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Remember Taxation Without Representation? What Happened To It?

Because so many members are afraid to cast a “yes” vote to approve the Senate’s Death Care bill, Nancy Pelosi and her rule changer in chief Louise Slaughter have come up with another hair-brained scheme to get the Death Care bill to the Emperor’s desk. This time, they’ll forward a rules change which would allow the House to move on to language they want in the Reconciliation bill in the Senate thereby declaring the Senate bill passed in the House without even taking a vote. Seems to me that our founders fought a war over this kind of thing.

Embedded in the Senate Death Care bill is billions of dollars in new taxes. So in a manner of speaking passing the Senate bill through declaration and by not taking a vote, the House is rubber stamping a bill without representing the people. I think the founders called that Taxation Without Representation. Are you ready to grab your pitchfork yet?

The American people need to let our Congress-critters know that a vote to approve this change in the rules which would allow this scheme to pass is just the same as if they vote “yes” on the bill. Members are banking on their ability to say, “No, I didn’t vote for the Senate bill” but would they deny voting for the rule which allowed it to become law without the House voting on it?

A “yes” vote by any member on this rule or on the bill itself should be treated the same and mark any member voting in any manner which allows this bill to become law and they should be thrown out on his/her ear for their decision to not listen to the American people who DO NOT WANT THIS BILL TO BECOME LAW.

The President says that he doesn’t concern himself with procedure but perhaps he should. The more he ignores what’s going on the more power he is grabbing and the American people have noticed. His poll numbers are entering the dismal range when even Gallup has his disapproval ratings higher than his approval rating (47% disapprove 46% approve).

Rasmussen Reports has him worse off with a Presidential Approval Index of -18.[1] The percentage of those polled who say they “approve” of Obama’s job performance is 44% with 55% of those polled saying they “disapprove”. Those who “strongly disapprove” out number those who “strongly approve” 42% – 24% in today’s Rasmussen Reports Presidential Approval Index polling data.

Something that we all need to keep in mind is that if this monster of a bill passes, it is going to take not only a Republican controlled Congress, but a Republican Super-Majority in each house numbering 2/3rds to over-ride an Imperial Presidential veto. So the reality is that this thing cannot pass.

Should the Democrats succeed in their political shenanigans and forward this thing to Obama without the House voting on it, there are preparations already made to file a federal lawsuit challenging the Constitutionality of the procedure upon which it was passed. If that should happen and a federal court agrees to hear the case, the whole danged bill goes on hold from that point on. But that is a HUGE “if”. The court would have to agree to hear the case to delay implementation of the law and it could take YEARS for final disposition of the case.

If your Congress-critter is on the fence about this bill, make sure he/she knows that even voting for the change in the rule would mean a vote for his/her opponent November 4th. The only word you want out of your Representative is “NO” on Death Care.

Say it with me…


NO TAXATION
WITHOUT REPRESENTATION!


References and/or Footnotes:
  1. Rasmussen Reports Presidential Approval Index is tabulated by subtracting the percentage of those polled who “strongly disapprove” of the President’s job performance from those who “strongly approve”. []

The ‘Slaughter Solution’ Officially Nixed By Senate Parliamentarian

I love The Drudge Report. It is like one stop shopping for news stories. As of this writing, there is a headline up on Drudge that says…

Ruling Kills an Option for Moving Health Bill…

Note: The link to the story from Drudge is incorrect and it leads nowhere. In the interest of full disclosure, the link that I’ve embedded is the correct link to the story.

I read that headline and got excited. “Is the plan to use Reconciliation dead?” Not exactly…

According to Roll Call, the Senate Parliamentarian has made a ruling that directly impacts a tactic that has been in the works in the House that has been dubbed the ‘Slaughter Solution’. Named for House Rules Chairman – Louise Slaughter – it is a tactic whereby the House would approve the Senate bill but would not forward it onto the White House for signature until AFTER the Senate approved changes to the current Senate bill through Reconciliation. Problem – the bill must become law before the Senate can modify it through Budget Reconciliation. Meaning, it must have the President’s signature BEFORE the Senate can proceed. If it chooses to.

As I’ve pointed out before, Senate Democrats are going to want the issue of “health care” to die and die quickly after a law if passed. Once the ink from the President’s signature is dry on that document, they want to forget about it because that bill represents a massive net loss in Senate seats for the Democrats on November 4th. Dragging this thing out will only keep the matter fresh in the minds of the voting public and they DoNotWantThat. Senate Democrats are banking on America’s short-term memories and political ADHD to keep them in power even if by only one seat.

If this bill is approved by the House, after the President’s signature is on it, should the Senate attempt to amend it through Budget Reconciliation they can only address items that impact the federal budget. Policy is left out of the equation anyway. So any hopes for substantive changes in the bill are automatically nixed. However, the Republicans will stone wall any changes made to the bill through the amendment process further dragging out the debate. ‘Health Care’ – more aptly named Death Care, will drag out towards the summer months when every single Republican candidate for House and Senate will be using members voting records on this hotbed issue to sink every single Democrat candidate they can.

