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2013 Comprehensive Immigration Reform
Am-nes-ty : the act of an authority (as a government) by which pardon is granted to a large group of individuals.
So, according to merriam-webster.com, that’s whats going on, but why aren’t we calling it that again? Because we think we will get new voters to like us?
Cross-posted: TobyToons.com (Conservative Political Cartoons)
RNC’s Growth and Opportunity Project Wants Your Input For Developing an Action Plan
Candice Lanier – Last month, Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman, Reince Priebus, launched an initiative focused on enlarging the Republican Party and improving future GOP campaigns.
Known as the Growth and Opportunity Project, it is chaired by five Republican leaders who will be charged with reviewing past practices and making recommendations. The recommendations will involve the following key areas:
1) Campaign mechanics and ground game
2) Messaging
3) Fundraising
4) Demographic partners and allies
5) Third party groups
6) Campaign finance issues
7) Presidential primaries
8) Lessons learned from Democratic campaign tactics
The Project is chaired by five Republican leaders: Henry Barbour, Sally Bradshaw, Ari Fleischer, Zori Fonalledas and Glenn McCall. Input and insight will be sought from Republicans across the country. The Growth & Opportunity Project is currently reaching out to RNC members, grassroots activists, donors, elected officials, community leaders and others in order to develop a solid plan for the future.
The project is interested in hearing your ideas. You can let your voice be heard by completing the following survey.
Watch the Growth & Opportunity Project Video
The Media & Democrats Flexible Definition of “The Rich”
It all depends on what the meaning of the word “is” is
Bill Clinton
Remember the media meme that tax increases were necessary to be sure the rich pay their fair share? Well apparently to democrats, the party of the little guy and the media “The Rich” doesn’t include General Electric, Citigroup, Diageo (makers of Puerto Rician Rum) Citi, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, American Wind Energy Association and The Motion Picture Association of America.
Apparently they wanted a big batch of tax credits and favors and paid millions to lobbyists to achieve them, they put these credits into a Senate bill called the Family and Business Tax Cut Certainty Act of 2012.
Now as the GOP didn’t support this massive tax giveaway and a House of Representatives with a strong Tea Party presence wasn’t about to pass it. In fact according to the site Govtrack.us…
Status:
Introduced Aug 28, 2012
Reported by Committee Aug 28, 2012
Passed Senate (not yet occurred)
Passed House (not yet occurred)
Signed by the President (not yet occurred)
The committees assigned to this bill sent it to the House or Senate as a whole for consideration on August 28, 2012.
Prognosis: 19% chance of being enacted.
Or at least that would have been the odds but according to Tim Carney of the Washington Times:
A Republican Senate aide familiar with the cliff negotiations tells me the White House wanted permanent extensions of a whole slew of corporate tax credits. When Senate Republicans said no, “the White House insisted that the exact language” of the Baucus bill be included in the fiscal cliff deal. “They were absolutely insistent,” another aide tells me. (The White House did not return requests for comment.)
Sure enough, Title II of the fiscal cliff legislation is nearly a word-for-word replication of the Family and Business Tax Cut Certainty Act of 2012.
So the Democrats,the protectors of the little guy, the people who were going to make sure that the rich paid their fair share and President Obama their champion managed to do what corporate lobbyists couldn’t add this unpassable bill into the fiscal cliff legislation, passed it in the senate and sent to the house where democrats voted for it en masse and enough establishment Republicans could make sure their corporate friends had their reward.
There was a time when media would have screamed foul, there was a time when such a bill once read and known to the public would not have been possible, but the media has already defined the villain as the GOP and the heroes as the Democrats in general and this President in particular and no amount of truth could change it.
We get the government we deserve, I really thought we deserved better.
Update: The Wall Street Journal adds to the list:
In praising Congress’s huge new tax increase, President Obama said Tuesday that “millionaires and billionaires” will finally “pay their fair share.” That is, unless you are a Nascar track owner, a wind-energy company or the owners of StarKist Tuna, among many others who managed to get their taxes reduced in Congress’s New Year celebration.
and they have a solution for the GOP
Republicans who are looking for a new populist message have one waiting here, and they could start by repudiating the corporate welfare in this New Year disgrace.
and even better they can ask where the MSM were when this happened?
The Constitution Does Not Require the Speaker Be an Elected Member of Congress
As Rumors Swirl Around the Speakers Ouster, Conservatives Need to Remember that the Constitution does not require that the Speaker be an elected Member of Congress, but no non-member has ever been elected to the office. Knowing this, I think it’s time we “Think Outside of the Box” and elect a new speaker from outside of congress…
From FoxNews:
John Boehner could be in for a fight Thursday when the newly seated House votes for the next speaker, with conservatives grumbling about his leadership and a report surfacing about a supposed plan to challenge him.
The 11-term congressman, who’s endured his share of political turbulence, presumably enters the election with the upper hand. So far, a single viable Republican challenger has not emerged and the rules of the vote tend to work in Boehner’s favor.
