Freedom Line Blog

Much has been made of the special election in Massachusetts to replace the late Ted Kennedy.  The Senate race has major implications for the health care debate in Congress because if Republican candidate Scott Brown were to win next Tuesday, he could provide the 41st vote to stop ObamaCare in the Senate.

Obviously, any vote to limit the size and power of the federal government is welcome in Congress but the initial reward for taxpayers would be great.

As of tonight, however, the markets predict that Mr. Brown only has a slim 25.9 percent chance of victory against Democrat Martha Coakley, but his numbers are up sharply from earlier this month.

Regular polling has also seen a sharp tilt in his favor, as Brown has closed a 30 point gap and made the race essentially a tossup.  History is very much against Mr. Brown’s effort; Massachusetts has not elected a Republican Senator since Edward Brooke in 1972.

National Review Online – Political Capital Gains
Washington Times – The Problem with Spending
Politico – House Dems Mount Health Assault
The Hill – Don’t Look for Tax Reform in 2010

John Bolton – Obama’s Next Three Years
Real Clear Politics – Obama’s Speeches Become a Weak Point
The American – The High Cost of No Price
WSJ Editorial – The $222 Billion Health Care Cost Cure

Federal Debt: $12.308 trillion

The Supreme Court, unexpectedly, did not issue its opinion in the First Amendment case of Citizens United v. FEC.  The Court heard oral arguments last September and many court watchers expected an opinion today.

Perhaps this delay means the opinion is larger and more sweeping than many observers anticipated.  The first major Supreme Court case reviewing McCain-Feingold, McConnell v. FEC, weighed in at 298 pages.  Will Citizens United top that figure?

The Court likely made up its mind last year but perhaps the long delay means that the lobbying continues.

Stay tuned for more coverage.

Washington Post – Federal Reserve Earned $45 Billion in 2009
WSJ – Stimulus? There’s No Stimulus Here
Fred Barnes – Unhappy New Year … For Democrats
Las Vegas Review-Journal – The Big Harry Mess

The Hill – ACLU Sues Library of Congress
Politico – Deadline Looms over Health Care Reform
National Review Online – The State of Play in Massachusetts
Red State – Sen. Dodd Says Health Bill Hanging by a Thread

Federal Debt: $12.304 trillion

In light of our recent video on air travel, reason.tv opines as well.

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court resumes its 2009-2010 term with a round of two oral arguments.  Though the two cases that pit Alabama v. North Carolina and Briscoe v. Virginia have national legal implications, court watchers are eagerly awaiting other consequential decisions this term.

The fate of the First Amendment and campaign finance reform could be decided as early as tomorrow in Citizens United v. FEC.  The justices reargued the case on September 9, 2009, but the Court has yet to report a decision.  With federal primary elections less than a month away, candidates and First Amendment lawyers seek guidance from the Court as soon as possible.

The best case scenario would be a broad sweeping opinion striking down many of McCain-Feingold’s onerous First Amendment restrictions.

In addition, the spring term ushers in a new round of retirement speculation.  Justice John Paul Stevens is the oldest member of the Court, 89, and has not hired his full slate of clerks for the next Supreme Court term.

This article also mentioned the possible retirement of Justice Antonin Scalia.  Any vacancy would cause political wrangling in the Senate but a Scalia departure, coupled with President Obama’s liberal record on judges, would result in a judicial and political Armageddon unseen since the days of Judge Robert Bork.

Whatever occurs during the conclusion of this Supreme Court term will surely have major implications for individual rights and the future of our Constitution.

To give President Obama some credit, he knows how to get Congress in line.  Or,  perhaps Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid know how to crack the whip on their members.

According to Congressional Quarterly, Congress voted with the President 96.7% of the time in which he had a clearly stated position.  This broke the 44-year old mark set by President Lyndon Johnson, according to the study.  Oddly, President Johnson also had a miserable fiscal record.

