News for social, fiscal & national security conservatives who believe in God, family & the USA. We seek to uphold the rights granted by God & guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, traditional family values, "republican" principles / ideals, transparent & limited government, free markets, liberty & individual freedom. The ARRA News Service is an outreach of the Arkansas Republican Assembly. However, all content approval rests with the Editor. While varied positions are reported, our beliefs & principles remain fixed. No revenue is generated by this blog, no paid ads accepted and no payments for articles. Note the posted Fair Use doctrine. -- Editor: Dr. Bill Smith [OzarkGuru] - editor/arranewsservice.com (Published Since July, 2006)
Today in Washington D. C. - Oct 7, 2009 - WH Misrepresents Health Care; Resoultion Calls for Removal of Rangle as Chairman
Update: The House refused to vote on the resolution that would have removed Congressman Charlie Rangel as Chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. Instead, the House voted 246 to 153 to refer the resolution to the Ethics Committee thereby opposing the resolution. Again, the Democrats have buried the issue and protected Rangle. Rangel is already been under investigation by the House Ethics Committee. According CBS' Marcia Kramer, Rangel may have gone as far to "influence" members of the Ethics Committee to look the other way: "CBS 2 HD has discovered that since ethics probes began last year the 79-year-old congressman has given campaign donations to 119 members of Congress, including three of the five Democrats on the House Ethics Committee who are charged with investigating him." Americans for Limited Government has a petition website, at RangelOutNow.org, to encourage Attorney General Eric Holder to immediately investigate Rangel's "repeated violation of public disclosure laws… [and] exactly how Mr. Rangel came into at least $650,000 in undisclosed income, and to audit the extent of his income."
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The Senate will resume consideration of the fiscal year 2010 Commerce-Justice-Science appropriations bill, H.R. 2847. Yesterday the Senate voted 72-22 to confirm Thomas Perez to be Assistant Attorney General. Last night the Senate passed the $636 billion fiscal 2010 Defense appropriations bill (H.R. 3326) by a vote of 93-7. Prior to final passage the Senate rejected several amendments from Sens. Tom Coburn (R-OK) and John McCain (R-AZ) to eliminate or shift funding from certain earmarks in the bill. Also rejected were an amendments from Sen. McCain to eliminate funding for more C-17s and from Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) to bar funding for the CIA’s Center on Climate Change and National Security.
Today at noon, Congressman John Carter (R-TX) takes the Rangel Resolution to the House Floor. It’s obnoxious that Rep. Charlie Rangle (D-NY) hasn’t stepped down and it is a disgrace that he is the Chairman of Ways and Means failing to report numerous financial assets. Also, in an article on Red State, Rep. Carter explains,
One month, 12 months and 15 months. That’s how long it has been since we learned of Congressman Charlie Rangel’s (D-NY) most recent failure to disclose financial assets, since the New York Times first called for him to step down as Chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, and since the House Ethics Committee began investigating Rangel’s previous violations, respectively.
Yet through all that - despite all the revelations of not disclosing income and not paying taxes - Mr. Rangel still runs the committee that oversees the IRS and enforces the tax laws for all Americans, except for himself. To allow Mr. Rangel to continue to serve as Chairman is the same as allowing a confessed bank robber to serve as Chairman of the Banking Committee during the trial. The reputation and integrity of this body has suffered serious damage by the actions of Mr. Rangel, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi has not lived up to her promise to make this the most honest and ethical House in history. . . .
Mr. Rangel’s list of violations continues to grow. You or I would have paid tens of thousands of dollars in interest and penalties had we committed similar tax evasions. Rangel apparently is immune from penalties, which is unethical, but especially unscrupulous when you consider his powerful Chairman position. This is not the first time I have moved to have Mr. Rangel removed from his chairmanship. I offered a similar Privileged Resolution in February, but Democrats under Speaker Pelosi blocked consideration of the bill.
When the Ethics Committee first began investigating Mr. Rangel on July 31, 2008, Speaker Pelosi publicly stated that the investigation would be complete before the end of 2008. But with the probe now well into its second year, the investigation has already been expanded twice to include new charges of tax and ethics violations by Mr. Rangel.
The Washington Post reported yesterday, “Seeking to provide fresh evidence of bipartisan support for health-care reform, the White House is orchestrating a series of endorsements from GOP heavyweights around the country. With a key Senate panel poised to vote on a broad bill, President Obama and his top aides have reached out to current and retired Republican leaders in the hopes of countering the charge that Democrats are using their congressional majorities to push through partisan legislation.” And according to Politico, “California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg issued statements in support of health care reform legislation this week after direct urging from the White House that they speak up on behalf of the president's agenda. The White House wasted no time Tuesday touting the statements as proof of bipartisan support for health care – and using the comments to paint congressional Republicans as obstructionists.”
Of course, the press dutifully reported the White House spin with a series of headlines describing “Republican support” for “bipartisan reform” touting statements from California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist. Unsurprisingly, the mainstream media ignored significant reservations these and other Republicans had about the health care reform plans being pushed by President Obama and Democrats in Congress.
Back in July, Gov. Schwarzenegger said in a letter to members of Congress, “I cannot and will not support federal health care reform proposals that impose billions of dollars in new costs on California each year.” And just last week he said, “I will be clear on this particular proposal: if Congress thinks the Medicaid expansion is too expensive for the federal government, it is absolutely unaffordable for states.” The Washington Post noted he “estimated that the Medicaid expansion could cost his state $8 billion a year.” Underscoring this, the San Francisco Chronicle’s blog featured a post titled, “Dems exaggerate Arnold's love for health care plan.” The blog post noted, “He didn't endorse anything. Not the Obama plan, not the House-passed plans, nothing. He doesn't favor the public option -- in fact, he loathes it.”
Sen. Frist told CNBC yesterday that he “wouldn’t vote for any” of the health bills currently working their way through the House or Senate. And in an interview with Politico today, he pointed out serious problems with the Democrats’ bills. Frist said, “the bill does not ‘bend the cost curve’; spending growth will continue to outstrip the growth of our economy, and thus the promises made today cannot be sustained over time.” He also predicted that any bill passed would “raise health care premiums and spending for all Americans under the age of 65” and not be bipartisan.
Meanwhile, Democrat governors haveraised fresh alarms about the burdens imposed on their financially strapped states in the health care proposals. Democrat Ohio Governor Ted Strickland said, “[T]he states, with our financial challenges right now, are not in a position to accept additional Medicaid responsibilities.” According to the Los Angeles Times, Democrat Governor John Lynch of New Hampshire refused to sign a letter supporting health care reform because it failed to “address concerns regarding potential cost shifting to the states.” Democrat Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen added in a letter to Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN), “My guess is that most other states would face a similarly painful situation if these costs are passed down.” The Democrat Governor of Wyoming, Dave Freudenthal, told theWyoming Tribune Eagle, “[Y]ou only have so much money, and this is the basic math: If you have 47 million people who don't have coverage in the country, and your goal is to get coverage for those people, you can't come to us and say that it's not going to cost society anything.” And Democrat North Carolina Governor Betty Perdue said, “[T]he absolute deal breaker for me as governor is a federal plan that shifts costs to the states.”
