WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama's fate hinges on the Supreme Court's decision later this year on the constitutionality of his signature health care reform law, Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) declared Wednesday.
The Tea Party Republican didn't think winning the case would help Obama. Rather, losing it would improve the president's chances.
"If the Supreme Court should find this unconstitutional, which I believe is the appropriate decision, then we still need to repeal Obamacare to follow through on that. But I think then that there is more risk that President Obama will be reelected because people will think they are protected from this egregious reach into our freedom," King said, speaking at a Capitol Hill news conference.
On the other hand, King argued, "If the Supreme Court finds it constitutional, then I believe President Obama will not be reelected because they [voters] will understand that they have to vote him out of office to repeal it."
Although the Obama administration is unlikely to throw the case in order to take advantage of King's reasoning, the argument does illustrate how vital conservatives consider the Affordable Care Act to their own election hopes. Fears over health insurance reform featured prominently in the Republican victories of 2010.
King predicted that Republicans will win again if the high court doesn't toss out the law, and Republicans can then look forward to a repeal ceremony next year at the White House.
"If Barack Obama is not reelected, we will repeal this and will get it through the Senate and the House, and put it on the desk of the next president of the United States," he said.
Michael McAuliff covers Congress and politics for The Huffington Post. Talk to him on Facebook.