The American public want a mulligan. They would rather nothing pass than this bill. But Democrat understand if this bill does not pass the President’s agenda is sunk. With 279 of them currently serving in elected office indelibly tied to Obama on this issue, Michael Moore’s prediction of the November election will be an inconvenient reality. He told Rachel Madcow…

“And now it’s like, I just feel like the Democrats are – they’re in for an ass-whooping of Biblical proportions in November if they don’t get off the dime and do the job they were sent there to do. I mean that. I mean, it – don’t they see that?” – source Newsbusters

Vulnerable Democrats are avoiding the President like the plague. When Obama chose to propagandize the American people through an orchestrated event at a St. Louis high school where was Missouri Senatorial candidate Robin Carnahan? She was attending a fundraiser in Washington DC. While Obama was helping incumbent Senator Claire McCaskill raise money for her 2012 re-election campaign.

Obama is fast becoming a political liability for Democrats facing a jobloss in 2010. His track record to this point is dismal. He failed in Copenhagen twice. He failed to be any help in New Jersey and Virginia as both races for governor were lost to the Republican candidates. He failed in Massachusetts allowing the Republican candidate to be elected and losing his filibuster proof Senate.

I said his filibuster proof Senate because that is what it was. A 60 vote majority of yes-men/women. With 60 votes they could have literally rubber-stamped anything that he wanted. But they didn’t and that’s how he ended up in this predicament.

How else can you explain what has happened? How else could his “health care” takeover have failed? It was completely done within his Party. Blaming Republicans to his base may be popular with his incredibly shrinking base but the reality of the situation is understood by a vast majority of voting Americans and it shows in the polls. Even the incredibly Democrat friendly Gallup Poll has Obama’s approval rating at an all time low (for their poll) at 46%. How much lower can he go?

According to Rasmussen Reports and their Presidential Approval Index he is sitting at -21. Meaning 21% more Americans strongly disapprove of his job performance than strongly approve.

Before the 2008 elections I told all of you that Obama is a man who has failed at every single thing he has tried except running for a couple of political offices – including the Presidency. Why would the electorate put trust in a man who is an epic failure? They did and this is what we got.

He is liar of grand proportions who makes Slick Willy’s finger wagging look like an innocent white lie. He has broken just about every single campaign promise he made. Why would anyone trust this man? The incredibly shocking thing is there are millions who do. Thank GOD most of them never vote.

Pelosi: “We’re Close”; But Are They?

For over a year now the Democrats have been engaged in an intraParty battle over what they are attempting to call a health care bill. Before I go on, can we all agree to call a spade a spade here? This isn’t health care reform at all. This is a systematic dismantling of the health insurance industry. Nothing in any of the bills that have been discussed over the past year has anything to do with health care. The Emperor’s quest to make health insurance coverage more affordable has nothing to do with actual health care. Just who pays for it.

We can argue until the cows come home about the validity of the Emperor’s suggested proposals. The truth is what is being discussed isn’t really his bill. He doesn’t have a bill. There are only two real bills. The House bill written by Nancy Pelosi, Henry Waxman and their lobbying buddies; and the Senate bill written by Harry Reid and his lobbyist buddies. The House bill is now deceased. May it rest for eternity along with the Third Reich.

The current “debate” is over the Senate bill. And much to the dismay of the uber-left, they cannot blame the stalemate on Republicans. Why? Because for over 98% of the time spent “debating” this issue, Republicans were denied a seat at the table. This has been a 100% Democrat show and the hold up is within their Party. Reid, Pelosi, and Obama can talk all they want about Republican obstructionism but truth be told until Scott Brown was seated, Republicans couldn’t stop it.

They wanted this thing passed by the summer recess. That didn’t happen. Then it was Labor Day. Nope. Halloween? Sorry. Thanksgiving? Try again. Christmas… They did get the Senate bill passed by Christmas but it was so far away from the House bill that it was basically a non-starter for Conference. Then along came Mr. 41 – Scott Brown – who has vowed to be a NO vote against this boondoggle. Now the Dems are still attempting to find a way to pass something marked (accurately or not) “health care reform” without needing to include Republicans because if they were forced to include the opposition party they would have to compromise on their more Socialist agenda items. And they are NOT willing to do that.

All the fighting has been between Democrats. Because they cannot achieve cloture in the Senate, the only way to pass anything is for the House to pass the Senate bill as is – without warranty show me the Carfax. But they can’t show the House the Carfax because it doesn’t exist. The premise is that the House would pass the Senate bill as is in exchange for a promise to amend the bill through budge reconciliation after it is signed into law. Yeah right. House members are not about to give the Senate a free pass and not get anything of their bill included.

