GOP game-playing

7 Days to Obamacare : If you have not yet signed the online petition Don’tFundIt, go here. You will receive an email to confirm that you intended to sign the petition. As of 2 pm on Mon., Sept. 23, there were over 1,600,000 signatures, and counting. We need to get this over 2 million. Sen. Cruz has said all along he needed to see a grassroots tsunami effort to get the Senate to listen!!!

AndrewMcCarthy pretty much nails it when it comes to understanding why patriots run into so many brick walls with so-called “conservative” GOPs:

The Republican establishment resists President Obama and his agenda only when it knows that resistance is futile, token and sure to be inconsequential — when it’s good for a campaign commercial about how hard the GOP is working to undo Obamacare, not when it’s about actually working hard to undo Obamacare. For most Senate Republicans, the vote on an anti-Obamacare amendment in the context of authorizing national defense programs that Republicans knew they were never going to block was a pose — just like the 40-odd votes to repeal Obamacare that had no chance of becoming law. 

By contrast, the current defunding effort is a put-your-money-where-your-mouth-is moment: Risk a government shutdown over Obamacare funding under circumstances where Republicans could be blamed, but where (a) Obamacare is very unpopular and its downside consequences are just beginning to kick in; (b) the defunding strategy includes a commitment to fund the rest of government so it can be demonstrated that Obama would really be the one shutting down the government over Obamacare; and (c) Obama himself has already unilaterally and unconstitutionally defunded aspects of Obamacare, including repugnant accommodations for big corporations, Obama insiders, and members of Congress — such that, if the government shuts down, Republicans can compellingly argue that they are only insisting that the American people get the same relief from this awful law that Obama cronies, the ruling class, and the politically-connected get. 

It may not work. Even if it doesn’t, though, it could have long-term benefits as Democrats up for election in 2014 and 2016 — Democrats who have gotten Obamacare fixes for themselves — are forced to defend Obamacare in the light of day. And for conservatives, it is a chance to see which Republicans are for real and which ones talk a good game as long as it’s just a game.

Yup.

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House votes to defund Obamacare

10 Days to Obamacare : If you have not yet signed the online petition Don’tFundIt, go here. You will receive an email to confirm that you intended to sign the petition. As of 3 pm on Fri., Sept. 20, there were over 1,545,000 signatures, and counting. We need to get this over 2 million. Sen. Cruz has said all along he needed to see a grassroots tsunami effort to get the Senate to listen to voters!!!

This just in from Marianne / Mansfield Tea Party:

The House just voted 230 to 189 to keep the government funded while stopping funding for Obamacare.

Now on to the Senate, where Harry Reid is sure to create a road block and ignore the will of the American people.

With the majority of Americans opposing Obamacare, will Harry Reid finally listen?

This is a critical moment and we need everyone making phone calls to Harry Reid to tell him to listen to the voice of the American people.

Call Harry Reid now and tell him that we will not rest until we stop Obamacare!

Harry Reid:  202 224-3542

While you're at it, call Senators Portman and Brown and tell them we also expect them to represent the will of their Constituents, and support this CR that continues to fund the Government, while defunding Obamacare. 

Senator Portman - 

Columbus:  800 205-6446

DC:              202 224-3353

Senator Brown - 

Cleveland:   888 896-6446

DC:               202 224-2315

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Don't forget to say Thank You.

Please make calls to your Congressmen and thank them for voting "yes" on the CR. We know the pressure will be even more intense over the next week, and they need to keep standing strong. Let them know you are there to help them stand strong. 

Click Here for the Final Vote Count 

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Where There's a Will, There's a Way

From the start, it was Boehner and his Boehnerettes that were not supporting the CR that defunds Obamacare.  Could Boehner have been so willing "changed his mind" because he knows what Harry Reid has up his sleeve? Click Here to Read More.

It is very possible, even likely, that the Senate will send the CR back to the House, stripped of its defunding language.  It is the Senate who will refuse to fund the government, because they will be stripped of the special favors they receive over the rest of the taxpaying public.

The House needs to stay strong on their position.  It is the Senate's lack of ability to produce a budget that has put us in this position, and Boehner and his Boehnerettes have allowed it to happen.

