Tea Party Patriots tell Congress - "Get Back to Work!"

While the stock markets and 401K's tumbles like President Obama and Congress in the polls, our elected elite have decided to go on VACATION.

Now, instead of putting politics in place of good policy and failing to protect our countrys credit rating in the debt ceiling debate, the establishment elite have decided frolic and fun is more important than the well being of our country.

As many Americans have put vacation plans on hold because of financial constraints or in the past have cancelled vacations because of unexpected work obligations, the Tea Party Patriots are asking Congress to be responsible and do the same...

From U.S. News --

"If I were Speaker Boehner, I'd call Congress back into session. I wouldn't take this month off. I'd say in light of the downgrade, we have serious problems we need to address. There's nothing from stopping us from addressing them right now and lets get back to work," says Jenny Beth Martin, cofounder of the Tea Party Patriots.

She told Whispers that Congress should return to make good on earlier promises to slash spending, moves that might help the nation regain it's AAA bond rating from Standard & Poor's. Once back, she says, "they could keep their pledge that they made to cut $100 billion this year. Or they could take the cuts from the 'Cut, Cap, and Balance' plan of $110 billion and pass that. They don't need to wait until the special 'super committee' makes recommendations at Thanksgiving. This downgrade right now is affecting not just our economy but the world economy. Who is going to be the leader and solve these problems, that's what we're looking for."

The speaker's office had no comment. Neither Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid nor President Obama have signaled a desire to recall Congress.

In a harsh assessment of Congress, Martin adds, "At what point are they going to realize that Americans are frustrated with what they are doing? They are destroying our country right now."

Martin said that if Congress doesn't cancel its recess, Tea Party members will flood congressional town hall meetings around the nation to demand action.

"If they don't go back into session, then we're going to show up at town halls around the country," she says.

Since we know these D.C. dipweeds will not cancel their vacations, please sign up on our email list at www.clevelandteaparty.com for up to date info on Congressional Town Halls in Ohio.

Rich Man / Poor Man: A Must See Video

A great video to send any of your Liberal, Progressive and Democrat friends. 

Credit Rating Lowered -- President Obama Owns it!

All through the debt ceiling debate we were told by the elected elite in D.C. how important it was to protect the credit rating of our country. Many did not want to hear the call of a strong few in D.C, supported by us so-called crazy & uneducated Tea Party people, that the only way to save the credit rating from being lowered was to cut spending and NOT through raising the debt ceiling.

The media, always including the latest GOP  "Tea Partier's are Hobbit's" attacks, continually hammered home the beltway blab from President Obama and his band of befuddled bureaucrat's on how we must raise the debt ceiling in order to keep us from going into default and to save our credit rating from being lowered.  

After stomping his feet,  using quotes from Ronald Reagan to beat House Speaker John Boehner into capitulation, and in the name of "saving our credit rating" by threatening to veto anything that he did not approve of, President Obama held strong and got what he thought was best for the American people to save our credit rating.

And the Credit Agencies responded...

From JS Online -- (Emphasis Added)

The U.S. had its AAA credit rating downgraded for the first time by Standard & Poor's on concern spending cuts agreed on by lawmakers to raise the nation's borrowing limit won't be enough to reduce record deficits.

S&P dropped the ranking one level to AA+, after warning on July 14 that it would reduce the rating in the absence of a "credible" plan to lower deficits even if the nation's $14.3 trillion debt limit was lifted. The U.S. was awarded the top credit ranking by New York-based S&P in 1941. It kept the outlook at "negative."

"The downgrade reflects our opinion that the fiscal consolidation plan that Congress and the Administration recently agreed to falls short of what, in our view, would be necessary to stabilize the government's medium-term debt dynamics," S&P said in a statement today.

