Today come to the National Day of Prayer at 530 and then afterwards head over to the Mechanicsville Tea Party to hear John Taylor of the Virginia Policy Institute speak on the Battle for the Soul of America: The philosophy of the Founding Fathers v. progressivism. Sounds like a great speech and I am sorry I can’t make it. If you can be there, go there!
MTP is moving its meeting nights to Wednesdays! Starting in June – first and third Wednesday! 7pm.
Also I have a report that the Mathews County GOP, following the lead of Gloucester and Middlesex County, has come out against Agenda 21. The best thing would be a resolution at the state level – the GOP state convention in June. If you are a delegate (I am too) that is a worthy goal.
OFFICIAL HINT: I am hearing the head of Democrats Against Agenda 21 is coming to Virginia…more on a future posting…
President Carter was in a dead last tie for Worst. President. Ever!
Until now!
How cool is this?
Appearing on the radio talk show of conservative radio host Laura Ingraham today, former President Jimmy Carter said he believes the Democratic Party should moderate its position on abortion, which it currently supports without limits and funded at taxpayer expense.
The real question that will be answered by the Supreme Court in the ObamaCare case that begins today concerns the Commerce Clause and whether or not the Federal Government has any limits placed on it by the Constitution.
We all know that the intent of the framers of the Constitution was to place the powers of the individual and the state above that of the Federal Government. The founders simply did not trust a large centralized Federal Government to remain in the small role they created for it. So they enumerated the powers and reserved any other powers to the state and the individual.
That should have been pretty clear.
But they saw fit to include what is called the “Commerce Clause” which is actually Article 1, Section 8, Clause 3 of the US Constitution.
Congress shall have the power:
To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes;
It is clear to the minds of most that the intention here was not to give the Federal Government complete and unabridged power and control over everything we buy, or don’t buy. That was simply not the intent of the founders who were very careful to do everything they could to keep the Federal Government from becoming what is has now become.
But anyone who reads that clause and somehow believe that it gives the Federal Government the power to force Americans to buy a good or product that the Feds deem mandatory must also believe that it gives the Federal Government the power to force foreign Nations to purchase American goods, or potentially face a war and sanctions for non-compliance.
That may seem a bit of a reach, but so did the thoughts of our government forcing us to buy a product from a private company right up until it happened.
It is simply not credible to argue that this sentence allows the Federal Government to force only one of the three groups – foreign Nations, the Several States and Indian Tribes – to buy insurance. The law allows American Indians to opt out of ObamaCare as individuals but does not address entire tribes.
But nowhere in the bill does it exempt Foreign Countries. So will citizens of Foreign Nations face the penalties if they fail to purchase a government approved plan?
Obviously the United States Federal Government is not granted the power to use force on citizens of Foreign Nations to buy Health Insurance. Nor does the Commerce Clause allow the same for Americans.
And by definition, Health Care is entirely within each state, not trade among the several states. And the penalty imposed, which was specifically argued during the passage of the bill to not be a tax, is not a power given to Congress. They have the power to tax, but the “fines” were specifically and intentionally not called a tax.
That is until they were challenged in court, and the penalty suddenly became a tax in Court arguments.
And one of the most disturbing aspects with this law, and there are many, is the way it was passed into law.
When Congress passes a bill, both the House and the Senate must approve the legislation. There are several ways this gets done, but in the case of ObamaCare, the process was interrupted by the election of Massachusetts Republican Scott Brown who specifically campaigned on casting the needed vote to keep the bill from passing. Actually, Brown’s vote would have been the 41st to keep the “filibuster” alive and prevent the vote from reaching the floor for a final vote where only 51 votes would have been required.
But the Senate had already passed their version before Scott Brown was elected. And anyone familiar with the way the sausage gets made in Washington D.C. knows that the bills that come out of each body are usually really bad, loaded with things nobody expected or intended to be in the final bill. But all of this “garbage” will get “fixed” in the meetings that hammer out the differences, and then the final, combined bill gets voted on again by both Houses.
But the election of Brown threw a monkey wrench into the process. The Senate Bill had passed the Senate, and the House had their own bill, which also had a lot of problems that normally get worked out in the process of combining the bills into one identical bill.
