"Obamacare Is Bad Policy"; Stinging Loss For Republicans
BALDWIN: All right, make no mistake about it. Today's Supreme Court decision is a major victory for the president that many political watchers say will help his chances for another victory re-election come November. But the president's first response to his win today in the nation's highest court wasn't about the politics, but the people.</s>BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: In doing so, they've reaffirmed a fundamental principle. That here in America, in the wealthiest nation on earth, no illness or accident should lead to any family's financial ruin. I know there will be a lot of discussion today about the politics of all this, about who won and who lost. That's how these things tend to be viewed here in Washington. But that discussion completely misses the point. Whatever the politics, today's decision was a victory for people all over this country.</s>BALDWIN: Well, now to the president's rival in November, Mitt Romney, emphasized that the one thing that came out of today's ruling, the justices have interpreted one part of the president's health care reform, the individual mandate, as a tax.</s>MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Let's make clear that we understand what the course did and did not do. What the court did today was say that Obama care does not violate the constitution. What they did not do was say that Obama care is good law or that it's good policy. Obama care was bad policy yesterday. It's bad policy today. Obama care was bad law yesterday. It's bad law today. Let me tell you why I say that. Obama care raises taxes on the American people by approximately $500 billion.</s>BALDWIN: Let's go to national political correspondent Jim Acosta, following Mitt Romney today. And really, his reaction is repeal, repeal, repeal.</s>JIM ACOSTA, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Brooke. And it's funny that you played that quote, because I went back and looked at Mitt Romney's speech and what he said there just outside the capital. He used the term "Obama care" 18 times during those remarks. And those remarks only lasted about 5 minutes. So I think what the Romney campaign has decided to do here is realize while, yes, this is a legal victory for the president and history does remember the winners. They do know that the polling shows that the president's law is still unpopular. And the president acknowledged that in his remarks just after Mitt Romney spoke. So the Romney campaign is just going to continue to go after how they feel that this law is unpopular. One thing we heard from Mitt Romney today, he basically said, look, I am the last exit on the Obama care highway. What the Supreme Court did not do today, I will do in my first day of office. So what he's saying to voters right now is, look, if you want this law gone, I'm your last chance.</s>BALDWIN: And couldn't this, Jim, be perceived as a victory for team Romney because it could galvanize conservatives to get them out of November. You know --</s>ACOSTA: It does.</s>BALDWIN: -- get Obama out of office.</s>ACOSTA: That's right. I mean, one of the things that the Romney campaign was doing all morning long. And by the way, they were very hush/hush about this event they had right outside the capital. But once they confirmed and once they got their messaging going, they were starting to put out on Twitter the hash tag fullrepeal. Not just the people inside the Romney campaign, but the RNC. They were both sort of coordinated in that messaging response. The other thing they were tweeting out to everybody, Brooke, and it was hard not to catch this, is the fact that they were fundraising. Basically, they were seeing a bounce in the fundraising after the ruling came down. Andrea Sol, the spokeswoman for the Romney campaign has been tweeting that out all day long, and I think the last time she tweeted this out, she said that they were over $1 million, that they had raised today just since the ruling came down. So, yes, this is galvanizing Republicans. This is uniting Republicans behind Mitt Romney, and it's sort of the ultimate irony because the Democrats were going out and even some Republicans pointed this out during the campaign. Mitt Romney is the father, many of them say, of Obamacare, and now he's the last guy that can stop it, according to the Romney campaign -- Brooke.</s>BALDWIN: Jim Acosta, thank you. Big day in Washington because, also, let me tell you, at this hour, a huge debate over the "Fast and Furious" scandal. Lawmakers are speaking out as to whether or not Attorney General Eric Holder should be held in contempt of Congress, which would be the very first time in history for an attorney general. A vote is expected live during this show. Stay right here.