House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced yesterday (March 12th) that final passage of sweeping health care legislation is now just a very few days away.

Obama smells victory in the air…

President Barack Obama is delaying his trip to Indonesia and Australia by three days in hopes of finalizing a health care deal — and will scrap plans to take along first lady Michelle Obama and his two daughters, according to senior administration officials.

On Thursday, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs brushed aside suggestions that the president planned to postpone or cancel the long-planned trip to his childhood home in Indonesia, even as Hill Democrats groused that the excursion came at the precise time he demanded they finalize a deal.

Instead of leaving next Thursday, March 18 — the deadline he imposed on Congress — Obama will take off on Sunday, March 21, officials said, shortening his itinerary to omit all sidetrips not deemed official business.

On Thursday, both Gibbs and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the House was close to finalizing a strategy for pushing a previously passed Senate bill through the lower chamber, but that the deal might require a few extra days. By postponing his trip, Obama effectively gives the House some breathing room, preserving the hope that members will be able to depart the Capitol for their Easter break two weeks from today with a deal in their pockets.

Pick up your phones and start calling the following swing Congressman . Let your opposition be known! If the line is busy, keep trying. Don’t give up! Print out extra copies of these numbers and enlist family members and friends to help. Whenever you have a spare moment, CALL.

PLEASE CALL!………DC OFFICE……….LOCAL OFFICE
Harry Mitchell………….(202) 225-2190….(480) 946-2411
Gabrielle Giffords……(202) 225-2542….(520) 881-3588
Ann Kirkpatrick……….(202) 225-2315….(928) 226-6914
Jerry McNerney……….(202) 225-1947….(925) 833-0643
John Salazar…………..(202) 225-4761….(970) 245-7107
Jim Himes………………..(202) 225-5541….(866) 453-0028
Alan Grayson…………..(202) 225-2176….(407) 841-1757
Bill Foster………………..(202) 225-2976….(630) 406-1145
Baron Hill…………………(202) 225 5315….(812) 288 3999
Mark Schauer………….(202) 225-6276….(517) 780-9075
Gary Peters……………..(202) 225-5802….(248) 273-4227
Dina Titus………………..(202) 225-3252….(702) 256-DINA (3462)
Carol Shea-Porter…..(202) 225-5456….(603) 743-4813
Tim Bishop……………….(202) 225-3826….(631) 696-6500
John Hall………………….(202) 225-5441….(845) 225-3641 x49371
Bill Owens……………….(202) 225-4611….(315) 782-3150
Mike Arcuri……………….(202) 225-3665….(315) 793-8146
Dan Maffei……………….(202) 225-3701….(315) 423-5657
Earl Pomneroy…………(202) 225-2611….(701) 224-0355
Steven Driehaus……..(202) 225-2216….(513) 684-2723
Mary Jo Kilroy…………..(202) 225-2015….(614) 294-2196
Zach Space………………(202) 225-6265….(330) 364-4300
Kathy Dahlkemper…..(202) 225-5406….(814) 456-2038
Patrick Murphy…………(202) 225-4276….(215) 826-1963
Christopher Carney…(202) 225-3731….(570) 585-9988
Paul Kanjorski………….(202) 225-6511….(570) 825-2200
John Spratt………………(202) 225-5501….(803) 327-1114
Tom Perriello…………….(202) 225-4711….(276) 656-2291
Alan Mollohan…………..(202) 225-4172….(304) 623-4422
Nick Rahall………………..(202) 225-3452….(304) 252-5000
Steve Kagen…………….(202) 225-5665….(920) 437-1954

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Americans are riveted on Obamacare. With just seven days until the March 18th White House deadline for a vote on the Senate health care bill arrives, eyes are glued on Blue Dog Democrats. We are witnessing nearly hourly positioning on Capitol Hill and can almost hear the chest-poking, arm-twisting, and head thumping going on behind locked doors as Obama, Pelosi, and Reid shove and kick to pass their 2700 page health care confiscation scheme.

Hold on to your hospital gowns! We’ll slog through what’s happened in the last three days…

As of yesterday, the latest left-jab to the American people is aptly dubbed the “Slaughter Solution.”