Unlike what has been plastered all over the media for the past 2 – 3 weeks, reconciliation probably won’t be an issue since the likelihood of the House finding the votes needed to pass the Senate bill is about the same as Frosty the Snowman surviving for an hour in a sauna. Let’s look at some numbers.

The House bill barely passed 220 – 215. 217 votes were needed for passage. One of those votes was a Republicans who is now a confirmed NO vote with no chance of changing. One yes vote (John Murtha) has died and two others yes votes have resigned. Another Democrat was a NO and resigned. Still another No vote is no longer a Democrat as he switched Parties right after the vote. By this math Pelosi has the 216 she needs.[1]

Now lets discuss Pelosi’s problems with another group of yes votes last time. Rep. Bart Stupak and a collection of pro-life Democrats are vowing to vote no because the Senate bill allows for federal funding of abortion. There seems to be a level of conjecture about whether or not Stupak and company are willing to betray the pro-life cause in the face of the Chicago tactics of arm twisting and bribery. Never-the-less, Pelosi needs every single Stupak vote or this fails.

Yet other Democrats who were yes votes on the House bill may be no votes on the Senate bill because it isn’t liberal enough. Many pro-public option Democrats may not vote with Pelosi on this because no public option language is included in the legislation and it cannot be added in reconciliation.

The votes simply do not exist and the longer this drags out the less likely it will be to pass. As time clicks by the deeper into primary season we get. Many of those who the Infestation and Pelosi want to vote for this bill may be unwilling to do so if this drags on much longer. A clear majority of Americans do not want this bill. The nation is divided upon whether anything should be done at this time or not but the fact remains, a majority do not want this bill.

As primary season progresses, fewer Democrats will be willing to stretch their necks for this bill. And that may lead to its ultimate demise. Democrats know how unpopular the bills is and may see a vote in favor of it as being a couple of hundred thousand votes against them for reelection. And they’d be right.

Republicans will be using members’ positions on this bill as a campaign tool against incumbent Democrats in November. No votes will stand a chance but yes votes, unless the member is from a very socialist ‘progressive’ area of the country, will signal an early retirement.

In short I don’t believe they are as close as they are leading to believe. If they were, why then would they be asking the White House to back off their March 18th time-line? Food for thought.


References and/or Footnotes:
  1. 216 is needed rather than 217 because of the unfilled vacancy created by the resignation of Rep. Massa on Monday []

Doubling Down on Death Care

Yesterday the Emperor paraded out a bunch of people in white lab coats – claimed them to be doctors, physicians’ assistants, and nurses – to publicly “instruct” Congress that the time for debate is over. Like a strict father to his petulant children he said (in a nutshell), “the time of tomfoolery is over so get to work and pass my bill.”

Where his clout comes from he hasn’t a clue. But in the opinion of this voting citizen anyone who votes for this sham of a “health care bill” is committing political suicide. I guess he hasn’t noticed but the primary season has begun and at-risk members of the House and Senate are going to be very weary about sticking their necks too far out. They have the fear of a fattened-up turkey on Thanksgiving in their eyes.

He arrogantly touted that this plan has the best aspects of both Democrat and Republican proposals in it. But – it really doesn’t. It has all the destructive aspects of the Progressives in it for sure, but nothing of substance from the right. The American people know this to be true and their Congress-critters know that their constituents aren’t as stupid as the Emperor hopes they are.

Senate Democrats don’t really want any part of using budget reconciliation to placate the far left in the House. Not to mention, they can’t until the House passes the already passed Senate bill which hasn’t a snowball’s chance in Satan’s bedroom of passing in the House.

Harry Reid knows that he’s out of a job come the end of the year so he’s willing to double down with the Emperor. Pelosi, she knows that the libtards in her district are just stupid enough to continue down the road to socialism even as those very policies are destroying their home state. So she’s comfortable in knowing that her job is safe – her job as a US Congress-critter that is. As for being Speaker? In her mind it has been a good 4 years,. But come January, she has to give up her private airline.

Any Senator up for re-election is toast if they sign onto passing this thing under reconciliation. Any Progressive Congress-critter knows that they are toast if they sign on to the Senate bill. Any moderate Congress-critter knows they are as well.

In short, I don’t think this thing has legs. Honestly, I don’t see it passing because too much power is at stake. Too many in Congress will see their political futures go by the wayside with their “yes” vote. The Emperor is still in there punching though. He’s already begun to hand out bribes.

From the Weekly Standard

Tonight, Barack Obama will host ten House Democrats who voted against the health care bill in November at the White House; he’s obviously trying to persuade them to switch their votes to yes. One of the ten is Jim Matheson of Utah. The White House just sent out a press release announcing that today President Obama nominated Matheson’s brother Scott M. Matheson, Jr. to the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.