The White House is desperate to show momentum for their trillion dollar health care experiment, but their arguments are undermined when they misrepresent the positions of Republicans and ignore significant objections from key Democrats. Tags:Charlie Rangel, government healthcare, US Congress, US House, US Senate, Washington D.C.To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Tony Perkins: Washington Update: Just days ago, a new Pew Research Center poll showed support for abortion at an all-time low. The survey was one in a long line of polls that's reporting how unpopular the procedure has become under the most pro-abortion President in American history. Less than half of the public--47%--now think abortion should be legal in all or most cases, down from 54% last year. Over the past few months, abortion has taken a hit in almost every major demographic. And those numbers don't even take into account the whopping number of taxpayers who oppose funding it.
Across the nation, there's a pro-life undercurrent that seems to be carrying away everyone but Congress. Instead of adapting to this new anti-abortion climate, what does the congressional majority do? Try harder to fund it. As we speak, members of the House are working on a second abortion "compromise" in the health care bill- led by one of the most militant pro-choicers in the chamber. This week, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) has been tasked with peeling support away from Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.), who announced last week that he had commitments from 40 Democrats to vote against any health care bill that doesn't include an outright ban on taxpayer-funded abortion. To win back some of his party, Waxman is putting together a second abortion "compromise" to follow up on the controversial Capps amendment.
As the Denver Post pointed out, Democrats will probably try to tighten the Capps language without including the blanket restrictions that Stupak wants. Although House liberals said the original amendment would only allow private funds to pay for abortion, even the New York Times called it a fraud. According to the paper, "In practice, the public and private money would all go into the same pot, and the source of money for any single procedure is largely a technicality." That's not good enough for Rep. Stupak and House Republicans. "The Capps Amendment says at least one plan [participating in a federal health insurance exchange] must provide abortion coverage and must have one that doesn't have it," he told U.S. News and World Report. "For the first time ever, federal policy is saying that abortion is a covered service." In other words, what happens on life in the next few days is crucial. If the negotiations fall apart, so too may any possibility for real reform.Tags:abortion, FRC, Tony Perkins, Washington UpdateTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Bill Whittle: Barack Obama ran an unprecedented Presidential campaign - utilizing the power of design to help secure the seat of the President of the United States of America. However, his iconic emblem, the ever present "O", holds more power than even Obama knows. Bill Whittle points out the dangers of branding an ideology with an icon and how, perhaps, the powerful symbol will be used against the very man it built up. [Video]
Tags:video, WordsTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Arkansas State University NPR Affiliate News Director's Abuse of Email
Update (6:40 pm): This posted story preceded the AP and local news by 13 hrs. The ASU Communications office has indicated that the reported incident is being handled as an internal matter. Today, in a totally unrelated but coincidental press release, the ASU Communications Office identified in that "The Beck PRIDE Center for America’s Wounded Veterans will celebrate its new home at an open house reception [tomorrow on the ASU campus] . .. Center officials will recognize Conrad Reynolds, Col.-Retired, USA, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Jonesboro chapter, for outstanding support to the Beck PRIDE Center and to wounded veterans in the Jonesboro community." Col. Reynolds had been previously noted in an ASU press release for presenting "a special U.S. flag flown over his post in Iraq last year to hang in the Beck PRIDE Center Day Room."
-------------- Bill Smith, Editor: Arkansas State University (ASU) has an NPR station affiliate on its campus. NPR usually offers easy listening, some classics and local news for college students and often afford training for college students in radio communications. The affiliate is also supported by federal and state dollars. According to a breaking report on today's Washington D.C.'s Roll Call, Greg Chance, the NPR station's news director, used his university funded email to communicate with the office of Senator Blanche Lincoln and to insult a Republican candidate running for the U.S. Senate.
The candidate is retired Army Colonel Conrad Reynolds, a native Arkansan who served his country with distinction including commanding troops in Baghdad, Iraq. Reynolds is one of several candidates running for the position occupied presently by Senator Lincoln. Recent polls indicate that Lincoln is vulnerable and has a low favorable rating with Arkansas voters. Greg Chance in his capacity as news director, received a press release from the Reynolds' campaign which challenged Lincoln's vote on a recent issue.
According to Roll Call, Chance attempted to forward the Reynolds' campaign email to Katie Laning Niebaum, Lincoln's Washington-based communications director. Chance forwarded message to Lincoln's office did not seek a response as would be expected from a news director. Instead, Chance displayed either his total lack of impartiality or a deficit in his ability be impartial in his position as "news director." One might question if Chance could have been seeking to curry favor with Niebaum or the Senator in "hopes of whatever" but this is unknown at this time.
Chance as the news director for an NPR affiliate at Arkansas State University proceeded to make derogatory comments in the email about Col. Conrade Reynolds. Chase called the decorated officer a "nimrod" and mocked his campaign logo which features an Eagle which is also the insignia used for the rank of Colonel in the U.S. military.
When Chance proceeded to forward the Reynolds' email with his comments to Niebaum, he apparently was overcome by his wit or his witlessness. Instead, he replied to K. Ryan James who had sent the original press release from the Reynolds campaign. Wow - what a surprise! Niebaum at Sen. Lincoln's office has said that she did not receive Chance's email.
As a result, Greg Chance acting as the ASU Affiliate NPR news director proved himself to be, in his own words, a "nimrod." Now that Chance has acted inappropriately in his official capacity as news director, where does that leave the university? Insulting a United States Colonel and candidate for the U.S. Senate on behalf of the university was definitely not what ASU President Les Wyatt is looking forward to addressing today.
I expect Chance will be counseled by ASU officials on his lack of professionalism and his misuse of his position in using university email to express derogatory statements which do not reflect favorably on the University. Also, insulting a decorated retired Arkansas United States Colonel showed a lack of understanding of protocol by Mr. Chance. I would suggest that since Chance showed such poor judgment and a willful disregard for protecting ASU, there is a potential that he may have misused university email in other situations. Therefore, his other emails should be reviewed to determine if any other potential actions "by Chance" that reflect negatively on Arkansas State University or its NPR affiliate.
In closing, this is a lesson for everyone. As I warned my children when they were growing up, be careful in what you say and do. Because, when act unprofessional and treat people with disrespect, you eventually get caught or as a minimum find four fingers pointing right back at you. Also, I may be stretching a point a little, but I noted that it is very strange that the word "nimrod" was used. This is the very same word used previously by Arkansas 1st District U.S. Representative Marion Berry to verbally attack a fellow representative on the floor of the House of Representatives. I suggest that all representatives and news directors retire the use of this word. Tags:Arkansas, Blanche Lincoln, candidate, Conrad Reynolds, email, Marion BerryTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
DeNuke Iran: Today was a meeting among Iranian and Western diplomats in Geneva. It sounds like this will be the first of many such talk-fests. If history is any judge, this is a clever delaying ploy on the part of the Iranians. What seems to be forgotten by all the "talking heads" are the stakes.
A nuclear-armed Iran poses a dire threat to the United States. The Islamic Republic of Iran is close to having nuclear warheads. It has missiles to deliver those warheads to America.
The Mullahs, the theocratic rulers of Iran, have brutally crushed the protesters in the street. These same rulers will now turn their full attention to obtaining nuclear weapons.
A nuclear-armed Iran poses a dire threat to Israel. And will set off a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. Our government must stop Iran from getting atomic weapons.