Of course, many Democrats who voted with President Obama in the past will attempt to run as far away from the President as possible when pitching their “achievements” to voters.   Luckily, Congress can’t hide from its voting record.  From cap-and-trade, to tax hikes, to pork-barrel stimulus spending, this Congress has been far worse than the previous band of tax-and-spend acolytes.

Luckily, voters will have a chance to voice their disapproval on November 2.

New Hampshire Union Leader – Government Will Keep You Fit
Weekly Standard – Thank You, C-SPAN
Michael Barone – Up to a Point, Mr. President
The Hill – Tea Party Protesters Greet Lawmakers in Detroit

Politico – Democrats Rush to Reid’s Defense
New York Times – GOP Urges Reid to Step Down
Washington Examiner – A Massachusetts Miracle?
PC World – Court Questions FCC over Net Neutrality

Federal Debt: $12.299 trillion

You know he must have really been in the wrong. The headline: “Obama Reneges on Health Care Transparency.”

This is hardly breaking news, but now that the national media has latched onto the story and White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs has spent the past few days parrying verbal barbs from the press, maybe President Obama and Congress will listen and actually open the doors for the American people to see what’s really going on during those backroom deals.

Mr. President, the ball is now in your court.

HT: Max Pappas

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has released its monthly budget review, and once again, the results are not pretty for taxpayers.

For the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2010 alone, CBO estimates a $390 billion budget deficit, or $56 billion more than the record shortfall last year.  This year is scheduled to be the largest budget deficit in history, but you wouldn’t know it the way Congress is spending.

The November and December results were actually worse than CBO had originally predicted.  The U.S. ended November with a $120 billion shortfall, or $5 billion more than original projections.  In December, CBO estimates a $92 billion deficit but that figure is likely to grow larger when the actual numbers are released next month.

The response from Congress and the White House?  Crickets.  It appears that accelerating our national debt and printing more money is still the raison d’être in our nation’s capital.

National Review Online – The Talented Senator Nelson
Washington Times – A New Conservative Party?
Politico – Unresolved Questions for 2010
The Hill – Pelosi Vows to Defend House Health Care Bill

San Francisco Chronicle – Mr. President, Bring in the Cameras
Charles Krauthammer – The Gitmo Obsession
Red State – Senator Nelson Says Everyone Will Get Kickbacks
WSJ Editorial – Medicare and the Mayo Clinic

Federal Debt: $12.286 trillion

Well, the Nanny State never tires at trying to run every aspect of our lives.  The San Francisco shopping bag ban appears to be making its ugly migration eastward.

Virginia and Maryland are now looking to follow the lead of other meddling jurisdictions as they consider a 5-cent tax on shopping bags.  This is not only an affront to individual liberty but also another pathetic attempt by government to raise a little extra cash.

What’s most disturbing about this scheme to tax “paper or plastic” is that most grocery stores in the area already incentivize recycling.  Local stores like Giant, Whole Foods (run by a libertarian who eschews most state involvement) and Harris Teeter already offer 5-cent discounts (per bag) for customers who bring in their own.

Politicians can’t complain that the market hasn’t taken the lead because most private companies are already ahead of career politicians on the issue.

Delegate Alfred Carr of Montgomery County, Maryland opined, “We need to do this as a region.”  Really?   Your state is mired in recession, most private companies already promote recycling and you believe a new tax on plastic bags is a pressing issue?  Your state has the fourth highest tax burden in the nation and you think that increasing that burden will help your constituents?

As former Chief Justice John Marshall famously stated, “[T]he power to tax involves the power to destroy.”  Perhaps we should tax running for reelection.  Stopping career politicians like Mr. Carr from regulating our shopping habits would surely be a greater advancement for society than a marginal reduction in plastic bag consumption.  After all, reducing the number of career politicians is always a worthy cause.

The arrival of 2010 ushers in yet another federal election.  This year, every seat in the House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate is up for grabs.

A new study from the polling firm Public Opinion Strategies demonstrates that President Obama’s approval rating could determine the fate of his strong Democratic majorities in Congress.

Public Opinion studied midterm election results and presidential job approval numbers from 1962 to 2006.  The results aren’t too surprising, but they are nevertheless discouraging for the current party in power.

