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Sunday, August 4, 2013

57 Days to Obamacare : Counting Down




Congress is now on recess. This month is the time to use that recess to delay implementation of Obamacare. If you have not yet signed the online petition Don’tFundIt, go here. After you enter your name and e-address, you will receive an email (from "Senate Conservative" - and no, you do not have to make a contribution!) to confirm that you intended to sign the petition. As of 12:50 pm on Sunday, Aug. 4, there were over 192,000 signatures. We need to get that number into the millions.

So what is the plan? Below is the report of the Tele-Town Hall meeting last Thursday with Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), Representative Jim Bridenstine (R-OK), Jenny Beth Martin, and thousands of Tea Party Patriots. If you missed the conference call, click on the embed link on the TPP page to hear the whole thing. 


Tea Party Patriots National Coordinator Jenny Beth Martin stood with Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) and other opponents of Obamacare to call upon Congress and the President to delay implementation of the troubled law. Last night, Senator Cruz, Jenny Beth, and Representative Jim Bridenstine (R-OK) spoke to nearly 50,000 Tea Party activists in a tele-town hall, explaining how to force Washington to give the American people the same relief from Obamacare the President unilaterally gave Congress and its staff.

The tele-town hall can be heard in full and is embedded on the TPP website here:
Senator Cruz started the conversation frankly, admitting right now he and his allies don’t have the votes necessary to delay Obamacare. He told listeners that he needs all of us to join over 150,000 Americans in urging Congress to delay implementation by signing up at www.dontfundit.com. He also urged everyone to call, e-mail, and otherwise tell their Members of Congress to support delaying Obamacare, and then tell 10 friends and family members to do the same.

The Senator reminded everyone that things are changing in Washington. Senator Rand Paul’s (R-KY) filibuster earlier this year and the gun debate that took place shortly after that totally reversed the Beltway’s course of action. Rather than ignore the will of the people, both President Obama (on drones) and Congress (on guns) listened to your loud, principled voices.

Representative Bridenstine opened his comments by addressing some of the falsehoods opponents of the delay effort have promoted:
First, they claim Obamacare is largely mandatory spending, and thus can’t be stopped with a Continuing Resolutions (CR). However, so-called “riders” have been attached to CRs for decades. It’s a common practice and can be used in this case.
Second, the narrative from many establishment Republicans, Democrats, and the media is that Senator Cruz and his allies are trying to shut down the government. This is demonstrably false – the goal is to fund the government except for Obamacare. Furthermore, even if the government shuts down, mandatory spending still continues.

The Congressman also noted that he would not normally support a CR of the kind that’s likely to be debated, but Obamacare is important enough to make it the issue to address. He advised the House to pass a CR and then leave Washington, putting significant pressure on President Obama and Senate Democrats to either go along with the House or be responsible for shutting down the government.

Tea Party Patriots co-founder Jenny Beth Martin spoke on labor unions and businesses that have received special treatment and waivers from The Obama Administration. Even with those favors, three major unions have publicly withdrawn their support of  Obamacare. Incredibly, less than an hour after the tele-town hall ended, the Administration unilaterally exempted Members of Congress and their staffs from Obamacare, thus saving Members of Congress money while continuing to bill their health insurance costs to you the taxpayer.

Jenny Beth reminded everyone of Tea Party Patriots’ message to Washington and America: We want to fund the government, but Obamacare needs to be delayed. Anything to the contrary is demonstrably false.
Senator Cruz was asked about why Republicans are so afraid to stand with him. He explained that many of them fear being blamed for a government shutdown, as happened in 1995. However, he also explained that the “shutdown” is no such thing.

It’s a partial shutdown, with many areas of the federal government funded by mandatory spending – as well as interest payments – exempt from being shut down. And while the 1995 shutdown was bad for the GOP, it was good for the country, as it helped lead the nation to lower spending for several subsequent years.

There are significant differences between now and then that should help with the success of our effort, the Senator pointed out:
First, today there are better communicators for the message.
Second, there is the ability to get hundreds of thousands of Americans behind the effort.
Congressman Bridenstine noted that even Democrats want the health care law overturned, as he sees every day in constituent communication.
Both Tea Party-minded Members gave some insights into how the GOP leadership works when it comes to prioritization of policy. Senator Cruz shared how a Senator wanted to force a CR stand-off with sequestration while ignoring the much bigger (and easier to gather support regarding) problem of Obamacare.
Congressman Bridenstine pointed out that the GOP keeps saying continuing the spending reductions in sequester is a major victory. He’s been in office for seven months, and this is at least the third time he has been told holding to the sequester will be a victory. He nailed his colleagues by pointing out Obamacare is far more important because once the subsidies start flowing in 2014, they are highly unlike to stop. Senator Cruz agreed, and noted that’s why it’s so important to get the facts right. For example, the goal is not to shut a government shutdown. The goal is to stand strong with the American people against a law from which many special interests have been exempted.

Jenny Beth Martin brought up $684 million in funding for Obamacare marketing included in the law. This is enough money to cover two presidential campaigns worth of advertising. It will have a tremendous ability to sway hearts and minds for elections. Senator Cruz urged listeners to call politically vulnerable Democrats as well as Republicans, to mobilize as large a coalition for delay as possible. Congressman Bridenstine explained that the goal should be to make it more politically dangerous to do the wrong thing.

The right thing is to delay Obamacare now, before its damage can’t be undone.

- See more at TPP

Up next: action plans for Cleveland Tea Party Patriots.