Demand for Treasuries has surged even with the specter of a downgrade as investors saw few alternatives to the traditional refuge during times of risk as concern increased global growth is slowing and Europe's sovereign debt crisis is spreading. The action could still hurt the U.S. economy over time by increasing the cost of mortgages, auto loans and other types of lending tied to the interest rates paid on Treasuries. JPMorgan Chase & Co. estimated that a downgrade would raise the nation's borrowing costs by $100 billion a year.

"It's a reflection of the fact that we haven't done enough to get our fiscal house in the order," Anthony Valeri, market strategist in San Diego at LPL Financial, which oversees $340 billion, said in an interview before the downgrade. "Sovereign credit quality is going to remain under pressure for years to come." »Read Full Article

So it looks like, once again (Stimulus, TARP, Bailouts, etc...), the financial and fiscal wisdom of President Obama has failed to live up to what he said it would be, or should we say for what some people "hoped".

Mr. President -- you own this one!

Senator Jim DeMint calls Boehner's plan the "Boehner/Reid Plan"

The following is from Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) commenting on Speaker John Boehner's blunderous back tracking on the House passed version of Cut, Cap & Balance (CCB) for his own Budget Control Act of 2011.

DeMint goes on to note the obvious shortcoming and failures of Boehner's  proposal and how it closely (maybe not so mysteriously) resembles Senator Majority Leader Harry Reids plan.

It's almost as if Boehner only went through the motions on CCB as a show.

From Politicons --

I have troubling news. I’m very careful about criticizing my party’s leaders, but what is happening in Washington right now cannot be ignored.

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) has abandoned the Cut-Cap-Balance Act and is now pushing a new plan that is nearly identical to the one proposed by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV).

The Boehner-Reid plan gives the President an immediate increase in the debt limit and only promises to cut spending in the future. It violates all three principles of the Cut-Cap-Balance Pledge because it does not substantially cut current spending, it does not truly cap future spending, and it does not require the passage of a strong Balanced Budget Amendment before raising the debt limit.

In short, I oppose the Boehner-Reid plan because it won’t balance the budget and stop the debt that is destroying our country.

The Boehner-Reid Plan

You will hear many claims about this plan over the next few days as it is pushed through the House and Senate. Some of these claims will be true, but many will be false. Here are the facts. The Boehner-Reid plan:

• Provides two increases in the debt limit – $900 billion and $1.6 trillion — totaling $2.5 trillion. It gives the President an immediate $900 billion increase given that Congress does not vote to disapprove it. It gives the President another $1.6 trillion increase next year if a bill written by a new Super Committee passes both houses and becomes law.

• Reduces spending by only $1.2 trillion over the next ten years. This amount won’t even come close to balancing the budget, as the debt is expected to grow by as much as $10 trillion over the next decade. The plan also reduces spending by only $6 billion in 2012. Considering that our government currently spends $10 billion a day, $6 billion is far too little to cut over the first year of the plan.

• Calls for a vote on the Balanced Budget Amendment but does not require its passage. Without passage of a strong Balanced Budget Amendment, Congress will never break its addiction to spending.

• Makes it virtually impossible to stop the debt limit from going up. The debt ceiling increases can only be stopped if Congress passes a resolution of disapproval and then votes to override the President’s veto with two-thirds support in the House and Senate.

• Creates a new, 12-member Super Committee to write another “grand bargain” to reduce the deficit by at least $1.6 trillion. It does not, however, prohibit the Super Committee from writing a bill to raise taxes and destroy jobs. The bill can then be fast-tracked through the House and Senate with no amendments.

Why It Should Be Rejected
After reviewing the details of Boehner-Reid plan, I cannot support it.

• It won’t balance the budget and stop the debt. Even if the cuts called for in the plan were real, the debt will still increase by $7 trillion over the next ten years.

• It won’t protect our AAA bond rating. According to financial reports, this plan will not reduce long-term spending by enough to prevent a downgrade. If we lose our AAA rating, it will create higher interest rates and cause our debt to grow even faster.

• It will likely result in higher taxes that will destroy even more jobs. The unemployment rate is over 9 percent. We cannot afford to lose more jobs when so many Americans are struggling to find work.

