Serious question for anyone who is a big fan of Brett Kavanaugh, and I mean this for real, this isn't supposed to be a "gotcha".

What do you think of Kavanaugh's repeated expression that he believes the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to be unconstitutional, illegal, and in need of dismantling?

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BiasForAction · M

i thought it was established by congress under the financial reform (Dodd-Frank) law? Congress did not require a political appointee be in charge, so there is some question about whether the president can manage the agency. but i would not say either of these facts raises constitutionality issues.

BlueMetalChick · 26-30, F

@BiasForAction You're correct. Kavanaugh hates both Dodd-Frank and the CFPB, and claims they need to be repealed because they're unconstitutional. He also claims that the entirety of Obamacare is illegal.

BiasForAction · M

@BlueMetalChick it wouldn't surprise me if his arguments are more nuanced, but i don't know what they are. Personally, I take issue with the individual mandate, as I have enough libertarianism in me to be uncomfortable with that.

BlueMetalChick · 26-30, F

@BiasForAction The individual mandate is the least popular statute of Obamacare, and honestly, I agree with that. The high points are the protections from preexisting conditions and the Medicare expansion.

BiasForAction · M

@BlueMetalChick well of course. but to pay for it one probably needs the individual mandate--which causes me to go back and forth about it.

BlueMetalChick · 26-30, F

@BiasForAction The Affordable Care Act is actually a pretty standard republican healthcare system, it was proposed by Richard Nixon during his presidency, H.W. Bush praised it, and Newt Gingrich and Chuck Grassley were pushing for it in the 90's. So I was surprised when Obama decided to adopt it.

But I never expected him to support universal healthcare. He said he was not for single-payer during his campaign trail. Shockingly, it was Hillary Clinton who campaigned on single-payer in 2008.

BiasForAction · M

@BlueMetalChick Hillary may have been right. A single payer system can probably force cost savings that we haven't seen under the ACA. In some respects, this is due to "death panels"--and end of life care is what costs us so much and what needs to be reformed.