Democrats are launching an aggressive organizing campaign Wednesday to defend their majority in the House, recruiting thousands of volunteers to work on behalf of the party's endangered House members in swing districts across the country.The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is rolling out a plan that would employ new voter-contact and data-analysis programs to help "frontline" members and candidates in the most hotly contested districts. The committee's plan, outlined by party strategists, also includes a series of house meetings Aug. 21 and a "Nationwide Day of Action" on Aug. 28, when Democratic volunteers will knock on some 200,000 doors.The plan, which party strategists called the committee's most ambitious organizing campaign in many years, comes after the DCCC said it had reserved more than $49 million in television advertising time in 60 House districts for the final weeks of the midterm campaign.Strategists said the DCCC's organizing campaign will target those districts, the vast majority of which are represented by Democrats, some of them senior lawmakers facing tough races. They include Rep. John M. Spratt Jr. (S.C.), chairman of the Budget Committee, and Rep. Ike Skelton (Mo.), chairman of the Armed Services Committee."The DCCC Fall Kickoff will energize volunteers and voters across the country so we can keep America moving forward, not go back to the failed Bush economic policies of the past," Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), chairman of the DCCC, said in a statement. "The DCCC is committed to reaching more people in districts across the country than ever before to talk to their neighbors at doors and by phone about this election and to highlight the choice voters have at the polls. Our Fall Kickoff will ensure we have a large and energized base of trained volunteers to communicate Democrats' message and get out the vote, which is critical to our success in November."
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Democrats launch campaign
to help defend majority in House
From Philip Rucker of The Washington Post on Aug. 4:
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Will Florida High Court return
anti-Obamacare proposal to ballot?
From Kevin Derby of Sunshine State News on Aug. 4:
Floridians opposed to new federal health-care laws backed by President Barack Obama had two reasons to celebrate on Wednesday. On Tuesday night, more than 70 percent of voters in Missouri passed a measure opposing the new health-care laws. On Wednesday, the Florida Supreme Court announced it would review a lower court decision that had removed a similar measure to the one that passed in Missouri from the November ballot. Led by Sen. Carey Baker, R-Eustis, and Rep. Scott Plakon, R-Longwood, the Legislature forwarded a proposed constitutional amendment to the voters before it was removed by a judge."Missouri is the first of many states that are stepping forward and rejecting Obama's individual mandate, and Floridians deserve the right to be heard on this important issue," said Plakon. "We are confident that the Florida Supreme Court will respect its own previous 2004 ruling when the court ordered the exact remedy the state is seeking. This remedy will satisfy the arguments of all parties, while upholding the constitutional right of the people of Florida to vote this amendment up or down."
GOP primary voters 'undecided'
in attorney general race
From Kenric Ward of Sunshine State News on Aug. 4:
The front-runner in the Republican race for attorney general is none of the three candidates in the contest, according to a Sunshine State News Poll released Wednesday. It is "Undecided."With less than three weeks left until the primary, 55 percent of respondents say they haven't yet selected a favorite from a field of two Tallahassee insiders and one outsider.Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp and former state prosecutor Pam Bondi are locked in a virtual dead heat at 17 percent and 16 percent respectively, according to the statewide Sunshine State News Poll by Voter Survey Service. Holly Benson, former secretary of the state Agency for Health Care Administration, runs third at 12 percent."It's up for grabs between Bondi and Kottkamp, but Bondi is the one to watch. She's the only candidate who isn't part of the (Charlie) Crist team, the only one who's not part of the Tallahassee crowd," said Jim Lee, president of VSS, which conducted the poll.The VSS survey, commissioned by Sunshine State News and taken July 26-30, is the largest poll of Florida voters this year. The sampling questioned 1,345 Republicans who say they will cast ballots in the Aug. 24 primary election.