It's time to say "No More!" 

Here are Speaker Boehner's details:

Butler County Office  PH (513) 779-5400

Miami County Office PH (937) 339-1524

Clark County Office   PH (937) 322-1120

D.C. Office

PH  (202) 225-6205

FAX (202) 225-0704

And his mailbox (send postcards):

Speaker John Boehner

7969 Cincinnati-Dayton Road, Suite B

West Chester, OH 45069

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And if you've been hearing some members of the GOP (like Pete King) trash Senators Ted Cruz and Mike Lee for their efforts, here's Andrew McCarthy's take on it:

For spearheading the move to defund the (Not Remotely) Affordable Care Act, intrepid Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Mike Lee (R-UT) have been scalded by the usual ruling class crowd of GOP establishment leaders and Obama administration officials. Yet public resistance to a law the public has never liked – and about which the public grows increasingly anxious as its deleterious consequences and exploding costs begin to materialize – has forced leadership’s hand even as it demonstrates, yet again, the divide between the Beltway and the country.

Read the rest here. 

The Idiots Guide to Defunding Obamacare

From Ernest Istook via Washington Times --

De-funding Obamacare is tough politically. It is not complicated, though, even though some want you to think that.

De-funding is a simple idea surrounded by political jargon and double-speak. If voters are convinced that the task is too complex, they might forgive politicians for not going all-out to de-fund it. De-funding in turn is still second-best to outright repeal.

So here is an “Idiot’s Guide to De-Funding Obamacare.”

The title isn’t intended to call anyone a dummy, but to stress that this is not rocket science. Anyone who understands how a checking account works can understand how to stop Obamacare by taking away its funding.

Basics of a checking account:

A checking account requires that you:

1. Set up the account at the bank (Get an account number; have checks printed; etc.)
2. Deposit money in the account upfront and add more as needed
3. Write checks not to exceed your available balance

Automatic deposits are common, such as for paychecks or Social Security benefits. Automatic debits are common to pay mortgages, rent, utility bills and so on.

It is less common to write post-dated checks. They cannot be deposited right away, but when the due date arrives, recipients don’t have to watch the mail for their checks.

But unless the money is in the bank, a post-dated check will bounce just like any other check.

If you follow this overview of checking accounts then, congratulations. You can understand how to de-fund Obamacare.

Basics of de-funding Obamacare:

Every federal program gets the equivalent of a banking account within the U.S. Treasury. When each year’s spending bills are passed ― called appropriations ― then automatic monthly deposits are set in motion, coming from the Treasury. The program spends those funds and the process repeats the following year.

Normally, a program runs out of money at the end of the fiscal year, September 30. Without a new series of deposits, the program then halts. Sometimes there is money left over, but that’s a different story.

The rest of government “shuts down” without new funding, except for essential services like the military, Social Security benefits, and air traffic control. But Obamacare has its own unique exemption from a shutdown.

In essence, Obamacare already was given ten years of post-dated checks from the U.S. Treasury. The original legislation in 2010 guaranteed a decade’s worth of money to cover its overhead and administrative costs ― $105-billion through 2019. Without this administrative processing, the Treasury has no way to handle the other money that would pay actual health care costs and insurance subsidies.

These “post-dated checks” were intended to make it impossible for any future Congress to curtail the program, just in case the Democrats didn’t keep full control of Congress after 2010, which they didn’t.

It takes new legislation, passed by both houses of Congress and approved by the President, to stop payment on those ten years of post-dated checks. Normally, if the House and Senate disagree, then there is a stalemate and no money is provided. But because Obamacare has automatic funding, any stalemate has the opposite outcome: The funding goes on as scheduled.

Unless, of course, the checks bounce.

If the Treasury doesn’t have enough money to cover all other spending plus Obamacare’s costs, then Obamacare grinds to a stop. The only alternative would be a presidential decision to halt instead services that he consistently claims are essential and highest priority. Imagine President Obama choosing to fund Obamacare instead of Social Security, withholding Social Security checks and blaming others for his misplaced priorities. Without extra borrowing ― raising the debt ceiling ― to cover all the massive checks, Obamacare is de-funded unless Obama publicly chooses to let other programs rot.