Think back dear reader to the 2006 midterms… Remember a term the left used to gain power by appealing to the politically apathetic? The term was “Culture of Corruption”. What do you call a Democrat Leadership in the House, Senate, and White House who buys votes for legislation using political payoffs, appointments, and graft? How about a Party who keeps disgraced members in Committee Chairs in the midst of ethics investigations? What do you call a Presidential Administration who appoints a tax cheat to head the Department of the Treasury? I don’t know about you but to me that defines what a true “Culture of Corruption” is.

It is up to us – WE THE PEOPLE – to do what we have done since they first set a deadline to pass this monstrosity. Make our voices heard on Capital Hill. The message should be loud and clear. Pass this bill and resign because come November – you are out of a job Jack.

The message to the incoming Congress should be just as clear. Repeal EVERYTHING this Congress has passed immediately.

Make no mistake – there is about to be regime change on Capital Hill. It’s going to happen. The question for Democrats is how much control are you willing to give up? The more of you who sign on the greater the Republican majority will be.

So go ahead lefty – sign on to a bill and a process which short circuits the American people. We kind of want you to.

Will He Or Won’t He Bring A Bat?

[0735] In just a few short hours the dog and pony show disguising as a bipartisan summit will be taking place at Blair House. My question is – Will the Emperor bring a bat?

My reference is to Robert De Niro’s portrayal of Al Capone in the 1987 film ‘The Untouchables’.

In a very famous scene, Capone has his underlings over for a meeting. They are all sitting around a HUGE rectangular table as Capone walks about making a baseball analogy. He suddenly stops behind his target and begins to bash the man’s head in with a baseball bat. That is the Chicago way.

If I were John Boehner and company, I’d be weary of attending this thug’s meeting. At very least, I would be sure that no one brings a Louisville Slugger.

All kidding aside, this is nothing resembling what it’s been billed to be. The Infestation wants to show that they are reaching out to the opposition in a “bipartisan” way but in reality, this is a sit down. He’s going to threaten all kinds of bad stuff if Republicans do not get on board with this turkey. For the Republicans, there is a risk in even attending this sham. There is a further risk if any Republican member or Senator signs on to this monstrosity.

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich has suggested that unless Republicans are able to control half the time as promised, they should all walk out. I have a better idea. Show up, wait for the Emperor to make his appearance, as soon as his ass cheeks hit the chair, one by one excuse themselves and leave the building. Leave that pompous ass there all by his lonesome. Force them to use Reconciliation because it will damage them beyond anything that Republicans can do.

The American people do not like political chicanery and that is what will be needed to pass this plan. If We The People can deny their use of Imperial politics, we will avoid total economic collapse. But if this thing passes – the nation will be doomed to follow Greece into that economic black hole they are being consumed by.

NO BILL IS BETTER THAN ANY BILL AUTHORED BY DEMOCRATS.
And I don’t just mean health care bills.

Dems Following the Emperor Into Political Obscurity [UPDATED]

This week’s “health care summit” is nothing more than a PR opportunity for the Emperor in that it will give him face time on TV portraying a facade of “bipartisanship”. It is his way to truly show the Republicans as the “party of NO” when they reject his ultimatum. Because that is what this is. “Either you play ball or I’ll use my bully pulpit to portray you as standing in the way.” That’s the real message to Republicans on Thursday.

The Infestation and the Democrat Politburo aim to use political chicanery to muscle through legislation which has already passed one house – the Senate. A bill that even Democrats do not like incidentally. They will then make “adjustments” to the Senate bill through budget reconciliation. Problem – the bill itself.

The bill is filled with unconstitutional provisions including, but not limited to, the health insurance mandate. Also included is a provision which basically says that it cannot be repealed by subsequent Congresses. How absurd! Even the Constitution has a method of modification built into it.

This is nothing more than the Emperor dictating and his Politburo complying.

Some on the left make the case that if the Emperor does not force this through it will mean disaster for Democrats in November and beyond. Actually, the opposite is true.

Every single Democrat who votes to pass this turkey will be doing so at his/her own political peril. The people do not want it. A New York Times/CBS poll shows the American public is more concerned with jobs than health insurance.

Which is a bigger concern to you personally–the economy and jobs or health insurance and health care costs?[1]

  • Economy and jobs 59%
  • Health insurance and costs 27%
  • Both equally (Vol.) 13%
  • Neither (Vol.) 1%

Speaking of poll numbers, Obama’s latest 2 Rasmussen Reports Presidential Approval Indexes have signaled terrible news for the Emperor. His index is down to its lowest point ever at -19 with a measly 22% of those polled saying they strongly support the President and 41% saying they strongly oppose. His overall numbers in the dumper as well. According to the index, Obama has an approval rating of 45% with 54% opposed.[2]

If Democrat House members actually believe that following this moron is the way to keep their jobs then they are going to have the shock of their lives come November. The smart money is on killing this bill forever and always.

