WSJ – Why Your Coach Votes Republican
Politico – President Obama Shifts on Health Care
Washington Post – Getting a Gun in D.C.?
Congressional Budget Office – Business Cycle and the Federal Budget
Political Wire – Blue Dogs Still Want Health Care Reform
John Stossel – Obamacare II
Chris Cillizza – The Race for Kennedy’s Seat
Federal Debt: $11.744 trillion
“Being a libertarian means living with an almost unendurable level of frustration. It means being subject to unending scorn and derision despite being inevitably proven correct by events.
Imagine spending two decades warning that government policy is leading to a major economic collapse, and then, when the collapse comes, watching the world conclude that markets do not work.
Imagine continually explaining that markets function because they have a built in corrective mechanism; that periodic contractions are necessary to weed out unproductive ventures; that continually loosening credit to avoid such corrections just puts off the day of reckoning and inevitably leads to a larger recession; that this is precisely what the government did during the 1920’s that led to the great depression; and then, when the recession hits, seeing it offered as proof of the failure of laissez-faire capitalism.”
Professor John Hasnas on being a libertarian today.
Here’s the full story on this budding “bromance” from The New Republic.
How opposed is Senator Charles Grassley to the current version of health care reform being debated in Congress? So much so that he’s raising money based on his opposition to Obamacare.
Senator Grassley, once a leader in bipartisan talks, is now raising money and protecting his right flank by informing his constituents that the current version of the Obamacare would “turn over control of your health care decisions to a federal bureaucrat.”
Although there is no doubt that our health care system needs reform, Grassley’s revelation comes as somewhat welcome news, because it has been reported that Democrats are seeking to bypass traditional Senate rules and force “reform” through budget reconciliation, a process that does not require 60 votes.
However, Senator Judd Gregg, one-time Obama administration advocate, is now leading the fight against these tactics.
Politico – Tough Decisions for Obama
Cato Institute – Hillary: The Movie
Cafe Hayek – The Influence of GMU Economics
Political Wire – Christie Expands Lead in NJ
WSJ – January 19th Election for Kennedy Seat
WSJ – Group Launches Ad on Federal Deficit
WSJ – Bank of America Seeks to Repay Bailout
Iowa Independent – Grassley Raises Money on Opposition to Obamacare
Federal Debt: $11.740 trillion
Reports that he has early-stage prostate cancer (WSJ).
The desire of some in Congress to shut down conservative talk radio through the re-imposition of the “Fairness Doctrine” or by other regulatory means is fairly well documented. But did you know that the Majority Leader of the United States Senate wishes his state’s largest newspaper “out of business?”
Sherman Frederick, publisher of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, discussed the incident during which Harry Reid made his hopes known in a column published this weekend:
On Wednesday, before he addressed a Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce luncheon, Reid joined the chamber’s board members for a meet-‘n’-greet and a photo. One of the last in line was the Review-Journal’s director of advertising, Bob Brown, a hard-working Nevadan who toils every day on behalf of advertisers. He has nothing to do with news coverage or the opinion pages of the Review-Journal.
Yet, as Bob shook hands with our senior U.S. senator in what should have been nothing but a gracious business setting, Reid said: ‘I hope you go out of business.’
Later, in his public speech, Reid said he wanted to let everyone know that he wants the Review-Journal to continue selling advertising because the Las Vegas Sun is delivered inside the Review-Journal.
Read Frederick’s full column and response to the incident here.
In last week’s Freedom Minute, CFIF’s Renee Giachino reads several provisions in H.R. 3200, the House health care reform bill, and asks you to decide whether it’s the right prescription for America.
Congress’ popularity has been in the dump for some time now. That’s why it’s not surprising that a large majority of voters believe that the entire Congress should be thrown out of office and that we should start anew.
According to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey, “57% [of U.S. voters] would vote to replace the entire Congress and start all over again.” A mere one in four voters, or 25%, would vote to keep the current Congress. 18% are unsure what they would do.
Other highlights of the survey include:
Read the full summary here.
