Carney is depriving a village somewhere of an idiot.
QUESTION: The president’s remarks about the healthcare case in the Supreme Court has been interpreted as challenging or putting pressure on the Court ahead of their decision. Can you speak to that and why not just allow the Court to reach a decision?
JAY CARNEY: First of all, the president was asked a question and then responded to it. Secondly, as I just said, he made an observation about why he believes that — well, first of all, he believes the Affordable Care Act is constitutional. Why he believes it is constitutional and why he believes that the Supreme Court will, in keeping with 80+ years of judicial precedent and Supreme Court precedent, will defer to Congress on its authority to pass regulation on issues of national economic importance like our healthcare system.
It’s the reverse of intimidation. He’s simply making an observation about precedent and the fact that he expects the Court to adhere to that precedent. It’s obviously, as he made clear yesterday, up to the Court to make its determination and we will wait and see what the Court does.