SC

Nullification: “We Shall Use Our Largest Scales”

FINALLY … SOMETHING THAT MAKES SENSE IN THIS DEBATE There’s a great scene in the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail in which Sir Bedevere – portrayed by actor Terry Jones – helps a group of unruly British villagers determine whether one of their own is a witch. How?…

FINALLY … SOMETHING THAT MAKES SENSE IN THIS DEBATE

There’s a great scene in the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail in which Sir Bedevere – portrayed by actor Terry Jones – helps a group of unruly British villagers determine whether one of their own is a witch.

How? Simple: By placing her on his “largest scales” to determine whether she weighs the same as a duck, and is therefore made of wood, and is therefore – by definition – a witch.

Sound silly? It is … that’s why it’s in a comedy film.

Sadly the same cannot be said of South Carolina’s nullification debate, which – though every bit as preposterous – is very real.

This website has written several times regarding this debate – most extensively in this piece.

Our fundamental takeaway? That the South Carolina nullification debate is a “nuisance issue.” We don’t necessarily disagree with the notion of nullification (or secession), but the legislation that’s caused such a kerfuffle at the S.C. State House doesn’t nullify anything.

Wait … what? We’ll repeat: South Carolina’s so-called Obamacare nullification bill doesn’t nullify anything.

The bill is – at its heart – an argument over whether to assert the right to nullify other federal laws (but not Obamacare) in a non-binding preamble to proposed legislation that, again, doesn’t nullify anything.

Yeah …

Anyway … we mentioned scales earlier in this post so let’s go ahead and “weigh” this issue, shall we?

Opposing this exercise in irrelevance are Americans for Limited Government, The Cato Institute, The Federalist Society and The Heritage Foundation – four groups which have expended inordinate quantities of blood, sweat and tears over the last five years trying to debunk, defeat, repeal and defund Obamacare.

Like us …

Supporting the legislation? Jesse Graston (a.k.a. this guy) – a “representative” of the John Birch Society who as we’ve noted previously appears to have another angle at play.

Where is the local Tea Party on the issue?

There seems to be a lack of consensus – with some groups supporting the measure blindly and others (who bothered to read the bill) opposing it much along the same grounds as we have.

One of the latter groups, dubbed “Swamp State Patriots,” has organized a call-in drive over the last 24 hours – directing several thousand phone calls to the S.C. State House.

“We’re just trying to open people’s eyes,” says Allen Olson, a member of the group (and former leader of the Columbia, S.C. Tea Party). “In our opinion it’s bad legislation – and the fact that a lot of well-intentioned people are supporting it is troubling.”

According to Olson, the legislation pushed by the John Birch Society not only fails to address the fundamental issue at hand – Obamacare – but is likely to open the door to lawsuits related to future challenges to federal authority.

“The John Birch crowd and some questionable for-profit foundation are the only entities really pushing this thing,” Olson said. “Our goal is to protect the reputation of well-meaning patriots in the Palmetto State who oppose Obamacare but don’t want to go over the cliff on a bill that doesn’t do what its supporters say it does.”

Olson added “there are so many other ways to fight this law,” citing its Medicaid expansion as one example.

We agree …

As we’ve said previously, if the S.C. General Assembly (and socialized medicine lover S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley) want to truly nullify Obamacare, then they should pass a bill that actually nullifies it.

Then we’ll talk …

Absent that, this issue remains exactly what we’ve said it is from the beginning – a distraction.

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63 comments

euwe max March 4, 2014 at 3:23 pm

One should preserve one’s conscience, so it will be in pristine condition when he needs it.

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GrandTango March 4, 2014 at 3:30 pm

Classic liberal obfuscation. You get bogged down in all the minutia of the debate…all the while Obama is screwing all rules to bend you over and ream you out…Of course, most of us are under the impression, FITS is satisfied getting bent over and reamed by Obama…

How you do it does not matter at all. Obama teaches that. Doing and doing it..and doing it well, is ALL that matters…

Those who pull a Sanford, standing there trying to convince us of his strategic brilliance, will lose in the end (which is what you want to do.) Those who tell the FITS of the world to STFU up and get the H#!! out of the way, will prevail….

And no matter: Obama will be overturned. Or America will not be worth having.