Health reform's bureaucratic spawn
From Gloria Park and Fred Barbash of Politico on Aug. 3:
Don’t bother trying to count up the number of agencies, boards and commissions created under the new health care law. Estimating the number is “impossible,” a recent Congressional Research Service report says, and a true count “unknowable.”The reasons for the uncertainty are many, according to CRS’s Curtis W. Copeland, the author of the report “New Entities Created Pursuant to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.”The provisions of the law that create the new entities vary dramatically in specificity.The law says a lot about some of them and a little about many, and merely mentions a few. Some have been authorized without any instructions on who is to appoint whom, when that might happen and who will pay.Those agencies created without specific appointment or appropriations procedures will have to wait indefinitely for staff and funding before they can function, according to Copeland’s report.And others could be just the opposite: One entity might not be enough and could spawn others, resulting in an “indeterminate number of new organizations.”The CRS report cites as an example a minority health provision that “requires the heads of six separate agencies within Health and Human Services to each establish their own offices of minority health.”Another section, by contrast, says that the Patient-Centered Research Institute “‘may appoint permanent or ad hoc expert advisory panels as determined appropriate.’ How many such panels will be ‘determined appropriate’ by the institute is currently unclear.”
Could the government create a backdoor stimulus?
From Ronald D. Orol of Marketwatch on Aug. 4:
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- An idea that could create a massive refinance wave -- and a back-door stimulus program to boost consumer spending -- is generating debate among investment bank analysts in New York and in Washington policy circles.Morgan Stanley & Co. released a report, entitled "Slam Dunk Stimulus," last week arguing that the Treasury Department could engineer a broad, streamlined refinance program for all government-guaranteed mortgage-backed securities.Analysts at the investment bank contend that millions of mortgages backed by the U.S. government could be refinanced without the need for an analysis of a borrower's credit quality because the principal is already backed by the government. Many homeowners who are unemployed, have poor credit or who owe significantly more than their homes are worth currently can't refinance, but would be permitted to use such a program.Such a sweeping refinance program could boost the economy by injecting cash for spending into the hands of millions of consumers in the form of lower home-loan payments, they argue. It could also help some borrowers avoid foreclosure and help stabilize neighborhoods.However, critics of the idea argue that the Obama administration would never employ such a backdoor stimulus because the costs to the system are significant and outweigh the benefits.
Michelle Obama goes walkabout in Marbella
after 'racist' Spaniards gaff
From Britain's the Daily Mail on Aug. 5 (in England):
The Obama administration faced an embarrassing diplomatic blunder today after it was forced to pull a warning about racism in Spain -- just as the First Lady arrived in the country for a summer holiday.Soon after touching down in the Costa del Sol yesterday morning, Michelle Obama was pictured taking in the sights of Marbella with daughter Sasha, nine, surrounded by a throng of bodyguards.Staff at the U.S. State Department removed the contentious advice to travellers, which included the phrase 'racist prejudices could lead to the arrest of Afro-Americans who travel to Spain,' from its website on Monday.She is on a four-day visit and will be staying at the five-star Villa Padierna, rated as one of the world's top 30 hotels, with 40 friends. The party has reserved 60 rooms.But Mrs Obama's trip now risks being overshadowed by a row about institutionalised racism.
Please note the bolded text. Why is she spending so much money when the U.S. economy is terrible? And why wouldn't she spend that money on American businesses?
Sheriff Taylor's health pitch sparks cardiac arrest
From Charles Hurt of the New York Post on Aug. 4:
WASHINGTON -- Was it not enough for President Obama to saddle future Americans with billions of dollars in new health benefits and entitlements that they simply cannot afford?
He also had to go and corrupt one of America's most beloved figures of the last half-century. And stick you with the $700,000 bill.
Before Obama started pimping him out last week to sell the highly unpopular health-care law, actor Andy Griffith was about as all-American as you could get.
Grew up during the Great Depression.
Award-winning gospel singer.
As widower Sheriff Andy Taylor, he was thoughtful, big-hearted and always gently right.
As Matlock, he always won his cases.