The problem was, Scott Brown was going to keep the bill from passing when it came up in the Senate. There was no doubt about it. No matter what was worked out to “fix” the bill in Conference Committee, it was dead in the Senate.
So the only way that remained to get something passed was for the House scrap their own bill and to accept the Senate Bill without a single change. For if there were any change at all, it would have to go back through the Senate for final approval.
So that is what the Democrats did. They passed the Senate Bill which was loaded with things that were supposed to be changed or “fixed” in the normal process as is. A number of the items in the Senate bill were put in there to give some Democrats cover for a “yes” vote knowing that the resulting bill would leave out their “incentive” yet giving them the ability to vote for the bill and appease voters at home.
So what eventually became law was the Senate Bill, loaded with crap by Harry Reid and his minions that was never intended to be the final bill.
What passed was like a half baked pie. The full process was skipped in order to pass something before the Democrats lost the House, and with it, the last opportunity to pass a Health Care bill. The “perfect storm” of Democratic control of the House, Senate and White House may never happen again, and the Democrats believed that passing bad legislation was better than no legislation.
And it is laughable to see the Democrats crowing like cocks in a barnyard at the half-baked “achievement” of a poorly conceived law pushed through a bastardized process under cover of darkness.
The Law is so loaded with problems, and cost, that it is untenable.
And for the Democrats pretending that this law is a monumental achievement, I have news for them.
The majority of Americans see this as a joke. This is the Democrats saying “I meant to do that!”
The Democratic Party in Florida has been flying an American flag that has been altered to show the image of Barack Obama instead of the 50 stars.
This was not a private individual!
It was a Democratic Committee in the Sunshine State.
What say you, Timmy Kaine? As former Chairman of the Democrats, one of your “units” has been displaying this flag. And as Obama’s number one Cheerleader, do you find this appropriate?
Senator Donald McEachin is leading the charge to hold Virginia’s budget hostage in hopes of getting back some of the power voters took away in November.
This is not about funding this or funding that. It’s about McEachin getting a bigger office and having more power, plain and simple.
There is not a dimes worth of difference between the House and Senate budgets. I know it. You know it. And Virginian’s know it.
McEachin and the Democrats are acting like a bunch of Sigma Pi Phi frat boys demanding a larger frat house and free beer.
At the end of the day, Donald, we know this is not about Education spending, Transportation spending and more welfare spending. It is about your inability to accept the will of the people.
And you are just as irritating and irresponsible as Harry Reid who is well past 1,000 days without a budget.
Put away your false righteous indignation and pass the damn budget!
Roanoke College has released a new poll of Virginians that shows the presumptive Republican Candidate for US Senate George Allen increasing his lead over Democrat Tim Kaine 45% to 37%.
As always, I look at the numbers behind the polls to see if they pass my “believability” test, or if the results are skewed and need to be “normalized”.
This poll passes with only 1 bit of criticism, sample size.
I am not a fan of polls involving less than 1,000 respondents and this poll interviewed only 607. But to the credit of the Roanoke College, they did a few things that I believe more than make up for a smaller sample size.
One was including cell phones in the sample. 24% of those called were on cells. And they also rotated the order of the candidate names.
And the mix of Republicans (30%), Democrats (28%) and Independents (31%) was pretty good.
My conclusion is that Virginians are beginning to move away from Kaine and towards Allen. In a September 2011 poll, Allen led Kaine 42% to 39% which shows movement away from Kaine and towards Allen.
Interestingly, as voters move towards Allen compared to the Roanoke College September poll, they are moving towards Obama who had 36% compared to Romney’s 44% in September and now stands at 42% to Romney’s 43%.
That runs counter to the argument that if Obama does well in Virginia, Kaine will do well.
This poll indicates that Virginian’s prefer Allen to Kaine – even if more prefer Obama to Romney.
That is really bad news for Tim Kaine who is hoping for strong support for Obama to help him in November.
Two Republican Senators killed a bill today that would have allowed Virginia to dismiss bad teachers who are harming our kids.
It is nearly impossible to get rid of bad teachers in Virginia’s schools due to a contract that forces the state to jump through more hoops than the private sector to fire a bad employee.
Senators Tommy Norment, Jr and John Watkinssided with the Democrats by not voting on the measure supported by Governor McDonnell that would benefit Virginia’s children by allowing the state to release teachers that are not performing.