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euwe max March 4, 2014 at 3:37 pm

And no matter: Obama will be overturned. Or America will not be worth having.

——

and then what will you do? Buy more gold plated coins, clappers and mint snuff? Get yourself an Obama-proof bunker? Freeze yourself solid up in a Kansas silo with instructions to thaw you out with Lyndon Larouche?

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euwe max March 4, 2014 at 5:22 pm

bend over for your reaming
———
have you checked with your pastor to see if your butt fucking metaphors meet with the approval of Jesus?

..if he recommends seeing a psychiatrist, remember I said it was a possibility.

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Grand Mango March 5, 2014 at 10:11 am

His latent homosexuality is busting at the seams.

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euwe max March 5, 2014 at 6:50 pm

Not being a professional, I can’t render a prognosis on nothing more than habitually posting homoerotic imagery… but it is, in my experience, quite out of the ordinary for a “Conservative Christian” to post so many different explicit homosexual metaphors centered on gay pleasure, simply to convey conservative ideas, most of which are unconnected with gay sex.

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G.F. McConnell, General, CSA March 4, 2014 at 3:38 pm

I gave my last full measure in my previous life so that we could own slaves. I still think so. I’d like to own Barak Obama and his family. Damn yankees.

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euwe max March 4, 2014 at 5:21 pm

Are you sure? He doesn’t look like he would last long under harsh conditions.. maybe you should get Clarence Thomas instead.

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Evan Mulch March 4, 2014 at 3:52 pm

According to FreedomWorks, H3101 with the Davis Amendment would:

-Stop any state or local government official from cooperating in any way with the federal implementation of ObamaCare.

-Prevent the above agencies from applying for or receiving any of the federal grant money under ObamaCare unless approved by the legislature, going so far as to prohibit each grant program by name.

-Require the ObamaCare Navigators to register with the state and pass a background check (which is not required under the federal law).

-Specifically prohibit the state from either accepting the Medicaid expansion or from establishing a state-run health insurance exchange under ObamaCare.

To the person who wrote the article, please explain to me how Obamacare would not be nullified in South Carolina if the Davis Amendment passes?

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Will Folks aka Sic March 4, 2014 at 4:06 pm

We posted the Davis amendment on this site last week.

The Davis amendment – to my knowledge – has not passed. When it does, we will be happy to reassess the bill.

Now … as to the specific measures referenced by FreedomWorks in its interpretation of the Davis amendment, No. 1 is anti-commandeering, not nullification, No. 2 is budgetary (which we support) but is also not nullification. No. 3 is regulatory (which we support) but is also not nullification and No. 4 is Medicaid expansion – which is an entirely separate debate (but also NOT nullification).

“Nullification” was Chumley’s original draft – which has long since been discarded by the so-called “nullifiers.”

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Evan Mulch March 4, 2014 at 4:35 pm

You need to give the nullifiers some credit for putting together an excellent strategy to stop Obamacare. If the Davis amendment passes, Obamacare has been stopped in South Carolina. Isn’t that the point of nullification?

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Will Folks aka Sic March 4, 2014 at 4:41 pm

Are you brain dead? South Carolina’s GOP governor is growing Medicaid in this state by 16 percent in the coming FY … the average Obamacare state is growing Medicaid by 12 percent. Take your head out of your ass, man. Seriously. This is a distraction … nothing more, nothing less.

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euwe max March 4, 2014 at 5:18 pm

growing Medicaid
——-
…just making sure those who are eligible get their benefits, not adding new treatments. Don’t worry, no one will be any more healthy than Republicans can stand.

tomstickler March 4, 2014 at 7:09 pm

Don’t focus on the numerator so intensely that you lose sight of the denominator.

IOW, South Carolina’s Medicaid growth is higher because we had such a large proportion that were qualified, yet not enrolled. With the publicity over the refusal to expand Medicaid, those unenrolled said, “Hey, we wuz robbed!” and signed up.

Jack March 4, 2014 at 4:58 pm

If the Davis Amendment passes, what do you envision that would do for South Carolinians? Who would benefit? How would they benefit? Who would be hurt?