But Boehner’s potential troubles were compounded by a late-night flare up with outraged northeast lawmakers over a decision by the speaker to postpone a vote on an aid package for Superstorm Sandy victims.
For the near term, the speaker appears to have weathered those complaints, assuring members in a closed-door meeting Wednesday afternoon they will vote by Jan. 15. Rep. Michael Grimm, R-N.Y., who initially described the postponement as a “betrayal” and threatened to abstain from voting for Boehner, said after the meeting he would back Boehner.
Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., who earlier lashed out at the GOP leadership in a string of interviews and remarks, said the same.
But a spate of other flare-ups over the past several days and weeks among House Republicans has stoked threats about resistance — or at least some drama — Thursday. Conservatives were already miffed that Boehner, early on in talks over the fiscal crisis, had agreed to new revenue. Boehner suffered another blow two weeks ago when his “Plan B” fiscal bill failed to garner enough Republican backers. But the final fiscal-crisis bill, which arrived from the Senate early Tuesday morning, ultimately garnered thin support from the GOP ranks. While Boehner and 84 other Republicans voted for it, 151 Republicans opposed it — more Democrats than Republicans voted for the bill.
ForAmerica Chairman Bozell on Senate Fiscal Cliff Bill: “It’s a Surrender.”
“Conservatives Should Want Nothing To Do With Any Republicans…If They Support This Monstrosity”
ALEXANDRIA, VA –Today, ForAmerica Chairman Brent Bozell released a statement regarding the Senate-passed bill resulting from negotiations over the fiscal cliff:
“The bill passed by the Senate last night is not a ‘deal,’ it’s a surrender. The problem our nation faces is over-spending, and spending is ignored: the perfect Washington, DC ‘solution.’ And not only does this bill fail to make meaningful spending cuts, it actually spends another $4 trillion we don’t have! If the House passes this bill, the GOP loses its soul and co-owns the resulting fiscal disaster with President Obama. Conservatives should want nothing to do with any Republicans, no matter how ‘conservative’ they tell us they are, if they support this monstrosity.”
Conservative Groups to GOP: Vote for ‘Plan B’ and We’ll Come After You
From Breitbart:
On Wednesday, the conservative ForAmerica political organization and other groups threatened House Republicans who are considering voting in favor of House Speaker John Boehner’s tax-hiking “Plan B” fiscal proposal not to do so.
ForAmerica chairman Brent Bozell told reporters at a Wednesday press conference that he’d put “primary challengers” up against Republicans who vote for Boehner’s “Plan B.” Boehner’s “Plan B,” an unsolicited offer, is a tax hike on all Americans who make more than $1 million per year. Boehner’s plan was originally proposed by New York Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer – and later endorsed by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi – in early 2012.
“I’m going to make a prediction, right here and now, and write it down – and call me on it. If the Republicans support this tax increase, they will lose control of the House in the 2014 elections,” Bozell said.
They will lose control of the House. Not only that, but a whole lot of members who thought they were safe and who thought they could get away with this will lose in their own districts. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure this one out. This is precisely what happened to them six years ago and they’ve already forgotten that message. The Republicans were tossed out of the majority when they broke their word on spending. Now they’re breaking their word again but it’s not just spending. It’s taxes on top of that. Fiscal conservatives will not stand for this. This is a terrible bill. This is a terrible box Republicans have painted themselves into, in this corner. They’ve got to try to get themselves out of it. But going for higher taxes and trying to play “Democrat-lite” is the worst possible solution and the negotiations that are going on right now between the Speaker’s office and the Obama administration is the stuff of Keystone Cops. It is embarrassing how badly this has been negotiated. Real fiscal conservatives would simply walk away from this mess.
A GOP operative told Breitbart News that House Republicans had better heed Bozell’s warning: “ForAmerica has built the closest thing the Republicans have to Obama’s online machine.” The GOP operative claimed, “They’re able to get millions of conservatives aware and active on specific issues at the drop of a hat. I’d worry a lot more about ForAmerica than Grover.”
Americans for Tax Reform, Grover Norquist’s group, issued a statement on Wednesday saying they don’t support or oppose Boehner’s “Plan B,” and they empathize with Republicans who will support it. That said, ATR said it does not endorse Boehner’s plan.
Muth’s Truths: Must Republicans Embrace the Mushy Middle…or Perish?
By Chuck Muth
December 14, 2012
Pliable “Gumby” Republicans and the media are telling us, in light of last month’s election results, that GOP candidates must move to the mushy middle to win elections. Really?
Ronald Reagan was a conservative. He ran as a conservative. He governed as a conservative. And he won as a conservative. Twice.
George H.W. Bush (41) ran as a conservative; selling his candidacy as “Reagan’s third term.” He won as a conservative. Then he broke his conservative “read my lips, no new taxes” pledge and subsequently lost his bid for re-election.
