Sarah Palin delivered another one of her great campaign speeches for Steve Lonegan today at his campaign rally. You can watch the full speech below:
Saturday, October 12, 2013
HUELSKAMP: GOP LEADERSHIP FORGETTING TEA PARTY GAVE THEM HOUSE
Congressman Tim Huelskamp (R-KS) told Breitbart News that his party's leaders should be very careful about targeting conservative members associated with the Tea Party, as the reason Republicans hold a majority in the lower chamber is because Tea Party activists voted in a wave of conservatives in 2010.
"The Tea Party was the majority maker for House Republicans; without much of these new conservatives, there would not be a Speaker Boehner. There would not be an opportunity to push back on Obamacare, so it’s pretty clear," said Huelskamp. "But the Tea Party is not some small part--it is the conservative wing of the [Republican] Party, which is a pretty strong majority. I mean it’s taken on some key tenets of the Republican Party, which are conservative."
Moderate Republicans appear most concerned about the effect conservative Senator Ted Cruz (R–TX) will have on the upcoming 2014 mid-term elections, and mainstream media outlets are taking delight in this worry. However, according to the Center for Politics, if the GOP is successfully blamed for the government shutdown, it is not conservative Republicans who need to worry about running in tough races. More importantly, even if those GOP moderates lose those seats in 2014, the analysis says, the GOP is not necessarily in danger of losing the House:
Let’s be clear here: This is largely a thought experiment. Republicans have plenty of things going for them in the 2014 midterms. There’s no historical precedent for the president’s party to take over the House from the other party in a midterm; indeed, history tells us that the “out” presidential party — in this case, the GOP — is likelier to gain seats than the “in” party. The president’s approval rating as measured by the HuffPost Pollster average is actually worse today — 43.4% approve, 51.0% disapprove — than it was right before the 2010 midterm (45.1% approve, 49.9% disapprove).As we’ve shown recently — and as Prof. Arrington’s piece indicates — Democrats are going to have to really dominate the House generic ballot, and Election Day national House vote margin, to have a real chance at taking back the House.However, if Republicans do open the door to the Democrats in the House, it’s not going to be the “Ted Cruz Republicans” who will pay the price. Rather, it’s the House Republicans in marginal districts who could see their ranks decimated, just like the House Democratic moderates whose anti-Obamacare votes couldn’t save them in 2010.
Does the outrage from moderate Republicans towards conservatives have more to do with the fact that moderates could lose hefty influence within the party after the 2014 midterm elections?
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Voters to Politicians: Both Parties are Blundering
What to make of all the polls on the government shutdown? You know, the ones that say that, to varying degrees, congressional Republicans are being blamed more than Democrats and Barack Obama.
Let me give a roundabout answer, based on a theory that people sometimes try to send messages through their responses to poll questions. I developed this theory after watching British political polls since the 1960s.
For the large majority of that time -- the major exception was the first eight years of Tony Blair's prime ministership -- voters have given negative job ratings to the governments of the day. Yet during that time, incumbent parties have won most general elections.
This is not necessarily a contradiction. Britons, with their two-and-a-half party system (the Liberal Democrats are the half), are adept tactical voters. If they live in a district where Lib Dems are stronger than Labor, then Laborites will vote Lib Dem to keep the Conservatives out.
In responding to polls, British voters who fear the government may go too far will express disapproval as a way of checking the prime minister's theoretically dictatorial, but in fact limited power. Backbenchers will pressure the PM not to go too far if his or her job approval is low.
In our two-party system, Americans seldom vote tactically. But I think they sometimes respond to polls tactically.
That helps explain why Bill Clinton's job approval went up 20 points when the Monica Lewinsky scandal broke and Republicans threatened impeachment. That looks like a plea to Republicans to drop impeachment.
Americans believe in the Twenty-Second Amendment, limiting the president to two terms. Clinton had been elected to a second term and was competently performing his day work. Let him serve that term out, voters seemed to be saying.
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RACIAL TRADE-OFFS
Black congressmen and black public officials in general, including Barack Obama, always side with teachers unions in their opposition to educational vouchers, tuition tax credits, charter schools and other measures that would allow black parents to take their children out of failing public schools. Most black politicians and many black professionals take the position of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who is on record as saying, “We shouldn’t abandon the public schools.”