By any means necessary. Before it's too late. The clock is ticking! Share this information and video with others and please sign the petition at the DeNuke Iran website and consider joining the DeNuke Iran Network:
Tags:DeNuke Iran, Iran, nuclear attackTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
In a prior post today, it was mentioned that being commander-in-chief is a prime responsibility of a president. However, it seems that the democrats believe otherwise. The following cartoon highlights the liberals confusion over the duties of the executive. by William Warren: Tags:All Barack Channel, Commander-in-Chief, Executive Branch, Olympics, political cartoon, President, William WarrenTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Today in Washington D. C. - Oct 6, 2009 - Democrats' Amazing Hypocrisy Concerning Listening To Generals
The Senate began consideration of the nomination of Thomas Perez to be Assistant Attorney General and then will vote on cloture which is expected and then will vote on confirming the nomination. At 2:30 p.m., congressional leaders will gather at the White House for a briefing on Afghanistan. Subsequently, the Senate will resume consideration of the $636 billion fiscal 2010 Defense appropriations bill, H.R. 3326. There will then be up to 13 votes on amendments to the bill, followed by a vote on final passage.
As congressional leaders head to the White House today to meet with President Obama about a way forward in Afghanistan, there is a building controversy with Democrats over General Stanley McChrystal, the commander in Afghanistan, advocating for more troops to implement a counterinsurgency strategy. Gen. McChrystal seems to be taking more and more heat from Democrats and administration officials for speaking out publicly about his plans. This is frankly incredible coming from a party that spent several years demanding that former President George W. Bush “listen to the generals.”
The controversy over Gen. McChrystal’s plan began last week in the wake of his report on Afghanistan and a speech he gave in London. The Washington Postreported:
“In a three-hour meeting Wednesday at the White House, senior advisers challenged some of the key assumptions in Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal’s blunt assessment of the nearly eight-year-old war, which President Obama has said is being fought to destroy al-Qaeda and its allies in Afghanistan and the ungoverned border areas of Pakistan. . . . White House officials are resisting McChrystal’s call for urgency, which he underscored Thursday during a speech in London, and questioning important elements of his assessment, which calls for a vast expansion of an increasingly unpopular war. One senior administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the meeting, said, ‘A lot of assumptions -- and I don’t want to say myths, but a lot of assumptions -- were exposed to the light of day.’”
The Wall Street Journal notes, “Retired Gen. James Jones, Mr. Obama’s national security adviser, on Sunday appeared to suggest Gen. McChrystal had gone outside normal channels when he gave the speech. ‘Ideally, it’s better for military advice to come up through the chain of command,’ Gen. Jones said on the CNN program ‘State of the Union.’” A Washington Post story from today adds, “Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates cautioned military and civilian leaders Monday against publicly airing their advice to President Obama on Afghanistan, just days after the top U.S. general in that country criticized proposals being advocated by some in the White House.” And according to The Hill, “It has been ‘odd’ for Gen. Stanley McChrystal to speak out so publicly about his opinions on strategy for Afghanistan, Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) said Tuesday.”
For those who recall Democrats’ reactions to any questions, complaints, or critiques of President Bush’s war strategy during the previous administration, these complaints from Democrats and the White House about Gen. McChrystal look like a complete reversal. In 2006, Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), “You don’t give up your citizenship in the United States, when you’re in the military or when you’re outside of it. . . . And those generals have the right -- indeed, I think they have a duty and an obligation -- to stand up and tell the truth.” In 2007, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said to CNN’s Larry King, “[D]on’t take it from me. Just listen to the generals. General after general after general has said that this course of action is not going to bring our troops home soon.” And a year before that, Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV), now the Senate Majority Leader, said, “We know that Secretary Rumsfeld ignored the advice of the uniformed military and went into battle with too few troops and no plan to win the peace.” And in January 2007 Reid was saying to the National Press Club, “Listen to the generals.”
Now, Jim Jones is saying, “Ideally, it’s better for military advice to come up through the chain of command,” and Jim Webb says Gen. McChrystal’s speeches are “odd”? It appears that for Democrats what constitutes acceptable debate on war strategy and even criticism of the president seems to depend on who’s in the White House. Jones some how has forgotten that Gen. McChrystal is the commanding general and the Pentagon staff is not in that chain of command for war operations.
While most Americans want the enemy terrorists defeated in the field, if politics is going to prevent Generals from speaking out on operations and the need to both minimize troop losses and defeat the enemy, then bring the troops home from Afghanistan and use extreme measures to end the controversy in Afghanistan.
During Vietnam Conflict (WAR), we had similar issues. Generals were forced to compromise reporting the truth by the Johnson administration and to accept operational conditions for military in the field that were subject to the bureaucracies of both the United States and South Vietnam. These operational conditions placed our military at risks and resulted in the deaths of many of American's finest. Those of us who remember should be demanding that the President, who lacks military experience, and his administration listen to General McChrystal’s blunt assessment. Bluntness may be tough but it is needed. In fact, Obama should be thankful for McChrystal's honest appraisal especially as we have troops serving in harms way or being prepared to serve in harms way. Any other actions by President Obama or his administration which results in further deaths of Americans will be a permanent stain on Obama's historical record as commander-in-chief, a prime responsibility of a president. Tags:Barack Obama, Commander-in-Chief, Defense appropriations, General Stanley McChrystal, US Congress, US House, US Senate, Washington D.C.To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
There are reports that Sen. Blanche Lincoln is being targeted by Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) and other liberal leaders to change her vote on the public option.
“There is one reason why Sen. Lincoln is being targeted by the likes of Sen. Schumer and other liberal leaders: Sen. Lincoln. If she had a strong record of standing for the conservative principals of her state, there would be no reason why Democrats in DC would waste their effort on her.
Sadly, Sen. Lincoln does not have this type of record, which is why her leaders feel they can change her mind. I call on her to follow through on her decision last week to reject the public option, urge her to vote against it on the floor and oppose any back-room deal which would allow it to be passed.
Arkansans deserve a senator they can count on, not be counted on by the Obama administration to change her mind when it suits them. This is why we must elect a new senator which will restore our voice in Washington and ensure our conservative values are upheld.”
Tags:Arkansas, Blanche Lincoln, Conrad Reynolds, Election 2010, US SenateTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Curtis Coleman, Candidate for U.S. Senate:* Senator Blanche Lincoln has once again failed to represent the values of Arkansans by voting against two key amendments to the Senate Finance Committee’s “Baucus Bill” yesterday.
“Arkansans should know that I will not support a health care plan that would require insurance companies to cover abortion, require physicians to perform abortions, or allow federal dollars to fund abortions,” Lincoln said. But in clear contradiction of this statement, she voted (by proxy) against two amendments submitted by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah).
Sen. Hatch proposed an amendment that would have ensured that taxpayers’ dollars would not be used to fund abortions through the new programs or subsidies created in the current health bill. Senator Lincoln voted against the amendment. According to Americans United for Life, the Baucus bill allows qualified health plans to provide coverage for all abortions and mandates that at least one plan in each state exchange provide coverage of all abortions. Senator Hatch proposed his amendment “because this bill both authorizes and provides the funding for the premium subsidies, [and] no future appropriations bill would be necessary in regards to this specific funding.”
The second amendment offered by Sen. Hatch would have prohibited the federal government, state governments and local governments from forcing health providers, such as hospitals and physicians, to provide abortions. His amendment also would have prohibited governmental bodies from receiving federal dollars if they take action against any health care provider because the provider does not cover, provide or make references for abortions; in short, from discriminating against those who do not want to perform, cover or make references for abortions. Senator Lincoln voted against this amendment also.
