President Barack Obama views fire damage with firefighters and elected officials in Colorado Springs, Colo., June 29, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
President Obama, Democratic Senator Michael Bennet and Republican Representative Doug Lamborn arrive at Colorado Springs Municipal Airport
****
****
President Barack Obama welcomes Stephanie Decker, her husband Joe Decker, and children Reese and Dominic, to the Oval Office, June 29, 2012. Decker lost her legs while saving her two children during a tornado in southern Indiana in March. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
A Kentucky woman who lost both legs shielding her children from a tornado walked arm-in-arm with President Barack Obama into the Oval Office on Friday.
The visit by Stephanie Decker came just under four months after the twister wrecked her home in Henryville, Ky. She had tied a blanket around the children and thrown herself on top of them when falling debris crushed her legs.
… When not using a wheelchair, Decker, 37, is able to walk for extended periods using prosthetic limbs…. Decker was joined by her son Dominic, 9, daughter Reese, 6, and husband Joe, 42, for the Oval Office visit, which came just before Obama flew to Colorado to view damage from the state’s wildfires.
It followed a handwritten letter from Obama and a follow-up phone call from the President while she was in the hospital.
Paul Krugman (NYT): So the Supreme Court – defying many expectations – upheld the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare …. this a big victory for President Obama … But the real winners are ordinary Americans – people like you.
How many people are we talking about? You might say 30 million, the number of additional people the Congressional Budget Office says will have health insurance thanks to Obamacare. But that vastly understates the true number of winners because millions of other Americans — including many who oppose the act — would have been at risk of being one of those 30 million.
…. In short, unless you belong to that tiny class of wealthy Americans who are insulated and isolated from the realities of most people’s lives, the winners from that Supreme Court decision are your friends, your relatives, the people you work with — and, very likely, you. For almost all of us stand to benefit from making America a kinder and more decent society.
…. the law that the Supreme Court upheld is an act of human decency that is also fiscally responsible. It’s not perfect, by a long shot … but it’s still a big step toward a better – and by that I mean morally better – society.
Which brings us to the nature of the people who tried to kill health reform – and who will, of course, continue their efforts despite this unexpected defeat …. what was and is really striking about the anti-reformers is their cruelty …. it has long been obvious that the opposition’s goal is simply to kill reform, never mind the human consequences. We should all be thankful that, for the moment at least, that effort has failed.
…. The cruelty and ruthlessness that made this court decision such a nail-biter aren’t going away.
But, for now, let’s celebrate. This was a big day, a victory for due process, decency and the American people.
Greg Sargent: Romney supported a tax increase, remember? GOP strategists are predicting that by calling the mandate a “massive tax increase,” they’ll be able to win over independents in battleground states. Perhaps, but as noted above, they may also be alienated by the drive for full repeal. Either way, this is made even more absurd by the fact that Romney supported precisely the same tax increase as Governor of Massachusetts.
Washington Post: …. “The most effective argument for Romney is that this is a massive tax increase that will impact hardworking Americans,” said GOP strategist Ron Bonjean…..
Romney’s history, however, may make it difficult for him to capitalize on that argument.
The health-care system that he put into place as Massachusetts governor – which was a model for the federal law – included a mandate with a similar penalty for noncompliance.
At the time, Romney also denied that it was a tax, preferring instead to refer to it as a “fee” or an “incentive.”
The Obama Diary 
You must be logged in to post a comment.