The Slaughter Solution is a plan by Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY), the Democratic chair of the powerful House Rules Committee and a key ally of Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), to get the health care legislation through the House without an actual vote on the Senate-passed health care bill. You see, Democratic leaders currently lack the votes needed to pass the Senate health care bill through the House. Under Slaughter’s scheme, Democratic leaders will overcome this problem by simply “deeming” the Senate bill passed in the House -- without an actual vote by members of the House.

(emphasis mine)

Two days ago (March 9th), Nancy Pelosi tipped her neck-wringing hand: “But we have to pass the [health care] bill so that you can find out what is in it.”

Taking his health care punches on the road, President Obama traveled to suburban St. Louis, Missouri yesterday. Assured of muscling high schoolers (ticketed with closed doors) at St. Charles High into cheering for his socialized plan as cameras rolled (how hard is that?) he was met outside by 2300 fired-up Tea Party protestors:

Even Democrats shunned the Obama event in St. Louis (March 10th) and Pennsylvania (March 8th):

The Show Me State temporarily became the No-Show State on Wednesday as some prominent Missouri Democrats decided they’d rather be somewhere else when President Obama came to push his massive health care overhaul plan. […]

The same conspicuous absences occurred Monday [March 8th] in Pennsylvania, a state Mr. Obama won by 10 percentage points in 2008. While the president was accompanied by embattled Democratic Sen. Arlen Specter, Sen. Bob Casey and Rep. Chaka Fattah aboard Air Force One, several other Pennsylvania Democrats didn’t elect to join him there, including Reps. Patrick J. Murphy, Christopher Carney and Tim Holden, three incumbents facing tough re-election battles.

Speculation is volatile on whether Representative Bart Stupak and supposed 11 other reps who oppose abortion funding in the Senate bill will succumb to threats of non-cooperation black eyes:

News broke early yesterday morning [March 9th] announcing that Representative Bart Stupak thinks a “compromise” can be reached on the issue of abortion funding in the Democrats’ Senate version of the health care bill. “I’m more optimistic than I was a week ago,” Stupak said in an interview between meetings with constituents in his northern Michigan district.[...]

Stupak had an interview with The Weekly Standard yesterday, where he clarified what was really going on. “Obviously they don’t know me,” Stupak said in his interview. “If I didn’t cave in November, why would I do it now after all the crap I’ve been through? Everyone’s going around saying there’s a compromise — there’s no such thing,” Stupak said. What’s changed between this week and last, Stupak went on, is that he had his first real conversation with Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and Congressman Henry Waxman about fixing the bill.

As if there isn’t enough padding in health care boxing gloves, we learned today that Democrat leadership is considering stuffing a student loan overhaul into the Obamacare bill:

Democratic leaders met for a second day Wednesday with administration officials, including White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, in the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), but reached no decision on the student loan measure. One participant said a consensus appeared to be emerging that it would be unwise to risk the health-care bill by including the education measure.

The projected cost of Obama’s plan to expand Pell Grants and diminish the role of the private sector in the student loan program has exploded over the past year as more people seek college loans in the weak economy. Meanwhile, the potential savings from knocking private lenders out of the system has diminished as one in five colleges has already turned to government lending.

Rather than saving $50 billion over the next decade, the student loan initiative is now projected to increase deficits by about $5 billion, according to preliminary estimates provided to Democratic lawmakers. Including it in the health-care package could wreck efforts to meet the deficit-reduction goals required under reconciliation, aides said.

Eyes glazed over yet? There’s more…

Meanwhile, Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) is staying in the ring by declaring yesterday that he’s going to change filibuster laws:

“The filibuster has been abused,” Sen. Harry Reid said at a reporter’s briefing this afternoon. “But next Congress, we are going to take a look at it. And we’re going to make some changes in it.”

For now, the process seems to be proceeding from the premise that Senate Democrats are fed up with the filibuster. “In baseball,” Reid said in a clipped tone, “they used to have the spitball. It originally was used with discretion. But then the ball got wetter and wetter and wetter. So soon, they outlawed the spitball.” The same, he said, had happened to the four-corner offense in basketball. “And just the way the spitball was abused in baseball and the four-corner offense was abused in basketball,” Reid said, “Republicans have abused the filibuster.”