Obama says no and refuses even to negotiate about borrowing

The President labels this a failure to pay our bills, but that isn’t true. We can pay all our existing bills out of tax receipts. It’s the new expenses that require borrowing.

This year’s tax revenue is an all-time high, about $2.7-trillion. So we can pay $2.7-trillion without borrowing a penny, covering existing bills plus some new expenses. We have no need to borrow unless we spend more. Unfortunately, current plans call for spending $800-billion more than tax receipts. That would requiring revisiting the law that limits our credit line.

We’ve already blown past the legal debt limit that Obama and Congress set two years ago, namely $16.7-trillion. The Treasury Department is hiding this fact. They use gimmicks like raiding federal retirement trust funds while claiming the raid doesn’t count as borrowing.

We’re told that we must borrow because the budget isn’t balanced. But turn that around: If we stop borrowing, the budget balances. We just have to decide where to cut. A good start would be Obamacare; we don’t need this extra expense that is already costing jobs and lowering take-home pay.

Obama refuses even to negotiate over the debt ceiling. He wants unlimited borrowing. He claims we already spent the money so now we have to pay the bills. That simply isn’t true; most spending is for future bills that we could avoid by reducing the size of government.

Obama makes people dizzy. First, he approved the spending he’s now criticizing. Next, he blames Congress for the level of spending. Then he says we can’t cut spending because it would hurt essential programs.

The way to de-fund Obamacare is not to write it any more checks and to stop payment on the post-dated checks.

Obamacare’s tricky post-dated checks were written when Nancy Pelosi was still Speaker of the House. She is one of the richest members of Congress. She should cover her own checks.

Ernest Istook spent 25 years in public office, including 14 years in Congress. He was rated one of the top 25 conservatives in the U.S. House of Representatives. Then was a Heritage Foundation fellow and a fellow at Harvard's Insitute of Politics, where he led a study group on Propaganda in American Politics Today.

National & Ohio Federation of RINO Women Carry Water for GOP on Illegal Immigration

Like good little RINOettes, the Ohio Federation of Republican Women joined in with the National Federation of Republican Women in publicly jumping on the bandwagon supporting the GOP establishment elite's group hug of Illegal Immigrants. 

In a recent letter to the Plain Dealer titled "Settle the legal status of kids without a country", Ohio Federation of Republican Women President Jean Turner writes....

On March 9, 2013, the National Federation of Republican Women passed a Resolution regarding immigration that included this statement:

"RESOLVED, The National Federation of Republican Women urges the federal government to expeditiously establish criteria for young people in this country illegally through no fault of their own to earn legal resident status or citizenship when they demonstrate English fluency and knowledge of American civics, comply with all health requirements, have no criminal record, graduate from an accredited high school, and pursue a college degree, trade certification or enter into military service."

It is in this spirit that the Ohio Federation of Republican Women applauds Speaker John Boehner for having the courage to move the conversation forward with his recent comments that this issue is, "about basic fairness."

These are not children of foreign countries. These are not children of the U.S.A. They are children without any country. Our group urges the Ohio Congressional Delegation to join together to bring about a resolution to the question of legal status in these cases.

Jean Turner, 
Gibsonburg

Turner is the president of the Ohio Federation of Republican Women. Three other statewide officers also signed this letter.

First,  while surely getting a couple RINO points for parroting Majority Leader Eric Cantor, it is incorrect for Mrs. Turner to classify children brought here illegally by their parents as "kids without a country."  The country in which these children were born would be their country of origin.  

Many of the illegal immigrant children (aka Dreamers) in which Mrs. Turner is referring to are covered under the Deferred Action for Children Arrivals (DACA), which supplies no special path to citizenship, but does give these children a legal presence and many benefits.

In fairness, while many share the same concerns that something needs to be done about illegal immigration in this country, it is clear Mrs. Turner, in playing the tune of "basic fairness' on the bleeding heart fiddle, is looking for a special path to citizenship for these Memorandum created special class of illegal immigrants.  

To date, Deferred Action has been granted to over 455,000 "Undocumented Dreamers" creating a USCIS processing backlog at the expense of legal citizens and members of our military.   