Bob Dole ran as a moderate. He lost.
George W. Bush (43) ran as a conservative. A “compassionate” conservative. The “true” heir to Ronald Reagan, we were told. He subsequently governed like a moderate on many issues (No Child Left Behind, Medicare Part D, TSA, etc.), but at least talked like a conservative, cut taxes like a conservative and ran for re-election as a conservative.
And won.
John McCain has always been a moderate. Voted like a moderate. Ran as a moderate.
And lost as a moderate.
Mitt Romney governed as a moderate in Massachusetts. He then ran as a “severely conservative” Republican in the GOP presidential primary this year. He won the primary, but no true conservative believed he was really one of us. We all knew he was, in his heart of hearts, a moderate.
He lost.
Here in Nevada, John Ensign ran statewide as a conservative. Voted as a conservative. And won. Until he was caught doing…well, you know.
Dean Heller ran as a conservative for Congress. Was elected as a conservative. Voted as a conservative. Was appointed as a conservative to replace Ensign. Voted as a conservative in the Senate. Ran as a conservative this year. And won.
Jim Gibbons ran as a conservative. Governed as a conservative. Talked like a conservative. Then lost. Not because he was a conservative; but because he horribly mismanaged his administration.
Indeed, note that Gibbons didn’t lose to a Democrat; he lost in a GOP primary to Brian Sandoval, who beat him by…running as a conservative.
Sandoval, like Romney, was always suspected of being a moderate. And, disappointingly, he’s governed as a moderate after fooling enough Republicans into thinking he was a conservative. Only time will tell if he can continue fooling enough of the people to get re-elected with a limited-government Libertarian and/or an IAP candidate in his race.
Joe Heck ran as a conservative in 2010 and won in a Democrat district against a sitting Democrat incumbent. He then voted as a conservative in office. Ran as a conservative again this year in a Democrat district. And won.
So, um, tell me again why Republican candidates MUST move to the center in order to win elections?
Obama Ups Bid as GOP Looks For Way Out of Crisis
Byron York – It’s possible to have a strong hand and still overplay it. As Republicans see things, that’s what President Obama is doing in the “fiscal cliff” negotiations.
In private conversation, some in the GOP appear a little sheepish about the fact that they once took the president seriously. Even though he had the upper hand after winning re-election, they thought he genuinely wanted to avoid going over the cliff and would negotiate in good faith. Then Obama sent Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner to Capitol Hill with a thumb-in-the-eye offer, and Republicans got the message.
In subsequent days, Obama has not only flatly rejected a Republican proposal that, unlike Obama’s, made concessions on tax revenue. He has also ratcheted up his demands — he now says there will be no fiscal cliff deal without a deal on the debt ceiling as well, which he has demanded unilateral authority to control. And he has, in public, addressed Republicans as if they were unruly children in need of discipline.
”If Congress in any way suggests that they’re going to tie negotiations to debt ceiling votes …” Obama told the Business Roundtable recently, “I will not play that game. Because we’ve got to break that habit before it starts.”
Republicans tee up round 2 of debt-ceiling fight
Fox News – Republicans gave no ground Sunday to President Obama’s demand for near-unilateral power to increase the debt ceiling, with one influential senator predicting the party will once again use the debt-ceiling vote to extract trillions in spending cuts.
The senator, Tennessee’s Bob Corker, broke with some in his party Sunday by urging Republicans to drop their opposition to tax hikes on the wealthiest 2 percent. Corker, though, explained that he only thinks Republicans should cave to Obama on tax hikes because then they can focus on winning entitlement cuts as part of the debt-ceiling negotiations.
“Republicans know that they have the debt ceiling that’s coming up right around the corner, and the leverage is going to shift, as soon as we get beyond this issue,” Corker said on “Fox News Sunday.”
“The leverage is going to shift to our side, where hopefully we’ll do the same thing we did last time.”
Post Offers Hint of GOP Path Choice for House Leadership Role – Could Help Party Shift Message After Losses
WSJ – As Republicans grapple with how to adjust their party’s long-term strategy in the aftermath of last week’s election losses, an immediate choice facing the party could provide an early signal on which way it is headed.
House Republicans vote Wednesday on their leaders for the next two years. Most of the top slots are all but assured, including Ohio Rep. John Boehner’s re-election as speaker. But a hard-fought contest is brewing between Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington and Tom Price of Georgia for the fourth-most-senior position.
The two lawmakers are seeking the job of conference chairman, whose job is to shape the Republican message and run House GOP meetings.
Mr. Price, 58 years old, is a former chairman of the Republican Study Committee, a powerful group of House conservatives who often pull the party’s leadership to the right. First elected in 2004, he emerged from the party’s longstanding power base.
Ms. McMorris Rodgers, 43, also is conservative. But as a young mother from the Northwest, she fits a profile that is rarer for the GOP and that House members might find appealing after an election in which the party struggled to attract female voters.