You can read the whole letter by clicking here.

Please note the only GOP Congressman from Ohio voting against Boehner's Budget Control Act of 2011 and making himself a target for political retribution, was Congressman Jim Jordan (OH-4). Thank you Congressman Jordan for being your own man and placing the well being of our country over poorly thought out partisan politics that would drive us deeper in debt!

Quickly forgetting they are in D.C. not because of Speaker Boehner, but because of the Tea Parties, the freshmen GOP Congressmen from OH chose to ignore the calls, emails and faxes from most of the Tea Parties in Ohio urging them to VOTE NO on Boehners Plan and voted to support the Boehner/Reid Bill.

Debt Ceiling Deal is Near - Contact Congress Now!

After passing the Budget Control Act of 2011(H.R.2693) through the use of political thuggery that would make a SEIU leader proud, it is being reported that House Speaker John Boehner, Senate President Harry Reid & Speaker John Boehner have come to a ‘deal’ over the debt ceiling debacle.

The reported deal is;

• A debt ceiling increase of up to $2.1 to $2.4 trillion (depending on the size of the spending cuts agreed to in the final deal).

• They have now agreed to spending cuts of roughly $1.2 trillion over 10 years.

• The formation of a special Congressional committee to recommend further deficit reduction of up to $1.6 trillion (whatever it takes to add up to the total of the debt ceiling increase). This deficit reduction could take the form of spending cuts, tax increases or both.

• The special committee must make recommendations by late November (before Congress' Thanksgiving recess).

• If Congress does not approve those cuts by December 23, automatic across-the-board cuts go into effect, including cuts to Defense and Medicare. This "trigger" is designed to force action on the deficit reduction committee's recommendations by making the alternative painful to both Democrats and Republicans.

• A vote, in both the House and Senate, on a balanced budget amendment.

This proposal falls far short of the House passed version of Cut, Cap & Balance, and the far weaker and open ended Boehner "Budget Control Act of 2011."

Votes on this deal are expected sometime today and Senator McConnell has acknowledged the debt ceiling limits are already exceeding those in the above deal.....

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell says negotiators are "very close" to nailing down an agreement that would avert a default of the nation's debt obligations.

McConnell tells CNN's "State of the Union" that lawmakers are looking at a $3 trillion package that would raise the debt ceiling in two stages through the elections next year.

Action Alert

Please contact the below GOP Congressional members from Ohio, Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) and Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and urge them to vote NO on this new proposed plan.

Please tell them to stop playing political games with the financial future and national security of the United States. Ask that without hesitation they act to protect the Full Faith and Credit of the United States, ensure payment of Social Security to our seniors and military.

There are several bills currently sitting in the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate, that would enable this to be done, two of them being the Full Faith and Credit Act (H.R. 421 & S.R.226) and the PROMISES Act (H.R.2496).

Contact Info

Senator Rob Portman

D.C. Office Ph#: (202)224-3353
Website: http://portman.senate.gov/public/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/robportman
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/robportman

Senator Sherrod Brown

DC Office Ph#: (202) 224-2315
DC Office Fx#: (202) 228-6321
Website: http://brown.senate.gov/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/sensherrodbrown

Rep. Steve Chabot, OH-1

D.C. Office Phone: (202) 225-2216
D.C. Office Fax: (202) 225-3012

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/RepSteveChabot

Twitter:  http://twitter.com/#!/repstevechabot

Website: http://chabot.house.gov
Email: https://chabot.house.gov/contact-me/email-me

Rep. Bill Johnson, OH-6

D.C. Office Phone: (202) 225-5705
D.C. Office Fax: (202) 225-5907

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/RepBillJohnson

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/RepBillJohnson

Website: http://billjohnson.house.gov

Rep. Steve Stivers, OH-15

D.C. Office Phone: (202)225-2015
D.C. Office Fax: (202)225-3529
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rep-Steve-Stivers/116058275133542