And the slippery slope of a "special path to citizenship" for Dreamer's is already mutating into a "special path to citizenship" for the "Dream Parents" under the proposed DACA-Plus program and a current ICE Enforcement Directive.  

Estimated costs to U.S. citizens for Illegal Immigration nationwide are approximately $106 billion. In Ohio with a yearly cost of $878 Million, that works out to about $200 per year per resident. 

At $509 million annually, the cost of educating the estimated 25, 375 U.S. born children of illegal immigrants living in Ohio at the K-12 level is devastating to an already over burdened school funding issue in Ohio. Illegal immigrant children in Ohio covered under DACA are also able to get a drivers license which will enable possible voting rights and they get in-state college tuition over American children. 

 So, I would ask the National & Ohio Federation of Republican Women -- what about the "basic fairness" to every day American citizens, through no fault of our own, that are being forced to bear the fiscal burden of supporting these illegal immigrants?

Maybe instead of trying to score RINO points with the GOP establishment on illegal immigration by applauding Speaker Boehner for his so called "courage" -- Mrs. Turner should be asking Speaker Boehner where is his courage to speak up for the "basic fairness" for the U.S. citizens he was elected to represent!

Rep. Tom Graves Introduces Plan To Keep Government Open & Stop Obamacare

From Rep. Tom Graves (R-GA-14) --

Washington, Sep 12 -

Today, U.S. Rep. Tom Graves (R-GA-14) introduced the Stability, Security and Fairness Resolution (H.J.Res. 62), a plan to fund the government for Fiscal Year 2014 while fully delaying and defunding Obamacare until 2015.

“After weeks of working with and listening to members on how to approach the government funding deadline, it’s clear that House Republicans are united around two goals: keeping the government open and protecting our constituents from the harmful effects of Obamacare. Today, my 42 cosponsors and I are putting forward a plan that achieves both goals,” said Rep. Graves.

“This plan is straightforward. We will achieve long-term stability by funding the government for the next fiscal year. Additionally, the resolution includes the three House-passed appropriations bills that affect our national security and our veterans. Our troops, their families and our veterans should not have their priorities put on hold,” Graves continued. “Finally, our plan will achieve fairness for every American by fully delaying and defunding Obamacare until 2015. This approach builds upon the Obama Administration’s policy of delaying portions of Obamacare and relieves taxpayers of the burden of funding a program that is not being implemented.”

Stability, Security and Fairness Resolution Summary

Stability: Keeps the government open for FY2014.

• A Continuing Resolution for FY2014 for the nine non-security bills, with overall spending at the post-sequestration number of $967.4 billion.

• Security: Prioritizes funding for national security and veterans.

• Includes the Defense, Homeland Security and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs appropriations bills for FY2014 as passed by the House. 

Fairness: Provides healthcare fairness and taxpayer relief by defunding and delaying Obamacare until 2015.

The full text of the legislation is available here: 
http://tomgraves.house.gov/UploadedFiles/Tom_Graves_HJRES62_Stability_Security_and_Fairness.pdf 

Original cosponsors of the resolution are:

Jim Jordan (OH-4)

Mark Meadows (NC-11)

Jeff Duncan (SC-3)

Steve Southerland (FL-2)

Doug Collins (GA-9)

Raúl Labrador (ID-1)

Trey Gowdy (SC-4)

Randy Weber (TX-14)

Pete Olson (TX-22)

Tom Marino (PA-10)

Steve Palazzo (MS-4)

Joe Pitts (PA-16)

Paul Broun (GA-10)

Matt Salmon (AZ-5)

Jim Sensenbrenner (WI-5)

Richard Hudson (NC-8)

Jeb Hensarling (TX-5)

Ron DeSantis (FL-6)

Lynn Westmoreland (GA-3)

Thomas Massie (KY-4)

Phil Gingrey (GA-11)

Jim Bridenstine (OK-1)

Mo Brooks (AL-5)

Bill Cassidy (LA-6)

Randy Neugebauer (TX-19)

David Schweikert (AZ-6)

Scott Perry (PA-4)

Blake Farenthold (TX-27)