The job of the Conservative blogosphere, talk radio, every single elected Republican and their combined staffs over the next 9 months is to continually remind the American people of who is responsible for this bill. Who wrote it and who voted for it in its various forms. Any ‘yes’ votes on this turkey should be portrayed as the political “kiss of death”.

OH – and Democrats…

By all means parade your increasingly unpopular Emperor in front of your constituents. The more he campaigns the more Republicans will win. When his Infestation is done on January 20, 2013, he will be known throughout American history as the worst Chief Executive ever to hold the mantle of leadership in the Republic. Anyone who follows his “leadership” will be forever pinned to that legacy. So by all means – GO AHEAD. :D

[UPDATE 1712]

After thinking about this post for a while I have realized that I left something out. The destruction of a fiction as-a-matter-of-fact…

The Emperor and the entire left has been spewing a falsehood that the GOP hasn’t offered any solutions. Sorry to inform you but yes they have. You can view or download the pdf of the GOP plan HERE as well as a summery HERE and a side-by-side comparisson to the Pelosi bill HERE. Notice the dates on the documents.

GOP’s solutions…

  • Number one: let families and businesses buy health insurance across state lines.
  • Number two: allow individuals, small businesses, and trade associations to pool together and acquire health insurance at lower prices, the same way large corporations and labor unions do.
  • Number three: give states the tools to create their own innovative reforms that lower health care costs.
  • Number four: end junk lawsuits that contribute to higher health care costs by increasing the number of tests and procedures that physicians sometimes order not because they think it’s good medicine, but because they are afraid of being sued.
  • SOURCE

The truth is that the left and their President are not interested in alternative solutions. They only see one solution. Socialism. Anything that is not part of their socialist take over of America is not a consideration. Their goal is not the health and welfare of the people their goal is control of the people. The GOP’s plan leaves the people in charge and that is something the left can not allow to happen.

If Obama is awake – he’s lying. If Pelosi or Reid have heartbeats – they are lying.


References and/or Footnotes:
  1. Methodology: Conducted by CBS News/New York Times, February 5 – February 10, 2010 and based on 1,084 telephone interviews. Sample: National adult. The interviews were conducted by land-line and cell phones. []
  2. The Presidential Approval Index is calculated by subtracting the number who Strongly Disapprove from the number who Strongly Approve. It is updated daily at 9:30 a.m. Eastern []

Democrat Cannibalistic Munchfest…


…Let The Feeding Begin

Today class, we are going to examine the Democrat Tribe. They are a less developed community of humans as they become cannibalistic when threatened. Let me explain…

Political failure leads to finger-pointing which then morphs into a sort of twisted political brand of cannibalism. This is especially true for Democrats. It manifested itself rather conspicuously during the Clintonian Infestation and, to this point at a lesser degree, in the Obama Infestation. We haven’t yet seen a massive “redistribution” of the proverbial deck chairs – but it’s coming.

More than at the White House, Democrats in Congress are more apt to throw each other under that political bus than anywhere else. If a Representative or Senator steps out of the pre-carved political groove you can pretty much assume that their current term will also be their last if they have not already entrenched themselves in their seat. We see this already as incumbent Democrats are beginning to face primary challenges in their midterm races. More often than not, moderates are being challenged by the far-left.

What brings about this observation today is a story that appears in The Hill’s online version – Congressional Democrats point finger of blame at Rahm Emanuel. The Hill’s Alexander Bolton points a spotlight on the frustration of Congressional Democrats who are beginning to smell blood in the water. It seems that before the cannibals begin to swarm and close in on someone, there has to be a transgression committed by the individual that makes them already vulnerable, and that is what is happening to Rhambo.

Rham already took a political hit for his choice of words that drew the firestorm begun by former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. This transgression combined with his intense personal involvement with the Infestation’s failed effort to get national Death Care passed has driven him underground. While he is in political purgatory, those looking to save their own hides are taking aim at Emanuel and will eventually put enough pressure on the Emperor to make a change. If they can shift the focus from their failure and project[1] it upon Emanuel, thereby lessening the blow to themselves in their re-election efforts, then perhaps they may survive the retribution from the voters for their shameful practice of ignoring their constituents.

Progressives do not believe that Emanuel did enough to swoon impressionable Republicans to the cause. Moderates think the Infestation and Congressional leadership tried to do too much at one time, thus creating a large opposition where Emanuel was the point man for the Infestation.

In a sense, Emanuel used a “scorched earth” policy on Death Care which left the Democrats and the Emperor without a major victory in the first year of this Congress. It is a well known in national politics that the only productive year of a Congress is the first year. Every House member and 1/3rd of the Senate spend year 2 of the Congress running for re-election so nothing generally gets done. Certainly nothing that would risk re-election prospects. No productive first year means an impotent Congress.