With the Senate divided 20-20, a non vote is the same as a no vote. And it kills the bill just the same.
Both cited nepotism as the reason for their failing to vote on the bill. Watkins wife was a teacher and Norment’s daughter is as well.
Taxpayers pay teacher’s salary. These same taxpayers are subject to employment at the will and pleasure of their employer. Why should teachers be held to a different standard?
Shame on both of these men!
Senator Marsh is worried that this bill would disrupt the “stability” of teachers.
Of course it would! That’s the point!
And it’s not the stability that is the problem. It is the complacency a teacher embraces knowing that they are immune to replacement.
We would all love that same stability in our own jobs. But it is obscene to grant such stability to taxpayer funded jobs. Watkins and Norment need to worry about the rest of Virginians who pay for the teachers. If we are not getting our money’s worth from a bad teacher, we need to cut our losses, just as they do in the private sector.
The two Senators have an opportunity to return to free market ideas when the House bill crosses over.
Let’s not allow nepotism to dictate Senate votes. What is fair for the private sector is fair for the public sector. The lack of necessity to do a good job takes away the drive to excel. This bill restores teachers to the competitive marketplace.
Produce or leave. (The same could be said of the Senators!)
Rick Santorum had his biggest night last night picking up wins in Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri. While doing little to actually pick up delegates, the victory shows that Conservatives – particularly in the Heartland – are not fans of Mitt Romney’s brand of liberal politics. Squishy Republicans are not the answer for many Conservatives.
Another factor to consider is that this was the first contest after the Romney gaff that he “doesn’t care about the very poor”. And while that statement was taken out of context, the fact that it may have played a major role in the triple losses for Romney in Republican circles is foretelling as to the effect it will have in the General Election should Romney be the Republican nominee.
Centrist voters will not look past the Romney clip saying that he does not care about the very poor, which was a free gift to Democrats, and will play right into Obama’s hands as painting Romney as an out of touch “one-percenter“.
Just when you think Romney is destined to be the nominee, one small gaff, or one good night in a debate and his support dissipates faster than an Obama campaign promise.
Newt Gingrich looks to be about done. There will not be a third Newt rising unless something drastic happens.
What is clear is that Republicans are still not ready to settle on yet another less than acceptable candidate and many are still searching for a good alternative to Mitt.
This does not bode well for November and the Obama people must be grinning from ear to ear watching Republicans desperately search for a candidate.
Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli raised some eyebrows with the announcement that he would run for Governor in 2013. Most in Virginia Republican circles were familiar with the “deal” made between then Attorney General Bob McDonnell and then (and still) Lt. Governor Bill Bolling. Or most had at least heard the rumor.
In order to keep from a bloody and expensive Republican Primary, McDonnell and Bolling came to an understanding. It was more important for Virginia and the Republican Party to regain the governorship than any individual. In exchange for running for a second term as Lt. Governor in 2009, Bob McDonnell promised to support Bolling in a bid for the Governor’s job in 2013. Nice and neat and the money saved by not fighting a primary could be spent defeating the Democrats.
And it worked well.
And Bill Bolling announced his intent to run for governor not long after he was sworn in for his second term as Lt. Governor.
And Bob McDonnell did as agreed. He supported Bolling for 2013. We expected nothing less.
But the candidate who won the job as Attorney General, Ken Cuccinelli, at the time a state senator, was not a party to any such deal. And it is hardly news when a Virginia Attorney General announces a bid for governor. It happens with regularity.
Bolling disappointed a lot of his friends and supporters with his statement more or less attacking Cuccinelli for not living up to the agreement between Bolling and McDonnell. Perhaps this deal was “sanctioned” by the state Republican powers that be, but that is simply speculation and totally irrelevant when it comes to Cuccinelli.
And who knows, there may well be more potential challengers for the Republican nomination. 2013 is a long way off with the 2012 elections looming in between.
Cuccinelli’s thoughts (posted below) address this “deal” and his views on the 2013 elections.
And another point that he addressed succinctly was his decision to remain in the job he was elected to do while he runs for Governor. Many Attorneys General have stepped down to run for Governor. Bob McDonnell is the most recent example.