It is clearly time for Arkansas to recover its voice and vote for life in the U.S. Senate. *Editor's Comment: ARRA News Service has not endorsed any Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate against Sen. Blanche Lincoln. However, we oppose Lincoln's re-election and therefore reserve the right to share any opinion or position expressed by a candidate concerning Lincoln's performance or actions. Tags:Arkansas, Blanche Lincoln, Curis Coleman, Election 2010, US SenateTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Behind the Scenes at Defending the American Dream Summit - #DAD09
While Tim Phillips, President of Americans for Prosperity, was in the forefront of events for the 2009 Defending the American Dream Summit, he would be the first to acknowledge the numerous staff members who worked to make sure everything went off well from the initial planning and securing of facilities, dinners, coordination of speakers, new media and regular media, sponsors, etc. But, even more important were those who jumped through hoops to resolve problems on behalf of attendees and the myriad of unplanned situations that can and did occur. This year, AFP experienced a success factor that led to numerous problems.
People who had not preregistered came in large numbers because of numerous factors from good weather to an updated speakers list that included Newt Gingrich and Laura Ingraham. The result was more people "coming to dinner" than could be managed in the main hall for dinner. It is hard to manage a sit-down dinner for 1500 people but when 300 unplanned people are added, new dynamics occur. However, the AFP staff and the service providing the dinners quickly adapted and created an overflow room, a large TV with a live feed of the speakers and quality service. And to top off this special overflow room, those assigned to the room were joined for dinner by former House Speaker and Mrs. Newt Gingrich.
The next day, all the speakers starting with Newt Gingrich were cheered on by 2000 attendees to such an extent that the scheduled speakers were soon far over their allotted time. My wife was seated front and center on the third row enjoyed the entire event. So again, the staff adjusted the schedule and meeting places for lunch and the follow-on breakout meetings. No complaining - just a quality responses on all levels. An enjoyable time was had by all.
As for me, except for Capitol Hill Rally and the “Tribute to Ronald Reagan” Dinner, I worked a long side of other new media types in a conference center ("bloggers row") tailored with a wide screen monitor and high-speed and wireless internet connections. AFP's "new media" director, Erik Telford, a professional and friend too many of us, made sure that we had what we needed, and he kept a steady stream of speakers pointed our way for interviews. On the second day, three or four interviews would occur around the room at the same time. Interestingly, while the many of the bloggers / writers were interviewing speakers and AFP guests, preparing stories, live blogging or Twittering (#DAD09) with hundreds of thousands of people about the AFP events, many of these same bloggers are themselves noteworthy and could provide for hours of potential interviews in other setting.
Before identifying a partial list of the new media people who shared our time together on "bloggers row," I wish to thanks a fellow blogger who "saved my bacon" on the first day. I encountered an a virus the prior evening when checking email and posting a couple items before retiring after a long day's travel from Arkansas. Although my system stopped the virus, it also deleted access to the mouse for my laptop. A fellow blogger and technical guru, Steve Eggleston came to rescue and worked over an hour fixing my computer while allowing me use his computer. Again, thank you - Steve!
With the close of the AFP summit, bloggers headed home. However, we will keep in contact by twitter and taking time to read and comment on what the others are posting. We all appreciate the effort to make us comfortable as we reported at the AFP Defending the American Dream Summit and we all hope to see our special friend Erik Telford at other events throughout the year.Tags:AFP, blogger, Defending the American DreamTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Who Are These People And Where Did They Come From? - #DAD09
Hugh Hewitt was a guest speaker at the American For Prosperity Defending the American Dream 2009 Summit. After speaking, he wrote the following article: By Hugh Hewitt: More than 2,000 activists packed the Crystal City Gateway Marriott this weekend for the annual "Americans for Prosperity" meeting. It is a football weekend in the most beautiful time of the fall, but these folks were in a vast ballroom on Saturday morning cheering Newt, Jim DeMint, Stephen Moore, Ed Morrissey, John Fund, Herman Cain and the always energy-and-enthusiasm generating Larry Kudlow as each in turn spelled out the details of the sharp left lurch the country has taken in the past nine months.
Americans for Prosperity was founded by, among others, David Koch and is ably guided by, among others, Tim Phillips. As Koch and Phillips chatted with guests and members throughout the morning, their confident smiles telegraphed that the surge in their membership and their reach is continuing. With a seasoned field staff and a dynamic group of young volunteers and headquarters professionals, AFP is filling a gap that exists on the right in the space between the think tanks, web portals and the GOP party apparatus. This is the sort of para-party organization that the Democrats benefited from during their wilderness years, and the appearance of a AFP as a major force in conservative circles marks a key moment in the renewal of the conservative movement.
So to does the rise of the Senate Conservatives Fund, a new PAC founded by South Carolina's DeMint. "SCF is a political action committee dedicated to electing strong conservatives to the United States Senate," the PAC's website declares. "We do not support liberal Republicans and we are not affiliated with any Republican campaign committee."
The declaration of purpose continues: "SCF seeks to bring bold conservative leadership to Washington by supporting only the most rock-solid, conservative candidates nationwide -- candidates who believe in the principles of limited government, strong national defense, and traditional family values."
The Fund is off to an incredibly strong fundraising start though of course it can use more, especially from small dollar donors who will help build the organizations reach just as AFP has built. The National Republican Senatorial Committee has been deeply damaged by its past support for some very unusual Republicans, chief among them the nutty Lincoln Chaffee. John Cornyn of Texas is rebuilding the brand, and the defection of Arlen Specter to his new team made Cornyn's life much easier, but the opportunity for conservatives to invest in a PAC as focused on electing only conservatives will be welcomed by many donors who simply refuse to fund pro-choice Republicans for example, or senators who are willing to vote for portions of Obamacare when the vast weight of American opinion is against it in total.
The success of AFP and the Fund are just two more indications that a tide is building in reaction to the presidents twin agendas of apologies abroad and power at home. The retreat from Poland and the Czech Republic and the fecklessness on Afghanistan makes large numbers of Americans queasy over the new president's grasp of the nature of our enemies. When France has flanked us on the right as it has vis-a-vis Iran the concerns over the president's unfolding appeasement policies skyrockets.
At home the failure of the stimulus to do anything except grow government is manifest in another surge of unemployment, and GM's continuing collapse even as other car companies steady underscores the opinion of the marketplace on the wisdom of the president's takeover of a once private car company. The president may succeed in jamming down some sort of health care bill, but an army of walkers and artificial knees is already organizing its payback to Democrats for the massive cuts to Medicare.
The Alinksyites at the heart of the new Administration's political operation don't want to admit any concern over the coalescing counter-revolution, but their feigned indifference to the president's plummeting poll numbers shouldn't fool anyone. Their nonchalance makes sense as there isn't much they can do to halt the deep seated, deeply felt revulsion at the president's radical agenda on spending and the growth of government power. This isn't a leftist country, or even center-left, no matter how many MSMers believe it is. Opposition to the president isn't based on his race, it isn't fueled by hatred, and it doesn't threaten to do anything other than organize and vote --legally, not the ACORN way for that matter.
Next year's AFP gathering will be even bigger, its organization even more completely developed, and the Senate Conservatives Fund's coffer will be full of contributions from Americans eager to restore balance to an unbalanced capitol. Thirteen months to go, and the energy is building.
