Freedom Line Blog

Washington Post – White House Tries to Counter Punch
ABC News – Too Much Obama?
WSJ – House “Disapproves” of Rep. Wilson
Political Wire – Democrats Prepare to Go Alone
John Fund – ACORN Runs Off the Rails

Rep. Jeff Flake – Tire Tariff Will Create Trade War
National Review Online – Please Read the Bill, Mr. President
Mark Perry – Tariff Will Punish American Consumers
The Hill – Obama Ruined Democratic Realignment
Sen. Max Baucus – America’s Healthy Future Act of 2009 (223 pages)

Federal Debt: $11.816 trillion

The vote, as one would expect, was mostly a party-line vote (240-179).  Seven Republicans voted for the resolution while twelve Democrats voted against “censuring” Wilson.  Five members voted present (Engel, Foster, Frank, Shea-Porter and Skelton).

Here is the full roll call.

U.S. Condemned For Pre-Emptive Use Of Hillary Clinton Against Pakistan

House Democrats apparently aren’t accepting Representative Joe Wilson’s (R-SC) apology for his outburst last week.  Today, House Democratic leaders will move forward with a “Resolution of Disapproval” for Wilson’s “You Lie” statement.

Wilson recently pledged, “I won’t be offering any more apologies.”

WSJ – Senate Votes to De-fund Acorn
Political Wire – Women Lawmakers More Effective?
Cafe Hayek – Witless on Trade?
Cato Institute – Evidence Against Big Government
Ed Royce – D.C. Spending Kills the Dollar
Steny Hoyer – House Schedule
Politico – Revolving Door for Health Care Aides

National Debt: $11.812 trillion

Prediction:  President Obama’s comment that rapper Kanye West is a “jackass” will get the President a bigger poll boost than his ObamaCare infomercials.

Question:  Would it be fair to say that West “Taylor Swiftboated” himself?

Comment:  If you don’t have the slightest idea what we are talking about, congratulations.  You have a life.

This week, the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press released one of its periodic assessments of public attitudes toward news organizations.

It’s major findings:  “The public’s assessment of the accuracy of news stories is now at its lowest level in more than two decades… Just 29% of Americans say that news organizations generally get their facts straight, while 63% say that news stories are often inaccurate….

“Similarly, only about a quarter (26%) now say that news organizations are careful that their reporting is not politically biased, compared with 60 % who say news organizations are politically biased.  And the percentages saying that news organizations are independent of powerful people and organizations (20%)  or are willing to admit their mistakes (21%) now also match all-time lows.”

Strangely, only a handful of major news organizations reported the Pew Study.

The entire Pew study can be read here.

Yes, the U.S. health care system has its flaws.  The cost, payment by third parties, government involvement, and defensive medicine are all factors that limit access and drive up costs.  But, with the slice of capitalism that still exists in our system, money will always allow patients to receive care in a timely fashion.

In Canada, the government runs the single-payer system and determines what procedures are covered and who receives care.  Fortunately, capitalism still exists across the border and a firm has started to make money off of long waiting lines.

Yes, one stop to Timely Medical can drastically reduce your waiting time and allow you to leave the rationing to the bureaucrats.  One has to wonder if such a company will exist here if the U.S. goes the single-payer route.

Here’s another great video from the 9-12 march on D.C.  This is courtesy of our friends at Reason.

Senator Olympia Snowe, one of three Republicans who have been negotiating with Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus on a health care reform compromise, is urging the President to take the public health insurance option “off the table.”  On CBS’s Face the Nation yesterday, Snowe said Obama “should take it off the table.”

In addition, Senator Susan Collins is out there claiming that she wouldn’t even support a “trigger” for the “public option,” an idea floated by Democrats last week.  Collins correctly argues, “The problem with the trigger is it just delays the public option.”

Senate Democrats have been courting both Senators in an effort to pass a bipartisan bill – something that will be next to impossible without Snowe and Collin’s support.  Without any Republican support, Democrats may have to resort to the nuclear option of the health care debate, which is to use budget reconciliation rules, if they insist on a public option as part of a final package.   Budget reconciliation would only require 51 votes for passage. 

Following the taxpayer uproar, including the protests over the weekend, they may want to think twice about that.

This one is courtesy of Matthias Shapiro. Some of his videos have netted more than 1 million views.

WSJ – Gloomy Anniversary
Political Wire – Intensity in Health Care Debate
Cafe Hayek – Meet the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss
Cato Institute – Obama to Impose Tariffs

Steny Hoyer – House Schedule
Government Bytes – 9-12 Rally: What I Saw
Politico – Ex-Governors Want Another Shot
Politico – Senator: House Health Care Bill Won’t Pass

9-12 Video: Trying to Get Through the Crowd

The 9-12 taxpayer rally was simply an amazing experience.  I arrived just before noon, having to endure a packed Metro ride full of taxpayers headed to the event.