Republicans will meet the Democrat’s reconciliation onslaught with a combat strategy of their own. Greta Van Susteren and Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ) ‘On The Record’ (FOX News) last night:

Senator Kyl: “If you [Dems] are going to use the reconciliation process, we’re going to hold you to the strict limits of reconciliation. And, if you go outside the lines and are not technically correct under reconciliation, we’re going to toss it out on a point of order. And, we have the votes to do that.”

Characterizing Obama’s latest health care sales pitch as ‘snake oil’ and URGING us to keep up the fight by contacting Blue Dog Democrats, House Minority Leader John Boehner released this statement yesterday:

“While the President is visiting America’s heartland today, I hope he will take the opportunity to finally listen to the American people, who are shouting, “stop” at the top of their lungs. They just don’t want out-of-touch Washington Democrats’ job-killing government takeover of health care. They don’t want more than $500 billion in tax hikes. They don’t want nearly $500 billion in Medicare cuts. They don’t want these outrageous kickbacks, payoffs, and sweetheart backroom deals.

The Tea Party Coalition is sounding the trumpet nationwide to take the battle to Washington D.C. this month. Here is video announcing the Take the Town Halls to Washington project. Michele Bachmann @ 1:49 :

We’ve got SEVEN days to put the squeeze on Blue Dog Democrats. Let’s not get trapped into the ‘knocked-out’ way of thinking that we can lounge around while someone else does our work for us. How much effort have you made to contact BDDs in the past week? Each of us must take personal responsibility to get a headlock on Obamacare NOW. For information on who to contact, click here.

Let’s get bustin’!

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In the two videos below, Gov. Mitt Romney is grilled like I can’t recall him being grilled before on national television. In what could’ve been a disastrous moment that hurt Mitt’s chances to Bring America Back in 2012, Mitt actually comes out looking stronger and more equipped to take on the challenges our country faces. Chris Wallace brings up many of the studies and talking points used by the right and the left to attack what Mitt did as governor of Massachusetts to reform health care. Without skipping a beat, Mitt calmly and successfully explains point by point why his plan is different from Obamacare and why health care in Massachusetts still has a ways to go in regards to health care.

This interview may very well be the interview that we can direct people to for years to come whenever the question is raised about health care in Massachusetts. With this interview and Mitt’s recent interview with NPR I love the way Mitt is confronting his detractors head on and isn’t afraid to engage people on liberal leaning news organizations like NPR and MSNBC.

UPDATE: I very much enjoy the analysis at RightOSphere entitled: Hard Questions (You may need to register for the site *FREE* in order to read the article.)

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While Mitt Romney continues to impress Americans during the first week of his whirlwind book signing tour for No Apology: The Case for American Greatness, a date in April is worth noting. On April 9, 2010, Romney will address the Freedom Foundation of Minnesota and sign copies of his new book. Present on the same stage will be a Republican notable who some say could be a potential 2012 presidential rival and who has recently been critical of Romney’s Massachusetts health care plan. Neither men have declared intentions to run for the highest office in the land, but both are giving indications of that possibility. Will Gov Tim Pawlenty have a copy of Romney’s new book tucked under his arm? If so, I’m sure Gov Romney will be happy to cordially sign it for him.

Freedom Foundation:

Former Massachusetts Governor and 2008 presidential candidate Mitt Romney will visit the Twin Cities on April 9, 2010 to speak at a dinner sponsored by the Freedom Foundation of Minnesota (FFM) and sign copies of his newly released book. Joining Governor Romney for the event will be Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty. The title of Governor Romney’s book is also the topic of his remarks: No Apology: The Case for American Greatness.

“The Freedom Foundation of Minnesota is both honored and excited to host two of our country’s most influential and important conservative leaders,” said Annette Meeks, CEO of the Freedom Foundation. “Governor Romney has been and continues to be one of the most powerful voices advancing free market policy alternatives. We’re planning an exciting evening where Minnesotans will hear Romney’s public policy ideas first hand.