“Who caught the fish that I will eat tonight? Who trucked it from the sea to my hotel? Who will cook that fish? Who designed the dishwasher that cleaned the plate and utensils that I will use? I know almost none of the millions of people whose daily efforts make possible my life and that of countless other Americans. These people don’t hatch grand plans for arrogantly re-working society. They offer only to deal voluntarily with me and with others, never pretending – unlike Mr. Kennedy – to be endowed with a mysterious genius and a saintly inspiration justifying haughty intrusions into the affairs of others.”
Professor Donald Boudreaux writing for Cafe Hayek.
Cato Institute – The Government Can!
Cafe Hayek – Truly Productive People
Political Wire – Waiting for Joe Kennedy to Decide
Congressional Budget Office – Effect of HR 3200 on Medicare Part D
WSJ – Kennedy’s Widow Could Fill Seat
John Stossel – Government Knows Best?
Club for Growth – Dems Could Face Losses in 2010
Government Bytes – Tax Code Complexity
Federal Debt: $11.736 trillion
At a luncheon meeting this week with Harry Reid and the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, the Majority Leader suggested that the Senate would not be voting on the the dubiously-named “Employee Free Choice Act” any time soon. According to Reid:
We have too many other things on our plate.
The news spread quickly throughout the policy community yesterday. And despite some having done so already, it is way too premature to start claiming victory on this issue.
Make no mistake… Card Check will rear its ugly head once again.
Despite the departure of many high-profile advertisers and the constant attacks by the Left, the number of viewers who watch Glenn Beck’s 5 pm television show on Fox News has skyrocketed. In fact, on Wednesday night alone, Beck’s viewership topped more than 3 million people.
To put that into perspective, CNN’s Situation Room was the second most watched cable news show during the same pre-prime time time slot that evening with a mere 688,000 viewers. And, Beck had nearly three times the number of viewers in the 5 pm slot than their beloved Keith Olbermann, whose show airs on MSNBC during the prime 8 pm time slot.
Perhaps the far Left should be asking themselves who in fact is really out of touch with the American people.
Political Wire – Nixon v. Kennedy
Cafe Hayek – Bernanke the Savior?
John Stossel – Stupid Rules
Government Bytes – Moran Townhall
Reason – Trouble in Japan
WSJ – Charlie Rangel Hides Income and Assets
Politico – Romney Won’t Run
Politico – Pelosi Needs $100,000
Federal Debt: $11.733 trillion
The Almanac of American Politics arrived at our offices today, and with it, a handy little chart on page 1699.
The typical refrain is that the GOP is the party of big-money country club types and Democrats are the party of the little-guy. As stereotpyical as these labels might be, numbers from the 2008 election tell a strange story.
The Almanac broke down the zip codes in the U.S. by total amount of political contributions. For example, zip code 10021, which resides in the upper-east side in New York City, contributed over $21 million during the 2007-08 cycle. Of that amount, over 72% went to Democrats.
This was a typical refrain from the chart. The six most prolific donor zip codes during the last cycle were all from New York City and all gave big money to Democrats, a total of over $44 million. That’s $44 million from literally a few square miles on Manhattan Island. Of the 25 most prolific zip codes, only 3 favored Republicans over Democrats.
More proof of the drastic change in certain demographic groups toward the Democratic Party is evidenced in recent election data. According to the Almanac, President Obama won 52% of the vote for those reporting income over $200,000 in 2008, even though the President promised to raise income taxes for anyone making over $250,000.
To put that figure in perspective, John Kerry, the 2004 Democratic nominee, received only 35% of the vote for individuals reporting over $200,000 in income. This 18% jump in high-earners and a massive amount of cash from New York City and California helped propel President Obama to the White House.
According to Congressman Pete Stark (D-CA), the reason the moderate blue dogs are opposed to or are working to change the House health care bill is because they are “brain dead,” looking for campaign contributions from insurance companies, and are promoting “a right-wing agenda.”
Stark made the comments during a conference call today with reporters, which was hosted by the ultra-liberal Campaign for America’s Future. According to an Associated Press piece, Stark’s specific words were:
They’re for the most part, I hate to say, brain dead, but they’re just looking to raise money from insurance companies and promote a right-wing agenda that is not really very useful in this whole process.”
Read the full AP story here.
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