HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS:  Michael Patrick Leahy at Breitbart aptly observes that numerous recent actions by President Obama smack of royal prerogative, and lamestream media coverage as the obsequiousness of royal courtiers.  Indeed.

SUPREME COURT GRANTS REVIEW ON ANOTHER AFFIRMATIVE ACTION CASE:  In addition to the Fisher v. University of Texas case, on which the Supreme Court recently heard oral arguments, the Court today agreed to hear Schuette v Michigan Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action.  At stake is the constitutionality of Proposition 2, an amendment to the Michigan Constitution approved by Michigan voters in 2006, that bans public universities and colleges from using race as a factor in admissions.  The question, in a nutshell, is simple:  Does it violate the Equal Protection Clause to prohibit race-conscious admissions?  Ironic, isn’t it?

MEDICAID’S CRONY FEDERALISM: James Capretta at NRO offers a cutting and insightful take on the Obama Administration’s desperate attempts to get Governors to “voluntarily” expand their Medicaid programs to save this aspect of Obamacare.  Call it coercion “light.”

HOW MUCH DOES AN OBAMACARE STATE INSURANCE EXCHANGE COST?:   In California, a whopping $910 million– and counting!  Funded by you and me.  By contrast, online insurance giant esurance cost about $40 million to get up and running, facilitating the comparison and purchase  of all types of insurance, not just health insurance.  Ah, the efficiencies of government!

FLAMING SNAKES AND OTHER BAD IDEAS:  Apparently setting snakes on fire isn’t such a good idea.  Just ask the woman in Texas who unintentionally incinerated her neighbor’s house.

WHO KNEW? ANOTHER REASON TO BUY THEM:  Apparently sex toys have other beneficial uses.  They help singers hit those high notes.  Wonder if they can deduct them as a business expense?

OBAMA DAUGHTERS SPEND SPRING BREAK AT LUXURIOUS RESORT IN BAHAMAS:  . . . While regular kids’ long-awaited tours of the White House are cancelled due to budgetary cuts.  Guess it’s nice to be the king’s President’s daughter.

MORE FREE STUFF!  Democrats in the Gang of Eight — the Senate’s bipartisan working group on immigration reform — have taken the first step towards extending Obamacare to illegal aliens who will be granted legal status under the reform.  All Republicans in the Gang opposed the move.  It’s a potential poison pill, with massive budgetary implications.

OBAMACARE: THE “TRAIN WRECK” COMETH:  On the 3d anniversary of Obamacare (yipee!), Charles Krauthammer explains the law’s impact on the deficit, employment and taxes upon its full implementation just 9 months from now:

[jwplayer mediaid=”165551″]

GAY MARRIAGE & THE CONSTITUTION:  The Supreme Court on Tuesday and Wednesday will hear the most significant constitutional cases of this term, both dealing the the constitutionality of laws defining marriage as “one man, one woman.”  At stake is the scope and meaning of the Equal Protection Clause, the principle of federalism, and the meaning of the doctrine of “standing” to sue.   This excellent editorial by the Wall Street Journal dissects what is at stake in these cases, and the analytical options facing the Court for each. 

SO LONG, AND THANKS FOR ALL THE FISH!:  Just a quick note to say “thank you” to all the fantastic Insta-P loyal readers during my tenure as a guestblogger.  It’s been a crazy ride, and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it!  Thanks also to my insightful, funny, scary-smart co-bloggers, from whom I’ve learned much, and of course the Insta-P himself, Glenn Reynolds, my former law professor (!)  and now esteemed colleague/friend, for giving me the opportunity to converse with such an amazing community of folks.  Keep fighting the good fight, all.  There is much work to be done!  Best wishes, Elizabeth

TOLERANCE:  A female pro-Obama voter in the Detroit area, campaigning for Obama at the polls, hit a fellow voter in the face after the fellow voter objected to the campaigning.  Thankfully the rule of law prevailed and the Obama supporter was arrested.  She apparently then hit the cop, too.  Nice.

RELATED:  A pro-Obama poll worker/election judge in Obama’s home precinct in Chicago is caught on camera wearing an Obama hat while working the polls.

BLACK PANTHERS AT POLLS IN PHILLY AGAIN:  Here we go again.  At least this one doesn’t have a night stick like the ones filmed in 2008.  But still, can you imagine the outcry if members of the KKK showed up in their white garb to “stand” in front of polling places in the South?  This is frankly no different, as the Black Panthers are not only Marxist, but have a long history of racism and violence.   Can you say “voter suppression and intimidation”?

MORE CRONY CAPITALISM:  Damon Root over at Reason notes that rapper Jay-Z, who recently endorsed Obama, is a crony capitalist who, as part-owner of the N.J. Nets, profited from the use of eminent domain to take the homes of low-income folks so that the Nets could have a new b-ball arena.  Now that’s social justice!

LAST CHANCE TO STOP OBAMACARE:  An editorial from Investors’ Business Daily reminds us:

Tuesday’s decision is about many things, but none may be more important than stopping ObamaCare from wrecking the greatest health care system in the world.

Even if the Republicans take the Senate, any effort at repeal would be vetoed by a second-term Obama.

CALLING ALL LIBERTARIANS:  Randy Barnett has a great op-ed in Tuesday’s Wall Street Journal, in which he asserts that the Libertarian Party is a “mistake” and suggesting that the Republican Party is, for this election at least, a better fit for libertarians:

Libertarians need to adjust their tactics to the current context. This year, their highest priority should be saving the country from fiscal ruin, arresting and reversing the enormous growth in federal power—beginning with repealing ObamaCare—and pursuing a judiciary who will actually enforce the Constitution. Which party is most likely to do these things in 2013?