“We are equally excited that Governor Tim Pawlenty will be joining us on April 9th. While Pawlenty’s public policy leadership is no secret to Minnesota conservatives, this will be the first major event where these two American leaders will appear on the same stage – a spectacular opportunity for the Freedom Foundation to highlight two dynamic American leaders.”

The event will be held at the Hotel Sofitel in Bloomington, beginning with a private reception and dinner. A dessert reception will precede remarks by the two governors with a book signing by Governor Romney to occur at the end of the evening. Registration details can be found at www.freedomfoundationofminnesota.com and tickets must be purchased in advance for all events.

Mitt Romney for President 2012

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Governor Romney is at the top of his game in this interview that is well worth the time to listen. Romney interviews with the hosts of the show and takes several questions from callers. The interview is part of his No Apology Tour, more info at NoApology.com, and http://bit.ly/RomneyBook. A full transcript of his portion of the interview is available below the fold.

PART1:

PART2:

Full Transcript: From NPR.org
Read more…

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Want to read one of the first reviews offered on Mitt Romney’s highly anticipated new political book? James R. Holland handily summarizes Romney’s instructive, solution-based reader: No Apology: The Case for American Greatness. Holland reveals that Romney offers ‘pretty decent’ solutions to today’s problems and is surprised by personal stories that evoked a few tears. Romney will be making the rounds on NBC’s “Today” show, ABC’s “The View”, Fox News Channel’s “Hannity” program, and CBS’s “Late Show with David Letterman” on March 2nd, the day of No Apology’s debut. If you haven’t pre-ordered your book, better hurry!

Can Mitt Romney Save America?

The answer to that question is why most readers will bother buying, borrowing or reading this book by the former Massachusetts Governor and 2008 Presidential primary candidate. In this time of national and international recession, the voters and affected non-voters around the world are looking for a leader who can actually solve the major emergencies facing America, freedom and capitalism itself.

As the son of a third generation American Immigrant whose family was run out of Mexico by Mexican revolutionaries angry with American expatriates, Mitt grew up as part of a family that worked themselves up from desperate poverty to live the American Dream. His father worked as a wall plasterer while he supported his family and worked his way through college. He eventually earned his way into the presidency of American Motor Corporation (AMC) and bet his house (or at least the money he’d made from selling his home) on the successful development of the Rambler compact car. He later became three-time governor of Michigan.

Mitt grew up in a family that had strong core values and he discusses those core values throughout this book. This reviewer actually met most of Mitt’s family including Gov. George Romney when Mitt ran an unsuccessful campaign for Senate in Massachusetts. The whole family was part of that campaign and the lessons they learned with that loss served Mitt well a few years later when he successfully won election for the Governorship of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Romney managed to do a good job managing that state even though he didn’t have enough Republican legislative votes to uphold a veto and therefore had to reach across the aisle to the Democrats controlling the State House in order to accomplish his agenda.

Romney believes that if America becomes a victim of socialism that freedom throughout the world will be lost. If the nation is not careful, it will become a second rate world country--still strong enough to survive, but not strong enough to defend freedom anywhere else in the world.

“There are three pillars that sustain a free and strong America:

l. A Strong Economy

2. A Strong Military

3. A free and Strong People.”

Romney then provides an agenda for a free and strong America. His list of goals includes 64 separate items and even Romney admits that his is not a complete list of changes needed. Studying that agenda will provide the reader with a decent idea of how Romney would tackle the nation’s problems.

The book’s second chapter “Why Nations Decline” is also instructive. Mitt briefly examines the reasons the Ottomans, the Spanish, the Portuguese, the Chinese, the British, the Soviets—these were all super-powers of their respective eras “and they were all surpassed.” The reasons for these nation’s failures were eerily similar to much of what is occurring in the USA and Western Europe.

The book examines many of the reasons for today’s problems and provides some pretty decent ideas about how to solve them. Romney also describes why many people prefer to live in denial of the facts and why in past civilizations that failure to face undeniable facts led to the destruction of those great civilizations.