Taking such a political stance is understandable because black congressmen and other black elected officials are part of a coalition. As such, they are expected to vote for things that other coalition members want in order that those coalition members vote for things that black politicians want. There’s no question that these black public officials are getting something in return for their support of teachers unions and others who benefit from the educational status quo. The question not addressed by black people is whether what black politicians are getting for their support of a failed educational system is worth the sacrifice of whole generations of black youngsters, educationally handicapping them and making many virtually useless in the high-tech world of the 21st century.
Though many black politicians mouth that we should fix, not abandon, public schools, they themselves have abandoned public schools. They see their children as too precious to be sacrificed in the name of public education. While living in Chicago, Barack Obama sent his daughters to the prestigious University of Chicago Laboratory Schools. When he moved to Washington, President Obama enrolled his daughters in the prestigious Sidwell Friends School. According to a report by The Heritage Foundation, “exactly 52 percent of Congressional Black Caucus members and 38 percent of Congressional Hispanic Caucus members sent at least one child to private school.” Overall, only 6 percent of black students attend private school.
Rep. Gohmert Battles Fox Host Over ‘Clean’ Funding Bill: ‘Clean is Pretty Nasty’
Representative Louie Gohmert (R-TX) battled Fox News host Arthel Neville over whether the GOP shared any blame for the government shutdown and potential debt ceiling breach, arguing that President Barack Obama and Senate Democrats had refused multiple offers to negotiate.
“The party’s brand was hurt with TARP,” Gohmert said, “was hurt with so many things, but especially two and a half years ago when we made an offer to cut some of the massive overspending, and the President and Harry Reid (D-NV) said, ‘Nope, it’s our way or the highway.’”
“You’re not saying that either, Congressman?” Neville said. “Let’s have some honest talk here.”
Gohmert insisted that the dishonesty had been entirely Reid’s. “Harry Reid saying that there’s a bunch of firebrands and radicals in the House?” he alleged. “That’s not the case. We are together, but the hijacking has been the U.S. Senate by left-wing radicals who want to keep spending grandchildren’s money.”
Neville repeatedly try to keep the conversation moving. “I appreciate your passion,” she said. “And of course we’re not suggesting—Everybody has great suggestions. We have to mix and match.”
“No, you’re wrong there, you’re wrong there!” Gohmert interrupted. “Tell me what the president has suggested. Tell me what Harry Reid has suggested. They have not made one good suggestion, not one, other than total capitulation.”
“Any way out of this, sir?” Neville asked.
“Yes!” Gohmert said. “Have them start compromising. We’ve compromised over and over. We got to the point where we said, ‘Okay, here’s the deal. Here’s our negotiators’ conferees. That’s what the law requires.’ Harry Reid would not even appoint conferees as the law requires.”
“They asked you to come back to the table with some clean suggestions,” Neville responded.
“Clean is not clean,” Gohmert said. “It’s pretty nasty.”
As Neville went to break, she assured the audience that she had not cut Gohmert’s mic, as he was still speaking.
Watch the video below, via Fox News:
Cruz wins religious conservatives' 2016 straw poll
Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz decidedly won the presidential straw poll at the 2013 Values Voters summit, solidifying his status among religious conservatives.
Cruz, a first-term senator and Tea Party favorite, has emerged as one of the Republican Party and conservative movement’s most dynamic leaders – highlighted by his effort to defund ObamaCare.
Cruz, who appears to have presidential aspirations, took 42 percent of the vote, with Dr. Ben Carson and former Pennsylvania Sen. and GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum each getting 13 percent.
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Cruz, a first-term senator and Tea Party favorite, has emerged as one of the Republican Party and conservative movement’s most dynamic leaders – highlighted by his effort to defund ObamaCare.
Cruz, who appears to have presidential aspirations, took 42 percent of the vote, with Dr. Ben Carson and former Pennsylvania Sen. and GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum each getting 13 percent.
Though the 2016 race is years off, the annual summit in Washington is considered an early indication of how conservative voters are leaning.
“I just spoke with Senator Cruz and he wanted me to convey to you his deep appreciation for your enthusiastic and … that he was very grateful to know that there are Americans across the country who are standing with him as he stands for your values here in Washington, D.C.,” said Tony Perkins, the head of the Family Research Council, which is hosting the three-day event, according to The Washington Times.