For this libertarian, it is clear that Romney and the Republicans are a far, far better fit.

UPDATE:  Apparently Glenn and I were thinking and reading the same thing at the same time.  LOL.

TEA PARTY:  THIS IS YOUR MOMENT:  Not only is the tea party most decidedly not “dead,” it’s entire existence has been building toward Election Day 2012, when it will finally become clear–to all the mainstream media naysayers–that it is a permanent force to be reckoned with, composed of ordinary Americans who love their country and their Constitution.

They will crawl over broken glass to unseat Obama, whose actions over the past 4 years have consistently demonstrated that he neither loves this country nor its Constitution.

HOW FAR HAVE WE COME IN 4 YEARS?:  From “hope” to “revenge.”  From uniting to dividing.  Do you really think 4 more years of this will make America stronger, more united?

My guess is that no one says “yes,” yet many will still vote for Obama not with the “hope” of “uniting” America, but with the expectation of extracting “revenge” and “fundamentally transforming” this country in the name something akin to “social justice”– a great Marxist, utopian vision that pits citizen against citizen, breeds hatred and division, and redistributes wealth from each according to his ability, to each according to his need.

Obama’s vision is a recipe for the demise of the greatest country the world has ever known.  It will only intensify if he is given 4 more years without the specter of political accountability via reelection.  The damage will be done.

The last 4 years, encapsulated in a picture:

IF OBAMA LOSES . . . . WE’RE ALL A BUNCH OF RACISTS:  A frightening but probably accurate piece by David Feith:

If President Obama loses re-election, it won’t be because of the weak economy, the unpopularity of ObamaCare, the fallout from Benghazi or any other policy-related matter. At least that isn’t how many Obama supporters on the left are likely to explain it. Instead, we’ll hear that he went down to defeat at the hands of America the Pathological—a country where bigotry, corruption and political dysfunction reign.

Ah yes, the deep and abiding intolerance of the supposed tolerant.  Do these progressives have so little self awareness? (Yes).   I absolutely cannot wait for this era of hypocrisy, lies and feigned tolerance to end.

MY GUT TELLS ME ROMNEY WINS:  A rare, honest assessment of the presidential race by Kyle Wingfield of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.  Winfield observes:

My head tells me Obama will be re-elected. My gut tells me this hasn’t looked like the kind of campaign an incumbent wins.

My gut tells me the surge Obama has seen in national polls during the past week comes from voters he wasn’t going to lose to Romney, but could have lost to apathy, who will show up and cast ballots for him — but mostly in states he was going to win anyway. My gut tells me we might be seeing a repeat of 2000, when it looked like the Democrat would win the Electoral College but lose the popular vote, only for the scenario to flip in the final days.

My gut tells me Romney picks up North Carolina, Florida, Virginia, Colorado and at least one of Michigan/Ohio/Pennsylvania — and will become the 45th president of the United States.

My gut tells me the same thing.

MASSIVE CROWDS FOR ROMNEY IN VIRGINIA TODAY:  Check out all these pics from Romney’s appearances in Lynchburg and Fairfax today-– super long lines and Fairfax event had to be moved to a much larger indoor arena.

THE “BLACK” PRESIDENT:   Hasn’t been very good at all for blacks.  Jason Riley at the Wall Street Journal nails it:

The election of Barack Obama four years ago gave blacks bragging rights, but bragging rights can’t close the black-white achievement gap in education or increase black labor-force participation or reduce black incarceration rates. A civil-rights leadership that encourages blacks to look to politicians to solve these problems is doing a disservice to the people they claim to represent.

Asians, for their part, can point to an out-of-wedlock birthrate of just 16%, the lowest of any major group and a significant factor in Asian success. The black illegitimacy rate last year was 72%. Might it be that having a black man in the Oval Office is less important for black advancement than having one in the home?

The political scientists tell us that Mr. Obama will almost certainly need every black vote he can muster on Election Day. Less certain is whether blacks need him.

Oh, and the “great uniter” has turned into American history’s greatest divider on race relations.  One step forward, two steps back.

GAME CHANGER: A FEMALE VIAGRA?:  It’s in clinical trials now, called Tefina, and it’s a testosterone nasal spray.   I wonder if it makes men pick up their dirty socks and act like Cary Grant? (that always works for me).

AT ISSUE: THE FUTURE OF AMERICAN HEALTHCARE:   The Hudson Institute’s Christopher DeMuth explains why this presidential election will decide–in stark terms–the future of American health care.  In his words:

If President Barack Obama is re-elected, ObamaCare’s controls over doctors, hospitals, pharmaceutical firms and other providers of medical care will be tightened, and the operations of private insurance companies will be progressively restricted. Everyone involved will know where the process is going—to a single-payer system or one with a few chosen insurers subject to national public-utility controls—and will negotiate the best possible accommodations to it. Within a few years, a new political equilibrium will be in place, making the system irreversible and subject to only marginal adjustment.

. . . .

For tactical reasons, neither President Obama nor Gov. Romney has emphasized the election’s special, referendum-like importance for the future of American health care and politics. But it truly is a moment of We the People sovereignty—so the more of us who realize what we are doing, the better.

The point of no return.

ROMNEY PENNSYLVANIA RALLY DRAWS 30,000:  Great pics and tweets at Breitbart.com.  HUGE crowd.  Fox carried it live.  Mittmentum. But don’t get cocky.  Just vote.