In the book’s eleventh and last chapter this reader was surprised by some personal stories that brought tears to my eyes. Since I was reading while seated at the Prudential Center Food Court Terrace, it was a little embarrassing to suddenly find my eyes tearing up and salty streams trickling down my cheeks. That anything in this volume might require having tissues available was a total shock. Surprise, surprise, because the previous 99% of the book had been straight-forward logic and business-like explanations of Romney’s beliefs and ideas on how to solve the nation’s rapidly expanding and very dangerous problems, this ability to bring forth tears in an audience was enlightening.

The text was not boring and there was a little humor such as Mitt’s description of the fall his wife Ann experienced when the stage they were speaking from in Dubuque, Iowa, collapsed. When she got up, “dusted herself off, and later ad-libbed, ‘Well, I fell on de butt in Dubuque.’” The man obvious isn’t just a cool-headed, unflappable, maybe sometimes seemingly unfeeling man; he is an experienced leader and is well schooled in the workings of Capitalism, industrial production and job producing economics. He is also amazingly well spoken and as Bostonians know, he used to sometimes substitute as a host on a popular conservative talk show in order to keep in touch with the Massachusetts public. He wasn’t afraid to talk to the general public, but he relished the opportunity that only talk radio provides for contact with typical voters. He loved that form of give and take communication.

This is a good read for this political genre. It will provide the information that many people will need to decide if years of leadership experience should triumph over hope.

Romney reads from No Apology: The Case for American Greatness

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Described as ‘Mardi Gras for the Right’, CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) opened this morning at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington D.C. Excited GOP power players, power player makers, and everyday citizens concerned about the abuse of political power are streaming through the doors. The three-day conference will be filled with speeches, exhibits, forums, panel discussions, book signings, networking, hospitality suites, banquets, and entertainment.

Among official bloggers attending is our own Nate Gunderson. He will be posting blog updates and sending live tweets. We’ve already received several tweets today from Nate, including one received this morning: “Governor Romney just dropped by to tell some jokes.” Tonight, Nate will be tying on his bowling shoes as he joins Romney’s ‘bowling for bucks’ to support Romney’s PAC. We eagerly anticipate more of Nate’s coverage of CPAC goings-on and especially, Mitt Romney!

Lisa De Pasquale, CPAC Director:

As CPAC director, De Pasquale spends all year planning and organizing the annual three-day conference that is the largest gathering of its kind in the country. The event has become so huge that it was moved this year from its longtime home at the Omni Shoreham Hotel to the larger Marriott Wardman Park, just off Connecticut Avenue near the Woodley Park Metro station.

“We’re at a larger facility this year, but it looks like we’re already going to be bursting at the seams,” said De Pasquale. “Right now, we’re about 20 percent above pre-registration for last year. So we’re expecting between 9,000 and 10,000, if on-site registration is on pace with last year.”

Not only will this be the biggest CPAC ever, but it is likely to be the most energized conference in several years. This year’s conference will bring the added enthusiasm of hundreds of new attendees who have been active in the Tea Party movement. In fact, one of the movement’s first events took place during last year’s conference, when about 200 CPAC attendees gathered for a rally in front of the White House that featured Michelle Malkin.

That February 2009 LaFayette Park rally was mocked by liberal bloggers — “puny,” sniffed the Village Voice — but the grassroots movement swelled into a force that made a real political impact. Tea Party activism helped conservatives score big wins in last fall’s Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial elections, as well as Republican Scott Brown’s stunning victory in Massachusetts, capturing the Senate seat held for nearly four decades by Ted Kennedy.

The Tea Party movement will be represented by speakers and panelists on this year’s CPAC agenda, including Jenny Beth Martin of the Tea Party Patriots and Dana Loesch of the St. Louis Tea Party. And the final keynote speech on Saturday will be given by Glenn Beck, who helped spur on the movement with his 9-12 Project.

“I think he’s someone who’s going to energize the conference,” De Pasquale said of Beck. “I expect him to give a call to action that will help our attendees take the energy from CPAC into the 2010 mid-term election.”