-------------- Hugh Hewitt is a law professor at Chapman University Law School, radio show host and best selling author. He is frequent guest on CNN, Fox News and MSNBC and has written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and the Los Angeles Times. He served in the Reagan Administration. Hewitt writes for his blog, HughHewitt.com and is the Executive Editor of Townhall.com. Tags:AFP, Americans for ProsperityTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Today in Washington D. C. - Oct 5, 2009 - Dems Still Divided On Health Reform Issues
The Senate began consideration of the fiscal year 2010 Commerce-Justice-Science appropriations bill, H.R. 2847. No votes are scheduled today. Tomorrow, the Senate resumes consideration of the $636 billion fiscal 2010 Defense appropriations bill, H.R. 3326, with 13 amendments to work through. This week the Senate Finance Committee is expected to vote on passing chairman Max Baucus’ (D-MT) health care bill once a preliminary CBO score is released.
As the health care debate enters its fifth month and Senate Democrats are finally preparing to vote on a health care reform bill in the Finance Committee (something that was initially supposed to happen in June), it appears that they’re still divided over key issues.
The Washington Post reports today, “At least two Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee have refused to pledge support for the health-care reform bill scheduled for a vote this week, underscoring the hard work ahead for President Obama as he tries to enact the most ambitious domestic policy legislation in more than a generation. Although Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) said he has the votes to pass the 10-year, $900 billion bill out of the committee, Sens. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and John D. Rockefeller IV (D-WV) remained undecided Sunday.” Rockefeller reportedly is still agitating for the creation of a government-run insurance company (the so-called “public option”), despite a defeat of two different versions of that idea in the Finance Committee last week. Beyond that, Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) wants an employer mandate in the bill while Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) seems concerned about new taxes and fees being passed along to middle class families.
The elephant in the room is the massive and expensive Medicaid expansion and it is seriously troubling governors. According to The Washington Post, “The nation’s governors are emerging as a formidable lobbying force as health-care reform moves through Congress and states overburdened by the recession brace for the daunting prospect of providing coverage to millions of low-income residents. The legislation the Senate Finance Committee is expected to approve this week calls for the biggest expansion of Medicaid since its creation in 1965.” Democrat Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen told The Post, “I can’t think of a worse time for this bill to be coming … I’d love to see it happen. But nobody’s going to put their state into bankruptcy or their education system in the tank for it.” The Post article continues, “Bredesen said Tennessee could face $1 billion in extra Medicaid costs for the first five years of the expansion. ‘I have no idea how we’re going to afford it,’ he said.”
The Medicaid issue isn’t lost on Democrat senators, either. The Washington Post writes, “[C]ongressional Democrats are sufficiently alarmed about the potential impact that they already are seeking special protections for their states. Even Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid cut a deal with Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (MT) to ensure that the federal government would pay the full cost of expanding Medicaid in Reid’s state, Nevada.” Indeed, “health-care negotiators are prepared for a flood of pleadings like the one Reid made that could add up to many billions, forcing reductions to other portions of the bill. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), for one, estimated that the Medicaid expansion could cost his state $8 billion a year. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) underscored those concerns with her own pledge: ‘I could not support a bill that pushes additional costs on California state government or its counties.’”
So will Democrats again fight with each other over a government insurance option? Will they side with the White House or Max Baucus over the pleas of their states not to increase their financial obligations? And there are even more fundamental questions, as Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell pointed out on Friday, “Are [Democrats’] own members comfortable enough with a proposal that takes $500 billion out of Medicare over the next 10 years and raises billions of dollars in taxes on both individuals and corporations? Are they comfortable with that?” Tags:health care, US Congress, US House, US Senate, Washington D.C.To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Heritage Foundation: Another month, another 263,000 jobs lost under the Obama administration. According to Bureau of Labor and Statistics data, the United States economy has lost 3.6 million net jobs since President Barack Obama was sworn into office and the unemployment rate has risen from 7.6 % to 9.8%. It was not supposed to be this way. The experts in the Obama administration promised the American people that the President’s $787 billion stimulus package would create 4 million jobs by the end of 2010. According to the Obama administration’s expert plan, the stimulus was supposed to create or save enough jobs that the unemployment rate would only be 7.8% by this time. Instead unemployment rose last month and is now at a 26-year record high of 9.8%.
When the Obama administration first unveiled their stimulus plan in November they claimed it would create 2.5 million jobs by the end of 2010. At the time BLS reported that U.S. economy employed about 136.1 million jobs. But by January that number fell to 134.6 million jobs. Not so coincidentally, the Obama administration upped the job-creating magic of the stimulus to 4 million jobs by the end of 2010. Putting these numbers together, we can create an objective standard to judge both the President and his stimulus by: 136.1 million plus 2.5 million equals 138.6 million; and 134.6 million plus 4 million equals 138.6 million. So the objective, Obama administration created, BLS data verifiable, jobs accountability number is 138.6 million. Today’s BLS report shows that President Obama is 7.6 million jobs short of his promise to the American people.
To close the Obama Jobs Gap, the U.S. economy would have to go through the greatest 16-month average increase in employment in modern American history. During the peak of the Reagan boom in December of 1984, the U.S. economy added 373,000 jobs a month. Obama would need to create 477,000 jobs a month. That is not going to happen.
So what went wrong? Simply put, Obama’s experts relied on some fundamentally unsound assumptions and now our nation is paying the price in lost jobs and record deficits. . . . The Federal government can stimulate the economy in the short term, not by shuffling demand across the economy through wasteful deficit spending, but by improving incentives and the general economic environment. Individuals and businesses across the nation already see tremendous opportunities for starting new businesses, for investment, for hiring new workers, for expanding into new markets. However many are holding back due to existing excessive tax and regulatory burdens. Instead of making this situation better, the Obama administration and Congress seem intent on making it worse by enacting new taxes and regulations on energy and passing health care legislation that will tax businesses for creating jobs and encourage lower wages. . . [Full Article]
Tags:American jobs, jobs, Barack Obama, Heritage Foundation, unemploymentTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Bill Smith, ARRA Editor: Great day meeting with numerous great bloggers while reporting live from bloggers row at the Americans for Prosperity Defending the American Dream Summit at the Marriott Crystal Gateway Hotel in Arlington, Va. We have been following the great speakers and posting tweets on twitters. Glad that we have our own room with a large screen. We can getup an move around whereas two thousand people who have been enjoying the speakers are more restricted by the events.
One of the young men who has been blogging the event is Steven Allen Adams, an investigative reporter from West Virginia. The following are Steve's comments an photos:
UPDATE (9:46 p.m.): Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., is up to speak first. Gingrich led the last big Republican revolution in 1994, thanks to the Contract with America (the revolution got a bump also from President Bill Clinton and his bumbling ways).
Gingrich talked about the conservative revolutions in other countries, such as France, and predicts that conservatives will have control again. Comparing today’s situation to that of former President Jimmy Carter, Gingrich sees a shift over the next 3 1/2 years towards conservative principles.
Three things Gingrich says we need to do:
Have candidates at every level dedicated to new principles. “If an incumbent isn’t doing their job, we need to recruit someone new. In our system, real power comes from the ballot box.”
We have to learn how to campaign effectively. “There is no neighborhood in American we should write off, there is no person we should write off.”
We have to win the argument. “The President is helping us educate the American people and we should encourage him to go on every talk show in town. Good advertising kills a product faster.”
UPDATE (10:21 a.m.): Next up to speak is Shona Holmes, a Canadian citizen who was highlighted in an AFP television ad telling her story about being denied care when she had a brain tumor. She and her husband mortgaged their home and came to the U.S. to get the care that saved her life.
“I had no options, I had more choices,” said Holmes of her situation. Canadian-style health care is a “slippery slope.” “Rationing, without question, happens in Canada. We wait anyone from a eight months to a year and a half.”