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/RepSteveStivers

Website: http://stivers.house.gov 

Rep. Jim Renacci, OH-16

D.C. Office Phone: (202)225-3876
D.C. Office Fax: (202)225-3059

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/repjimrenacci

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/repjimrenacci

Website: http://renacci.house.gov

Rep. Bob Gibbs, OH-18

D.C. Office Phone: (202)225-6265
D.C. Office Fax: (202)225-3394

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/RepBobGibbs

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/repbobgibbs

Website: http://gibbs.house.gov

House Leadership

Speaker John Boehner, OH-8

D.C. Office Phone: (202)225-6205

D.C. Office Fax: (202)225-0704
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/johnboehner

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/SpeakerBoehner

Website: http://www.johnboehner.house.gov

  

Rep. Eric Cantor, VA-7 / Majority Leader

D.C. Office Phone: (202)225-2815

D.C. Office Fax: (202)225-0011

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ericcantor

Website: http://cantor.house.gov

 Click here to send Congress a FREE Fax now! 

Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) supports Gang of Six Plan & Debt Ceiling Increase

In a recent interview on ABC's "Top Line" Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) indicated his support for the short on fact & long on empty promises "Gang of Six" proposal. Senator Portman also supports raising the debt ceiling....

From ABC's "Top Line" --

The bipartisan “Gang of Six” proposal on the deficit continues to draw attention from rank-and-file senators, even as House leaders come out in opposition to any plan that includes new revenues as part of a deal.

“It's a step in the right direction,” Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, who was budget director under President George W. Bush, told us on ABC’s “Top Line” today. “It's the one effort out there where you've got Republicans and Democrats coming together. And I think it could actually mesh well with what I think is the ultimate solution here with regard to the debt limit increase.”

Portman said he disagrees with those in his party who say it’s not critical to increase the debt ceiling.

Please contact Senator Portman and remind him he was elected to stop the spending addiction in D.C., not make deals that allow even MORE spending! Tell him we do not need another Senator George Voinovich!

Senator Rob Portman Contact Info

Website: http://portman.senate.gov/public/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/robportman
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/robportman

D.C. Office Ph#: (202)224-3353

Cleveland Office Ph#: (216)522-7095

Cincinnati Office Ph#: (513)684-3265

Toledo Office Ph#: (419)259-3895

Columbus Office Ph#: (614)469-6774 / Toll-Free: 1-800-205-6446 (OHIO)

RedState's Open Letter Senators Kelly Ayotte, Ron Johnson, Mike Lee, Rob Portman, Rand Paul, and Marco Rubio

Erick Erickson of RedState posted the following letter to Senators Kelly Ayotte, Ron Johnson, Mike Lee, Rand Paul, Marco Rubio and our Senator from Ohio, Senator Rob Portman.

We could not agree more!

From RedState --

Welcome to the Senate.

It ain’t easy, is it?

Here’s the thing you need to know. Right now, you are probably telling yourself you need to be reasonable. You are probably telling yourself you need to cut a deal.

I’m willing to bet you are telling yourself you should do something short term and in six more months or whenever, after everything has calmed back down, revisit the issue.

Senators, you are fooling yourselves. And I bet you know it.

We have had, in the past 30 years, 17 deficit commissions. After almost each one, taxes have gone up, but the spending cuts have never happened.

Republicans before you have been quite reasonable. So reasonable in fact that the country is on the verge of bankruptcy.

And each time, they’ve gotten to the breaking point and decided, “let’s just do something to get us some breathing room and revisit it again in a few months.”

If you don’t fight, if you decide to take deal, make a compromise, or “let cooler heads prevail” at some point in the future, you’ll be no better than those who got us to this point. You will become them.

You went to Washington because Washington is broken. Pay very careful attention to the choices you are about to make. Because I suspect many of you are about to make the same choices the people before you who broke the system made. Don’t let fear, uncertainty, and market upset govern your decision making processes.

The only way out of this mess is to think different — to actually care enough to fight.