Yet in a sick deal with the Obama administration, Griffith shatters his credibility, promising all roses with a health-care law that even Barney Fife could tell you is a disaster in the making.
This year, like always, we'll have our guaranteed benefits.
And with the new health care law, more good things are coming: free check-ups,
lower prescription costs, and better ways to protect us and Medicare from fraud.
Hurt adds:
And the most shocking thing about the fantasy ad?
You paid for it.
That's right. It is taxpayers who are coughing up the $700,000 to run the ad all over the country in a government campaign to sell its cockeyed health-care scheme.
BP spills, feds burn off American employers
From Dan Schiller of RedState on Aug. 3:
Just six months ago I felt extremely blessed to be employed as we emerged from what will hopefully be the worst recession we face in our lifetime. I was inspired when I heard the president say in his state of the union address that his number one priority for 2010 would be jobs. Now I am disappointed that Washington seems to think my job doesn't fit into their equation, and the extreme measures they seem to be taking to eliminate it. I work as manager of corporate affairs for Energy XXI, an independent oil and gas company with operations in the Gulf of Mexico, and I am going to Washington DC this week to tell our political leaders that my job matters.I have been with Energy XXI since its inception five years ago, and am proud of my job. We are one of the thousands of independent producers that provide energy to the entire country. The oil and gas industry directly and indirectly employs tens of thousands across the state of Texas, and millions nationally. Despite the president’s promises at the beginning of the year, and the fact that the production of our nation’s domestic energy resources provides millions of jobs, Washington has instituted a devastating moratorium and hopes to nearly double the tax burden on the sector, benefiting foreign companies such as BP while destroying jobs here at home. This move is extremely puzzling considering that this legislation is being pushed forward on a wave of anti-BP sentiment in the country as a result of their spill. Yet they will benefit greatly if the measures go into effect, squeezing our bigger domestic companies out of the market and shutting down independent companies like my employer.
Time to go after Democrats on repeal of Obamacare
From Ross Vought of RedState on Aug. 3:
170 Republicans have now signed the discharge petition to repeal Obamacare. The petition was submitted by Rep. Steve King and has been pushed heavily by the Heritage Action for America (my new employer, as it happens) and other conservative organizations. There are a few stragglers but for the most part, House Republicans are now solid in their commitment to repeal the bill.34 Democrats voted against Obamacare, but not one of them has been willing to buck Nancy Pelosi and work on a bipartisan basis to allow a vote on repeal. Not one.Focusing on these Democrats is the next wave of the legislative campaign to repeal Obamacare. The names and districts are below the fold — call them and demand to know why they support keeping Obamacare the permanent law of the land.
No lame duck
From Newt Gingrich on Human Events on Aug. 4:
In the election of 1800, the country thoroughly repudiated the Federalist Party. President John Adams was defeated in his reelection campaign by Thomas Jefferson and the Democrat-Republicans gained majorities in the House and Senate.The Federalists had clearly lost the support of the people. Yet, in a “lame duck” congressional session, which is when the outgoing Congress returns to Washington before the newly elected Congress takes over in, the Federalists enacted the Judiciary Act of 1801. The Act nearly doubled the number of federal judgeships, which President Adams filled with his Federalist allies. These appointments were an explicit, and ultimately futile, action to hamstring the newly elected President and Congress (the Jeffersonians simply repealed the Act with the Judiciary Act of 1802).With this action, the Federalists made the ultimate mistake in a governmental system that derives its authority from the consent of the governed. Instead of heeding the will of the people, John Adams and the Federalists decided to thwart it. In the process, they set their party on a course toward extinction. The Federalists never regained power, eventually disappearing by the 1820s.Are the Democrats about to make the same mistake the Federalists made?Democratic leaders today have been sending clear signals that they are willing to use the lame duck session of Congress to pass the most unpopular and destructive parts of their agenda. Like the Federalists’ actions in 1801, any attempt by the outgoing Congress to pass legislation they were unwilling to defend in an election would be an attempt to thwart the will of the people.As destructive as the Democratic Congress and President Obama have been in the past 18 months, it is worth remembering that things could have been a lot worse if not for the vocal and consistent activism of the American people opposing the Democrats’ radical agenda.The Orwellian named Employee Free Choice Act, which would strip workers of the right to a secret ballot when deciding when to join a union, is not yet law.The job killing energy tax – or cap and trade – passed the House but remains hung up in the Senate.The Democrats have also not been able to pass an amnesty bill for illegal immigrants.And let’s not forget that President Obama’s ‘Deficit Commission’ is expected to recommend tax increases, possibly in the form of a value added tax (VAT), that could raise the cost of everything Americans buy. Conveniently, the Commission will not report its findings until after the November 2nd elections, just in time for a lame duck Congressional session.