“It’s such a battles that I never never believe that I could experience it first hand. If I couldn’t resolve those problems for myself, then I don’t know who is speaking up for the others.”
“I feel an obligation that we need to help each other. My biggest embarrassment is Canada hasn’t been able to open the door and help Americans. You have tremendous health care. I apologize for my fellow Canadians that are trying to shut me up.”
UPDATE (10:29 a.m.): Wall Street Journal writer Steve Moore is next. “This is the next American Revolution.”
“Since we passed the economic stimulus bill we’ve lost $3 million jobs,” said Moore, who spoke mostly on health and economic issues.
Cap-and-trade “may be the more dangerous than the health care bill. Even if you believe in global warming, the cap-and-trade bill won’t have any affect in lowering temperatures. It is, in my opinion, unpatriotic.”
“What in the world are we doing with this national debt; this $11 trillion national debit. The numbers are so big, we can’t even fathom a trillion-dollar debt.
“If the choice is between a flat tax or a Fair Tax…it’s like being asked to choose between a Ferrari and a Porsche. We have to stop the Obama tax increase.” Three things to fix health care:
“We need medical malpractice reform.”
“We have to move towards a system of health savings accounts. You can drive insurance premiums down.”
“We have to allow people to purchase insurance in every state in this country. Let people in Maine and Massachusetts buy insurance in New Jersey.”
UPDATE (10:42 a.m.): Sen Jim. Demint, R-S.C., has just been honored with an the Washington Award by AFP Chairman David Koch.
“When the people here in Washington are more afraid of the people than special interests, then we can win. Look at every race at every level. Get behind those candidates. We’ve got great candidates in this country, but the people up here aren’t going to elect them: you are.”
Go to http://www.conservativecandiates.com/ to find conservatives running for office all over the country.
“We need to remind Americans who have been too busy doing other things what’s at stake.”
UPDATE (11:02 a.m.): Radio host and Fox News contributer Herman Cain is addressing the crowd.
Liberal S.I.N. Principles:
They SHIFT the subject.
They IGNORE the facts.
They NAMECALL. “I found out I’m racist. Maybe I missed something. Maybe what they’re trying to say is I have a perfect tan.
“We are crazy about liberty, we are crazy about freedom, and we’re crazy about the United States of America. That’s what we’re crazy about. We’ll show you some crazy; all these crazy people are going to show up at the polls.”
“Never give up on taking back this country. We must never give up.”
UPDATE (11:14 a.m.): Radio host Hugh Hewitt is up now. He gave a list of six things to do:
“Wait until November of 2009. Every single person in the room can make a difference. If know anyone, call them up and make sure they get to the polls.”
“We have to remain active and adamant, especially with our senior friends. We need to encourage them to be in the game.”
“We need to educate people on our broken legal system. This is killing our economy; killing it dead.”
“We’ve got to relentlessly expose the left-wing in the way the left-wing have learned to mock us. We’ve got to tell everyone about biggovernment.com, tell them about Americans for Prosperity.”
Work with young people. “Our young people need to look to you to learn about our system.”
“When Israel strikes Iran, we must stand with Israel. There is going to be, there will be a chorus of hate unleashed by our media.
UPDATE (11:37 a.m.): Hot Air contributer Ed Morrissey is talking now.
We need a “tax code overhaul that is decades overdue.”
“Congress likes the tax code. The tax code allows congress to conduct social engineering…and limit the choices in our life. It is sapping our liberty. The more deductions they put in there, the more people thing they benefit from them. Congress is the biggest obstacle to real reform.”
“The existing tax code gives Congress far too much power in a free society. When our opponents talk about making the tax code more fair, we need to tell them we don’t need their help to make choices.”
UPDATE (11:46 a.m.): Wall Street Journal writer John Fund is up next.
“Never again should we have bills the size of telephone books. No more. We want them to read the bill. Here is where you come in.”
Fund commented on the Reagan and Gingrich revolutions, telling activists to learn from the lessons of the Carter and Clinton administrations.
“Here we are again. Every 16 years it seems the American forget what happens when a liberal Congress and a liberal President get together. We won the first two rounds of this; I saw we win round three.”
“You, the new American Patriots, won in 1977. You won again in 1993. You can win again in 2009. Let’s finish the job.”
UPDATE (12:00 p.m.): Up next is Tracy Walsh, spokeswoman for Patients First. Walsh is a breast cancer survivor from South Carolina and has been featured in an Independent Women’s Forum ad and thePatients First “Hands Off My Health Care” bus tour.
“What’s important to me is the ability to keep my choices. I had to speak up. We’ve got to defeat this health care legislation.”
…and that’s all folks. We’ll have a video up later of all the great things that happened here in DC.Tags:AFP, Americans for Prosperity, Newt Gingrich, Washington D.C.To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Blogging & New Media Emphasized at AFP Summit - #DAD09
By Steven Allen Adams: Emily Zanotti (American Princess) is giving one of her acclaimed talks on blogging. There is probably no one better at explaining blogging to those who, even a decade later, are still clueless about the power of blogging to get information to the masses. I’ve been blogging, off an on, since 2001. I remember when people looked at you odd when you said “I blog.” Then I remember the explosion of blogs around 2004-2005 when it became a fad. Finally the blogging market has evened out to where many people blog and keep their sites updated regularly. [Full Story] Tags:AFP, Americans for Prosperity, bloggersTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
AFP Hosts National Town Hall at the U.S. Capitol - #DAD09
Americans for Prosperity hosted a National Health Care Town Hall this afternoon in front of the U.S. Capitol with over 2,000 activists telling Congress to keep their hands off our health care.
Congressman Bob Goodlatte of Virginia and Congressman Patrick McHenry of North Carolina stayed in Washington, DC a day after the House of Representatives left for vacation to speak to our activists about the potential government take over of health care. Congressman Goodlatte rattled off a few facts about HR 3200, all of which received a rousing disapproval from the crowd, including the fact that the bill would create 53 new government agencies and programs. Congressman McHenry stuck around after the town hall to speak to hundreds of constituents from North Carolina. The rest of our AFP activists went into the Senate office building to request a meeting with their respective senators.
Tags:AFP, Americans for Prosperity, Town HallTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Dem Health Plans Fail To Deal Effectively with Cost
Health care reform is yet to substantively deal with 'gorilla in the room' - Cost. This is one of the fundamental reason why health care reform is needed. Yet no plan truly deals with this problem adequately. With the federal deficit shooting upwards and the country in the middle of a recession this only makes the need to deal with cost that much more pointed, but it does not seem to be a legislative priority.
Mort Kondracke of Roll Call explains in his article Will Reform Cut Health Care Costs? Don't Bet on It that the health care reform plans have no enforceable cost reducing measures. Cost cutting measures that are attempted rely on insurance companies, drug companies, and other health groups to keep their word and cut costs. This is at best a gamble, and not a very good one at that.
There's reason to fear that, even with reform, the nation's total outlays for health care - currently 17 percent of gross domestic product - will continue to soar, and so will federal health spending and insurance premiums.
The Obama White House promised reform would "bend the curve" of health spending - now growing 3 percent a year faster than the economy - but bills pending in Congress contain no guaranteed cost-containment measures such as a global budget, or national lid, on health spending.
According to the Congressional Budget Office, total U.S. health spending is scheduled to rise to 20 percent of the GDP by 2018, 25 percent by 2025 and 38 percent by 2050.