This will be the first-ever CPAC appearance for Beck. Also making their CPAC speaking debuts at this year’s event will be Allen West, an Iraq war hero and congressional candidate, and Marco Rubio, whose Florida Senate campaign has ignited a grassroots uprising against the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which backed Gov. Charlie Crist in the GOP primary.

Liz Cheney and Michigan Rep. Thaddeus McCotter will make their first CPAC speaking appearances this year, said De Pasquale, while Internet news entrepreneur Andrew Breitbart (who has previously participated in panel discusses at the conference) will give a main-stage speech Saturday. Breitbart will be introduced by Hannah Giles, who became famous in a series of videos exposing the community organizing group ACORN. Giles will also be a participant in XPAC, a series of events for younger conference attendees — and there will be lots of them.

“As in years past, we’re expecting that more than 50 percent of our attendance will be college students,” De Pasquale said. “It bodes well for the movement that there are so many young people who are energized about attending CPAC.”

Attendees young and old will hear from a stellar list of conservative speakers, including South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint, House members Steve King, Mike Pence, Jason Chaffetz, Darrell Issa, Scott Garrett, Eric Cantor, Dan Lungren and Ron Paul, and numerous commentators including Andrew Napolitano, John Fund, George F. Will and Ann Coulter.

Beyond the speeches and panel discussions, the conference features numerous book signings, receptions and an enormous exhibition hall.

“The official schedule is just one part of the CPAC experience,” De Pasquale said, adding that the chance to meet with fellow conservatives is a major attraction of the annual conference.

Governor Romney will fire up the crowd tomorrow (2/18/10) when he speaks at 1:30 PM Eastern Standard Time in the Marriott Ballroom. Dr. Jay Sekulow, (American Center for Law and Justice) will introduce him.

National Journal:

Romney, who has won the last 3 CPAC straw polls, has a crucial leg up on other contenders, according to many who think he will win a fourth. His team’s ability to organize around the event in previous years is likely to give him some residual good will among attendees.

“Everyone knows how good his organization was in the lead-up to the 08 primaries, but not everyone realizes how sneaky-good that organization remains,” said one respondent. Added another: “Mitt bears the high expectations of having won CPAC three years in a row. While this establishes him as the clear favorite of mainstream conservatives, it also keeps the pressure on for him to win every time he shows up.”

I have a hunch this new ad from Senate Republicans will be shown at CPAC:

CPAC runs today through Saturday when it will adjourn at 6:45 PM EST. We’ll keep you informed on the latest from CPAC and news from Nate Gunderson.

Additional info:
CPAC Agenda
CPAC Exhibitors

Update: CPAC coverage for 2/18/10:
Townhall.com -- UStream live stream click here.
C-Span online stream click here.
C-Span network TV coverage of CPAC begins at 9:45 – 4:30 PM EST. TV schedule here.

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“If the Senator-elect will now present himself to the desk, the chair will administer the oath of office,” intoned Vice President Joe Biden yesterday (2/4/10) at Scott Brown’s swearing-in ceremony. Brown, accompanied by Senator John Kerry (D-MA) and Senator Paul Kirk (D-MA), strode across the senate floor where Biden was waiting to administer the constitutionally required oath of office:

I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.

Within moments, the Senator-elect became United States Senator Scott Brown.

Senate Chamber swearing-in ceremony. (Biden begins at 3:45):

A private swearing-in ceremony which included the 41st Senator’s wife, reporter Gail Huff, was later conducted in the Old Senate Chamber where press photos are allowed. Although the Brown daughters were unable to attend, Senator Brown carried his daughters’ bibles at both ceremonies. Daughter Ayla was committed to play a basketball game with Duke that evening and youngest daughter, pre-med student Arianna, was taking tests at Syracuse University:

After being sworn in, Senator Brown immediately held a press conference where he endorsed across-the-board JFK-style tax cuts and mentioned job creation and terrorism among his top priorities. He also deftly handled ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ queries by stating his desire to talk to generals in the field before forming an opinion on the polemic issue:

Washington D.C. is expecting a ‘snowmageddon’ snow storm this weekend. Depending on Mother Nature’s proclivities, Brown’s first vote may come as early as Tuesday of next week. Obama’s controversial choice of SEIU union attorney, Craig Becker, to be seated on the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) will be first on the senate agenda to vote on next week. Fearing that Becker will use his post to create more union-friendly labor laws sans congressional approval, Republicans have stalled Becker’s confirmation for months.