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GrandTango March 4, 2014 at 5:07 pm

Great posts. And understand this: FITS simply wants to bash Republicans. He does not care about credibility of the legislation or the effect of it…

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euwe max March 4, 2014 at 5:17 pm

You need to give the nullifiers some credit for putting together an excellent strategy to stop Obamacare.

——-
I have a design for a carburetor for cars using only water for fuel that GM doesn’t want you to see… send me 100 dollars and I’ll send you the plans.

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euwe max March 4, 2014 at 5:15 pm

Did you get my penis-cake article recommendation?

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Jack March 4, 2014 at 3:59 pm

What do you dumb asses think would happen if the Affordable Care Act were nullified in South Carolina? What goal would you achieve?

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GrandTango March 4, 2014 at 4:28 pm

We’d PREVENT the massive tax increases that come along w/ it. And we’d be able to get adequate healthcare, w/o the threat of Obamcare ripping Cancer coverage from kids. We’d avoid the fear of costs for healthy people. quadrupling…

You are an IDIOT if you are shilling for this Bull-$#!* considering what we now know…It’s getting time for people to make Dumb@$$#S like you STFU..
You have gone from being inconsequential clowns, to serious dangers….

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Jack March 4, 2014 at 4:54 pm

I rest my case. The Teanuts are clueless. The don’t know how the ACA works, and they don’t know what they are trying to achieve. All they know is that Rush, Fox, and Beck told them this would be a good thing to do.

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GrandTango March 4, 2014 at 5:03 pm

Yeah, it’s the media’s fault…LMAO….

Go try to log on and get ,gov insurance, you ignorant F*#king Kool-Aid drinker…

PS: Has ANYTHING your lord-gad Obama done, actually worked (see Egypt, Jobs, Solyndra, Ukraine, energy prices, Syria, Chevy Volt, economy)….That should tell you all you need to know.,…

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euwe max March 4, 2014 at 5:15 pm

He got us out of Iraq. That’s more than Bush could do… oh, and McCain would have had us stay 100 years!

GrandTango March 4, 2014 at 6:51 pm

Bush won Iraq before Obama was elected, though Obama and Biden took credit for Victory…

euwe max March 4, 2014 at 9:05 pm

Iraq was a war based on lies, charged on the credit card, and a miserable failure.

Sailor March 4, 2014 at 10:50 pm

Are you really so stupid that you think Iraq was a victory?

Bill March 5, 2014 at 11:15 am

Win?? What did Bush win for us in Iraq? Because I want my share.

The Colonel March 5, 2014 at 4:56 pm

Euwe – President Obama had absolutely nothing to do with getting us out of Iraq. We were planning the withdrawal long before the elections and were well into the actual withdrawal by the time he was inaugurated. I’m providing you the Wiki link so you can read about it – I don’t need to read about it as I was there.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Withdrawal_of_U.S._troops_from_Iraq

Tom March 5, 2014 at 5:52 pm

Yes, and before the war started Paul Wolfowitz said Iraq would pay for the war, and Cheney said we would find Saddam’s WMDs and be welcomed as liberators; and we all know how those “plans” turned out. So forgive me if I have no confidence the Bush administration would ever have pull out of Iraq.

euwe max March 5, 2014 at 6:36 pm

You are welcome to your own beliefs, of course. When it became clear that the election was going to be waged on exiting Iraq, Bush rushed to reverse his decision that telegraphing our exit with a fixed date would embolden the terrorists to wait us out.

McCain totally missed the signs, and during his campaign said 100 years in Iraq wouldn’t be out of the question.

Tom March 4, 2014 at 5:40 pm

Why do we have to keep going over this: Since Bush left office

Unemployment down
Misery index down
GDP Up
housing prices up
Stock market way up
Annual deficit down
Bin Laden dead
Iraq war over
War in Afghanistan winding down.

Consumer confidence up
Economy producing jobs every month instead of losing 500,000 jobs a month under Bush.
Haliburton no longer in charge of the Department of Defense.

Still need to dismantle the NSA spying initiated by Bush however.

GrandTango March 4, 2014 at 6:52 pm

You left out the most important one:

Liberals fantasies expanded..

Terry March 4, 2014 at 6:44 pm

I did log on and I did get insurance. I did not save a lot on the premium, but my deductible is much lower.