Bill Huizenga (MI-2)

Luke Messer (IN-6)

Bill Flores (TX-17)

Mick Mulvaney (SC-5)

Tim Huelskamp (KS-1)

Steve Daines (MT)

Joe Wilson (SC-2)

Marsha Blackburn (TN-7)

Reid Ribble (WI-8)

Tom Price (GA-6)

Austin Scott (GA-8)

Marlin Stutzman (IN-3)

Trent Franks (AZ-8)

Steve Chabot (OH-1)

Federal Election Commission Questions Speaker Boehner over Illegal Campaign Donations

Trouble in RINO paradise?  

From the Cleveland.com --

The Federal Election Commission is examining whether dozens of political action committees and individuals contributed more than the legally allowed amount to House Speaker John Boehner during last year's election cycle.

Letters the Federal Election Committee sent Monday to Friends of John Boehner indicated that donors including coal, energy, and gambling interests, exceeded contribution limits to Boehner's committee by more than $150,000.

Among the groups that were allegedly overgenerous to Boehner were Coalpac and Minepac, which represent the mining industry, as well as political committees representing the Exelon, Constellation and Luminant power companies, and the Ceasars and Penn National gambling enterprises.

"Although the commission may take further legal action concerning the acceptance of excessive contributions, your prompt action to refund the excessive amount will be taken into consideration," the letters say.

Friends of John Boehner is one of several political organizations that Boehner uses to raise money for GOP candidates and solidify his party's control over the U.S. House of Representatives. Records compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics list him as the top fundraiser in the House of Representatives during the 2012 election cycle, raising more than $22 million.

Boehner spokesman Cory Fritz said large committees like Boehner's that process quarterly contributions from "thousands of grassroots supporters each quarter routinely handle these questions."

"We take compliance with FEC rules and regulations seriously, and will take all corrective action necessary," said Fritz.

"Let's Move" and Support the Healthy Food Choices Act (H.R. 3073): Block Food Stamp Users From Buying Junk Food

The First Lady's "Let's Move" initiative works to educate the public on childhood obesity and to encourage Americans to "raise a healthier generation of Kids" through activity, exercise  and good eating habits.

A quick glance of the mission statement shows "Let's Move" understands the importance of eating good, healthy food and the negative effect sugar-laden junk food is doing to the youth of America.  

Michelle Obama should be thrilled that the Healthy Food Choices Act (H.R.3073) being introduced by Rep. Phil Roe (R-TN) will help accomplish exactly what "Let's Move" promotes as part of changing bad food habits, especially in low income families which are most likely to be recipients of Food Stamps (SNAP).

Here's a great chance for First Lady Michelle Obama to use her "Let's Move" campaign to help pass the Healthy Food Choices Act (H.R. 3073) being sponsored by Rep. Phil Roe (R-TN).....

From The Hill --

Rep. Phil Roe (R-Tenn.) on Tuesday proposed legislation that would require people using federal food stamps to buy only healthy food.

The Healthy Food Choices Act, H.R. 3073, reflects a long-standing criticism that the government's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) allows people to buy billions of dollars worth of junk food. 

A 2012 study found that food stamps enable about $2 billion worth of junk food purchases each year, and that more than half of all SNAP benefits are used to buy sugary drinks.

Efforts to curb these purchases have been opposed by anti-hunger groups. But Roe said some states are already exploring ways to curb junk food purchases through the SNAP program, and argued that the federal government needs to take steps as well.

"Already, states like Wisconsin and South Carolina have shown interest in improving the healthfulness of choices in their SNAP programs," he said. "By giving SNAP recipients more nutritious choices, we can take a meaningful step towards ending hunger in America."

Under Roe's bill, food purchased under SNAP would have to meet the same guidelines that food purchased under the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program already have to meet. The WIC guidelines are strict, and are made up of several different standards for products like breakfast cereal, milk, vegetables, peanut butter and other foods. (Continue Reading....)

 I wonder if the First Lady will contact Rep. Roe and say, "'Let's Move' the Healthy Food Choices Act into law and put the health of our low-income and less fortunate children first!"

Or will she just "let them eat cake?"