Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
In Aftermath Of Scalia's Death, Clinton Highlights Individual Cases While Sanders Takes Broader Tactic
Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have expressed their outrage at Republican threats to block President Barack Obama's choice to replace Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. That's where the similarities end. For Clinton, the opening on the court has provided a chance to aggressively talk about abortion rights, immigration reform and voting rights 鈥 issues that rile up her base and closely align her with the sitting president. Clinton, with deep support from Hispanic voters and the full weight of abortion rights groups behind her, reminds those blocs of their uncertain futures by singling out individual cases that could directly affect them. (Debenedetti, 2/16)
On the first Monday in October 2003, a 32-year-old lawyer who then called himself R. Edward Cruz made his first appearance before the justices. It did not go well. Mr. Cruz had only recently taken a job as the Texas solicitor general. ... Speaking in South Carolina on Monday, he described his two-decade relationship with Justice Scalia with favorite tales of his judicial prowess and wit. At that first argument, though, the relationship looked rocky. Mr. Cruz was making a states鈥 rights argument. Texas had agreed to settle a federal lawsuit accusing it of denying medical treatment to children. But Mr. Cruz said the state had the constitutional authority to ignore the settlement, one that had taken the form of a consent decree. Justice Scalia was not convinced. 鈥淲hy would the other side ever accept such a consent decree?鈥 he asked. 鈥淚t鈥檚 crazy.鈥 Mr. Cruz lost, nine to nothing. (Liptak and Flegenheimer, 2/16)
Meanwhile, The Washington Post looks at Ted Cruz's defining moment聽鈥
In 2013, freshman Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas said he had a plan to do something that seemed impossible. He could force President Obama to strip the funding from the landmark health-care law that had come to bear his name 鈥 Obamacare 鈥 by threatening to shut down the government. To some other conservatives, there was a problem with Cruz鈥檚 plan. It still seemed impossible. (Fahrenthold and Zezima, 2/16)
And Democratic leaders aren't panicking about Bernie Sanders. Yet聽鈥
Democratic regulars recoil at the potential labels Republicans could stick on [Vt. Sen. Bernie] Sanders. He鈥檚 proposing a $13.6 trillion, 10-year tax increase, and many proposals will hit the middle as well as wealthier classes. He wants universal health care for a nation still divided over the last massive overhaul, Obamacare. And there鈥檚 that socialist label. (Lightman, 2/17)