Even if D.C. is up to the Capitol Dome in snow next Tuesday, I have no doubt  Senator Brown’s trusty truck will get him were he needs to be to cast his first vote.

Additional reading:
Patrick Kennedy: Scott Brown’s candidacy ‘a joke’
Biden on Brown: “Im not worried about anything.”

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Romney’s Free and Strong America PAC month-in-review for January 2010:

Scott Brown Wins Massachusetts Senate Race:

For the first time in decades, a Republican has been elected to a Senate seat in Massachusetts. Senator Scott Brown ran a grassroots campaign based on cutting wasteful spending, lowering taxes and getting tough on terrorists. The election sent shockwaves around the political world.

As supporters of the PAC, you deserve a thank you. Your support made it possible for Governor Romney to get behind Senator Brown from the very beginning, when polls showed him a 30-point underdog and everyone assumed the outcome was pre-ordained in favor of the Democrats.

Governor Romney asked his entire political team to help the then-unknown Brown, and he raised early money for him at a time when very few people would give him a second look.

At his January 19 victory speech at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel, Senator Brown told the entire country: “I’m grateful to all those from across Massachusetts who came through for me even when I was a long shot. I especially thank a friend who was there with encouragement from the very beginning, and helped show us the way to victory — former Governor Mitt Romney.”

Exclusive Audio: Governor Romney Reads from “No Apology”

We wanted you to be the first to hear this clip of Governor Romney reading a selection from his new book “No Apology: The Case for American Greatness” courtesy of the book’s publisher, St. Martin’s Press.

Click here to listen to the clip.

The paper version of the book hits shelves on March 2nd, but you can pre-order a copy today. In the book, Governor Romney outlines his views on how to create a stronger economy, military, and families, and his vision on jobs, education, health care, energy, and citizenship.

Free and Strong America PAC Raises Nearly $3 million in 2009

The PAC’s contributions included $9,000 in early “seed money” to U.S. Senator-Elect Scott Brown, who went on to win a special election in Massachusetts to become the state’s first Republican Senator in decades. The PAC also gave $5,000 each to Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina, Republican Whip Eric Cantor (VA-07), Missouri Representative Roy Blunt who is running for U.S. Senate, Jim Tedisco who ran in a special election in New York’s 20th congressional district, and David Harmer who ran in a special election to represent California’s 10th congressional district.

CNN: Romney’s PAC Raises Nearly $3 Million in 2009
AP: Mass. Health Model, Not Obama’s, Pleases Voters
WASH POST: How Massachusetts Was Won
BOSTON GLOBE: Romney Will Hit Key Primary States on Book Tour
BOSTON GLOBE (1/1/10): Romney Says Brown Can “Make History“

 

 

(emphasis mine)

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While Nancy Pelosi tests the ‘spring’ in her pole vaulting apparatus and packs her parachute, House Republicans converged yesterday evening (Jan 28, 2010) for a three-day strategy session at the Inner Harbor hotel in Baltimore, Maryland. President Obama will join them today to speak and participate in a question-and-answer session. No doubt, health care will be a priority topic.

FOX News anchor Patti Ann Brown talks with reporter Carl Cameron, Jan 28, 2010:

Pelosi Pole Vault

Pelosi on Obamacare:

“You go through the gate. If the gate’s closed, you go over the fence. If the fence is too high, we’ll pole vault in. If that doesn’t work, we’ll parachute in. But we’re going to get health care reform passed for the American people.”

Responding to Obama’s State of the Union speech and the President’s invitation that if anyone from either party has a better aproach to bring down health care premiums, House Republican Leader John Boehner revealed to reporters yesterday that he hasn’t been contacted by White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel or any one on the President’s team in over a year:

 John Boehner responds to Obama  (Jan 28, 2010)

Boehner:

“And so, we’re eager for the President to come to our retreat tomorrow. We’re going to have an honest conversation about America’s priorities and trying to find ways to find some common ground.”