And McDonnell was criticized (mostly by the left) for not completing the job he was hired to do, even though he thought it best for the Commonwealth to have a full time Attorney General.
But the lefty blogs in particular are screaming that Cuccinelli should step down because he can’t be Attorney General and run for Governor at the same time.
Ironically, they have no problem with President Obama running for re-election and remaining President at the same time.
It seems that their criticism is only for Republicans who decide to remain in office while running for another office.
Let the left not be troubled. I have no doubt that Ken Cuccinelli can do both. Well. He will continue to go after the overreaching Federal Government when he needs to, and he will continue to prosecute bad guys with his full attention.
But that is what the left fears! Not that Cuccinelli will be unable to do the job as he has done for the last 2 years, but that he will continue to stand in the way of the Progressive agenda.
And AG Cuccinelli makes a compelling case for both running for Governor and finishing the job he was hired to do.
From the Cuccinelli Compass:
Dear Fellow Virginians,
Time seems to be getting shorter and shorter, so the Compass will reflect that a bit, but here goes.
Four quick initial thoughts on the Governor’s race… in chronological order. First, back in 2008, then-Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling and then-Attorney General Bob McDonnell made a private agreement. They agreed that Bob would run for Governor in 2009 and Bill would run in 2013. Part of the deal of course was that in exchange for Bill stepping back in 2009, Bob McDonnell would support Bill Bolling for Governor in 2013. I was unaware of the agreement before it was announced, and I had no role in its development.
The Governor will uphold his deal with the Lt. Governor. My working relationship with the Governor is not going to suffer during the remainder of my tenure. Additionally, I am as readily available and willing to work with the Lt. Governor as ever. We are all allies in governance today and always, even if we will be competitors in politics in 2013.
Second, while I would note that some have complained to me about not “waiting my turn,” I didn’t get in a line and I am not in the habit of trying to stifle competition. I’m certainly not going to stifle it myself.
In the Republican Party, we talk all the time about the importance of free markets and open competition. It seems to me that if we don’t practice what we preach, we won’t have much credibility with others. Not sticking to our principles has done our party enormous damage over the last 10 years or so (it gave us the current President), and these are traps I have continually fought against in my time in politics and government. I don’t intend to change that when the time comes to elect our next Governor.
And lastly under this second point, I only recently made the decision that I intend to run for Governor in 2013. It was not something that I showed up in the AG’s office to do. Much of what I have learned and observed from the unique vantage point of an Attorney General has influenced my decision.
Third, when I do begin to campaign for Governor, I’ll begin the campaign gradually. The reason for the gradual nature of the campaign of course is that 2012 is the most important election in which we are ever going to be involved in our lifetimes. The stakes have never been higher, and my political work will reflect that. I hope all of you are ready to pitch in next year, as Virginia will be at ground zero as one of the most important swing states in the country.
Fourth, I have let it be known that, when I do begin to campaign for Governor, I will not step down as Attorney General. While other Virginia Attorneys General before me have resigned to run for Governor, its important to know that Virginia is the only state with such a tradition. No other state does this. Why?
Because AGs in other states are perfectly capable of doing their jobs while running for office (whether for re-election, Governor, or whatever). I am too.
Would I have resigned to run for re-election? No. Then why resign when we get in the Governor’s race?
I said when I was running for AG in 2009 that I fully expected to serve out my term, and I made such comments in the absence of a commitment to run or not run for any particular office.
It will be a long road, and our journey will commence gradually as it relates to the Governor’s race. And throughout it all, my top priority will remain being the best Attorney General I can be for Virginia so long as I am honored to hold this office.
There will be more to say on this subject later, but as for now, it’s on to 2012!
The sore loser Democrats were just sent packing from an ill advised whine fest to the courts. Senator McEachin, the chief loser in the case needs to drink his sour grapes in the corner by himself and accept the verdict from the voters.
The court just tossed McEachin on his ear.
How could a legislator and an attorney seriously believe that the courts should trash the concept of separation of powers and decide who gets what committee chairmanship?
The Lt. Governor is already the designated arbiter.
I suppose the only tactic left for the Democrats is to leave the state to avoid the will of the people. A cowardly move.