Among the other Capitol Hill conservatives to speak at the event were GOP Sens. Rand Paul, of Kentucky, and Marco Rubio of Florida, also thought to have 2016 White House aspirations.
Paul finished in fourth place in the straw poll with 6 percent of the vote and Mr. Rubio finished fifth with 5 percent.
Cruz, whose speech was interrupted several times by immigration reform advocates, said Friday the health care law and Obama's spending priorities had put the nation on the wrong track. "We have a couple of years to turn this country around, or we go off the cliff into oblivion," he said.
Via Fox News PoliticsContinue Reading.....
Obama Bites Tongue as Cruz Confronts Him at White House Meeting
Sen. Ted Cruz seized the opportunity afforded by a White House invitation to confront President Barack Obama over his healthcare plan.
Cruz said he appreciated the chance to go see the president — but then presented him with "substantial" changes for Obamacare.
In the meeting, also attended by dozens of other Republican senators, Cruz refrained from using the word "defund," reports Politico. Instead he told Obama that all sides need to "provide substantial relief to the millions of people who are hurting because of Obamacare, who are losing their jobs, being forced into part-time work and losing their health insurance."
Cruz said he told the president that a deal to reopen the government must also provide relief for those affected by the Affordable Care Act.
One participant at the gathering told The Dallas Morning News that Obama seemed to "bite his tongue," while Cruz was talking.
Cruz said Friday he's happy there are finally discussions being held.
"That is an improvement," he said. "There was an awful lot of talk, but then, at the end of the day, the president still said he wouldn't negotiate."
But while Cruz has been focused on defunding Obamacare, leading the charge on attacking the insurance program as a condition for reopening the government, he denied Friday he's responsible for the government shutdown, instead blaming Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
Via: Newsmax
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Cruz said he appreciated the chance to go see the president — but then presented him with "substantial" changes for Obamacare.
In the meeting, also attended by dozens of other Republican senators, Cruz refrained from using the word "defund," reports Politico. Instead he told Obama that all sides need to "provide substantial relief to the millions of people who are hurting because of Obamacare, who are losing their jobs, being forced into part-time work and losing their health insurance."
Cruz said he told the president that a deal to reopen the government must also provide relief for those affected by the Affordable Care Act.
One participant at the gathering told The Dallas Morning News that Obama seemed to "bite his tongue," while Cruz was talking.
Cruz said Friday he's happy there are finally discussions being held.
"That is an improvement," he said. "There was an awful lot of talk, but then, at the end of the day, the president still said he wouldn't negotiate."
But while Cruz has been focused on defunding Obamacare, leading the charge on attacking the insurance program as a condition for reopening the government, he denied Friday he's responsible for the government shutdown, instead blaming Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
Via: Newsmax
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NANCY PELOSI JOINS WOMEN'S HALL OF FAME
Guess all the problems in Washington have been solved. Ms. Pelosi's not there to Screw Things up.
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, the late former first lady Betty Ford and Title IX advocate Bernice Sandler are among the nine women set to be inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame on Saturday.
The ceremony is being held in Seneca Falls, the western New York village where the first known women's rights convention was held in 1848.
"I'm absolutely thrilled. I can't believe it," Pelosi told The Associated Press this week by phone from Washington before the ceremony. Several of her female congressional colleagues, along with two of her daughters and two granddaughters, plan to attend.
Also being honored are "Sexual Politics" author Kate Millett; horse racing's most successful female jockey, Julie Krone; Ina May Gaskin, who is known as the "mother of authentic midwifery"; and monetary scholar Anna Jacobson Schwartz, who collaborated with Nobel laureate Milton Friedman on "A Monetary History of the United States, 1867-1960," published in 1963. She died last year.
The inductees also include the late Mother Mary Joseph Rogers, who in 1912 founded Maryknoll Sisters, the first U.S.-based Catholic missionary congregation of religious women, and 19th-century educator Emma Hart Willard, who advocated for equal education for women in higher education in the early 1800s.
"The 2013 inductees again represent the spirit of Seneca Falls and the groundbreaking events that inspired the nation and the world," Beverly Ryder, co-president of the board of directors, said in announcing the inductees this year.