With the impending anti-incumbent political tidal wave set to crash into the Democrat majority in November, entrenched Democrats are no longer in a position of safety. The uber-left see 2009 as the wasted opportunity to achieve a century of planning. They came out of their political holes to put forth the most aggressive push toward socializing the United States since FDR and have failed again. Much worse, they’ve exposed themselves for the world to see.

We’ve already begun to see the re-branding of themselves. First they were “progressives” until that became a dirty word in America. They then switched to “liberal” until they destroyed that image. They then wanted to re-claim “progressive” believing it to be a more appealing description of what they are. Now that Americans again know what they wish to “progress” toward, they are re-branding themselves as “POPULIST” because they believe it to be more appealing than “progressive” or “liberal”. As the old saying goes, “You can put lipstick on a pig, but it is still a pig.”

In the dust-up to the 2010 midterms we will begin to see changes made. Loyalties will be tested and some abandoned. We’ve seen how Democrats treat their own once they are drummed out of the corps. Ask William Jefferson how it was to be abandoned by his Speaker and his Party. Or John Edwards for that matter. And if you need any further evidence of what I have written ask Senator Joe Lieberman. First his Party runs someone else for his seat forcing him to defend it as an Independent. Then, because he sided with the Republican candidate for President (albeit a PROGRESSIVE Republican), they threatened to strip him of his Committee Chair. THEN, because he opposed the Emperor’s Death Care bill, his wife’s job was threatened. Those power hungry Democrats want to feed. They are eager to feed and nothing will stop them from feeding…even if it’s on their own kind.

Like sharks, Congressional Democrats are beginning to hunt for a scapegoat. Emanuel has been identified as the most vulnerable high profile member of the Infestation. He is someone who does not face re-election this year and is a fitting scapegoat to project their insecurities upon. Let the feeding frenzy begin.


References and/or Footnotes:
  1. Projection is a defense mechanism in which anxiety-arousing impulses are externalized by placing them, or projecting them, onto others – Personality: Classic Theories And Modern Research – Third Edition ©2006, pg.97 []

Is the Congressional Democrat Leadership Deaf Or Just Plain Stupid?

After this past week’s stunning victory of Republican Scott Brown in Massachusetts, it seems that Democrat leaders on the Hill are showing signs that they are incapable of learning what elections actually mean.

A Fabrizio, McLaughlin & Associates poll showed that 78% of voters supporting Scott Brown said their vote was intended to stop the Death Care bill. Let us not lose sight of the fact that only 12% of registered voters in Massachusetts are Republican. Let us not forget also that Independents broke 3:1 for Brown. But yet Pelosi and Reid desire to push through Obamacare anyway.

This begs the question… “Is the leadership of Congressional Democrats deaf? Or are they just plain stupid?”

Albert Einstein famously said, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”. Using Einstein’s logic, Reid and Pelosi are insane.

They spent nearly a year trying to ram through this Death Care proposal but the People of the United States revolted. First they had to have it by August 1st. Then it was pushed back to October 31st, then Thanksgiving, then Christmas. Both houses have past their own versions of what they wanted Death Care to look like. But they are far from similar.

The next push? Get it reconciled by the State of the Union. Problem, Massachusetts that was supposed to be a lock for Democrat Martha Coakley – well the voters had other ideas.

Instead of letting it die, Reid and Pelosi are fantasizing about playing Frankenstein with the now deceased bill. They wish to bring it back from the dead and parade the legislative monster in front of the American People as if to say –

“It doesn’t matter what you want. We are in charge and what you want does not matter. We rule this nation so just sit back and watch American Idol and we’ll tell you what you will do.”

Their collective manner is insulting to the American voter and it is this attitude which has led to first the angry townhalls, the Tea Party protests, and finally to the election of Scott Brown in a state where a Republican hasn’t held national office since 1973. The next “teaching moment” for liberals on Capital Hill will be on November 4th. Their affinity for ignoring the American People will likely put more seats in play than previously thought.

FoxNews.com is reporting…

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid reportedly are considering a new list of changes to the Senate health care reform bill that could be passed separately as a way to advance the suddenly stalled overhaul of the health care system.

If such changes are passed in a separate piece of legislation, it could make the current Senate health care bill acceptable to enough liberal House members to pass it, allowing Democrats to achieve their goal of sweeping health care reform, Politico reported.

With the number of people rejecting Death Care in the “bluest of blue states”, it seems to me that Democrat leaders must either be deaf or just plain stupid. Which? I care not to speculate about. But I will say that Einstein’s comments on insanity seem to be in play as well.

Brown Defeats Coakley All Eyes Now On White House, Senate, and House

Scott Brown defeated Martha Coakley by a margin of 5 percentage points in a state where Republicans are out-numbered 3:1 by Democrats. This should have the Emperor having nightmares beginning tonight.