Maybe the Republicans will let you sit on a committee, Donald. After all, you have been such a gracious loser. Not!
the Dems have bent and broken the rules in the Senate for so long that the voters have said they are sick of it.
The Super Committee has failed. The Democrats one and only goal here is to make Republicans go for a tax increase.
Again.
And they plan to use this “compromise” to win in 2012.
Again.
So what do you do when the answer to the question “Are you better off now than you were four years ago” is a decisive No! It is impossible hard to win reelection with unemployment at record levels, debt and deficits as far as the eye can see and America’s image in the world at an all time low.
What can Democrats possible do to hold onto power that, by all measures, they do not deserve to have?
Four years ago, Candidate Barack Obama had no record to run on and a press unwilling to criticize the man they saw as the Democrat’s answer to Ronald Wilson Reagan (with a side of Jesus Christ).
Now, Obama has a record and even Chris Matthews is having a hard time pretending that this president even deserves another term.
Matthews is echoing the feelings of the Democrats base:
So, what can the Democrats do at this point? Obviously, Obama’s record is better suited to running from than on. So, naturally, divide and conquer is one option. Class warfare. The Virginia elections in 2009 saw Republicans gains in historic numbers and were an early predictor of the 2010 National elections, the 2011 Virginia results could be seen as predicting a dismal 2012 for Democrats. The anti-Democrat wave has neither subsided nor diminished.
History may hold a solution and the Democrats are, obviously, desperate to try anything. And Republicans must heed the lesson to avoid the same consequence.
The Democrats want to create another George H. W. Bush to run against. Never mind that H.W. is not the candidate. Neither was the son, and that worked out pretty well for the Democrats.
In one of the most memorable (and unfortunate) sound bites in the archives of history, George H.W. Bush uttered the words “Read my lips. No new taxes!” during his successful 1988 bid to ride the Ronald Reagan wave into office.
For the next few years, the Democratic controlled Congress fought with Bush the Elder again and again and finally convinced him that a “balanced approach” to attacking the national debt must include new taxes. His ability to govern was thwarted at every turn because of his insistence that he stick to his promise not to raise taxes.
Finally, unable to fight the barrage of negative press from the liberal media, Bush agreed to compromise and increase taxes.
So what was his reward for going along with the Democrats in the spirit of bipartisanship and compromise?
Did we see a new era of camaraderie and cooperation between Democrats and Republicans?
Hell, no!
The Democrats pounced on Republicans like a chicken on a June bug!
Then candidate Bill Clinton, aided by a willing media, forgot about the spirit of compromise. The ignored the magnanimous gesture of a President willing to backtrack on one of the cornerstone promises of his campaign and acceptance speech for the good of the country. Bush put the country ahead of partisan politics.
The expected good will between parties never materialized. Bush had been successfully ambushed by Democrats. The demand for tax increases by the Democrats was a ruse. A political maneuver designed, not to reduce the national debt, because the Democrats are not concerned with such nonsense, but to gain political advantage.
And it worked.
Republicans today need to take that lesson to heart. This “balanced approach” the Democrats are demanding is simply an attempt to create another “Read my lips” moment.
Each and every Republican Presidential Candidate has promised to hold the line on taxes. And while there are only two candidates actively engaged in legislating, Michele Bachmann and Ron Paul, should the Republicans raise taxes, Obama is prepared to spend a billion dollars, which will pale in comparison to the Union and Special Interest ads sure to join in, on commercials and ad campaigns to make all Republicans, House, Senate and the eventual Presidential Nominee, another George H.W. Bush.
Untrustworthy liars.
And for the Republicans who break the tax pledge, the Democrats are counting on the TEA Party to assist them in their quest to hold onto power.
And if you doubt that the left is not giddy over the TEA Party turning on one of it’s own, you only need to look at the Huffington Post’s glee over the dust-up Congressman Allen West, a TEA Party darling, received after voting with House Speaker John Boehner to raise the debt ceiling:
Tea Party leaders announced Thursday that they will mount primary challenges against four freshmen Republicans who have declared their support for John Boehner’s debt ceiling plan.
According to The Hill, the Tea Party groups are calling the four congressmen — Allen West (Fla.), James Lankford (Okla.), Mike Kelly (Pa.), and Bill Flores (Texas) — “Tea Party defectors.”
