GUN NUTS
HOUSE GOP PLUNGES FORWARD IN HOLDER ATTACK

Richard (RJ) Eskow, 06/28/12

Writer; host, 'The Breakdown'; Senior Fellow, Campaign for America's Future

Was today's ruling a victory for justice over corporate power? Did Chief Justice John Roberts rise above partisan differences because that's where an honest reading of the law took him? Nah.

Joe Cirincione, 06/28/12

President, Plougshares Fund; Author, 'Bomb Scare: The History and Future of Nuclear Weapons'

President Barack Obama is a stronger president overseas today than he was yesterday. His victory on health care reform is very good for American national security.

Jared Bernstein, 06/28/12

Senior Fellow, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

As we now know, the SCOTUS declared that a penalty for refusing to purchase health insurance is permissible as a tax, in essence, approving the mandate by another name. Predictably, that wording has led to pure silliness from conservatives.

Robert Scheer, 06/28/12

Editor, Truthdig.com; Author, 'The Great American Stickup'

Romney's promise that "I will act to repeal Obamacare" from "my first day as president of the United States" is a prescription of destructive gridlock for a program already well under way.

William Bradley, 06/28/12

Political Analyst, NewWestNotes.com

The two big cable "news" outlets were so intent on being fast that they were totally wrong. The reporters, producers, on-air "talent," nobody could be bothered to actually read through the decision before broadcasting their stupidity to the world.

Wayne Maines, 06/28/12

Father, storyteller, and advocate for change

I owe Lady Gaga a great deal for teaching an old conservative dad to not be afraid to try new things and to embrace an entire community that needed help.

Martha Burk, 06/28/12

Money Editor, Ms. magazine; director, Corporate Accountability Project, National Council of Women's Organizations

In upholding the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the Roberts Court threw a hand grenade at those who are waging an unrelenting "war on women" using access to health care as the main battering ram. The decision may not stop the war, but it surely feels good to win such a decisive battle.

Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, 06/28/12

Executive Director/CEO and Co-Founder of MomsRising.org

The Supreme Court ruling today had me doing a happy dance of relief. And I'm not alone. At MomsRising, we've heard from thousands of moms across the country about how the Affordable Care Act has already made a critical difference in their lives.

Tom Tarantino, 06/28/12

Deputy Policy Director, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America

In a heated moment earlier this month, Rep. Bob Filner suggested to Congress that the VA system is so bad we might as well "blow it up." This week on Maddow, he had some new choice words.

Death Race , 06/28/12

GQ politics blog

It's Election Night 2012, and PresidentObama has just lost a tight race. The key to Romney's victory? Massachusetts, a staunchly liberal state that turned red after Obama foolishly offended Red Sox fans.

Al Checchi, 06/28/12

Author, 'The Change Maker'; chairman, Join Together America; former chairman, Northwest Airlines; former candidate for Governor of California

Chief Justice Roberts ruled that a tax is a tax even when it's not supposed to be a tax. The American people may now proceed to render a more consequential judgment.

Nathan Harden, 06/28/12

Author of the new book Sex & God at Yale

Now that the government has secured unprecedented power over us, a new era has dawned for liberals, who will now have a new confidence to pursue countless other long-deferred projects of social engineering.

Ari Melber, 06/28/12

Attorney & Correspondent for The Nation magazine

In politics, taxes matter because they are so unpopular. For the Supreme Court, however, the taxing power is crucial here because it enables Congress to advance a national policy without threatening liberty.

Richard Brodsky, 06/28/12

Senior Fellow, Demos

On Tuesday, Stockton, California declared bankruptcy. There's blame enough to go around. The mechanics of a solution will come, but only after we settle out the more difficult questions that no one wants to talk about. It won't come from Obama or Romney.

Eric Alterman, 06/28/12

Distinguished Professor of English, Brooklyn College, City University of New York

Howard Kurtz is an example of how to be a success in the mainstream media. Unfortunately, giving readers the relevant information they might need to understand the context and significance of a story comes second, third, or fourth, if at all.

Stacey Long, 06/28/12

Director of public policy and government affairs, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force

The Supreme Court's ruling reaffirms that LGBT people in America should look forward to the implementation of many parts of the Affordable Care Act that were upheld today and that will continue to have a huge impact on the LGBT community. Here are some of those provisions.

Nathan Newman, 06/28/12

Founder, Tech-Progress.org

All hail the Sixteenth Amendment and the progressive movement that led to its passage, which in turn made Obamacare's victory at the Supreme Court possible.