Pelosi, from California, is being recognized for more than 25 years in politics and as the nation's first female House speaker and first woman to lead a major U.S. political party. Pelosi this year launched a women-based agenda on the 165th anniversary of the Seneca Falls convention, advocating for equal pay for women, paid family leave and affordable child care, which she said is the biggest missing piece to the fulfillment of women's potential.
Via Breitbart
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House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, the late former first lady Betty Ford and Title IX advocate Bernice Sandler are among the nine women set to be inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame on Saturday.
The ceremony is being held in Seneca Falls, the western New York village where the first known women's rights convention was held in 1848.
"I'm absolutely thrilled. I can't believe it," Pelosi told The Associated Press this week by phone from Washington before the ceremony. Several of her female congressional colleagues, along with two of her daughters and two granddaughters, plan to attend.
Also being honored are "Sexual Politics" author Kate Millett; horse racing's most successful female jockey, Julie Krone; Ina May Gaskin, who is known as the "mother of authentic midwifery"; and monetary scholar Anna Jacobson Schwartz, who collaborated with Nobel laureate Milton Friedman on "A Monetary History of the United States, 1867-1960," published in 1963. She died last year.
The inductees also include the late Mother Mary Joseph Rogers, who in 1912 founded Maryknoll Sisters, the first U.S.-based Catholic missionary congregation of religious women, and 19th-century educator Emma Hart Willard, who advocated for equal education for women in higher education in the early 1800s.
"The 2013 inductees again represent the spirit of Seneca Falls and the groundbreaking events that inspired the nation and the world," Beverly Ryder, co-president of the board of directors, said in announcing the inductees this year.
Pelosi, from California, is being recognized for more than 25 years in politics and as the nation's first female House speaker and first woman to lead a major U.S. political party. Pelosi this year launched a women-based agenda on the 165th anniversary of the Seneca Falls convention, advocating for equal pay for women, paid family leave and affordable child care, which she said is the biggest missing piece to the fulfillment of women's potential.
Via Breitbart
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Americans Storm The Barrycades At The Lincoln Memorial
Americans Storm The Barrycades At The Lincoln Memorial
This will send a stir through your heart.
Adults, elderly, young people, children–Americans–remove the Barrycades and charge up the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
“Remove the trash in Washington,” one shouts as goes up. He clearly wasn’t referring to any garbage left by the people.
Wave upon wave, ascend up the stairs.
This, please, and more of it, until we all make DC listen.
California: Coming Days Pivotal in Bullet-Train Fight
Friday — or sooner — will see a crucial development in the five-year fight over implementation of Proposition 1A, the 2008 ballot measure that provided $9.95 billion in bond seed money for a statewide bullet-train project while establishing a state law to ensure the funds are properly sent.
That is the deadline for the California High-Speed Rail Authority to respond to a landmark ruling by Sacramento Superior Court Judge Michael Kenny, who is hearing a series of related challenges to the rail authority’s project. On Aug. 16, Kenny released a decision related to a lawsuit filed by Kings County, Hanford farmer John Tos and homeowner Aaron Fukuda that agreed with their arguments that the rail authority would be breaking state law in two ways if it began construction of the project, as is now planned for 2014.
The judge held that the state had failed to identify the sources for the entire $31 billion needed to complete the bullet train’s “initial operating segment” from Merced to the San Fernando Valley and to obtain all necessary environmental approvals for that segment.
Instead of ordering the project be halted, however, Kenny scheduled a “remedies” hearing for Nov. 8 at which the state would discuss how it planned to address the deficiencies in its business plan and the inadequacies of its environmental reviews. The plaintiffs have already sent Kenny their proposed order. It argues that based on his Aug. 16 decision, the judge has no choice but to “permanently enjoin” the rail authority from proceeding with construction until it was in compliance with state law.
Set grounds for appeal — or accept likely long delays?
Observers of the Kings County lawsuit say rail authority officials — and Gov. Jerry Brown, who emerged as a vigorous project backer in late 2011 — have a starkly difficult decision to make in their remedies filing.