Even a strong approval mark of 60% has only historically garnered the president’s party one seat in the House.  For example, President Ronald Reagan had a 63% approval rating in 1986, but Republicans still managed to lose five seats in Congress that year.

An average approval rating of 50% to 59% historically results in an average loss of 12 seats.  President Obama’s current approval rating is 50%.

If his approval rating dips below 50%, he may be welcoming Speaker John Boehner in 2011.  When the president’s approval rating falls below the Mendoza Line (50%) for politicians, his party loses an average of 41 seats, or one more than Republicans currently need to take back the lower chamber.

Generally, a president’s popularity and tenure in Congress are inexorably linked.  When November arrives, President Obama will learn that lesson anew.

Stay tuned for more coverage by CFIF on the 2010 elections.

Washington Post – Dust Settling from Democratic Departures
NY Times – Democrats Wary after Senate Retirements
Palm Beach Post – Crist Shoots Down Re-election Rumors
Chicago Tribune – Democrats a Step Ahead of Voters

Debra Saunders – Schwarzenegger — What Might Have Been
WSJ Editorial – H&R Blockheads
The Hill – Pelosi Hints at January Health Care Vote
Politico – Democratic Majorities Safe, for Now

Federal Debt: $12.282 trillion

As top Democrats debate health care reform “behind closed doors,” it’s important to recall President Obama’s repeated promises for a more open and transparent government.

Hat tip to Breitbart.tv for the video below.

This week has been awash in Democratic retirements.  In just two days, senior Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Byron Dorgan (D-ND) have announced that they won’t be facing voters this November.

In addition, Governor Bill Ritter (D-CO) announced his retirement after just one term in Denver.

All three politicians had uphill reelection prospects and polls now show Republicans with a 44% to 35% advantage in the Generic Congressional Ballot.

For taxpayers and free trade advocates, Dorgan’s retirement comes as a welcome surprise.  He was one of the loudest and most obnoxious free trade opponents in the Senate and even authored the book “Take this Job and Ship It,” a screed against free trade and competition.

Thankfully, the book’s Amazon sales rank is a lowly 143,535, so few will miss his writing or his voting record.

The Hill – Senator Dorgan Announces Retirement
The Hill – Senator Dodd to Retire
Politico – President Obama Starts 2010 with 50% Approval
WSJ Editorial – The Tom DeLay Democrats

Atlanta Journal-Constitution – Don’t Let Detroit be Our Future
Newt Gingrich – Obama’s Profoundly Wrong Policies
Washington Examiner – Dems Negotiate ObamaCare in Secret
Washington Times – Senator Nelson’s Broken Promises

Federal Debt: $12.278 trillion

In response to the attempted terrorist attack aboard a Detroit-bound flight on Christmas Day, President Obama is set to release a new wave of airport security measures.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has responded somewhat by giving pat-downs to travelers from Yemen, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia and 11 other countries that are havens for terrorist activity.

Of course, the Christmas bomber, Umar Farouk Abdulmatallab, was already in a U.S. database of 550,000 suspected terrorists, but that did not subject him to additional scrutiny under current law.  No word yet on whether the President’s new proposals will change this practice.

Read more of CFIF on Homeland Security and Terrorism.

Human Events – The Political Budget Office
CNN – Senator Graham Censured in South Carolina
George Will – A Clunker of a Year
Jonah Goldberg – Hangover Time for Liberalism

The Hill – Has Obama Made Us Safer?
Politico – Health Care Debate Resumes
WSJ Editorial – Sen. Nelson’s Unconstitutional Compromise?
Washington Examiner – Obama Flunks First Year

Federal Debt: $12.169 trillion

Recent Democrat-turned-Republican Parker Griffith (R-AL) is starting off the New Year with an empty office.

In a move that surprises few, all of his staff, including his intern, resigned today as a result of Griffith’s switch to the Republican Party.

In a joint statement released by his former staffers, they sought the future employment of “principled public officials.”  The world awaits the search for these “principled public officials.”  Let us know when you find a few.