West addressed the accusations on Laura Ingraham’s radio show, saying he would continue to support Boehner’s plan.
“I think what we have to ask ourselves is, If you’re telling me that I need to vote no against the Boehner plan, then what am I voting for?” West said.
“I’m going to stand with this Boehner plan and, once again, if the folks who one minute they’re saying that I’m their ‘Tea Party hero’ and what, three or four days later ‘I’m a Tea Party defector’ — that kind of schizophrenia I’m not going to get involved in.”
This is a scenario that has Team Obama drooling.
And they are setting the stage for exactly this scenario for 2012.
Think about it! The Democrats only call for a “balanced approach” when they have some nefarious plan in mind. Otherwise, it is their way or the highway. All or nothing.
Consider the Democrat’s position on a balanced approach to Union Labor. Or Global Warming. Or oil, coal, nuclear.
Democrats seek no balance on the EPA, health care, business regulations or social issues.
They simply don’t want or care about compromise or bipartisanship, except as a weapon, or a tool to incrementally impose draconian new rules and expand government power.
So why do they want a “balanced approach” to the debt?
Simple, the Republicans fell for it before, they will fall for it again.
It had looked like the race in Senate District 17 was close, but incumbent Edd Houck (D) had pulled it out, giving the Democrats continued control of the Senate, but a late adjustment shows Republican opponent Bryce Reeves in the lead 22,536 votes to 22,450 giving the Republican a margin of victory of 86 votes with 100% of the precincts in.
If this holds, the Republicans will take effective control of the Senate. With a 20-20 tie, Lt. Governor Bill Bolling will cast the deciding vote.
This is indeed welcome news for Virginia’s future if the results hold!
The Associated Press has a different total than the State Board of Elections, but the SBE is the final authority.
ASSOCIATED PRESS: “‘He knows it’s not going to pass. He’s betting that voters won’t pick up on it, or even if they do they will blame Congress and he can run against the “do-nothing Congress,”’ said Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, a senior fellow at the University of Southern California’s School of Policy, Planning and Development.” (“SPIN METER: Obama’s Disconnect In Jobs Sales Pitch,” AP, 10/11/11)
Senior WH Aide Calls Effort ‘First Act Of A Long Term Play’
MSNBC’s CHUCK TODD: “WH senior aide pre-spinning the Jobs bill defeat in senate: ‘first act of a long term play.’”(@Chucktodd, Twitter, 10/11/11)
· “John Sides, political science professor at George Washington University, said Obama’s approach on the jobs bill is ‘more about campaigning than governing.’ ‘He’s mostly just going around talking about this and drawing contrasts with what the Republicans want and what he wants and not really trying to work these legislative levers he might be able to use to get this passed,’ Sides said. ‘That just suggests to me that he is ready to use a failed jobs bill as a campaign message against the Republicans.’” (“SPIN METER: Obama’s Disconnect In Jobs Sales Pitch,” AP, 10/11/11)
On Tuesday, President Barack Obama tried to keep the pressure on Congress to consider his nearly $450 billion jobs bill, saying it had been two weeks since he sent the bill to Capitol Hill “and now I want it back.”
“I want it back, passed, so I can sign this bill and start putting people back to work,” Obama said Tuesday. So why have Democrats delayed action in the U.S. Senate on President Obama’s stimulus bill? WLS Radio’s Bill Cameron reports his own party has delayed action in the Senate and talked with Senator Dick Durbin, the number two Democrat in the Senate, about the reason why.
“The oil-producing state senators don’t like eliminating or reducing the subsidy for oil companies, “ Durbin tells WLS Radio, “There are some senators who are up for election who say I’m never gonna vote for a tax increase while I’m up for election, even on the wealthiest people. So, we’re not gonna have 100% Democratic senators. That’s why it needs to be bi-partisan and I hope we can find some Republicans who will join us to make it happen.”
But so far, Durbin concedes Democrats don’t have the votes in the Senate to pass it, “Not at the moment, I don’t think we do but, uh, we can work on it.”
There has been no clear sign that his campaign for his bill is winning over Republicans in Congress whose support he needs.