It took about 30 minutes to walk from 12th and Pennsylvania to the Capitol.  Contrary to what some left-of-center pundits might say, the rally was not packed with crazies preaching secession.

The rally was full with ordinary taxpayers who drove thousands of miles for the rally.  I met a group from Georgia who drove through the night to attend the rally.  They planned to drive through the night again because they couldn’t afford to spend two nights in a hotel.  They weren’t paid off by anyone to come and this was actually the first protest they had ever attended.

This was not an AstroTurf rally.  The 9-12 rally was a legitimate expression of taxpayer frustration over reckless taxing and spending.  Estimates vary from 60,000 to 100,000, but whatever the number, the experience was amazing and the politicians in this city ought to listen.  As our friend Andrew Moylan noted, “Hell hath no fury like a taxpayer ignored.”

Here is some footage:

The official count, according to early news reports, is 60,000 people who have turned out for the 9-12 march on Washington.  But tune in to Fox News and I am pretty sure you’ll agree that it looks like a lot more.

Of course, House Democrats tried their hardest to diminish the significance of this event before it even started.  According to FoxNews.com, a House leadership aide penned a memo to fellow Dems warning that 2 million people could show.  The strategy?  Float a ridiculous number and anything less is failure.

These so-called leaders in Washington just don’t get it.  It is not a Democrat vs. Republican thing.  It’s not about which major political party can score the most political points.  This is about a bunch of ordinay people standing up for the principles on which this great country was founded. 

In addition to the 60,000 plus who have turned out in D.C., tens of thousands more are gathering in large cities and small towns across the country.  The more Washington politicians continue to play games and ignore the voice of the people, the larger this grassroots movement gets… and rightly so.

Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives plan to pass a resolution censuring Congressman Joe Wilson (R-SC) for saying “you lie” during the President’s ObamaCare live infomercial Wednesday night, and refusing to apologize on the floor of the House, even though he has apologized to the President.

We assume that this censure will follow that of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for calling Town Hall protesters “Nazis” and that of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for saying that the CIA lies to Congress all the time.

Too bad there won’t be enough time left that day to deal with the people’s business.  How large is the deficit now?

The taxpayer protests must be working because the left is angry …  so angry that they called in a bomb threat to the offices of FreedomWorks today, forcing an evacuation.  FreedomWorks is the lead sponsor of the 9-12 rally in D.C. tomorrow (CFIF is also a co-sponsor), and they have even received death threats to their office.

I don’t think that the felon who phoned in this threat realizes his call only strengthens our resolve to fight harder against elements that obviously can’t tolerate dissent or alternative plans for health care, taxes, and regulatory reform.

The march will go on tomorrow and it will be a success, despite the radicals calling in to threaten the lives of people in their 20’s and 30’s working solely to limit the size and scope of Uncle Sam.

It is an old Washington refrain: political friend supports a presidential candidate and then gets a plum ambassadorship in a swanky country, likely one with a nice view or a beach.  This political quid pro quo happens countless times in D.C. but I was somewhat surprised to learn that it also happens across political parties, though the motivations might be the same.

Douglas Kmiec, Reagan official and former Dean of Catholic University Law School, drew some right-of-center criticism for his endorsement of President Obama.  Kmiec, a devout Catholic, was even refused communion because of his support for the pro-choice candidate.

However, despite the policy differences, Kmiec publicly endorsed Obama in an LA Times op-ed, and even wrote a book about then-Candidate Obama’s qualifications for office.

Of course, in D.C., no good deed goes unpunished and I learned from Catholic University this morning that Kmiec had been appointed ambassador to the beautiful island nation of Malta.  Surrounded by nothing more than the Med and fine dining, I’m sure Kmiec deeply regrets his decision last year, and I’m sure his vocal support for the President had nothing to do with his appointment.

Here’s a pic of the sunset in Malta.  It looks like rough times ahead for our new ambassador.

Here’s a great video from our friends at Americans for Tax Reform:

Cato Institute – Congressional Conflict of Interest
Representative Tom Price – Health Care Fact Check
Chris Cillizza – A Re-Energized Democratic Base?
Reason – Big Stimulus Winners and Losers
Political Wire – Obama Speech a Boon to Health Care Fight?
Cafe Hayek – Benefits Have Costs

D.C. 9/12 March on Washington

Remembering 9/11:

Today, we remember the fallen heroes of eight years ago and their enduring legacy for our country.

Tomorrow, taxpayers and citizen activists will be marching on Washington for the 9/12 taxpayer rally.  The Center for Individual Freedom is a proud co-sponsor of the event and we hope that you will be able to join us as we march down Pennsylvania avenue.  Here is more information about the event.