If they accept Kenny’s interpretation of Proposition 1A, their remedies would delay construction indefinitely and possibly permanently. It’s not just that full environmental reviews will take years, with project opponents having many opportunities to employ the NIMBY tactics long honed by California environmentalists. It’s the daunting task of finding more than $20 billion in firm new funding for the project. In the sequester era, the federal spigot that previously provided more than $3 billion in funds has been turned off. No private investors are interested without the sort of revenue or ridership guarantees that are forbidden under Proposition 1A.
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Obamacare: An Answer is only as Good as the Question
Many are asking if Obamacare can yet be declared a success. There's much talk about numbers. How many people have enrolled? How many people have signed up for a plan? Even people opposed to Obamacare have become caught up in this test of success, pointing to small numbers
Via: American Thinker
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But asking about numbers is to ask the wrong question. Because if the numbers swell over time and one's argument against Obamacare is now about numbers, then high numbers will mean it is a "success." But the number of people who sign up for Obamacare does not in any way change the core problems with the legislation.
As Ben Carson and so many others have pointed out, socialized medicine is key to controlling people. And if anyone doubts how a government out of control can mess with us, one only need see the vindictive behavior of the past week during the shut down to have a taste of how nasty it can get.
So don't be fooled by numbers, or by the importance of numbers. The left will do whatever is necessary, including lie, to wind up with sizable numbers. But that will be beside the point.
Via: American Thinker
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Readers React: Our Health Insurance IS Going Up!
On Friday, Heritage asked: “How much is your health insurance going up?” Here are some of the answers that came pouring in through email, Facebook, Twitter, and even Tumblr.
Our email responses included this from Kristalyn N.:
From Twitter:
Computer Upgrade Blamed For Nationwide EBT System Shutdown On Saturday
BOSTON (CBS) – A possible glitch in a computer system upgrade was causing major problems nationwide with the Electronic Benefits Transfer System on Saturday, as a countless number of shoppers found themselves stranded at the register.
Reports from around the country began pouring in around 9 a.m. on Saturday that customers’ EBT cards were not working in stores.
The glitch, however, did not appear to be part of the government shutdown. At 2 p.m., an EBT customer service representative told CBS Boston that the system was currently down for a computer system upgrade.
The representative said the glitch is affecting people nationwide. She could not say when officials expected the system to be restored.
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It's all down to McConnell and Reid as Default Talks Founder
The focus of efforts to end the government shutdown and prevent a U.S. default shifted to the Senate on Saturday, where leaders were in talks aimed at resolving the twin stalemates.
Word of the negotiations between Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and the top Republican, Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, emerged as the Senate, as expected, rejected a Democratic effort to raise the government's borrowing limit through next year.
"This bill would have taken the threat of default off the table and given our nation's businesses and the economy the certainty we need," the White House said in a statement.
Republicans objected because they want the extension to be accompanied by spending cuts.
The spotlight turned to the Senate as the partial shutdown reached its 12th day. It also came with the calendar edging closer to Oct. 17, when administration officials have said the government will deplete its ability to borrow money, risking a first-time federal default that could jolt the world economy.
House Speaker John Boehner told fellow Republicans earlier Saturday that his talks with President Barack Obama had stalled.
"The Senate needs to hold tough," Republican Rep. Greg Walden of Oregon said Boehner told House GOP lawmakers. "The president now isn't negotiating with us."GOP senators said the talks between Reid and McConnell had started Friday. That was confirmed by Senate Democratic aides.
"The only thing that's happening right now is Sen. Reid and Sen. McConnell are talking. And I view that as progress," said the second-ranking Republican senator, John Cornyn of Texas.
Via: Newsmax
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Word of the negotiations between Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and the top Republican, Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, emerged as the Senate, as expected, rejected a Democratic effort to raise the government's borrowing limit through next year.
"This bill would have taken the threat of default off the table and given our nation's businesses and the economy the certainty we need," the White House said in a statement.
Republicans objected because they want the extension to be accompanied by spending cuts.
The spotlight turned to the Senate as the partial shutdown reached its 12th day. It also came with the calendar edging closer to Oct. 17, when administration officials have said the government will deplete its ability to borrow money, risking a first-time federal default that could jolt the world economy.
House Speaker John Boehner told fellow Republicans earlier Saturday that his talks with President Barack Obama had stalled.