Obama’s agenda is dead. That is unless he and his cohorts Pelosi and Reid begin utilizing political end-runs around the democratic process. His Infestation announced last week that their agenda for 2010 was Immigration Reform. I think that it is pretty safe to say that agenda is now off the table. Cap and Tax failed to come to a vote on the floor of the Senate. That too is dead on the table. But Death Care… That is where the Emperor, Pelosi, and Reid could stick it to the American people and use political shenannigans to pass the progressive movement’s biggest incursion into the private lives of normal every-day American citizens’ lives.

Frank Luntz conducted a focus group of Massachusetts voters that did not include a single registered Republican. Most of the group in fact voted for Coakley. But as results were streaming in indicating that Brown was going to prevail, the overwhelming majority of those in the focus group advocated halting everything in the Senate until Brown is seated. A message echoed by Virginia Democrat Senator Jim Webb.

From the Politico

In many ways the campaign in Massachusetts became a referendum not only on health care reform but also on the openness and integrity of our government process. It is vital that we restore the respect of the American people in our system of government and in our leaders. To that end, I believe it would only be fair and prudent that we suspend further votes on health care legislation until Senator-elect Brown is seated. - Senator Jim Webb (D VA) in a statement

That focus group also pointed out a couple of keys as to why Massachusetts voters failed to deliver for Coakley. The Death Care bill was the most prominent. They did not like Congress and the Emperor taking action on this bill when it is clearly not the will of the people. Secondly, those in the focus group who voted for Brown also cited the out of control spending and growth of government.

Now that Senator Elect Scott Brown has been elected and he is duly qualified to serve as United States Senator, it is imperative that Paul Kirk be prohibited from casting any additional votes in the Senate. As of right now, he is no longer a Senator. And even if they do try to rush through a vote on some sort of compromise, I doubt Senator Lieberman would vote for cloture so – that would be a useless effort.

Other political games being talked about at the White House is budget reconciliation OR getting the House to pass the Senate bill as is. Somehow I doubt the House is willing to play ball on that one.

As the Politico is also reporting…

But several House members said Tuesday night that they had no interest in pursuing the most likely scenario for moving ahead with a bill — approving the already-passed Senate version of health reform in the House – and some said President Barack Obama should step back and start over.

Remember that the House version only passed with 220 votes. Forcing the Senate bill at this point would likely fall short of the required 218 for passage.

In other words, the Emperor’s agenda is now officially dead. No Death Care bill. No Cap and Tax. No Immigration bill. It is now the season of bipartisanship or nothing for Obama, Pelosi, and Reid. Reid is done come November 4th and Pelosi will likely lose control of the House. Obama is going to be awful lonely unless he begins to learn how to get along with the minority. Because today’s minority will likely be next year’s majority and I don’t see Obama learning to govern from the center as Clinton did after the 1994 midterms.

He’ll need to get used to the words – Lame and Duck.

Judgment Day; Dems Scramble to Find Way to Pass Death Care [UPDATED]

With the latest polls looking rather grim for the Democrat seeking election to the seat formally held prisoner by the late Senator Edward Kennedy, Congressional Democrats and the White House scramble to put together some way to get Death Care rammed through without needing to face cloture with the possibility of a Senator Scott Brown voting ‘NO’. They’ve discussed budget reconciliation but that maneuver would strip the guts out of their Death Care bill. They’ve discussed rushing through a compromised bill while delaying certification of Brown by the Massachusetts Secretary of State thereby allowing their political stooge, Sen. Paul Kirk, to cast the required ‘Yes’ vote on cloture. And now they are actually considering bringing the Senate bill to a vote in the House. Of the three proposals, only the third has a viable shot at achieving their goals.

Attorneys for the Republican Party have been painstakingly going over legal language in Massachusetts law which provided for the current Senator by Special Appointment, Paul Kirk, to be seated and have come to the conclusion that after a winner is declared in the Special Election being held today, Kirk will no longer be a United States Senator. The language in Massachusetts law only provides for an appointee to be seated in the Senate “until election and qualification of the person duly elected to fill the vacancy.”

The Weekly Standard explains…

But in the days after the election, it is Kirk’s status that matters, not Brown’s. Massachusetts law says that an appointed senator remains in office “until election and qualification of the person duly elected to fill the vacancy.” The vacancy occurred when Senator Edward Kennedy died in August. Kirk was picked as interim senator by Governor Deval Patrick.

Democrats in Massachusetts have talked about delaying Brown’s “certification,” should he defeat Democrat Martha Coakley on Tuesday. Their aim would be to allow Kirk to remain in the Senate and vote the health care bill.

But based on Massachusetts law, Senate precedent, and the U.S. Constitution, Republican attorneys said Kirk will no longer be a senator after election day, period. Brown meets the age, citizenship, and residency requirements in the Constitution to qualify for the Senate. “Qualification” does not require state “certification,” the lawyers said.

To my knowledge, there hasn’t been any challenge of either candidates’ qualifications to sit as a United States Senator especially since both are current office holders in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. So an attempt to rush a bill to the floor of the Senate before Brown can be seated is not a viable plan for Democrats. They would still be at least 1 vote shy of cloture on a Compromise bill.