Only in the delusional minds of spend-drunk Progressive Democrats is the TEA Party to blame for the Standard and Poor downgrade of the US credit worthiness. The TEA Party has demanded fiscal responsibility from the Federal Government like the group Mother’s Against Drunk Driving (MADD) has demanded drivers remain sober. In the same way a drunk lashes out against anyone who dare intervene in their alcohol binge, the Left has lashed out at the TEA Party.
The Left demands more taxes like a drunk demands more booze. They are so addicted, neither will admit they have a problem.
The TEA Party is the responsible adult who wants to take away the source of the addiction – and resolve the problem. And the addicted spit and sputter and spew venom and rage.
The government’s drug of choice is money. They have a spending problem. Their judgement is clouded by the effects of the drug.
When you hear those poor substance addicted souls lash out at the TEA Party, keep them in your prayers. And have pity and patience. Admitting the problem is the first step – and none have yet reached that point.
Instead of another Debt Reduction Plan that keeps the booze flowing, Congress and the White House need a 12 Step Program.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) took to the floor Friday morning to blast the Democratic majority in the Senate for failing to propose a solution to the looming deficit crisis that could pass either house.
“Democrats here in the Senate have offered no solutions that could pass either chamber, not one,” said McConnell. “Instead all day yesterday we got chest-thumping comments about how we are going to kill any legislation that comes from the House.”
McConnell contrasted Democratic leadership in the Senate to Speaker John Boehner’s (R-Ohio) “hard work of governing” in the House.
They are “working day and night to craft a bill that can pass the House and end the crisis now,” said McConnell.”
“But what about over here in the Senate, well the contrast couldn’t be starker,” he continued. “Rather than working towards a a solution…the Democratic majority… has been wasting time rounding up no votes to keep this crisis alive, rather than being responsibly and doing their duty.”
“They have been busy signing people up for the not good enough caucus,” said McConnell.
The minority leader concluded by suggesting Democrats “start taking their responsibilities as a majority more seriously.”
You really don’t need to be related to Nostradamus to see what is about to happen. The debt ceiling bill proposed by Speaker John Boehner that the Republicans are going to pass today will boost Obama’s sagging poll numbers and give the president a much needed boost in his re-election efforts.
And it will once again prove that President Obama and the Democrats are far smarter than the Republican Leadership.
It is not the putrid Boehner bill itself that will hand game, set and match to Obama. Not at all. It is what Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will do once the bill passes the House and moves to the Senate.
The Democrats have already shown all their cards on this one. Obama and Reid are about to slam this one back across the net right down Boehner’s throat.
Here is what will happen:
Boehner will push through this bill expecting to force another round of debt ceiling talks next year – during election season.
Reid has already played his Dead on Arrival bluff card.
Obama has already played his Veto bluff card.
Harry Reid has an even more hideous bill than the Boehner Bill supposedly in his paws. The only important thing you need to know about this bill is that it gives Obama enough money to keep the dependent class happy and prevents another debt debate before November 2012.
Reid will see to it that Boehner’s bill dies a quick death in the Senate.
He does not need to pass the Reid bill, and will probably let Republicans kill that one.
President Obama will swoop in with the compromise:
“Take the Boehner Bill which I hate and add the Reid timeline to extend the debt ceiling beyond the election and I will sign it.”
This will happen over the weekend and Boehner will have the “compromise” bill back in the House for approval with the $2.4 Trillion blank check Obama wants on Monday morning with only hours to act.
Republicans will be presented with a choice. Pass the “compromise” bill, or choose to shut down the government just so Republicans can “embarrass” the President with an election year fight.
Game. Set. Match. Obama.
Best advice to Republicans: Don’t lob the ball across the net and they can’t slam it back in your face.
Shawn Hannity is interviewing Speaker Boehner now. This plan is worse than I thought.
FAR worse.
Basically, Obama gets $1 Trillion immediately in exchange for a promised $24 Billion in cuts the first year. That’s it. $24 Billion. And a gang 12 – 6 Democrats and 6 Republicans as yet unnamed – decide how to come up with the $24 Billion. Tax increases are not off the table to arrive at the measly $24 Billion, though Boehner “doubts” any Republican on the panel will vote for taxes. REALLY??? Not a single Republican would vote for tax increases? I don’t have any confidence that all 6 Republicans will hold the line. Not enough to hand Obama $1 Trillion!