Poll finds Crist leads Senate race
From Quinnipiac University on July 30:
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist leads the three-way race for the U.S. Senate seat with 37 percent, followed by 32 percent for Republican Marco Rubio and 17 percent for Jeff Greene, the leading candidate for the Democratic nomination, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. If U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek wins the Democratic primary, Crist’s lead would be 39 percent to 33 percent for Rubio and 13 percent for Meek.The three-way race for Governor is a squeaker between Democrat Alex Sink, the State Chief Financial Officer, and either of the Republican candidates, retired health care executive Rick Scott or Attorney General Bill McCollum, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University survey finds. Scott gets 29 percent to Sink’s 27 percent with independent Bud Chiles receiving 14 percent. If McCollum wins the GOP primary, he would get 27 percent to 26 percent for Sink and 14 percent for Chiles.In the Senate race, Crist’s lead is based on getting half the independent voters, about 20 percent of Republicans and about 40 percent of Democrats. His 53 – 37 percent voter approval of his job as Governor probably is a factor in his lead.Crist’s margin in the general election matchups compare to a 37 – 33 – 17 percent lead with Meek in the race and 40 – 33 – 14 percent with Greene running in a June 9 poll.“There has been little movement in the Senate race over the past two months. Gov. Charlie Crist’s small lead comes as neither Democrat breaks 20 percent in the trial heats. If that were to be the case in November, Gov. Crist would have a very good chance to win. But if the Democratic nominee can move into the mid-to-high 20s, Crist’s chances decrease substantially,” said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.
Obamacare and the Constitution -- an update
From Betsy McCaughey of The Wall Street Journal on Aug. 4:
Last November, a reporter asked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi if it was constitutional for Congress to require Americans to buy health insurance. Ms. Pelosi responded, "Are you serious?"On Monday, U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson got serious. He denied Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius's motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought by the state of Virginia challenging the new health law. His ruling stated that it is far from certain Congress has the authority to compel Americans to buy insurance and penalize those who don't.Judge Hudson's ruling paved the way for a trial to begin on October 18, with possible appeals all the way to the Supreme Court, a lengthy process. Some states will likely delay creating insurance exchanges and slow down other costly preparations for ObamaCare until its constitutionality is determined by this case.If mandatory insurance is declared unconstitutional, the entire health law could collapse like a house of cards. Most complex legislation states that if one part of the law is struck down, other parts remain enforceable. But authors of ObamaCare chose to omit that clause, suggesting that the health overhaul won't work without mandatory insurance.The law's defenders say the requirement that everyone purchase health insurance will solve a national problem by reducing the number of uninsured and spreading the cost of care over a larger insurance pool.Critics say that the requirement tramples the Constitution. Twenty-one states and several individuals are already suing to overturn it. Virginia went one step further, enacting a law that makes it illegal to require any resident to purchase health insurance. The Virginia measure won solid support from both Republican and Democratic state legislators. Despite what Mrs. Pelosi tried to suggest, questioning the constitutionality of ObamaCare is not partisan posturing. A fundamental principle is at stake.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Interactive map shows how
unemployment rates have changed since 2007
"According to the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are nearly 31 million people currently unemployed -- that's including those involuntarily working parttime and those who want a job, but have given up on trying to find one. In the face of the worst economic upheaval since the Great Depression, millions of Americans are hurting. "The Decline: The Geography of a Recession," as created by labor writer LaToya Egwuekwe, serves as a vivid representation of just how much. Watch the deteriorating transformation of the U.S. economy from January 2007 -- approximately one year before the start of the recession -- to the most recent unemployment data available today."