"The Senate needs to hold tough," Republican Rep. Greg Walden of Oregon said Boehner told House GOP lawmakers. "The president now isn't negotiating with us."GOP senators said the talks between Reid and McConnell had started Friday. That was confirmed by Senate Democratic aides.
"The only thing that's happening right now is Sen. Reid and Sen. McConnell are talking. And I view that as progress," said the second-ranking Republican senator, John Cornyn of Texas.
Via: Newsmax
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Mark Steyn: Park Service Paramilitaries
By: Mark Steyn (National Review Online)
If a government shuts down in the forest and nobody hears it, that’s the sound of liberty dying. The so-called shutdown is, as noted last week, mostly baloney: Eighty-three percent of the supposedly defunded government is carrying on as usual, impervious to whatever restraints the people’s representatives might wish to impose, and the 800,000 soi-disant “non-essential” workers have been assured that, as soon as the government is once again lawfully funded, they will be paid in full for all the days they’ve had at home.
But the one place where a full-scale shutdown is being enforced is in America’s alleged “National Park Service,” a term of art that covers everything from canyons and glaciers to war memorials and historic taverns. The NPS has spent the last two weeks behaving as the paramilitary wing of the DNC, expending more resources in trying to close down open-air, unfenced areas than it would normally do in keeping them open.
It began with the war memorials on the National Mall — that’s to say, stone monuments on pieces of grass under blue sky. It’s the equivalent of my New Hampshire town government shutting down and deciding therefore to ring the Civil War statue on the village common with yellow police tape and barricades.
Still, the NPS could at least argue that these monuments were within their jurisdiction — although they shouldn’t be. Not content with that, the NPS shock troops then moved on to insisting that privately run sites such as the Claude Moore Colonial Farm and privately owned sites such as Mount Vernon were also required to shut. When the Pisgah Inn on the Blue Ridge Parkway declined to comply with the government’s order to close (an entirely illegal order, by the way), the “shut down” Park Service sent armed agents and vehicles to blockade the hotel’s driveway.
Even then, the problem with a lot of America’s scenic wonders is that, although they sit on National Park Service land, they’re visible from some distance. So, in South Dakota, having closed Mount Rushmore the NPS storm troopers additionally attempted to close the view of Mount Rushmore — that’s to say a stretch of the highway, where the shoulder widens and you can pull over and admire the stony visages of America’s presidents.
Maybe it’s time to blow up Washington, Jefferson & Co. and replace them with a giant, granite sign rising into the heavens bearing the chiseled inscription “DON’T EVEN THINK OF PARKING DOWN THERE.”
Ryan emerges a possible dealmaker in fiscal crisis, with ObamaCare still in mind
Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan is emerging as the key congressional Republican in negotiating with Democrats to solve Washington’s two fiscal crises with a plan that only delays efforts to defund ObamaCare, not derail them.
Ryan, chairman of the House Budget Committee, is proposing a plan to increase to the federal debt that is tied largely to simplifying the tax code, make enough changes to Medicare to offset cuts to domestic spending and defense programs and a solid promise from Senate Democrats and President Obama to continue talks about reopening the federal government, other fiscal crisis.
Failure to increase the debt limit within roughly the next week would result in the country defaulting on its debt for the first time in history. The partial government shutdown started Oct. 1.
“I'm working to get a budget agreement,” Ryan told a group of conservative meeting this weekend in Washington. “We need to completely rethink government’s role in helping the most vulnerable. … That means we can never give up on repealing and replacing ObamaCare.”
His remarks, in a video message for the Value Voters summit, were reassuring to conservative concerned that Ryan in a recent Wall Street Journal op-ed piece seemed to have abandon the idea of defunding or altogether dismantling ObamaCare as part of fiscal negotiations -- considering how hard they, led by Tea Party favorites Sens. Ted Cruz, Texas, and Mike Lee, Utah, worked to garner support for the effort.
New Hampshire waitress picks up tab for furloughed National Guard soldiers
A New Hampshire waitress picked up the tab for two service members she overheard say were furloughed due to the government slimdown.
Sarah Hoildahl was waiting tables at a Ruby Tuesday in Concord, New Hampshire, when two National Guard members sat in her section for lunch, FoxCarolina.com reported.
Holidahl, a 21-year-old single mother who reportedly has friends in the military and is dating a Marine, heard the women discussing the furlough and mention that they weren’t getting paid.
After they had finished their meal instead of delivering the soldiers a check, she sent them a note.
“Thanks to the government shutdown the people like you that protect this country are not getting paid, however I still am. Lunch is on me thank you for serving ladies! Have a good day!” the note read.
Holidahl said the members waited out front for her and hugged her. “Just seeing the reaction on their face was totally worth it,” she told NECN.
News of her gesture quickly spread and the New Hampshire National Guard posted a picture of Sarah and the copy of her note on their Facebook page. Holidahl said the response she has received is overwhelming.
“I mean, they protect this country and the citizens like me,” Holidahl told FoxCarolina.com. “It’s a nice thing to do,” she said.
Chairman Buck McKeon Delivers the Weekly Republican Address
WASHINGTON, DC – Delivering the Weekly Republican Address, House Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon (R-CA) delivers a brief update on Republicans’ efforts to reopen the federal government and provide fairness for all Americans under the president’s health care law.
Your Weekly Address: End This Government Shutdown - Saturday October 12, 2013
In this week’s address, President Obama said that Republicans in the House of Representatives chose to shut down the government over a health care law they don’t like. He urged the Congress to pass a budget that funds our government, with no partisan strings attached. The President made clear he will work with anyone of either party on ways to grow this economy, create new jobs, and get our fiscal house in order for the long haul – but not under the shadow of these threats to our economy.
OBAMACARE TECHNICAL PROBLEMS WORSEN
The Washington Post reports that the ObamaCare site problems are even worse than originally believed. It is not just the buyer-end of the ObamaCare website that is unworkable, so is the back end that is supposed to tell insurance providers who their new customers are. This might also explain why the White House is refusing to release to the media the number of ObamaCare enrollees: they just don't know.
The problems stem from a feature of the online marketplace’s computer system that is designed to send each insurer a daily report listing people who have just enrolled. According to several insurance industry officials, the reports are sometimes confusing and duplicative. In some cases, they show — correctly or not — that the same person enrolled and canceled several times on a single day.
The ability of consumers to sign up for a health plan, and the ability of the insurers to know who they are covering, is key to the success of the federal law that will for the first time require most Americans to have health insurance starting Jan. 1.
The only possible silver lining in this for the administration might be that the sporadic reports of the shockingly low number of enrollees are incorrect. More people might be signing up that what those reports suggest. Unfortunately for them, their insurance providers just don't know it.
What is especially unjust about all of this is that every American now lives under a government mandate to purchase health insurance or pay a hefty fine. The sign-up window to avoid the fine lasts only six months and already two weeks have been burnt up by a site that doesn't work (and reportedly cost $634 million). Still, the president is refusing to give the American people the same one-year delay he gave big business.
In the early days of the ObamaCare launch debacle, the Administration did its best to spin America by explaining that the sites were crashing due to the "luxury problem" of demand. Millions were hungering for ObamaCare and the sites couldn’t handle the traffic! Now that nearly two weeks have passed and the problems persist, not even a sympathetic media is buying it.
Sen. Pat Roberts Calls For Fellow Kansan Kathleen Sebelius’ Resignation Over ‘Failed’ Obamacare Exchanges
U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) responded to implementation of the federal health insurance reform law Friday by calling for the resignation of former Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius from her post as secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Roberts, a Kansas Republican and frequent critic of Obamacare, said Sebelius should step aside for "grosss incompetence leading to the complete failure" of the online exchange system designed to enroll millions of Americans in health care plans in accordance with the 2010 legislation signed into law by President Barack Obama.
"How long do we let this failed exchange continue to operate?" Roberts said. "From the very beginning of the bill’s passage, I have said this cannot work."
The online network of exchanges in each state have been plagued by an onslaught of people who have been unable to register.
“Today we know, the problems with the exchanges are systematic, profound and indisputable,” Roberts said. “And, yet, the secretary won’t shoot straight with the American people."
“In the absence of a full repeal of Obamacare, which is my preference, we need new leadership from top to bottom. I am calling on the secretary to resign,” the senator said.
Paul Ryan Flashes Anger at Senate Republicans
House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan lashed out at Senate Republicans for interfering with the House GOP’s talks with the White House to reopen the government and lift the debt ceiling, suggesting his colleagues on the other side of the Capitol were betraying Speaker John Boehner.
“They’re trying to cut the House out, and trying to jam us with the Senate. We’re not going to roll over and take that,” Ryan told reporters. When asked if he felt “double crossed,” Ryan said “you look at the facts and draw your own conclusions.”
Senate Republicans, led by Senator Susan Collins of Maine, are negotiating with Democrats on a package to reopen the government and lift the debt ceiling into next year with relatively modest concessions for the GOP.
Ryan said House Republicans only learned the details about the plan this morning, and added that he strenuosly objects to it. When asked which parts of the plan he objected to, Ryan said there are “too many to go into.”
One of the most significant differences between a House framework sent to the White House late Thursday and Collins’ plan is the length of time it would extend the debt ceiling. Boehner has put forward a six-week extension, while Collins’ plan has been reported to extend almost until February 2014.
At a closed-door meeting with House Republicans minutes earlier, Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor offered a similar message to their colleagues.
OBAMA REJECTS LATEST HOUSE GOP OFFER
President Obama used his weekly radio address to reject the latest offer from House Republicans to end the fiscal stalemate. The outline of their proposal was released Friday and would have reopened government through December and lifted the debt ceiling for six weeks.
"It wouldn’t be wise, as some suggest, to just kick the debt ceiling can down the road for a couple months, and flirt with a first-ever intentional default right in the middle of the holiday shopping season," Obama said in his address.
"Because damage to America’s sterling credit rating wouldn’t just cause global markets to go haywire; it would become more expensive for everyone in America to borrow money," Obama continued. "Students paying for college. Newlyweds buying a home,"
On Friday, Senate Republicans floated the outlines of their own plan to end the standoff. Their proposal would lift the debt ceiling through the end of January and reopen the government for six months. The dueling proposals put Obama in the enviable position of choosing between his opponents. He can reject one proposal and still look Presidential by negotiating on a competing offer. Obama said Friday he would look for the "best deal."
On Saturday, the House Republicans are meeting to finalize the details of the plan they released Friday. Obama's rejection of even the outlines of that plan make the next moves by the House uncertain. The Senate, meanwhile, moves back to center-stage of the debate with a vote Saturday afternoon on a one-year increase in the debt ceiling.
Gov. Brown bans lead ammo in hunting, vetoes other gun control bills
SACRAMENTO -- Gov. Jerry Brown on Friday signed 11 gun control bills including a ban on the use of lead bullets by hunters, but vetoed seven measures restricting firearms that were introduced in response to the massacre last year at a Connecticut elementary school.
Brown rejected a proposal to ban the sale of semiautomatic rifles with detachable magazines, and bills that would have expanded the list of crimes that would bar the offender from firearms possession. He signed bills requiring more safety training for gun owners and better tracking of guns that are lost or stolen.
The ban on lead bullets was proposed by Assemblyman Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood) because the substance is toxic and can poison those who eat animals shot with the ammunition.
“We are thrilled that Governor Brown has made AB 711 the law of the land,” Rendon said in a statement. “There is simply no reason to continue using lead ammunition in hunting when it poses a significant risk to human health and the environment.” That bill goes into effect in July 2019.
The one bill singled out for a possible lawsuit by the National Rifle Assn. had been passed would have banned the future manufacture, importation and sale of semiautomatic rifles with detachable magazines, and require those who already own such guns to register them.
Brown said California already has some of the strictest gun control laws in the nation, including an assault weapons ban. The ban on rifles with detachable magazines goes too far, he said in a veto message, because it would outlaw the sale of guns used by hunters and marksmen.
“I don’t believe that this bill’s blanket ban on semiautomatic rifles would reduce criminal activity or enhance public safety enough to warrant this infringement on gun owners’ rights,” Brown said.
Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) introduced the bill to plug a loophole in the state’s assault weapons ban by preventing rapid reloading through the use of replaceable magazines.
“There is no legitimate reason for hunters or sportsmen and women to have battlefield-style rifles that can quickly spray dozens and dozens of rounds through the rapid reloading of detachable magazines,” Steinberg said, noting those kinds of weapons have been used in some recent mass killings.
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