It’s the lie that never dies. Quite possibly the most egregiously misleading Republican line about the Affordable Care Act is that Congress is somehow exempt from the law — at least, that’s what they want their low-information voters to believe. Now, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) has filed a lawsuit against the Obama administration because of this so-called exemption. In fact, the suit was actually heard by a judge in an actual courtroom this week, and the news of the hearing allowed Fox News Channel to resurrect this zombie one more time.
FOX NEWS’ JIM ANGLE: Republican Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin is trying to sue the Obama administration because it gave many of those in Congress something no other American gets — tax-free money to cover their cost on Obamacare.
SEN. JOHNSON : Americans hate it when elected officials or people in power are exempt from laws.
ANGLE: The law was clear that those in Congress would be treated the same, but then the administration issued a ruling that did the opposite.
So we have two frustratingly silly layers at work here.
First, it’s another example of the brand new congressional Republican cudgel against the Obama White House: the frivolous lawsuit. And since it’ll be next to impossible for Johnson to prove he’s been somehow injured by this nonexistent “exemption,” it’s absolutely and without a doubt a frivolous lawsuit. Secondly, there is no exemption. None. On top of that, the root of the policy which Johnson is calling an “exemption” originated with his Senate colleague, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA).
Rewind to the marathon healthcare reform debate in 2009.
In an effort to flim-flam the Democrats, Grassley proposed… CONTINUE READING