In May, health care stakeholder groups, including hospitals, insurance companies, doctors, drug companies and device makers, promised President Barack Obama they'd institute measures shaving 1.5 percent per year from the current 7 percent growth rate of health spending, saving $2 trillion over 10 years.
But as the journal Health Affairs observed in an issue brief in August, "these agreements are not enforceable" and, indeed, House "reform" legislation would free doctors from any reductions in Medicare reimbursements.
It's no wonder the American Medical Association supports the House bill, H.R. 3200. The Senate Finance Committee bill gives doctors just a one-year break from scheduled fee reductions, but past patterns are that Congress annually saves doctors from any cut.
Another group promising cuts - and now supporting Obamacare - is the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.
Its contribution to controlling health care costs? Just $80 billion over 10 years - out of total U.S. pharmaceutical outlays of $3.3 trillion.
And, as Fortune magazine pointed out, part of PhRMA's cuts are designed to get more Medicare recipients to use brand-name drugs when generics actually would be cheaper.
According to Health Affairs Editor-in-Chief Susan Dentzer, "bending the curve" of health cost growth depends upon "a lot of floating magic asterisks" in the Senate legislation, including the transformation of several pilot projects into actual policies that alter health spending patterns.
Purple People Vote Tags:Democrats, government healthcare, Max Baucus, Purple People VoteTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Today in Washington D. C. - Oct 2, 2009 - Senate Dems Have Pattern Of Trying To Keep Public InThe Dark
The Senate is in recess until 2 p.m. on Monday when it will take up the fiscal year 2010 Commerce-Justice-Science appropriations bill, H.R. 2847. On Tuesday, the Senate will resume consideration of the $636 billion fiscal 2010 Defense appropriations bill, H.R. 3326.
Yesterday, the Senate voted 40-59 against an amendment from Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) that called on Generals Petraeus and McChrystal to come to Congress and testify about their recommendations on Afghanistan. The Senate instead passed an amendment from Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI), the Armed Services Committee chairman, calling for testimony only after President Obama has made a decision which may be a long time in coming. If you have been keeping count, most of McCain's proposed amendments on any bills have been defeated. Seems that McCain would wake-up and pass his proposed ideas to others to offer. His old Democrat "friends" do not seem too friendly. And, McCain's perdiction that voters have nothing to fear if Sen Barack Obama becomes president, has also proven to be questionable.
Last night, the Senate Finance Committee (Democrats) completed work on amendments to chairman Max Baucus’ (D-MT) health care bill. A vote on the bill is not expected until next week after a preliminary CBO score is released.
In the past week a troubling pattern has emerged of Senate Democrats doing their best to prevent the public from learning about serious concerns with the Obama administration’s policies in several areas.
The Washington Post reports today, “A simmering feud over U.S. policy toward Latin America burst into the open Thursday when Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) tried to prevent a fact-finding trip to Honduras by a Republican senator who is blocking two important diplomatic appointments. Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) denounced Kerry's move on the Senate floor and sought the intervention of the minority leader, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). The Republican leader appealed to the Defense Department to provide an aircraft for DeMint's trip and the Pentagon agreed to do so, according to the South Carolina senator's office.”
The attempt by Kerry, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, follows two other moves by powerful Democrat committee chairman to keep the public in the dark about the strategy for Afghanistan and the effects of Democrats’ health reform proposals.
Yesterday, Senate Democrats followed the lead of Senate Armed Services Committee chair Carl Levin (D-MI) and voted down an amendment from Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), calling on Generals Petraeus and McChrystal to come to Congress and testify about their recommendations on Afghanistan. Levin took exception to the amendment arguing that it was improper to hear from the generals before President Obama has made a decision. Of course, in 2007, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid had bragged, “We forced General Petraeus to testify [on Iraq].”
As previously reported, last week, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) intervened with the Department of Health and Human Services, to prevent the insurer Humana from telling its customers that Democrats’ health care proposals would likely result in cuts to Medicare benefits.
From a gag order against insurance companies designed to hide uncomfortable Medicare cuts, to refusing to let our generals inform the public about the situation in Afghanistan, and now an attempt to prevent Republicans from visiting Honduras to get to the bottom of the Obama administration’s odd policy there, Senate Democrats seem determined to keep Americans in the dark! Tags:Afghanistan, gag order, health care, US Congress, US House, US Senate, Washington D.C.To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Olympics Committee Kicks the Obamas & Opra to the curb
Today, the Olympic Committee did not choose Chicago for the 2016 Summer Olympics. Not only did they not select them, the rejected Chicao in the first round of decisions. Chicago was in a race with Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo and Madrid for the 2016 games. Although this is not a victory for the Michelle and Barack Obama's and Opra Winfrey, it was in reality a victory for Chicago. As previously reported, "... a staggering 84% of the city opposes bringing the Games to Chicago ...." It also showed that there are people (the IOC) in the world who were not willing to be rolled by Chicago style politcs or influenced by the star power of Opra or the politcal pressure of Obama.
Update (4:20 p.m.): Comments by Gary Bauer:
An Olympic-Size Failure - As a true blue American patriot, I really wanted Chicago to win the right to host the 2016 Olympic Games. Nonetheless, I was astonished that President Obama and his White House advisors made the decision to send the overexposed president and first lady to Copenhagen to lobby the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for the bid. He is the president of the United States – not the head of the Chicago Chamber of Commerce.
An American president has a great deal of power, much of it granted by the Constitution and by statute. But a significant portion of his power derives from the sense of the office itself and the history written by the men who have occupied the Oval Office. When an American president speaks on major issues or in a crisis, his words carry great weight. This president took office with friend and foe acknowledging that he was an effective orator able to mobilize the masses, some even to the point of swooning. Eight months into his infant presidency, that asset has been eroded due to his narcissism and hubris.
Two weeks ago, President Obama brought his rhetoric to a joint session of Congress to advocate for socialized medicine. Support for his plan went up after that speech, but the “bounce” was gone within a week. This week the media were in full adoration mode as they breathlessly reported on the first lady’s and the president’s emotional appeals to the IOC.
This was not the “cowboy from Crawford.” This was “O,” “The One.” Surely Chicago would prevail. Then, the IOC voted, and apparently the Obama charm was not enough. (No doubt Jimmy Carter will be condemning the members of International Olympic Committee as racists any moment now.)
This was a humiliating defeat for the president, who had vested the prestige of his office into a “small” issue. He lost. Chicago lost. And on the same day, we found out that 267,000 Americans lost their jobs last month. The president is shrinking before our eyes.
Tags:Barack Obama, Gary Bauer, Michelle Obama, Olympics, Oprah WinfreyTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Bll Smith, Comments On trip to Washington, D.C.: 1. An Opinion from Memphis, TN. Arrived safely in Washington, D.C. to cover Americans for Prosperity Defending the American Dream Summit. One interesting event happened on the shuttle from the private airport parking to the Memphis airport terminal. ; My wife and I were the only passengers. I asked the driver (a male about age 50) about the local Memphis economy. To our amazement, shared about local job situations and businesses closings. He then mentioned how the Government was trying to take over everything and that Congress was ruining our country with debt -- and that the Obama administration was ruining America. My wife and I sat there amazed. We said we were going to D.C. and would attend a rally at the Capitol tomorrow and that we would be representing him an other Americans. By the way, do you suppose his negative comments about the Obama administration were racist? Very doubtful - the driver happened to be black. It was nice meeting and hearing from a fellow American.
