Geraldo: SCOTUS Decision A ‘Poison Pill’ That Will ‘Make 2010 Happen Again’ For Republicans

Geraldo Rivera appeared on Fox & Friends on Friday where he praised the Supreme Court decision on Thursday that allowed President Barack Obama’s health care reform law to stand. However, he said that the decision would lead to a Republican victory in November as Democrats would now have to defend the law as a tax increase. “It is a political issue and now the Republicans can make 2010 happen again, reenergize the tea parties, get the base motivated and bring the Obama tenure to an end,” said Rivera.

Rivera called Chief Justice John Roberts decision “brilliant” and said that, in the wake of the Citizens United ruling in 2010, his court was getting a reputation for being reliably conservative.

“He achieved a result that absolutely blew that out of the water,” said Rivera. “Nobody now is talking about the political court. Chief Justice Roberts, one of whose prime roles is protecting the court scores big time – he protects the court.”

Rivera said that by upholding the law on the narrowest of grounds and reframing the mandate as a “tax,” Republicans have been handed a political opportunity.

“He has gifted President Obama a poison pill,” said Rivera. “Republicans now can remember, unless something is done, that the Bush tax cuts also lapse at the end of the year. So here you have the largest tax increase and the increase coming from the expiration of the Bush tax cuts – he taxed us, he said he wouldn’t tax us, he taxed us. I think the Obama presidency hangs by a threat right now.”

“I don’t mean to demean the Chief Judges integrity in any way,” said Rivera. He said that Roberts may believe his opinion – but the result is an incredible shift towards Republicans.

“It is a political issue and now the Republicans can make 2010 happen again, reenergize the tea parties, get the base motivated and bring the Obama tenure to an end,” said Rivera.

Watch the segment below via Fox News Channel: