DNC mocks Ryan-Romney 'bro-mance' in latest web ad
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) released a new Web video Friday mocking what it calls the "bro-mance" between Republican presidential front-runner Mitt Romney and House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.).
Gingrich 'wouldn't say no' if Romney offered him VP slot
Newt Gingrich said Monday he "wouldn't say no" if asked by rival Mitt Romney to be his vice presidential nominee â€" but he added that he "can't imagine" the GOP front-runner offering him the job.
Democratic mayor of Boston refuses chance to endorse Warren
Popular Boston Mayor Tom Menino â€" an influential Democrat many have credited with bringing the party's convention to his hometown in 2004 â€" told WBZ this week that he wasn't taking sides in Massachusetts's high-profile Senate race.
Karen Santorum: âIâm looking to Tampa, but who knows?â
Karen Santorum told Fox News that her and husband, Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum, are in the primary race "for the long haul" but declined to a predict an outcome for the GOP nomination contest.
Karen Santorum: 'I'm looking to Tampa, but who knows'
Karen Santorum told Fox News that her and husband, Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum, are in the primary race "for the long haul" but declined to a predict an outcome for the GOP nomination contest.
GOP rep.: If Uncle Sam hit the jackpot, he'd still be broke
Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-Kan.) knows how to bring some perspective to a national daydream.
With all the hoopla building up to Friday night's world record lottery drawing, the Kansas congressman wondered what would happen if the federal government took home the unprecedented $640 million prize.
Gallup: Romney leads by 15 percent nationally
Mitt Romney has pulled away from the rest of the GOP field nationally, according to the latest Gallup five-day rolling average of polls.
Poll: Majority say Gingrich and Paul should drop out
Most voters say it’s time for Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul to drop out of the Republican presidential primary, according to a CNN-ORC poll released on Tuesday.
Santorum, Blitzer spar over treatment of New York Times reporter
CNN host Wolf Blitzer pressed Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum on his treatment of New York Times reporter Jeff Zeleny during a sometimes heated exchange Monday, during which Santorum accused the Mitt Romney campaign of feeding questions to reporters and running from his record on key issues.
Healthcare nightmare awaits?
If the Supreme Court declares the individual mandate in ObamaCare unconstitutional, can it sever the mandate from the remainder of the bill?
If it can’t, the entire legislation is declared null and void. If this is the eventual outcome, Congress must commence from ground zero again.
Polls: Obama pulling away in three swing states
President Obama leads the GOP presidential candidates in Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania â€" three states that will be critical in determining the outcome of the 2012 election, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released on Wednesday.
Herman Cain blames 'the liberals' for controversy over goldfish, rabbit ads
Herman Cain on Tuesday promised to continue making controversial Web ads to criticize economic issues, despite recent controversy over ads that appeared to depict a goldfish suffocating and a rabbit being shot to death.
"The liberals are trying to paint it like I’m killing animals," he said Tuesday night on a conference call with reporters.Â
McCain: Citizens United will bring 'major scandals'
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) predicted there would be "major scandals" as a result of the rise of super-PACs thanks to the Citizens United ruling by the Supreme Court.
Romney calls Russia âour No. 1 geopolitical foeâ
Mitt Romney on Monday called it “alarming†and “troubling†that President Obama told Russia's president he would have “more flexibility†to deal with them on missile defense after the election.
“This is a president who has been telling us one thing and planning on doing something else,†he said on CNN’s “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer.â€
Romney, Rep. Ellison see âThe Hunger Games'
GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney and Democratic Rep. Keith Ellison (Minn.) †had very different reactions to the new blockbuster movie “The Hunger Games†this weekend.
Romney, who saw the movie with wife Ann, son Matt, and grandkids, told CNN he “enjoyed it†and it was a “fun†weekend activity.Â
Ellison tweeted that it was sort of “chilling.â€
Pro-Santorum super-PAC making $304,000 ad buy in Wisconsin
A pro-Rick Santorum super-PAC is spending $304,000 on television advertising in Wisconsin.
The advertising, by the Red, White and Blue Fund, will start Tuesday, according to Stuart Roy, an adviser for the super-PAC. Roy said the ads will go up in Milwaukee and Green Bay on broadcast and cable.
The television ads come ahead of Wisconsin's primary on April 3.
Rep. Allen West calls Rep. Rushâs 'hoodie' a security risk
He said in the “hoodie,†Rush could have been someone who “walked off of the street.â€
West said the incident might be funny now, but speculated that at the time, Capitol Police were likely concerned.
House Democrat: Shooterâs family should âcry out for justiceâ in Trayvon Martin case
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), one of the outspoken congressional voices raising concern that injustice was done in the shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Florida last month, on Friday asked family and friends of the shooter to join the push for further investigation.
“Today I am calling for the arrest of Mr. Zimmerman so the justice system can go forward,†she said on progressive Ed Schultz’s radio show.
Our liberty is in great danger
If the other 49 states want compulsory healthcare insurance, there is no reason why they cannot have it if permitted under their constitutions. However, there is no reason for the federal government to impose ObamaCare on the 26 states contesting its constitutionality.
Without getting into the technical merits of the constitutionality of ObamaCare, clever attorneys can cogently argue both sides of the issue. However, the case for ObamaCare requires an Orwellian expansion of the Commerce Clause which few Americans can understand.
Rubio: Still not interested in VP job after Romney endorsement
A day after Sen. Marco Rubio made waves with his announcement he is endorsing Mitt Romney, the Florida Republican stressed that he was still not interested in joining the GOP front-runner on the ticket.
"My answer hasn't changed on the vice presidential stuff. I know people keep asking me but my answer hasn't changed," Rubio told CNN Thursday.
Asked if there were any circumstances under which he would change his mind, Rubio left little wiggle room.
"Yeah, I'm not going to be the vice president," he said.
Sen. Durbin: Amount of time Senate spends fundraising would shock Americans
Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said this week that most Americans would be “shocked†at how much time members of Congress spend fundraising.
"I think most Americans would be shocked â€" not surprised, but shocked â€" if they knew how much time a United States senator spends raising money," Durbin told NPR’s “Morning Edition†in a segment that aired Friday. "And how much time we spend talking about raising money, and thinking about raising money, and planning to raise money."
GOP: Corporate tax rate no April Fools' joke
Republican congressmen are growing increasingly restless prior to April 1, but their anger has nothing to do with April Fools' jokes.
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The United States will soon have the highest corporate tax rate in the world, Republicans are tweeting. The rate, which will go up April 1, will hurt job growth in businesses, they say.
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“No April Fool's Day joke here: On Apr 1st, US will have highest corp tax rate in the developed world, making it harder on biz to create jobs,†Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) tweeted.
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Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker to face recall election in June
A government accountability board officially ordered a recall election of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker after nearly 1 million voters in the state signed a petition to force a new vote.
The board's unanimous ruling was widely expected after opponents of the governor gathered hundreds of thousands of signatures beyond the 540,208 necessary to demand a recall election.
Walker drew the ire of Wisconsin Democrats after pushing through a law that eliminated public sector employees' ability to organize in labor unions. The legislation, which also forced greater deductions from state worker's paychecks for pension and healthcare costs, drew weeks of vocal protests in the state capitol of Madison.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker will face recall election in June
The board's unanimous ruling was widely expected after opponents of the governor gathered hundreds of thousands of signatures beyond the 540,208 necessary to force a recall election.
Walker drew the ire of Wisconsin Democrats after pushing through a law that eliminated public sector employee's ability to organize in labor unions. The legislation, which also forced greater deductions from state worker's paychecks for pension and health care costs, drew weeks of vocal protests in the state capitol of Madison.
From Mitt Romney to Ron Paul: The vast wasteland of American conservatism
In my most recent column, “Supreme Court scandals,†I suggested that America endures a partisan Republican and ideologically extreme Supreme Court majority that has run amok, embodies the hypocrisy of a delegitimized conservative movement and has become an enabling force for the most corrupted of the 1 percent. From the shamelessly unprincipled Mitt Romney to the shameful and unprincipled pandering to Romney by Ron Paul, who like Romney is now a man without a conscience, we are witnessing the end of conservatism as a credible intellectual force in American public life.
Aide: Cheney âdoing greatâ after heart transplant
Former Vice President Cheney is “doing great†on Friday and personally returning calls from strangers who wished him well following his heart transplant, according to an aide.
Cheney has been calling “perfect strangers†to thank them for sending him get-well cards, Cheney spokesperson Kara Ahern told Fox News. “Most of them are shocked when he tells them who is calling.â€
Cheney, who has a history of heart trouble, had a heart transplant last Saturday. He had been on the donor wait list since June 2010 and waited longer than average for the organ, according to ABC News.
Gingrich: Ryan endorsement 'a great achievement' for Romney
Newt Gingrich called House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan's (R-Wis.) endorsement of Mitt Romney a big win for the former Massachusetts governor.Â
"It's a great achievement for Mitt Romney," Gingrich said Friday on Charlie Sykes's radio show. "Paul Ryan is one of the rising stars in the Republican Party."
Gingrich said the endorsements from Ryan and, earlier in the week, from Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) were big gets for Romney. Absent from the entire interview was any criticism by Gingrich directed toward Romney or Rick Santorum, both of whom have maintained strong leads over the former House Speaker in recent polls.
The lack of any criticism is part of Gingrich's revamped campaign strategy; a spokesman for Gingrich recently announced that he would refrain from criticizing his primary opponents and instead focus on making it to the Republican National Convention.Â
Army Reserve issues reprimand to soldier who appeared in uniform at Ron Paul rally
The U.S. Army Reserve said Friday that it had officially reprimanded Jesse Thorsen, the soldier who endorsed Ron Paul in uniform during the Texas congressman's Election Night rally in Iowa. Members of the armed forces are banned from participating in political events while in uniform.
"The investigating officer found that Spc. Thorsen was in violation of DoD Directives and Instructions when, while in military uniform but not on any duty status, he participated in a partisan political rally and made a speech advocating for a partisan political candidate while in uniform, and received a reprimand that has been placed in Spc. Thorsen’s Official Military Personnel File," the Army Reserve said in a statement.
Paul has made support from the troops a selling point of his campaign, frequently noting that he has received donations from more members of the armed services than any other presidential candidate.
Beyond the 2012 Farm Bill: In It for the long haul
As the 2012 Farm Bill debates heat up, it is imperative that we begin to look beyond the traditional five-year timeframe that this legislation establishes. Instead, we must consider, on an ongoing basis, what it will take to shape the sustainable, resilient food and agriculture system that we all want and need for the future. Maintaining healthy, productive and profitable U.S. farming and ranching operations is an important element of our future food and agriculture system. Public policy and government support must go well beyond risk management tools and income guarantees for today’s farmers and ranchers.
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And others must be engaged in the search for solutions. Civil society and private sector engagement and participation are vital for a successful, holistic and sustainable food and agriculture system. Through collaboration, investment and innovation among all stakeholders, we can develop and meet a new vision for agriculture, one that addresses our future! needs, concerns and challenges.
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Obama remains mum on Supreme Court healthcare arguments
President Obama said Friday while fundraising in Vermont that his November battle to retain the White House would be a "clarifying election" that is "healthy for our democracy." But the president again avoided comment on the week's deliberations before the Supreme Court that have seemingly left his signature healthcare reform law in peril.
While the president stressed the important role the healthcare law has played in the lives of everyday Americans, he avoided direct mention of the three days of arguments before the Supreme Court earlier this week. Legal observers in the courtroom were critical of the performance of Solicitor General Donald Verrilli Jr., saying the government's lead attorney had seemingly failed to convince the court of the constitutionality of the legislation's individual mandate.
The White House said Friday that it was unlikely the president would comment on the Supreme Court arguments, outside of conveying Thursday that Obama wa! s pleased with Verrilli's performance.
Nikki Haley strongly denies rumors of looming tax indictment
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley strongly denied rumors Thursday that she could be indicted on charges of tax fraud in connection with a Sikh center where her parents are top officials.
"Sorry, fellas. I'm not going anywhere, no matter how many lies you put on a blog. The days of dirty blogger politics will come to an end when people stop paying these guys to spread trash," Haley said in a post to her Facebook and Twitter pages.
The statement was prompted by a report in the Palmetto Public Record that anonymously cited "two well-placed legal experts" who said they expected the Department of Justice to issue an indictment against the governor as early as this week.
National Ocean Policy is an executive power grab
The Obama Administration power grab continues. This time the president wants to seize more executive control over a massive piece of real estate: our oceans, the tributaries that lead to them, and the inland areas that surround those waterways.
Plenty of regulations, on the federal, state, and local levels, already govern the supervision of our oceans and coastlines. An estimated 140 laws are on the books for managing fisheries, offshore energy development, and marine conservation.Instead of cutting out the overlap and redundancy, and lessening the heavy burden of government rules, the Obama Administration is following a course that will create broad new regulations and expand Executive Branch overreach.
Just months after President Obama took office he formed a panel of federal bureaucrats and told them to create a “national policy†that would oversee oceans, coastlines, and the Great Lakes. Then, by executive order, the president launched a Nati! onal Ocean Council which led to nine smaller panels. As the layers of federal bureaucracy pile up, so have the guarantees that the outcome â€" the president’s National Ocean Policy â€" will be another top-down, centralized plan that tramples the power of states and the rights of individual citizens.
Romney slams Biden over 'global minimum tax' proposal
Mitt Romney released a statement Friday hammering Vice President Biden for suggesting a "global minimum tax" at a campaign stop in Iowa earlier this week, arguing the proposal would harm American companies' ability to compete internationally.
“Raising taxes on American job creators is apparently not enough to satisfy President’s Obama’s trillion-dollar spending addiction. Instead of promoting pro-growth tax policies that provide businesses with the economic freedom to grow and prosper, he is backing a ‘global tax’ that would harm American competitiveness," Romney said in a statement released by the campaign. "My plan to reform the tax code by cutting rates and encouraging reinvestment here in America is the right way to jump-start an economic recovery and create new American jobs.â€
Biden made the comment while campaigning in Davenport, Iowa, on Wednesday.
"For years, American manufacturers have faced one of the highest tax rat! es in the world. We want to reduce that by over 20 percent. We want to drop the rate, particularly, for high-tech manufacturers like you … even further than the 20 percent," Biden said. "We want to create (what's called) a global minimum tax, because American taxpayers shouldn't be providing a larger subsidy for investing abroad than investing at home."
Top donor to pro-Santorum super-PAC donates spends directly on behalf of Santorum
The top donor to the pro-Rick Santorum super-PAC spent nearly $9,000 to directly help the presidental hopeful's campaign.
Foster Freiss, the major donor behind the Red, White and Blue Fund super-PAC, spent $8,675 in advertising to help Santorum, according to iWatch News. Freiss's donations went toward a radio ad and newspaper advertisement in Rice Lake, Wis., just ahead of the state's April 3 primary.
Friess has donated more than $1.5 million to the pro-Santorum super-PAC, and also gave $50,000 to the Leaders Families super-PAC, which also supports Santorum. Friess is one of a small number of donors comprising the bulk of contributions to the super-PAC. William Doré, who has kept a much lower profile than Friess, has also donated $1 million to the super-PAC.
Donors to super-PACs usually indirectly or explicitly stay away from the political spotlight, but Friess gained national attention for a comment he made while defending Santorum's position against the Obama administration's contraception mandate, which requires certain religious organizations to include birth control in employee insurance plans.
"This contraceptive thing, my gosh it's so inexpensive. You know back in my days, they used Bayer aspirin for contraception," Friess said in February on MSNBC. "The gals put it between their knees, and it wasn't that costly."
The comment, a reference to abstinence, garnered strong criticism.
Sen. Burr drops bid for Senate GOP whip
Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) dropped his bid Friday for Senate minority whip, leaving Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) the lone contender for the No. 2 spot in the Republican Senate leadership.
“In recent weeks, I have come to the realization that the difficult and time-consuming nature of the policy issues I am invested in is not always consistent with a position in leadership," Burr said in a statement released Friday. "I have introduced many pieces of legislation, including Medicare and Medicaid reform proposals, and I intend to work vigorously to see them enacted. These efforts require serious attention, and they simply cannot be pursued with the focus they demand while also serving as a member of leadership."
Burr announced his candidacy for whip in October 2011, shortly after Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) announced he would not seek reelection as chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, which set off a chain of announcements by Senate Republicans for newly opened spots in the chamber's GOP leadership. The whip position is open because Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) is retiring from the Senate.
In the same statement, Burr said the pieces of legislation he has already introduced require most of his attention.
"As interested as I am in the whip position, these legislative and policy efforts are of primary importance to me, and being in leadership wouldn’t provide me the ability and flexibility to commit the time and energy to them that they deserve," Burr continued in the statement. "As such, I will not be a candidate for any leadership position in the next Congress."
In late February, Cornyn appeared to be leading the whip race, money-wise, over Burr. In 2! 011, Cornyn donated $100,000 to his Republican colleagues through his leadership political action committee, while Burr donated $60,000 through his respective leadership fund.
Sen. John Thune (S.D.), currently the Senate Republican Conference chairman, has left open the possibility of running for whip.
Immigration detention is no âholidayâ
In his recent op-ed, “Alleged illegal and criminal immigrants should not be taxpayer-supported guests,†Rep. Lamar Smith gets several things wrong. While attacking the newest detention facility opened by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Rep. Smith complains that the facility’s cost was “[over] $30 million taxpayer dollars.â€
To quote Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, “Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts.†Rep. Smith’s claim is completely false. The $32 million facility was built at the expense of the Geo Group, Inc., a private prison company that no doubt expects to make a profit on the venture. The facility, with grim bunk beds eight to a room and prison-like walls is far from plush (to see pictures, click here). The actual cost to taxpayers of ho! lding detainees at this facility is about half as much, on average, as at other facilities. The truth is this facility actually saves taxpayer money.
Rep. Smith has been wrong on this point before. At Wednesday’s Immigration Subcommittee detention standards hearing derisively entitled, “Holiday on ICE,†Rep. Smith made this claim even though his own witness testified correctly that taxpayers did not fund the construction.
'Hottest congressman' used campaign funds on workout DVDs
Republican Rep. Aaron Schock (Ill.), whose "musculature" and "body politic" garnered praise from Men's Health in 2011, used campaign funds on popular home workout DVDs, a watchdog group reported.
Schock, 30, purchased the P90X "Extreme Home Fitness" DVDs during the 2010 election cycle and classified them as a "healthcare" expense.
The purchase was identified as campaign-related by mistake, and a later report was amended to reflect the error, Schock Chief of Staff Steve Shearer told The Associated Press.Â
He did not respond to requests for further comment by the time of this posting.
Melanie Sloan, of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Was! hington (CREW), which authored the report, said the campaign did not change the total amount reimbursed to Schock on an amended form.
"Originally, P90X was listed as an itemization on what were included on the total. They took those out, left the total the same," she told the AP.
"At some point, he realized the fitness tape was a problem and he amended the reports to take them out."
Schock was first elected from his Peoria, Ill.-based district in 2008.
He earned the title "hottest congressman," alternatively "fittest congressman," after appearing partially shirtless on the Men's Health cover.
"When I first saw [P90X], I kind of laughed," Schock told the magazine. "I didn't think you could get a real workout from a DVD. But at 6:30 a.m., it helps to have somebody talking you through your workout."
The piece noted that Schock â€" Congress's youngest member â€" is one of about 12 lawmakers who exercise together using the program most mornings.
In the interview, he cited one of his favorite quotations, from Benjamin Franklin: "A good example is the best sermon.
"I think if you want to start talking about healthy lifestyles and staying in shape, then you yourself should do your best to try to be a model," he said.
Sloan, of CREW, called purchase of the DVDs with campaign funds "interesting."
"There is no way you can be allowed to spend that [campaign] money on the fitness tapes," she said.
The truth about $2.13
“Sometimes I feel like I’m taking crazy pills!â€
I think often of this quote from the 2001 movie, "Zoolander", where Will Ferrell’s character is exasperated that everyone in the fashion industry
can’t see that Ben Stiller’s character is a one-trick pony. It's exactly how I feel every time I hear the latest "higher wages kill jobs" argument from one of
the restaurant industry's hired guns.
Now the rhetoric is about to get even more heated. On Thursday, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) introduced the “Rebuild America Act,†which would raise the federal tipped minimum wage, which has been stuck for over twenty years at $2.13 an hour. Expect to hear howls of wage rage early and often from the restaurant industry and their well-paid lobbyists at the National Restaurant Association, as they describe an industry that simply does not exist.
Here are some facts about the minimum wage and the restaurant industry. First, the federal su! bminimum wage for tipped workers has been frozen at $2.13 since 1991! This law allows a $5.12 tip penalty, i.e., employers are allowed to penalize workers up to $5.12 per hour for receiving tips. The
tipped minimum wage especially impacts restaurant workers, who make up the overwhelming majority of tipped workers.
GOP leaders oppose the rights enforced by the NLRB
Since retaking control of the House, GOP leaders, along with an assortment of anti-union and corporate organizations, have subjected the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to ferocious criticism. After 15 months of desperate attacks, however, the sole “offense†of which they can credibly accuse the board is improving enforcement of the law. This explains their outrage â€" at heart, they oppose the fundamental rights the board enforces.
But now the NLRB’s Inspector General (IG) has produced a report that documents a real ethics scandal â€" as opposed to the GOP’s imaginary ones â€" at the board. While serving as NLRB Chief Counsel to GOP board member Brian Hayes (himself the subject of an earlier ethics investigation), newly appointed Republican member Terrence Flynn funneled confidential information about the board activities and deliberations to two former Republican NLRB members, Peter Schaumber and Peter Kirsanow. ! Schaumber is now chief labor advisor to the Romney campaign, while Kirsanow has represented the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM).
The IG’s report concludes that Flynn “violated the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch.†As Chief Counsel, Flynn must have recognized the sensitivity of the “most confidential of Agency information†that he leaked, which was intended only for key board personnel.
A Shocking Scandal at the NLRB (but not the one the GOP would have you believe)
Since retaking control of the House, GOP leaders, along with an assortment of anti-union and corporate organizations, have subjected the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to ferocious criticism. After 15 months of desperate attacks, however, the sole “offense†of which they can credibly accuse the board is improving enforcement of the law. This explains their outrage â€" at heart, they oppose the fundamental rights the board enforces.
But now the NLRB’s Inspector General (IG) has produced a report that documents a real ethics scandal â€" as opposed to the GOP’s imaginary ones â€"
at the board. While serving as NLRB Chief Counsel to GOP board member Brian Hayes (himself the subject of an earlier ethics investigation), newly appointed Republican member Terrence Flynn funneled confidential information about the board activities and deliberations to two former
Republican NLRB members, Peter Schaumber and Peter ! Kirsanow. Schaumber is now chief labor advisor to the Romney campaign, while Kirsanow has
represented the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM).
The IG’s report concludes that Flynn “violated the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch.†As Chief Counsel, Flynn must have recognized the sensitivity of the “most confidential of Agency information†that he leaked, which was intended only for key board
personnel.
Haley strongly denies rumors of looming tax indictment
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley strongly denied rumors Thursday that she could be indicted on charges of tax fraud in connection with a Sikh center where her parents are top officials.
"Sorry, fellas. I'm not going anywhere, no matter how many lies you put on a blog. The days of dirty blogger politics will come to an end when people stop paying these guys to spread trash," Haley said in a post to her Facebook and Twitter pages.
The statement was prompted by a report in the Palmetto Public Record that anonymously cited "two well-placed legal experts" who said they expected the Department of Justice to issue an indictment against the governor as early as this week.
Biden warns Republican Super PACs will 'carpet-bomb' Obama
Vice President Joe Biden told a fundraiser in Chicago Friday that he expected Republicans to "carpet-bomb" President Obama with millions in donations to Super PACs in the coming election cycle.
The vice president predicted Republican-affiliated Super PACs would raise between $400 million and $800 million and said that amount represented one of the greatest threats to the president's re-election effort.Â
“I don’t think we’ll be beaten by those candidates. I think we’ll be beaten -- if we are â€" by something happening in the Eurozone or something happening in the Gulf, which could be difficult for us, or this barrage of SuperPAC money. But even with that I feel good,†Biden said.
Report: Paul Ryan to endorse Romney
House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) is expected to endorse Republican frontrunner Mitt Romney before Wisconsin's GOP primary next Tuesday, according to a report from the Associated Press.
Ryan would be the latest in a string of high-profile endorsements for Romney this week, as party leaders have increasingly coalesced around the former Massachusetts governor's campaign. The Wisconsin lawmaker would join popular freshman Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and former president George H. W. Bush in signaling support for Romney this week.
The announcement could come as soon as Romney's planned economic address Friday in Appleton, Wisc., according to two anonymous GOP officials interviewed by the Associated Press.
Follow Friday: @RepGosar
Things his constituents might not know about Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) that they can learn from his Twitter feed: He's really not "stuffy." And he's sarcastic and he knows it.
Gosar, who won his seat in Congress in 2010 on a wave of Tea Party activism, uses Twitter for everything from letting staff vent about mice in the office to connecting with constituents back in the district.
The cousin, Karen Harper, later tweeted a thank you to Gosar, saying that Smith's application was approved.
Gosar talks about that Twitter success story and more in this week's "Follow Friday" profile for The Hill.
Trump predicts Hillary Clinton will run for president in 2016
Reality television show host and prominent Mitt Romney surrogate Donald Trump predicted Thursday that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would mount another presidential bid in 2016.
"I think you know, assuming she's healthy, which I think she will be, I think she probably runs after the next four years," Trump told Fox News.
Clinton has repeatedly denied interest in running again for president, signaling that she plans to leave public service at the end of President Obama's first term. The former New York senator ran for the Democratic nomination ins 2008, against then-Illinois Sen. Obama.
Uncertainty and unpredictability in state corporate income taxes
Taxes are the price we pay for a civilized society. But few Americans realize the scope and breadth of the taxes businesses pay and how uncertain and unpredictable that tax burden has become.
Most Americans would be shocked to learn that the 50 states have 50 different sets of standards for determining when an out-of-state corporation is subject to a state’s corporate income tax. These rules are so vague and unclear that costly litigation is often unavoidable. It is deplorable -- embarrassing even -- that the most advanced and sophisticated economy on the planet labors under such a confusing, uncertain and unfair system.Â
The Affordable Care Act helps our nation's children
While there has been no shortage of media coverage surrounding this week’s historic Supreme Court consideration of challenges to the Affordable Care Act, one voice has been noticeably silent: that of our nation’s children. No matter what the outcome of the Court’s deliberations, one thing is certain: this law has made several monumental investments in child health, and they deserve to be celebrated.
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I’m a pediatrician at Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, and I’ve seen just how much the Affordable Care Act’s investments in preventive care and increased access to care have made a difference for my young patients.
Black Caucus chairman questions uneven enforcement of House dress rules
Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.), the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, is raising concerns that Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) was singled out for wearing a hoodie on the House floor.
Cleaver told Fox News on Wednesday that he plans to send "a friendly, hand-written note" to House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) asking about the uneven enforcement of House rules regarding dress.
“Whenever rules are not enforced, you create the opportunity for somebody to believe they have been singled out,†Cleaver said. “You see during late-night votes, people stand in the back with jeans and no jackets and no ties.â€
Defense industry scare tactics wonât create jobs
As indicated by the recent rollout of the House Republican budget strategy, the gloves are off in the battle to define the country’s spending priorities in the run-up to the November elections. But neither party adequately addresses the largest item in the discretionary budget: the Pentagon.
The Obama Administration’s approach to curbing runaway defense spending has been far too timid, while Republicans â€" from Paul Ryan to Mitt Romney â€" actually want to increase spending substantially beyond current levels.
A key player in this debate is the defense industry, which is pulling out all the stops to get the Pentagon a free pass from future budget cutting. The industry’s main trade group, the Aerospace Industries Association, has financed two studies raising the specter of a million jobs lost from planned Pentagon cuts.
Paul Ryan: 'We donât think the generals are giving us their true advice' on budget
House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) expressed skepticism Thursday that U.S. military leaders were being honest in their budget requests to Congress.
“We don’t think the generals are giving us their true advice,†Ryan said during a forum on the budget sponsored by the National Journal. "We don't think the generals believe their budget is really the right budget.Â
He noted that a strategy review of the Pentagon's budget began shortly after President Obama released his budget request.
"So what we get from the Pentagon is more of a budget driven strategy, not a strategy driven budget," Ryan said.
He went on to say that while there were certainly inefficiencies that could be reduced in the Pentagon's budget, fighting wars in the Middle East and a "dangerous world" necessitated keeping defense spending level.
Mitt Romney's dog rides on the roof, while his Cadillacs ride the elevator in his mansion!
I see a growing number of pundits are repeating what I wrote here on Wednesday: the delicious (for Democrats) irony that Obama wins and Romney loses from the healthcare case. And now, another Romneyism with news that he wants to build an elevator in his mansion so his various cars can ride painlessly to his penthouse, or whatever one calls it, and the Romneys can painlessly enter the car without the burden of walking down the stairs. I expect Ron Paul to run a new ad making excuses for this latest Romney gaffe, as Paul did for Romney after the Etch a Sketch news, and I expect Newt Gingrich (whose campaign is collapsing as fast ! as Paul's) to continue being nicer to Mitt, but:
Carter: Citizens Uniter ruling 'the most stupid decision the Supreme Court ever made'
Carter said that the influx of money in politics was responsible for increased hostility and partisan divisiveness in Washington.
"There was a much more harmonious relationship among all people in Washington including Democrats and Republicans and between the House and the Senate and the White House when I was there," Carter told Laura Ingraham. "And I think that this change has taken place in the last 30 years since I left the White House because of the massive infusion of money into the political process and the use of a lot of that money just for negative advertisements to destroy the reputation or the character of your opponent. And that animosity carries over into Washington."
Report: Obama outspends GOP rivals combined
President Obama has spent more than $135 million on his reelection campaign to date, around $3 million more than the entire Republican field combined, according to a new report by The Associated Press.
That's despite few of the travel and advertising costs that Republican candidates have paid to fuel their bruising and prolonged primary campaign.
Instead, the president's team has spent the money establishing offices across the country and hiring staff. According to Federal Election Commission reports, the president's team has more than 330 staffers at the campaign's headquarters in Chicago, and another 200 in offices across the country.
Jimmy Carter: Citizens United ruling 'the most stupid decision that the Supreme Court ever made'
Former President Jimmy Carter blasted the Citizens United ruling that freed corporations and labor unions from restrictions on political spending as "the most stupid decision the Supreme Court ever made" during a radio interview Thursday.
Carter said that the influx of money in politics was responsible for increased hostility and partisan divisiveness in Washington.
"There was a much more harmonious relationship among all people in Washington including Democrats and Republicans and between the House and the Senate and the White House when I was there," Carter told Laura Ingraham. "And I think that this change has taken place in the last 30 years since I left the White House because of the massive infusion of money into the political process and the use of a lot of that money just for negative advertisements to destroy the reputation or the character of your opponent. And that animosity carries over into Washington."
The ultimate crash avoidance system
In 2010, drunk driving represented 31 percent of all highway deaths, equating to 10,228 lives lost. Another 350,000 people were injured in drunk-driving crashes. The cost of this epidemic to our country was $132 billion. However, to me, these aren’t just numbers. My 15-year-old daughter, Alisa, was killed in a drunk driving crash. And while drunk-driving deaths have been reduced by more than half in the 32 years since Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) was founded, we still have much work to do.
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A cutting edge research project called DADSS (Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety) is currently underway and could one day eliminate drunk driving in our country. The project seeks to develop an in-vehicle technology to seamlessly and passively detect a driver’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC). The program to develop this lifesaving technology is a joint effort between the Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety, comprised of the world’s leading! auto manufacturers, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Members of Congress seeking constituent photos for Facebook redesign
Several members of Congress are reaching out to constituents for help redesigning their official Facebook pages.
Republican Reps. Rob Wittman (Va.), Scott Rigell (Va.) and Patrick McHenry (N.C.), Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif.) and Democratic Sens. Tom Carper (Del.) and Jay Rockefeller (W.Va.) are among the members of Congress looking to spruce up their Facebook design this week by reaching out to constituents for photos of their district or home state.
Pro-Santorum super-PAC increases spending in Wisconsin
The pro-Rick Santorum super-PAC Red, White, and Blue Fund is increasing its television ad buy in Wisconsin.
The super-PAC announced Thursday that it had spent an additional $360,000 on television advertising in Milwaukee and Green Bay, bringing the total amount spent to $660,000. The super-PAC had originally announced that it was spending $304,000 on advertising in Wisconsin. The super-PAC also announced it had added the following Wisconsin cities to its ad blitz: Madison, Wausau and Lacrosse.
The announcement comes just ahead of Wisconsin's April 3 primary. Santorum has been focusing most of his recent campaigning in the state.
On Tuesday, the super-PAC released an attack ad, set to air in Wisconsin through the pr! imary, criticizing Romney for being untrustworthy given his record as governor of Massachusetts.
"What kind of president would Mitt Romney be? Just look at his record as governor," the voice-over in the ad begins. The ad then also accuses Romney of leaving Massachusetts badly in debt when he left office and passing healthcare reform legislation that served as the "blueprint" for the Obama administration's healthcare reform law.
Poll: Americans concerned, but split blame on rising fuel prices
Nearly half of Americans believe they will have to pay $5 per gallon for gasoline sometime this year, and 7 in 10 say rising fuel prices have caused them financial hardship.
But blame for pain at the pump seems evenly split between President Obama and congressional Republicans.
While 64 percent of those surveyed by CNN put some or a great deal of blame on the Obama administration, 68 percent said the same about the policies of Republicans in Congress. Meanwhile, 55 percent place a “great deal of blame†on the oil companies, and 9 in 10 say oi! l companies are at least partially responsible.
While slightly more Americans place a “great deal of blame†at the president’s feet â€" 24 percent to 21 percent â€" the numbers suggest that the issue might not be as great of a political liability for the president as expected, especially as he has made eliminating tax breaks for oil companies an increas! ingly significant part of his discussion on energy policy.
{mosads}Obama railed against the tax breaks during an address Thursday morning in the Rose Garden.
“Right now, the biggest oil companies are raking in record profits â€" profits that go up every time folks ... pull into a gas station,†Obama said. “But on top of these record profits, oil companies are also getting billions a year in taxpayer subsidie! s â€" a subsidy they’ve enjoyed year after year for the last century. Think about that. It’s like hitting the American people twice. You’re already paying a premium at the pump right now. And on top of that, Congress thinks it’s a good idea to send billions more of your tax dollars to the oil industry?â€
Another troubling sign for Republicans: When asked to name the biggest economic problem facing the country today, only 2 in 10 of those surveyed cited the cost of rising fuel prices â€" up just 1 percent from March 2011, when prices were lower than they are today.
Still, nearly a quarter of Americans say the price of gasoline has caused “severe hardship†for their family â€" the highest percentage since summer 2008.
GOP front-runner Mitt Romney said last Friday in Louisiana that while he believes gas prices will remain high, he thinks increased drilling in offshore and federally owned lands could help drive down prices.
“Of course, gasoline prices are high, and have stayed high over the years, and I’m not predicting they’re going to go down to $2 a gallon,†Romney said, according to the Huffington Post.
“I mean, I know there are some who think that’s possible â€" anything’s possible in this world. But I think gasoline prices are going to be high. However, they don’t have to be as high as we’re seeing under this president if we develop our own energy resources and provide them to the refiners.â€
Alleged illegal and criminal immigrants should not be taxpayer-supported guests
In her recent op-ed, “Congress should get serious about immigration detention facilities,†Annie Sovcik gets one point right: there’s room for improvement in our nation’s detention system. But the Obama Administration and Human Rights First prescribe the wrong remedies.
The United States prides itself on treating people with the utmost respect and dignity. But the Obama Administration’s new detention manual goes above and beyond commonsense to accommodate illegal and criminal immigrants in federal custody. And the administration left out crucial stakeholders in the drafting process of its new manual: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention offic! ers, advocates for immigration law enforcement, and advocates for American taxpayers who will ultimately have to pay for the new standards.
The administration wasted no time in putting their new standards into practice. Immediately following the release of the new detention manual, ICE opened up a new, state-of-the-art detention facility in Karnes City, Texas. The new detention facility was built with specifications set by ICE, which involved limited public scrutiny and no congressional oversight.
New age of Jefferson: How will the world respond to American decentralization?
The optimists on Charlie Rose Wednesday night said it’s likely the vote would be 6-3 to preserve ObamaCare. Turning back the way of life since FDR seemed unrealistic. The war of ideas between centralization and decentralization is supposed to have been settled at Cemetery Ridge. But this is not over. Sen. Mike Lee (R) of Utah said 5-4 turning back the Obama initiative.
Pundits say it is as important as Brown v. Board of Education. It is a good comparison in that yes, what the court rules this week will change America. I felt the best perspective was in an editorial, "Bracing for the Court," in the New York Sun. They compare the challenge today to an appeal to the Supreme Court in 1935 by a family of kosher butchers, challenged the constitutionality of the National Industrial Recovery Act, which was the centerpiece of the New Deal. They appealed to the Supreme Court on much the same grounds as the states are now making their appeal on healthcare.!
Report: Gingrich and Romney held secret meeting
Newt Gingrich held a secret meeting with Mitt Romney ahead of the Louisiana primary on Saturday, according to a news report citing an anonymous source close to the Gingrich campaign.
The two reportedly met at the hotel where Romney was staying in New Orleans. Gingrich did not deny that the meeting took place, but said there was no deal that would spur his potential withdrawal from the campaign, according to the Washington Times, which first reported the meeting.
Some are speculating that the former House Speaker is looking to leverage his candidacy in exchange for aid with campaign debt or a position in a Romney administration.
For a deal to be brokered, though, the campaigns would have to overcome what has been a tense relationship during the GOP ! contest. It has seemed at times that Gingrich’s sole purpose for staying in the race was to prevent Romney from winning the nomination, and the many debates from earlier in the primary season were marked by harsh exchanges between the two.
Girl on Fire: The âHunger Gamesâ generation
The instinct to imperial conquest has long passed into the universe, but Captain Kirk is still with us, appearing on Broadway today as William Shatner. This outward movement was most poignantly observed by Walt Whitman in his poem of 1871, “Passage to India.†And was this not God’s plan from the first, asked Whitman, that we would travel across the seas to India and beyond; to Sirius, to Jupiter?
RNC emphasizes social media in national convention plans
The Republican National Convention announced a redesign for its official 2012 convention website on Wednesday and emphasized its plan to integrate social media into the national convention in August.
"Our goal is to tear down the convention walls and make the 2012 Republican National Convention open and accessible to anyone, anywhere,†the RNC’s convention chief executive officer, William Harris, said in a press release.
Ryan's budget jeopardizes America's national security
The Ryan-Republican budget, released yesterday and endorsed by Gov. Romney, claims to make America’s national security “government’s number one priority.†Unfortunately, the numbers say otherwise.
Rep. Paul Ryan’s budget slashes the very national security tools that made America the world’s superpower in the first place. In so doing, Ryan’s budget manages to forget the lessons of our past, ignore the realities of present conflicts and dangerously misunderstand the challenges we face in the 21st Century.
Freshman Mulvaneyâs attempt to bring fiscal sanity to DC
On the same week that Washington’s political punditry runs wild with analysis on the Supreme Court’s oral arguments on the constitutionality of ObamaCare, and the rest of the country is busily checking their NCAA basketball tournament brackets, the House of Representatives will debate three visions for the fiscal course of our nation.
Incredibly, it is more than likely that this fundamental argument about our nation’s very future will not even make a wave in the public discourse.
Hoyer: 'Too early' to say Obama healthcare case is a âtrain wreckâ
House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) disputed an assessment by a top legal analyst that the Supreme Court case has been a "train wreck" for backers of the Obama healthcare reform law.Â
"The justices are going to have to reflect upon the issues here and they'll meet in a joint session with one another and discuss it, so I think it's way too early [to declare that] it's a train wreck or that this case is over," Hoyer said Wednesday on CNN.Â
Trayvon Martin's parents attend Capitol Hill forum on race
Trayvon Martin's parents will attend a special forum on Capitol Hill Tuesday considering hate crimes and their son's death last month.
Martin's parents, whose son was shot by a Neighborhood Watch volunteer who has so far avoided arrest, will not testify, according to the Huffington Post. The Martins' lawyer is expected to testify.Â
Rep. West: Ransom for Trayvon Martin's death a 'hate crime'
Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) on Wednesday expressed concern that the death of Trayvon Martin is “being hijacked by malcontents.â€
He went on to warn that those seeking to avenge his death by offering a ransom for his shooter are committing a hate crime.
“I am concerned that the tragic death of Trayvon Martin is being hijacked by malcontents,†West wrote on his official Facebook account.
Guantanamo: Treating our enemies better than our friends
As many people have noted, including President Barack Obama, Guantanamo has caused a variety of self-inflicted wounds to the national security and economic interests of the United States. One of those injuries is the damage Guantanamo has caused to the relationships with America’s key military and economic allies. The recent announcement that the Obama Administration is negotiating with the Taliban about the possible release of Taliban prisoners from Guantanamo, while at the same it refuses to negotiate the repatriation of any Guantanamo prisoners to allied countries, is more collateral damage.
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Kuwait is a good example.
Biden blasts Romney on manufacturing at Iowa campaign stop
Vice President Biden returned to the campaign trail Wednesday, telling an Iowa crowd that "America is coming back" thanks to Obama administration policy and deriding Mitt Romney as "out of touch" with the American manufacturing sector.
"America is coming back," he told a crowd at manufacturing plant in Davenport, according to NBC. "It's not a political slogan, it's a reality."
The stop was one of four planned appearances for the vice president; Biden had previously spoken at campaign appearances in Ohio and Florida.
During his address, Biden mocked Romney, so is looking increasingly favorable as the GOP nominee, as consistently wrong on job creation.
Public transit holds key to Americaâs hidden energy reserve
With gasoline prices barreling upward, policymakers will undoubtedly continue debating the search for new North American oils. But this focus is misplaced. The real debate should be about our future mobility or how Washington can better manage federal transportation and oil investments. Ushering in a low-carbon, integrated transportation system is the key to navigating the pitfalls of global oil markets.
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The connection between transportation and oil is undeniable. The U.S. transportation system is 94-percent dependent on oil, and the sector burns through 70 percent of U.S. oil consumption and 15 percent of world oil consumption. The inefficiency of the transportation system makes U.S. businesses and all Americans particularly vulnerable to gas prices.
To stop insider trading in DC, shrink government
Widespread outrage over the recently passed STOCK Act, however justified, is misplaced, as it is directed toward a symptom, not the disease. The disease is the ever-growing micromanagement of the economy by the federal government. You can’t cure a cold by blowing your nose, and you can’t “cure†Washington by trying to restrict information flows.
Inside political information is valuable because legislative actions can have huge effects on industries, and there are few industries these days that don’t face political risks or opportunities in Washington. Subsidies, bailouts, taxes, regulations governing how you can do business---these are just a few of the ways in which Washington can make life miserable (or pleasant) for a corporation.
House Republicans add Pinterest to social media strategy
Reps Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) and Renee Ellmers (R-N.C.) became the latest members of Congress to start "pinning" this week.
Franks tweeted a litany of links to his Pinterest page starting Monday night, and invited his twitter followers to follow him on Pinterest as well.
Be sure to follow me on @Pinterest as well! pinterest.com/reptrentfranks/
â€" Rep. Trent Franks (@RepTrentFranks) March 27, 2012
Counterfeit medicine threat knocking on Americaâs doors
Just last month, the Food and Drug Administration announced that fake cancer medicines had been shipped to American oncologists from foreign sources. This should serve as a wake-up call that we must not rest on our laurels; rather, we must continue to focus on effective policy solutions that can help prevent the worldwide counterfeit medicine threat from seeping into our borders and contaminating the closed U.S. drug supply system.
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Since this particular incident, there has been an outcry by members of Congress and the public alike to do more to protect patients, and rightly so. With up to 30 percent of medicines in some developing countries counterfeit, it is critical that we grab the bull by its horns and take meaningful steps forward in safeguarding our nation from this threat. Â
Gingrich provides history lecture, spars with students at Georgetown campaign stop
Meet the new Newt, same as the old Newt.
Republican presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich made his first campaign appearance since dramatically reshuffling his campaign team - laying off a third of his campaign staff and swapping campaign managers - with a meandering and anecdote-filled lecture on American political history Wednesday at Georgetown University.
But there was little evidence of the dramatic political upheaval that has renewed questions about Gingrich's viability in the Republican primary.
Instead, the former House Speaker - and history professor - lectured students and faculty on the history of the Wright Brothers, brain science, and oil production in North Dakota. It took Gingrich more than a half hour to even hit on the given theme of his speech - "Giving Young Americans the Right to Choose a Personal Social Security Account."
Supreme Court prohibits live tweeting healthcare case
An attorney live tweeting from the Supreme Court during oral arguments for the healthcare case this week was asked by court officials to stop.
The Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), a legal group that emphasizes religious freedom, had heavily promoted its plan to present live tweets from the court. The group tweeted on Tuesday that the updates were being posted “remotely†from Arizona, with the information being conveyed through Senior Counsel Casey Mattox, who was present on the scene. But the court's marshal office asked him to stop on Tuesday.
“Apparently, there was some miscommunication with court officials regarding the appropriate location outside the courtroom to transmit electronic communication,†ADF said in a statement. “The ADF attorney [Mattox] complied with the marshal’s directions when asked to stop communicating.â€
Making the Defense Department more energy efficient
In 2011, the Department of Defense (DOD) was not only the single largest energy consumer in the U.S., but the largest in the world. The DOD spent roughly $20 billion on energy last year, including $4 billion at military installations. With multiple government initiatives introduced around energy consumption goals and policies in place like the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the DOD has very real targets to reach in improving energy efficiencies, utilization of cleaner power sources, and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. With a focus on four aspects of energy effectiveness, the DOD has an opportunity to have a considerable impact on the energy landscape in the U.S.
First, conserve and save - The DOD has over 300,000 buildings in the U.S., many of them examples of aging infrastructure. Simply by implementing readily available energy efficiency technologies and initiatives, the DOD can bend the curve on its $4 billion annual energy bill and yield large finan! cial rewards.
Obama campaign official says GOP criticism of Martin comments 'abysmal' and 'despicable'
The deputy campaign manager of President Obama's reelection effort said that criticism from Republicans over the president's comments regarding the controversial shooting of Florida teen Trayvon Martin was "abysmal" and "despicable."
"The president took a question the other day in the Rose Garden, and he spoke from the heart in empathizing with parents who lost a son in a very tragic incident. I think it's abysmal, despicable that people like Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum are trying to make this a divisive issue," Stephanie Cutter told CNN Wednesday.
The president was asked about the incident last Friday following a press conference to announce that he was appointing Dartmouth College President Jim Yong Kim to head t! he World Bank. Obama said that while he couldn't comment at length about the case because of his role heading the Justice Department, he promised a through investigation and expressed sympathy to the Martin family.
Gingrich pledges to fight on despite staff shake-up
Newt Gingrich said Wednesday that he planned to stay in the race for the Republican presidential nomination despite laying off his campaign manager and a third of his campaign staff in a dramatic staff shake-up announced Tuesday.
"We’re staying in,†Gingrich told WTOP. “That’s exactly why we’re downsizing and doing what we need to to be able to stay in. I think you have to respond to reality and we’ve had, you know, the cash flow was shorter than we’d like it to be. So we’re doing the appropriate things to be able to campaign.â€
Santorum uses Supreme Court oral arguments on Obama healthcare law to criticize Romney
Rick Santorum is using the Supreme Court case over the constitutionality of the Obama administration's healthcare reform law to bash Mitt Romney.
"The solicitor general of the country in oral argument yesterday referred to 'Romneycare' as the basis for 'Obamacare,'" Santorum said during a campaign speech in Wisconsin, according to CNN.
Santorum was likely referring to part of Solicitor General Donald Verrilli's rebuttal on Tuesday in which Verrilli said that Congress passed the law because the body saw it "work in the States and in the State of Massachusetts and that, and that it had every reason to think would work on a national basis."
Critics of Romney and his time as governor of Massachusetts have argued that the law bears a strong resemblance to the one the Obama administration put in place. Santorum has made that argument and said that the law makes Romney "uniquely disqualified" to win the nomination and go against President Obam! a in the general election.
Santorum also seemed to make a reference to Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, who analysts said going into the hearings, could be the deciding vote on the law.
"We can't rely upon one swing vote in the Supreme Court to decide what the future of our country should be," Santorum said.
Jeffrey Toobin, a law analyst and staff writer for The New Yorker, said after the second day of oral arguments that the law seemed in "grave" danger of being repealed. He said that Kennedy seemed ready to rule against the law.
Standing up for our veterans
America is blessed with the strongest and most capable military in the world. Our service members execute challenging missions in the most complex environment on earth. They leave the military with skills that our economy needs to compete. It is our responsibility to take care of them when they return. Unfortunately, upon returning home, many of our veterans discover that even though they have the training to perform a wide variety of jobs, the system often times fail to recognize that training. This can delay a veteran’s transition into civilian life by requiring them to obtain redundant certifications which cost time and money and can prevent them from acquiring the good paying jobs they deserve.
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Many states, including Washington, Virginia, and Utah have passed legislation to take their military training into account. We’re simply calling on the federal government to do the same. The Veterans Skills to Jobs Act would cut through the red tape and make go! vernment more efficient by allowing relevant military training to satisfy certification requirements for Federal licenses. There is no reason why a veteran who is certified to work on airplanes in Afghanistan should have to take redundant trainings to work on the same planes right here at home.
Who's paying for the attacks on MADD?
Who else but Richard Berman would argue we need to better protect drunk drivers? Sarah Longwell, the “managing director†of the American Beverage Institute (ABI) is credited with Today's MADD drives dangerous new policies, but Longwell’s real job is vice president at Berman’s public relations firm, Berman & Company, and ABI is just one of Berman’s many industry front groups.Â
With a title like managing director of the American Beverage Institute, you might think Longwell is an expert on sometimes conflicting goals of the hospitality industry, which both wants to ring up sales and, at the same time, ensure patrons drink responsibly. She’s not. Rather, she’s a pai! d flack trying to undermine the influence of Mothers Against Drunk Driving â€" a nonprofit that enjoys high public confidence â€" at the behest of corporate interests that don’t want their own fingerprints on such a dirty game.
According to ABI’s website, the group is “a restaurant trade association dedicated to protecting the on-premise dining experience â€" which often includes the responsible consumption of adult beverages.†As a representative for ABI, Longwell decries the inhumanity that, one day, alcohol detection technology may be installed in all vehicles. Sure, this technology would crack down on drunk drivers, but Longwell claims this also would inhibit the personal freedom of anyone who opts to get behind the wheel of a car after drinking responsibly. Never mind that even the facts she cites in her post do not support her claims. But the truth doesn’t interest Longwell.
RNC, Romney seize on Obama hot mic remarks on missile defense
Republicans have seized on a private comment President Obama made to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev that was picked up by live microphones, saying it shows the president will campaign on one platform, but go in a different direction once elected.
"It's amazing what we find out about this president's policies when he thinks no one is listening and it begs the question: What else doesn't Obama want us to know about before he's reelected?" Republican National Committee (RNC) spokeswoman Kirsten Kukowski said in a statement.
Mitt Romney, Jedi Master
“The ancient masters were subtle, mysterious, profound, responsive.†â€" The Tao de Ching, No. 15
“The Hunger Games†is important because it marks a new generation, just as Bob Dylan marked a new generation when he appeared at a folk festival on my high school football field in the early ’60s. This book and movie is a definitive marker and will imprint a generation now in high school. If your kids are just a little older, even in college, they might not get it. But Mitt Romney gets it.
No respect for the âwill of the peopleâ
President Obama was overheard telling Russian President Dmitry Medvedev that they needed to be patient until after the election, after which time he will have more flexibility to address the countries’ areas of disagreement.
The president in fact was saying that he had to say certain things and present a persona before the American people to win his reelection. He made it clear that after he wins the election there will be no political constraints, and he could do whatever he wants, regardless of the “will of the people.â€
Have we lost our minds in this country?
After reading the headlines about the U.S. soldier who shot up Afghan civilians, I couldn’t help noticing an irony. There is all this clamor to try this guy quickly and execute him, never mind his having suffered a traumatic brain injury while in the service of his country.
Yet this Maj. Hasan, who shot up Fort Hood while screaming, “Allahu akbar,†still hasn’t stood trial, and they are still debating whether he was insane, even with the clear evidence regarding his motive: slay as many infidels as possible.
How womenâs groups are wrong about ObamaCare
UltraViolet, a group aimed at expanding women’s rights and combating sexism, has launched a campaign in favor of ObamaCare. As UltraViolet puts it, “the big healthcare bill that President Obama signed has a ton of benefits in it that impact women specifically:â€
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1. Being a woman is no longer a "pre-existing condition."Â
2. Insurance companies can't charge you more for being a woman either.
3. Having a pap smear still sucks, but at least you don't have to shell out a co-pay for it.
4. You also don't need a co-pay for birth control anymore.
5. Have kids? Or want to? The law helps with that too.Â
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! That’s the key word â€" “specifically.†Too often, women’s groups on the left are focused on negotiating specific benefits for women without considering the larger impact these “advantages†have on the economy and our freedom.
Disgraced in the hood
As a show of solidarity with Trayvon Martin, many people wore hoodies to church yesterday.
Church is suppose to be a place of reverence. A place where God is worshiped, and not a place where we honor the concerns of men above those of God.
There is no question that there was an injustice in the case of Martin, and there are appropriate forums for true justice. To denigrate the house of God for any reason is unjustified and continues to downplay the importance of true faith in our society.
Romney earns endorsement of freshman Rep. Jeff Denham
Mitt Romney's campaign announced Tuesday that it had earned the endorsement of Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Calif.) and that the freshman congressman would co-chair Romney's effort in the Golden State primary.
“In order to defeat President Obama, repeal Obamacare, and stop reckless spending, we need a proven conservative leader as our nominee,†said Denham in a statement. “Throughout this campaign and throughout his life, Mitt Romney has demonstrated that he has that leadership ability."
Denham went on to suggest that conservatives coalesce around Romney's candidacy, a theme many of Romney's supporters have hit this week.
Obama's 'Uncle Omar' enters plea on drunk driving charges
Under the terms of the plea agreement, Onyango Obama acknowledged that prosecutors had enough evidence to convict him on drunk driving charges. But the charge will be dismissed from his record if he is able to stay out of trouble for the remainder of 2012.
A lawyer for "Uncle Omar" told the Associated Press the plea would not affect his client's challenge to a deportation order currently under appeal.
Specter defends healthcare law, blasts Santorum as 'too extreme'
Former Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter defended the healthcare reform law he was instrumental in helping pass, but said Tuesday he was fearful ideologues on the Supreme Court would move to overturn the landmark legislation.
"I think the law is constitutional as a legitimate exercise of Congress's power under the Commerce Clause," Specter said Tuesday on Fox News.
The Supreme Court is hearing the second of three days of argument on the law Tuesday, with the expected focus to be on the constitutionality of the individual mandate requiring all Americans to buy health insurance.
Republicans created the healthcare mandate; Obama wins if the Supreme Court throws it out!
Barack Obama supported the healthcare mandate that was originally championed by Republicans â€" and the right calls him a socialist. Mitt Romney enacted the healthcare mandate after working with Ted Kennedy â€" but Republicans champion him for president. Hillary Clinton supported the mandate â€" and the right treated her like the devil incarnate. The Heritage Foundation pushed for the mandate â€" but the right champions Heritage as capitalist heroes, not socialist villains. If Ron Paul is a champion hypocrite for supporting earmarks and running ads defending Romney on the Etch a Sketch matter, the Republican Party wins the Olympic gold for hypocrisy with its two-faced position on the healthcare mandate.
Why we should invest today in 'Airports Inc.'
With the latest Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) forecast predicting a doubling of passengers and cargo by 2030, the current funding system is not up to the job of ensuring airports will have the infrastructure they need to handle such dramatic increases in traffic.
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This will have far-reaching consequences. Commercial airports are powerful economic engines, generating 10.5 million jobs and $1.2 trillion for the U.S. economy, according to a new Airports Council International-North America study. Across the country, workers and businesses count on local airports to attract investment and move people and goods around the world. Since 2001, the total number of jobs associated with airports has increased by more than 50 percent.
Secretary Duncan: Mission not yet accomplished
Education Secretary Arne Duncan will testify this Wednesday before the House Education and Workforce Committee on his department’s budget. He spoke to The Hill’s comment editor, Emmanuel Touhey, about his priorities and his political future. Here’s an edited excerpt of that interview.
Q: “We can’t wait†has become a mantra with this administration. How did it get to this point as it relates to education?
Well, unfortunately, when you have a Congress that isn’t working well together you either just sort of stay on the sidelines and stop working or you just keep trying to get things done. And No Child Left Behind has been broken for a long time, and we desperately wanted Congress to fix it and to fix it in a bipartisan way … but that didn’t happen, so we had the flexibility to go out and partner directly with states. When we were thinking about this I called 45, 46 governors from across the political spectrum. Every single one said ! go forward, every single one said “thank goodness someone in Washington is paying attention,†and we’ve provided relief flexibility to 11 states already. We have 27 who we’re reviewing this week.