NOTE: The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) confirms that the House Republican health care plan will lower health care premiums by up to 10 percent and reduce the deficit by $68 billion over 10 years without imposing tax increases on small businesses and families. For more information on the GOP plan, go here.

Some say that after being ignored, shut out, vilified for a year, and lectured to yesterday evening, Republicans may not be in a cooperative mood:

“Republicans are emboldened. They think Obama has overshot the runway, and they’re going to stick with their strategy,” said Scott Reed, a Republican consultant.

As they left Washington for the three-day strategy session, Republican leaders did not seem to be in a frame of mind for compromising.

Minority Leader John A. Boehner of Ohio said that Obama had “decided to just double-down on his job-killing agenda,” while ignoring the angry voter message behind recent Republican victories in New Jersey, Virginia and Massachusetts.

“There was nothing last night in the president’s speech to indicate that there was any willingness to sit down and work together,” he said of Obama’s State of the Union address Wednesday. Boehner added that Republicans would try to find common ground with Obama, “but we’re not going to roll over on our principles.”

Heading into this year’s congressional campaigns, Republican fundraising and recruitment have picked up. National opinion surveys show steady improvement in the party’s prospects. And independent analysts predict that Democrats could lose dozens of House seats and, possibly, majority control of the chamber in the first midterm election of Obama’s presidency.

Obama acknowledged the effectiveness of the opposition’s strategy, even as he took a swipe at Republican obstructionism.

For now, at least, Republicans have little incentive to cooperate. Only three of the 37 most competitive House races this year feature a Democratic challenge to a Republican incumbent, according to the nonpartisan Rothenberg Political Report.

And Obama’s attempts to woo Republicans could be constrained by growing restiveness within the president’s own party. His pitch, during the State of the Union address, for building a new generation of nuclear power plants and possibly expanding offshore oil and gas drilling won immediate Republican approval but fell flat with Democratic liberals.

“It is in the president’s interests, politically and probably governmentally, to try to get some Republican cooperation and some Republican buy-in,” said former Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.).

Obama passed up opportunities during his first year that might have made it more costly for Republicans to oppose him.

For example, the administration bowed to a powerful Democratic special interest, the trial-lawyer lobby, and refused to make significant changes in medical liability as part of healthcare legislation. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that a Republican proposal to limit medical malpractice costs would save taxpayers $54 billion over 10 years.

With elections ahead, a weakened Obama may find it more difficult to win Republican support for his agenda. But simply making a sustained attempt at bipartisan outreach could help put Democrats in a better position to attract swing votes this fall.

More details on this weekend’s Republican retreat:

The Republican retreat, which runs through Saturday, is designed to help develop the party’s strategic plan for the midterm elections. Independent campaign analysts are forecasting significant Republican gains this November, with some predicting at least an outside chance for Republicans to knock Democrats from the majority.

Republicans “look forward to sharing with the president our better solutions for getting this economy moving again [and] putting our fiscal house in order. Our proposals for health care reform [and] energy will all be part of what we are describing as a conversation between the president and House Republicans,” Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana, chairman of the House Republican conference, said Wednesday.

Besides Obama, scheduled speakers at the Baltimore retreat include former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich, newly elected Republican Gov. Robert McDonnell of Virginia and former House Republican Leader Dick Army, who chairs a conservative group that has aggressively opposed Obama’s agenda. Retired football coach Lou Holtz, a longtime Republican activist who gave a pep talk at the 2007 retreat on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, is the Friday night dinner speaker.

Gingrich, whose former aides are active in the Congressional Institute, also addressed last winter’s retreat, held at the Homestead in Hot Springs, Va. Other speakers there included 2012 Republican presidential possibilities Mitt Romney and Tim Pawlenty newly elected Republican National Chairman Michael S. Steele

Keep an eye out for a party-crashing parachuting Pelosi.

(emphasis mine)

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