Click here for a larger, detailed version.
Florida attorney general candidates
match wits in TV debate
From Steve Bousquet of The St. Petersburg Times on Aug. 1:
TALLAHASSEE — In their first joint TV appearance Saturday, all three Republican candidates for attorney general matched wits and contrasted their qualifications to be the state's next chief legal officer.The three GOP hopefuls hit their strong points, but former Hillsborough prosecutor Pam Bondi seemed more confident than Holly Benson or Jeff Kottkamp. With her terse answers, Bondi excelled in a sound bite-driven format in which candidates were limited to answers of one minute or less.Bondi also deftly used the chance to question her opponents, calling both "key members of the Crist-Kottkamp administration."Benson served as a two-time agency head appointee under Gov. Charlie Crist, but when she described her experience, she said: "I worked with Gov. Jeb Bush."Kottkamp is the lieutenant governor under Crist, an unpopular figure in Republican circles after he bolted from the party three months ago and drifted leftward to appeal to independents and Democrats as a U.S. Senate candidate.Kottkamp said he and Crist have not spoken since April 29, the day Crist became an independent Senate candidate."I've never been a politician," Bondi said, seeking to tap the same anti-incumbent sentiment that Rick Scott has exploited in the governor's race. "I've not spent my career behind a desk in Tallahassee, but on the front lines."All three candidates said they opposed Crist's proposed referendum to permanently ban oil drilling in Florida's Constitution.All three also repeatedly used the word "Obamacare" in promising to carry on with Attorney General Bill McCollum's lawsuit seeking to block the new federal health care mandates."Draw a line in the sand and say, 'Enough is enough,' " Kottkamp said.One of the rare areas of disagreement concerned immigration. Benson, a former state House member from Pensacola, emphasized her support for less regulation of business and said she supports deportation of all undocumented immigrants in Florida."The illegal ones need to be shipped back," Benson said.
States go deeper into debt
From Tami Luhby of CNNMoney.com on July 30:
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The states are broke, and like many consumers, they're borrowing big time to get out of their fiscal binds.The amount of debt that states are carrying spiked 10.3% last year to $460 billion, according to Moody's Investors Service. The debt is paid for through taxes and fees, making residents ultimately responsible.The median personal share of this burden jumped to $936, from $865 in 2008. (To see how much the tab is in your state, click here.)And it's likely that states will turn to the bond markets even more this year as federal stimulus money dwindles, experts said. After all, officials face an additional $12 billion shortfall for the current fiscal year and a $72 billion gap for fiscal 2012, which starts next July 1.Debt "is a tool to help bridge the gap between the downturn and when the economy starts to recover," said Robert Kurtter, a managing director at Moody's.States are relying on the debt markets in a variety of ways. With less cash on hand, some state officials are borrowing more to fund capital projects. Other states are engaging in so-called deficit financing, where they issue bonds to cover their budget shortfalls or restructure their debts to lower their monthly payments.The good news for states is that it's a good time to issue debt. Not only are interest rates are low, but the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act subsidizes interest payments on certain municipal bonds. This is a marked change from late 2008, when the municipal bond markets were effectively closed for many issuers.To be sure, not every state is ratcheting up its borrowing. Many states have strict laws governing their debt issuance. Some places, such as Nebraska and Wyoming, have virtually no debt. Others have to turn to voters to approve bond proposals.
In case you missed the link above, click here to find out your share of the state debt.