According to Boehner, once this unnamed gang of 12 arrives at the magic formula to come up with $24 Billion in cuts or taxes, the House and Senate then vote on the package.
What if there is no agreement? What if Harry Reid refuses to bring up the cuts for a vote?
Well, unfortunately, Obama has already spent the money! And the really bad news is, the promised $1.2 Trillion in cuts take place over 10 years, with the bulk of the cuts coming in the last years, assuming that a new budget does not wipe the cuts off the docket AND 12 angry men (or women) can agree to make the cuts as promised.
Speaker Boehner is a complete buffoon and thinks that the American people are idiots.
Without an immediate plan for specific cuts THIS YEAR – to take place simultaneously with handing Obama a check in an equal or greater amount, no Republican should even consider voting for this.
This plan stinks and there is good reason that the Heritage Foundation and FreedomWorks is opposed to this.
The new Boehner plan does not cut spending sufficiently enough to reduce the deficit next year and thereafter. The Speaker’s proposal would only cut $6 billion next year and $1.2 trillion in discretionary spending over the next 10 years—which is less than this year’s budget deficit alone. Even if all of these spending cuts come to fruition (they usually do not), it would still increase our national debt to $23.7 trillion by the end of the decade. The plan would only slightly reduce our nation’s projected debt-to-GDP ratio from 104 to 92 percent. It is clear that Boehner’s plan does not cut enough to save our nation from a creditworthiness downgrade.
Read the rest of the Kibbe article. It is pretty good, but my guess is he had not heard the Hannity – Boehner interview before he wrote the piece.
1) Does not cut spending sufficient to reduce the deficit next year and thereafter (and may not produce any deficit reduction at all next year: see next point).
2) Does not cap federal spending — and thus does not put us on a path to a balanced budget. Instead, it caps only discretionary spending (which is already capped by definition and equals only 39% of the budget).
3) Increases the debt ceiling without first passing a strong Balanced Budget Amendment (BBA) out of Congress.
Increases the chances of a tax hike by giving significant legislative power to a 12-member “Super Committee” charged with producing $1.8 trillion in 10-year deficit reduction.
Gives the President the power to unilaterally raise the debt ceiling by $400 billion, subject only to enactment of a Congressional Resolution of Disapproval. (This is a variant of the McConnell-Red “Cut Run & Hide” proposal.)
Does not — despite House Republican leaders’ rhetoric — reflect the “spirit” of the Cut Cap & Balance Pledge or the House-passed CCB Act.
Is unnecessary, because the House has already passed the Cut Cap Balance Act, H.R.2560, which does reflect the spirit of the Pledge. Despite the conventional wisdom that that Act is “dead,” it in fact remains parliamentarily alive in — and could be passed by — the Senate.
And Heritage.org has this analysis:
The Boehner proposal would cut $1.2 trillion in discretionary spending. There is no assurance that these cuts will occur, but let’s assume they do. Let’s even be generous and assume that they are – in the words of S&P– “enacted and maintained throughout the decade.” This would cut debt held by the public from its projected $24.9 trillion in 2021 to $23.7 trillion, and when measured against the economy from 104% to 99.4%. Certainly, this is an improvement, but it is hardly declining from today’s levels, nor would these cuts fundamentally restructure entitlements – the real driver of our deficits in the future.
Step two in the Boehner proposal would reduce deficits by an additional $1.8 trillion over ten years. Even assuming these cuts all happen, and even assuming they were all spending cuts – a broad assumption given the President’s rhetoric surrounding tax hikes on the wealthy – this would bring publicly held debt down to 92% of GDP. Better, but not that much. Even throwing in interest savings from deficit reduction would bring this down to 88%. Again, not much improvement and far worse than today’s debt ratio.
Any Republican that supports this bill is NO Conservative and is not working in the best interest of the Nation!
Wow! This could be trouble for the Democrats in Prince William County, Virginia.
Sources have told Virginia Virtucon that the Prince William County Dems’ candidate for County Chairman, Dr. Babur Lateef may be under criminal investigation by the PWC Commonwealth’s Attorney office for wire fraud and bank fraud related to this transaction.
Of course, this may make Lateef a candidate for Treasury Secretary or something in the Obama Administration! Just the type of guy that fits into this Administration!