GrandTango March 4, 2014 at 6:57 pm

Let me guess, you are a lifetime Welfare recipient…w/ an extra disability SSI check for a back ailment, no doctor has ever been able to confirm….and you get food stamps….You use an Obama phone, have had 200 weeks unemployment, though you have never had a job, and you live in Sec. 8 housing…You get a Special Ed. check. And you get $1,000 a week in food stamps, and you don’t take care of any of your 10 illegits, who live with dey Baby-Mamas, and they all get gov’t bennies, equal to yours… .

Terry March 5, 2014 at 11:19 am

I bet I make more than you and I have never been on Welfare or unemployment. Can you say the same?

GrandTango March 5, 2014 at 12:38 pm

If you pay for your own insurance, and claim you got it for lower under Obamcare…I say you’re a F*#king LIAR…That’s what we’re talking about here…
Also: My income has (or number of contracts have) declined substantially in the horrible Obama economy. So you are likely in some government (do nothing but produce red tape) job…and you probably do make more than I am until this F*#king Obama nightmare is over.
But no, I’ve never been on welfare or unemployment. But people like you are F*#king sickening. You have a job where you’re taken care of…so you think you’re a F*#king genius to support your socialist god…Screw you. Obamcare is a DISASTER, no natter what kind of Bull-$#!* your stupid @$$ is peddling.

Medcaid Doesn't Count March 5, 2014 at 1:07 pm

Never been on welfare? Whatever…

GrandTango March 5, 2014 at 1:13 pm

Mythology much????

Medicaid Doesn't Count March 5, 2014 at 1:43 pm

You deny that you’re not on Medicaid? I know of a website…

Terry March 5, 2014 at 5:57 pm

If I were a government worker or had a job where I was taken care of, why would I be buying insurance through the exchanges? You really have no clue how the ACA works do you?

Jack March 4, 2014 at 6:47 pm

I can only blame Fox, Rush and Beck for feeding you misinformation. I can’t blame them for your being stupid enough to believe them.

euwe max March 4, 2014 at 5:14 pm

Who’s *we* Tonto? You and Santorum?

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JimBob March 4, 2014 at 4:25 pm

While I might like to fantasize otherwise, that whole nullification thing went down in flames in April of 1865. To think otherwise, shows you are on the intellectual level of a moron.

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RHood2 March 4, 2014 at 4:58 pm

Get your logic right.
IF she weighs the same as a duck, she is made of wood, AND WOULD THEREFORE FLOAT.
(Like very small rocks.)
And is therefore ….

A WITCH!

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euwe max March 4, 2014 at 5:13 pm

If she weighs more than a duck, then it means she’s a very clever witch!

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Get a brain, morans! March 4, 2014 at 5:07 pm

I wouldn’t blame the U.S. if it kicked South Carolina’s stupid ass out of the union.

And built a giant freaking fence around it, to keep us out.

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GrandTango March 4, 2014 at 5:10 pm

California and NY are going broke…and losing population, Dumb@$$..SC is growing…

Sounds like you are on the wrong side of the equation. That said: NY said they love Ignorant Robots, who pay whatever they are told, no matter how stupid the state spends the money. They are obedient Obama clones…you’d fit right in there w/ the idiots…See Ya….

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euwe max March 4, 2014 at 5:12 pm

See Ya…
—–
so where are *you* going? Sudan?

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SCBlueWoman March 4, 2014 at 6:06 pm

California was brought out of crisis last year by a dem… Brown. NY is also improving. Texas, not so much. Read some unbiased accounts and get back to me.

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GrandTango March 4, 2014 at 6:27 pm

Raising taxes to balance a budget looks good (and works) on paper…but why do you think people are leaving, Dumb@$$???…

All Brown did was thrill the media…and with idiots, as long as there are fairy tales…you are pacified. Reality is meaningless…

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Ha.... March 4, 2014 at 8:25 pm

That douchebag Mr. Terminator bankrupted CA.

Bill March 5, 2014 at 6:09 pm

People are leaving? CA population is growing not shrinking. And as far is debt is concerned; CA has a debt to Gross State Product of 18%. SC has a debt to gross state product of 21%. So CA is in better financial shape than SC.
Do you ever research anything, or do you just make it up as you go along?