So budget reconciliation is not an option and rushing a compromise bill is equally non-viable. That only leaves passing the Senate bill in the House. But can it?

For those on the far left who want more than the Senate bill allows it may be a difficult pill to swallow. For those who have a pro-life constituency to answer to, it may be an even larger pill.

Rep. Bart Stupak (D MI-1) authored an amendment to the House bill which gained enough majority votes to pass their version of the bill. Remember, that bill very narrowly passed gaining only 2 votes over the required 218 for passage. Without a similar restriction on federal funding for abortion I doubt some who voted for the House bill based on inclusion of that amendment would be willing to vote for the Senate bill. And any changes to the Senate bill would have to be returned to the Senate as a compromise bill where 60 votes for cloture will not likely exist after today’s election.

We must also remember that all 435 members of the House of Representatives are up for re-election (or elections to fill vacancies created by retirements) this year. Each House member who votes for this bill will have the daunting task of facing his/her constituents about why he/she voted to pass a bill that a clear majority of this nation does not want. Many members will be thinking of their political futures before casting a vote on Death Care. A vote for passage of Death Care will forever be pinned to those who cast it and spell political suicide come November 4th in most cases.

The Democrat Caucus is already down by 1 vote with the defection of Rep. Parker Griffith (AL-5) to the Republican Party reducing the Democrat Caucus from a 40 vote majority to a 39 vote majority. Many more have chosen the path of retirement rather than the embarrassing thought of facing the voters of their district for helping to pass massive spending legislation in direct contrast to the wishes of the people of their districts.

What a conundrum for Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. Unless the House passes the Senate bill “as is” the Emperor’s 1st year in office will go down in history as an epic failure. But Nancy seems like she feels that she has the votes to pass the Senate bill in the House.

According to Alex Koppelman of the War Room hosted on the extremely liberal Salon.com…

Given what looks like the impending loss of the party’s Senate supermajority, Democrats have reason to be down in the dumps about healthcare reform. But if that’s the way House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s feeling, she’s not showing it publicly.

“Let’s remove all doubt, we will have healthcare one way or another,” Pelosi said during an event in San Francisco on Monday. “Certainly the dynamic would change depending on what happens in Massachusetts. Just the question about how we would proceed. But it doesn’t mean we won’t have a health care bill.”

Well let me be as equally clear as Ms. Pelosi has been. Should Scott Brown win today’s special election in Massachusetts, Pelosi will need to pass the Senate bill “AS IS” in the House to get her precious Death Care bill. Without it, Death Care is as dead as the Cap and Tax bill.

[UPDATE 1143]

Intrade’s latest numbers has Brown listed at 65.4 which means traders believe that he has a 65.4% chance of winning in today’s Special Election. Coakley conversely is down to 36.0. This doesn’t bode well for Coakley as Intrade is remarkably accurate.

[UPDATE 2 1151]

New numbers out of Intrade has Brown at 70.0 and Coakley at 30.0. It’s not looking good for the Lib-team.

[UPDATE 3 1335]

Newest numbers out of Intrade, Brown tops yesterday’s close of 77.1. Current numbers have Brown at 78.9 Coakley 21.0.

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Remember Taxation Without Representation? What Happened To It?

March 17, 2010

Because so many members are afraid to cast a “yes” vote to approve the Senate’s Death Care bill, Nancy Pelosi and her rule changer in chief Louise Slaughter have come up with another hair-brained scheme to get the Death Care bill to the Emperor’s desk. This time, they’ll forward a rules change which would allow [...]

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March 11, 2010

I love The Drudge Report. It is like one stop shopping for news stories. As of this writing, there is a headline up on Drudge that says…
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March 11, 2010

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Doubling Down on Death Care

March 4, 2010

Yesterday the Emperor paraded out a bunch of people in white lab coats – claimed them to be doctors, physicians’ assistants, and nurses – to publicly “instruct” Congress that the time for debate is over. Like a strict father to his petulant children he said (in a nutshell), “the time of tomfoolery is over so [...]

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February 25, 2010

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February 22, 2010

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Democrat Cannibalistic Munchfest…

February 9, 2010

…Let The Feeding Begin

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January 19, 2010

Scott Brown defeated Martha Coakley by a margin of 5 percentage points in a state where Republicans are out-numbered 3:1 by Democrats. This should have the Emperor having nightmares beginning tonight.
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Judgment Day; Dems Scramble to Find Way to Pass Death Care [UPDATED]

January 19, 2010

With the latest polls looking rather grim for the Democrat seeking election to the seat formally held prisoner by the late Senator Edward Kennedy, Congressional Democrats and the White House scramble to put together some way to get Death Care rammed through without needing to face cloture with the possibility of a Senator Scott Brown [...]

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