Palm Beach County Commissioner Koons
resigns after extortion, perjury charges
From Jennifer Sorentrue, Sonja Isger, Andrew Abramson and Pat Beall of The Palm Beach Post on Aug. 3:
Palm Beach County Commissioner Jeff Koons resigned from the county commission this morning, hours after being booked on charges of extortion, perjury and violating public open meetings laws.He was released on his own recognizance.Authorities pinned the arrest partly on threats Koons allegedly made against a family that opposed his pet environmental project in the Lake Worth Lagoon, according to the arrest report."The charges focus firmly on the defendant's conduct -- both in words and deeds -- and include his extortionate threats to silence opposition to a project he supported, his attempts to punish opponents of the project when they did not submit to his extortion, and his attempts to mislead the authorities when asked to account for his actions," said State Attorney Michael McAuliffe in a prepared statement.Koons' actions "do not reflect impulsive or fleeting mistakes," McAuliffe said. "The alleged conduct reflects an arrogance borne of the perceived protections of power and influence."At a press conference, criminal defense lawyer David Roth read a statement from Koons, as his client sat silently: "I screwed up big time and I blame no one but myself. I shamed my friends, family and community. I can only pray for their forgiveness."Roth said Koons never benefited financially from the lagoon project."Unfortunately it was his misdirected passion that led him to make totally inappropriate and ultimately illegal decisions that were never for personal economic gain," Roth said. "The South Cove environment project he tirelessly labored on for over 10 years. Jeff's emotions overpowered his common sense and good judgment and decency. His decisions were ill-conceived, born of frustration, impulsiveness and anger."Sterling Ivey, a spokesman for Gov. Charlie Crist, said Koons' seat on the commission likely will remain vacant until the November election. Koons is term-limited out and was not running for re-election.The governor's office will accept applications for the seat, but the appointment process typically takes a couple of months, Ivey said.
EPA to crack down on ... farm dust?
From Jacqueline Sit of NewsOn6.com on July 30:
OKLAHOMA CITY -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is considering a crackdown on farm dust, so senators have signed a letter addressing their concerns on the possible regulations.The letter dated July 23 to the EPA states, "If approved, would establish the most stringent and unparalleled regulation of dust in our nation's history." It further states, "We respect efforts for a clean and healthy environment, but not at the expense of common sense. These identified levels will be extremely burdensome for farmers and livestock producers to attain. Whether its livestock kicking up dust, soybeans being combined on a dry day in the fall, or driving a car down the gravel road, dust is a naturally occurring event."Many in the Oklahoma farming industry are opposed to the EPA's consideration. One farmer said the possible regulations are ridiculous."It's plain common sense, we don't want to do anything detrimental," said farmer Curtis Roberts. "If the dust is detrimental to us, it's going to be to everybody. We're not going to do anything to hurt ourselves or our farm."
Click here to read the letter.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Senate Republican Whip backs anchor baby hearing
From Connie Hair of Human Events on Aug. 2:
On CBS’ "Face the Nation" on Sunday, Senate Republican Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) backed the notion of a hearing to examine the constitutionality of granting citizenship to children of illegal aliens born on U.S. soil.Kyl was asked by the host if he backed the "movement afoot" to "rescind the law that makes anyone born in the United States a U.S. citizen specifically aimed at the children of illegal immigrants.""There is a constitutional provision in the Fourteenth Amendment that has been interpreted to provide that, if you are born in the United States, you are a citizen no matter what," Kyl said. "Now, there are limitations on that, for example, for the children of diplomats and so on. And so the question is, if both parents are here illegally, should there be a reward for their illegal behavior?"Crafted in 1866 and ratified July 9, 1868, the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was aimed at settling citizenship issues of slaves born on U.S. soil that had been recently freed by the Civil War.Section One of the Fourteenth Amendment states:All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.Aliens in the United States legally or illegally are subject to the jurisdiction of their own country.
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