Decision Anticipation Stirs Politics

On the campaign trail, GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney takes a hard line against the heatlh law, saying it needs to be undone no matter what the court determines. But on the eve of the expected high court ruling, a 2006 video emerged in which then-Gov. Romney embraced the individual mandate as part of Massachusetts' state reforms. Meanwhile, the court's finding is expected to become a fund-raising boon for both presidential candidates.  

The New York Times' The Caucus: No Matter What Court Decides, Health Care Law Has 'Got To Go,' Romney Says
Mitt Romney may not know how the Supreme Court is going to rule on President Obama's health care plan on Thursday, but he did have one prediction at a campaign rally here on the eve of the decision: "My guess is they're not sleeping real well at the White House tonight" (Parker, 6/27).

The New York Times' The Caucus:  In 2006 Video, Romney Calls Health Care Mandate 'Essential'
On the eve of the Supreme Court's health care ruling Thursday morning, a Democratic group has uncovered what it said was fresh evidence of Mitt Romney's one-time embrace of the individual insurance mandate that he now scorns. Video of Mr. Romney from a March 2006 news conference when he was governor of Massachusetts shows the presumptive Republican nominee praising the passage of an individual mandate in the legislature as an "essential" part of the reforms he advocated (Shear, 6/28).

ABC News:  How Mitt Romney Will Respond To The Supreme Court's Health Care Ruling
No matter how the Supreme Court rules on President Obama's health care law on Thursday, Mitt Romney already has a response to the court's decision: Obamacare was a "bad policy" that diverted the president's attention away from the more important issue of getting the nation's unemployed back to work. Speaking to several hundred supporters at a rally in Northern Virginia on Wednesday, Romney argued Obama spent more time focused on passing health care reform than trying to improve the economy. And that, Romney insisted, was simply a "moral failure" on Obama's part—more evidence, he said, that Obama doesn't deserve another four years in office (Bailey, 6/28).

The Associated Press/Washington Post: For Obama And Romney, Health Care Ruling Will Start Fundraising Storm, Fresh Blizzard Of Ads
Barely four months before the nation votes, one of the biggest factors in the fight for the White House still is a mystery. That will change on Thursday. The Supreme Court's expected ruling on President Barack Obama's sweeping federal health care law will shape the contours of the presidential campaign through the summer and fall. Both Obama and Republican rival Mitt Romney are primed to use the ruling — whatever it is — for political gain (6/27).

News outlets also report on how the expected decision is playing on the congressional campaign level -  

Reuters: This Time, Some Democrats Are Embracing "Obamacare"
Fierce opposition to President Barack Obama’s healthcare bill helped propel Republicans to big victories in the 2010 mid-term elections, when they won a majority of seats in the House of Representatives and cut into the Democratic majority in the Senate. But this year, at least some Democrats are embracing the healthcare plan – touting their support for its popular provisions and attacking Republicans for opposing measures that polls show big majorities of Americans supporting (Zengerle, 6/27).

Reuters: DNC To GOP On Healthcare: Bring It On
The Democrats have an answer for the Republicans if the Supreme Court throws out President Barack Obama's healthcare law on Thursday: Good luck with that. It may be bravado in the face of what would seem to be huge disappointment, but some Democrats insist they relish the prospect of watching congressional Republicans grapple with how to deal with the massive and troubled industry (Zengerle, 6/27).