GrandTango March 5, 2014 at 6:20 pm

Yeah: and Obama is good on jobs too…you F*#king gullible, government mule fool..You’ll believe anything Obama’s version of Goebbels feeds your ignorant @$$…

PS: if you’re counting welfare-seeking illegals, maybe it is growing..but they are part of the reason those Dumb@$$#$ are broke now…

Bill March 5, 2014 at 6:23 pm

Well if California is broke South Carolina is totally screwed, because I don’t know how you get below broke, but that is where we are. Just an example of that good GOP management I guess.

GrandTango March 5, 2014 at 6:31 pm

Wonder why SC added a Congressional seat…and California didn’t? Does not seem like people would flock to a state that’s so poorly managed…

May be because those people feeding you those stories about how great CA. is are the same people who told you Obamacare would cost less, and work more efficiently….LMAO….

Bill March 6, 2014 at 4:40 pm

I wonder why 38 million people chose to live in California and only 4.5 million people chose to live in SC. Between 2010 and 2013 it is estimated SC increased its population by approximately 200,000. CA’s population grows by that amount each year. Does not seem like people would flock to a state that’s so poorly managed at three times the rate that are flocking to SC.

Maybe because you listen to Rush, Beck and the Fake News network you actually believe the crap you write. LMAO

GrandTango March 4, 2014 at 5:35 pm

Obamacare is the CERTAIN DEATH of the democrat party.
Suburb moms, eager for alleged promised racial harmony are one thing. But when you are telling a family their son’s asthma treatment is denied because he is white, guilty and working…so the fat@$$ Obama-phone, welfare mother can get lap-band surgery…the masses will rise up and rip the faces off of FITS, Obama, McCain and Sanford.
FITS thinks it’s time to triangulate the issue…but Christy tried that, and the fat, stupid son of a b!*ch got his face ripped off…
We’re watching. Obama is drowning, and those who aid in his defeat are the heroes of the next election…
And I bet you, FITS will run out and claim he was a Conservative, even though he and McCain are joined at the hip, sipping a gay-daiquiri at the moderate Café…

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euwe max March 4, 2014 at 5:55 pm

Obamacare is the CERTAIN DEATH of the democrat party.

——-
I can’t wait for one party rule! It worked so well for Germany,China and Russia… Republicans uber alles!

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euwe max March 4, 2014 at 5:58 pm

got his balls stuffed down his throat.

——

Literally, or metaphorically?

Are you concentrating on the reproductive parts of men and men’s mouths because of a fascination for the mechanics, or are you getting some kind of vicarious thrill out of creating the imagery?

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CharlesDikkens March 4, 2014 at 7:16 pm

The sheep who think this “bill” actually means anything are yet again falling for the oldest legislative trick in the book, last employed by the weak-kneed US Congress – pass a law that sounds like it is against something, but really does nothing at all – Do you actually think for one second that Government – ANY Government – will voluntarily diminish its own power over its subjects? Including the Confederacy of Dunces in Columbia? If so I have a bridge/port/swamp to sell you — oops, sold already…

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Mike at the Beach March 4, 2014 at 10:06 pm

In the words of Ed McMahon, “You are correct, sir!” It’s all in the naming of the beast, Mr. Dikkens. The Affordable Care Act, The USA Patriot Act (Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism), No Child Left Behind Act, etc. Most Americans can’t read much further into a bill than the “short title,” so snappy names are the way to go.

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GrandTango March 5, 2014 at 8:30 am

Winning elections is all about symbolism because the media has so dumb-down so many people. And right now, anything any candidate can do to show opposition to Obamacare is a BIG winner. It’s a no-brainer.

I just hope Obama is stupid enough to keep selling out his party to push this gargantuan load of Bull$#!t on the people who have figured out who, and what, he is.

Every day he clings to this colossal failure, the bigger the GOP numbers in the Senate and House get.

Obamacare is a gift to pro-Americans, especially coming home to roost on a date so close to the Nov. 2014 elections…

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GrandTango March 5, 2014 at 7:19 am

The GOP is set to take the US Senate, and increase numbers in the House.

That’s what has FITS $#!**ing all over himself. Make no mistake about that.

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