2. What a View. Being career military, I had flown many times into National -- now Reagan International. Barring bad weather, you could always catch glimpses of the Capitol and parts of Washington, D.C. However, on this trip and with clear visibility, the airplane approached close to the Pentagon and then made its landing turn right near the WWII Memorial and we followed the Potomac River into the landing strip. We were seated on the left side and had a wonderful view straight down the Mall from the WWII Memorial to the Washington Monument and then to the the U.S. Capitol. The view was stunning!
3. A New Domain. While http://arkansasgopwing.blogspot.com/ remains the domain hosted with Google, after waiting many months for its availability, we now also have the domain http://ARRANewsService.com/. Both will get you to the ARRA News Service but the new domain is easier to remember and to share with friends. Tags:domain name, ARRA News Service, Opinion from Memphis, trip, Washington, D.C.To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Sarah Palin may no longer be governor of Alaska, but she's certainly destined to become a best-selling author. HarperCollins, her publisher, has announced the print-run of her memoir will be a staggering 1.5 million copies -- equal to the print-run of Senator Ted Kennedy's posthumous autobiography published this month. Publishing sources tell me that such a giant run is only ordered up when there is clear evidence from booksellers and surveys of massive interest in a book.
The book, which will be published on November 17, was a crash project. Ms. Palin actually moved temporarily to San Diego after she resigned the governorship in July so she could be close to her collaborator, Lynn Vincent. I bumped into Ms. Vincent, a former editor at the Christian-oriented World magazine, in New York a few weeks ago, where she had parked herself in a hotel close to the offices of HarperCollins while working on the book's final edits.
-------------- H/T/Isn't It Rich Tags:book review, Sarah Palin, WSJTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Blanche Lincoln Votes In Favor of Illegal Aliens Using Medicaid
by Erick Erickson, RedState: As Streiff noted yesterday, the Senate Finance Committee considered Senator Chuck Grassley’s (R-IA) amendment on the health care legislation that would require identification to take advantage of medicaid benefits.
Senator Grassley’s position, and the logical position, is that if one is not asked to show identification before taking advantage of a taxpayer funded health care program like medicaid, the program can be accessed by anyone under the sun, including people who are not supposed to take advantage of the program, like illegal aliens.
It’s common sense. But not to Senate Democrats, including Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), who back home takes a tough stance against illegal immigration.
Despite her tough claims, her vote yesterday proves she is full of it. According to the Senate, Senator Grassley’s amendment “amends Title 19 of the Social Security Act to require an applicant (or the parent or guardian in the case of a child under the age of 18) to present at the time of application for Medicaid or CHIP benefits government-issued photo identification and that identification must be authenticated with the issuing agency.”
Blanche Lincoln voted against this, opting instead to support illegal aliens using the program with no verification of their eligibility. She joined John Kerry and Chuck Schumer, two men who do not exactly have Arkansas’s values at heart. Tags:Blanche Lincoln, illegal aliens, illegal immigration, Red StateTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
The Senate resumed consideration of the $636 billion fiscal 2010 Defense appropriations bill, H.R. 3326. Later today, a vote is expected on an amendment to the bill from Sen. John McCain, the ranking Republican on the Armed Services Committee that calls on Generals Petraeus and McChrystal to come to Congress and testify about their recommendations on Afghanistan. The Senate Finance Committee also resumed its markup of chairman Max Baucus’ (D-MT) health care bill this morning, and is expected to finish voting on amendments.
Last night, after senators voted to waive two budget points of order against it, the Senate voted 62-38 to pass H.R. 2918, the fiscal year 2010 Legislative Branch appropriations bill, which includes a 30-day continuing resolution to fund the government, since Democrats once again failed to complete work on appropriations bills prior to the end of the fiscal year yesterday.
A Senate source reflects that "Before yesterday’s video conference with General Stanley McChrystal, it seemed that the commander in Afghanistan had less opportunity to speak with President Obama than he did with CBS’ “60 Minutes” crew. This White House has a history of arranging events to rebut criticism, such as holding a fiscal responsibility summit days after singing the $787 billion stimulus bill which ballooned the deficit. Hopefully, this was not another event in that series and was the beginning of Obama moving more towards the example that former president George W. Bush set in speaking frequently with his military commanders."
But the president isn’t the only one who would benefit from hearing from Gen. McChrystal, and the commander of Central Command, General David Petraeus. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said on the floor, “Later today, the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator McCain, will offer an amendment to the Defense Appropriations Bill that calls on our top commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, and the Centcom Commander, General David Petraeus, to come to Washington to explain to Congress and the American people why they believe the situation in Afghanistan is so perilous, what they believe is necessary for our success, and why.”
Sen. McConnell explained, “There’s recent precedent for this. Many Americans will recall that two years ago, in accordance with a requirement contained in another Defense Appropriations bill, General David Petraeus came to Washington to explain what had gone wrong in Iraq and what he and the rest of our forces were doing to turn things around.”
At that time in 2007, support among Democrats for doing what was necessary to achieve victory in Iraq was absent. There are signs that as things get tough in Afghanistan, support from Democrats for the mission there is also wavering. The Washington Post writes today, “With much of his party largely opposed to expanding military operations in Afghanistan, President Obama could be forced into the awkward political position of turning to congressional Republicans for support if he follows the recommendations of the commanding U.S. general there. . . . The emerging Democratic consensus is likely to constrain the president as he considers how best to proceed with an increasingly unpopular war.” Indeed, according to The Post, “Last week, a Senate panel stripped $900 million from the administration's $6.6 billion request to train and equip Afghan security forces.” But the White House issued a statement opposing the move.
Politico adds, “[House Speaker Nancy] Pelosi has privately and publicly warned the White House that there isn’t ‘a great deal of support for sending more troops to Afghanistan, in the country or in Congress.’ . . . Most House Democrats, according to party sources, are opposed to a U.S. escalation in Afghanistan, with maybe 40 to 60 ‘in play,’ meaning they would be open to White House appeals for more time, more money and more troops.” Politico also notes, “Recent polling shows the American public is ‘war weary,’ and the Democratic base is pushing for withdrawal, with groups like MoveOn.org leading that charge.”
Hopefully, Democrats will not prematurely give in to such pressure from their base and will support the McCain amendment to hear from Gen. McChrystal what is going wrong in Afghanistan and what he thinks needs to be done to ensure American success.
As Sen. McConnell said, “Congress, for its part, has a responsibility to fund and to oversee our armed forces. Part of that is ensuring that we have the best information possible, and that we make that information available to the American people. And that’s why it’s crucial that we have an opportunity to hear General McChrystal’s personal assessment of the mission that we confirmed him for, and that we give him an opportunity to explain why he’s concluded that more troops are needed to avoid failure in Afghanistan. General Petraeus’s testimony served a necessary purpose during an earlier debate over strategy. General McChrystal’s will do the same in this one.” Tags:Afghanistan, Continuing Resolution, General Stanley McChrystal, health care, President Barack Obama, US Congress, US House, US Senate, Washington D.C.To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
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Hugh Hewitt was a guest speaker at the American For Prosperity Defending the American Dream 2009 Summit. After speaking, he wrote the following article:
UPDATE (10:42 a.m.): Sen Jim. Demint, R-S.C., has just been honored with an the Washington Award by AFP Chairman David Koch.
UPDATE (11:02 a.m.): Radio host and Fox News contributer Herman Cain is addressing the crowd.
Sarah Palin's new book, Going Rogue, won't be out for at least 6 weeks but it's already the #1 best seller at 
