect the truth is that millions of Americans have no idea that this is even happening.  If it was the final telecast for American Idol, or if a new vampire movie was debuting, it would be a different story.  Not much you can do about the inattention and ignorance of the bulk of the American people, I guess.  But for those of us who still care about this country and our liberties, it is a big day … I will venture to say that today will be a historic day, no matter the outcome. 

You will hear that history being covered live on the program today.  The Supreme Court begins issuing its rulings at 10AM and Jamie Dupree will be on with us to sift through all the Bolshoi and tell us what it all means.  I’ll also use as much of legal training as necessary – if there’s enough left -- to noodle this one out.  Bear in mind, I didn’t even write my own will. 

Let’s set the stage so that we understand what’s at stake.  There are four different components to this ObamaCare ruling.

1. Whether or not the Supreme Court has standing to rule on the constitutionality of the tax penalty associated with the individual mandate at this time … before the tax is actually levied.
2. The constitutionality of the individual mandate.
3. Whether ruling the individual mandate unconstitutional deems the entire law unconstitutional (severability)
4. Whether the federal government can coerce states to expand their Medicaid programs by threatening to cut off federal aid.

To better understand the possible outcomes, you can read this Breitbart article that breaks down the various ways the court could rule and their effects.  The main focus seems to be on the concept of the individual mandate: Can the government force you to purchase a product simply because you are breathing air?  A vote affirming the federal government’s power to do so is an affront to liberty and emboldens our imperial federal government with the power to regulate or control any and every aspect of your life … unless it is explicitly protected in the Bill of Rights.  A ruling supporting the mandate would effectively turn the various States into little more than governmental entitles who’s primary purpose is to implement federal laws, rules and regulations.  The founding fathers were clear that in times of peace they felt that 95% of all governance should come from the state and local governments.  A ruling in support of the mandate would reduce that figure to somewhat less than 5%.  The power of the federal government, and the cubicle-dwelling rulemakers that swarm around our capital, would be beyond immense.  Can you imagine that kind of power?  A government with that kind of power is exactly what the Democrats have been clamoring for for decades.  Their goal in implementing ObamaCare wasn’t really about healthcare; it was about moving this country toward a single-payer option where the government ultimately controls healthcare.  Democrats know that if they control the individual’s health care, they control the individual.  Democrat power would be permanent.  The mere utterance of the phrase “If you vote for the Republicans they’re going to take away your health care” would be all it takes to keep them in power.  That’s why in their health care deliberations the Democrats steadfastly refused to considered one stinkin’ private sector option.

No matter what happens, today will mark a turning point for the Obama administration, the campaign and the American people.  But as I’ve already pointed out, I believe that the Democrats are raring to go and know exactly how they are going to play this … no matter the outcome.  The Republicans?  Not so much.  It would have been their opportunity to seize, and they will blow it.  And in the end, I come back to what I originally said at the beginning of this Nuze item … millions of Americans probably don’t have a clue about what is happening today.  Even if the outcome of ObamaCare manages to penetrate the TV sets of Entertainment Tonight or the Today Show, you can rest assured that the coverage will be scant and slanted if the outcome is not positive for Dear Ruler.  So in the grand scheme of things, this may not make a huge difference in the November election, but it sure will make a difference in all our lives.

The Proggie reaction …

While we are discussing ObamaCare, it’s always fun to see the proggies squirm in anticipation of the ruling.  Are you ready for a few examples?

• Former Democrat Rep. Patrick Kennedy sent out an email (on behalf of the DCCC, I believe): “If the Court upholds the law, dangerous Tea Party extremists will go on a rampage.”

• Democrat Rep. Xavier Becerra says, "We'll find out this week if the Supreme Court is listening to the American people and following the U.S. Constitution, or if it's becoming more and more what we've seen in the past: a partisan body no different from the Congress."  He says that the ruling will reveal "whether there are nine people in the Supreme Court who are going to try to do the bidding of special interests or who are actually listening to the needs of the American people guided by the Constitution of the United States."

• Chief White House propagandist tried to blame public opposition on money: “There was excellent reporting recently, I think on the sheer volume in the millions and millions and millions of dollars that was spent in an effort to discredit the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The differential in money spent was, I think eye-opening, but I think reflects the challenge that we have faced."

What fun.