Cleveland Tea Party Patriots in the news



Ralph King




August 4, 2013 – Excerpts from the AP today, via The Hill e-alert

TEA PARTY PLANS TO 
ABANDON GOP STARS

BY MICHAEL J. MISHAK
ASSOCIATED PRESS

MIAMI (AP) -- This wasn't the revolution the tea party had in mind.
Four years ago, the movement and its potent mix of anger and populism persuaded thousands of costumed and sign-waving conservatives to protest the ballooning deficit and President Obama's health care law. It swept a crop of no-compromise lawmakers into Congress and governor's offices and transformed political up-and-comers, including Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, into household names.

But as many tea party stars seek re-election next year and Rubio considers a 2016 presidential run, conservative activists are finding themselves at a crossroads. Many of their standard-bearers have embraced more moderate positions on bedrock issues such as immigration and health care, broadening their appeal in swing states but dampening grass-roots passion.

"They keep sticking their finger in the eyes of the guys who got them elected," said Ralph King, a co-founder of the Cleveland Tea Party Patriots. "A lot of people are feeling betrayed."

The tea party is a loosely knit web of activists, and some are hoping to rekindle the fire with 2014 primary challenges to wayward Republicans. But many more say they plan to sit out high-profile races in some important swing states next year, a move that GOP leaders fear could imperil the re-election prospects of former tea party luminaries, including the governors of Florida and Ohio.

"It changes the playing field for us," said Tom Gaitens, former Florida director of FreedomWorks, a political action committee that has spent millions of dollars to help tea party candidates. "The most powerful thing we have as a movement is our feet and our vote."

In the summer of 2009, tea party supporters stormed congressional town hall meetings, shouting down lawmakers who had voted for the bank bailout and the stimulus package. The movement's voice grew louder after Democrats passed the health care overhaul, and voters took their outrage to the polls in 2010. The tea party wave stunned Democrats and many moderate Republicans, sweeping the GOP into control of the House and changing the balance of power in many statehouses.
. . .

Fla. Gov. Rick Scott, a former health care company executive who won office by attacking the health law and calling for deep cuts to state spending, has embraced the health law and signed one of the largest budgets in state history, complete with pay raises for teachers. Similarly, Gov. John Kasich, R-Ohio, and Rick Snyder, R-Mich., are battling their GOP-dominated legislatures to expand Medicaid, a big part of the health law.

Tea party supporters were most struck by Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants. His personal story and unlikely rise to power made him perhaps the most prominent figure in the movement.

As a Senate candidate in 2010, he denounced as "amnesty" any plan that would offer a path to citizenship for those who were in the country illegally. Yet in recent months, he has emerged as a leader of a bipartisan Senate group that developed a plan that includes such a provision. The plan has been panned by conservatives but ultimately could bolster Rubio's standing with Hispanics, a growing demographic group that has voted overwhelmingly Democratic in recent years.
. . .
The movement's top strategists acknowledge the tea party is quieter today, by design. It has matured, they said, from a protest movement to a political movement. Large-scale rallies have given way to strategic letter-writing and phone-banking campaigns to push or oppose legislative agendas in Washington and state capitals. In Michigan and Ohio, for example, leaders have battled the implementation of the president's health law and the adoption of "Common Core" state school standards.

Local activists say they have focused largely on their own communities since Obama's re-election and the ideological drift of some tea party-backed politicians. Many are running for school boards, county commissions and city councils, focusing on issues such as unfunded pension liabilities and sewer system repairs.

"The positions that people are filling at the local levels are more important for the future of the movement and the future of the country," said Jenny Beth Martin, co-founder of the Tea Party Patriots, a national umbrella organization. "It's creating a farm team for the future."
. . . 

Read the rest of the article here.

Friday, August 2, 2013

Ted Cruz: 61 Days to Defund Obamacare






The conference call with Senator Ted Cruz (TX), Congressman Jim Bridenstine (OK) last night started to map out the strategy for August. Jeffrey Lord at American Spectator ran this report  ("Conservative base fights Washington elites: Reagan’s tigers or Establishment rabbit") yesterday:
The fight is on.
A growing — and furious — fight between the conservative base of the Republican Party and its Establishment elites in Washington is rapidly taking shape.
Senator Ted Cruz took to Sean Hannity’s television show Tuesday night and took on Karl Rove, who had immediately preceded him on the show. In response to Rove’s strategy (Rove compared the defunding strategy to the famous — and losing — Pickett’s Charge of the Battle of Gettysburg). Cruz immediately countered by saying that while he wasn’t a military strategist he was pretty sure 100% of battles were lost if one surrendered before the battle began. 
The next morning Cruz was at the Heritage Foundation (seen here at Right Scoop) explaining how the defeat of gun control earlier this year can be used as a template to defeat ObamaCare.
As was discussed earlier this week in this space, this has become a battle between what Ronald Reagan once called “rabbits” and “tigers.” Reagan, a tiger himself on these matters, was furious with House Republicans when they abandoned him on a veto of a pork-laden “Clean Water Bill” out of fear of being labeled “anti-environment.” Reagan himself was targeted by Democrats over this veto and he never flinched, angry that House Republicans had abandoned principle. 
Reagan is gone, but his political heirs — his tigers — are very much in evidence in the fight to defund Obamacare.
Sign the online petition  here.

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Delay the Funding for Obamacare: preliminary report





Preliminary report on the Tele Town Hall - August 1, 2013

9:30PM - This evening, thousands of Tea Party Patriots got on a conference call with Senator Ted Cruz (TX), Congressman Jim Bridenstine (OK), and Tea Party Patriots Co-Founder, Jenny Beth Martin to strategize how Congressional GOP leaders plan to use the upcoming Continuing Resolution (needing renewal in 60 days) to DEFUND Obamacare -- and how WE will help them do it. This strategy will delay Obamacare until a repeal can be proposed. 

It was a wonderful conference call -- and inspiring to be part of the process. This is how government is supposed to work. Engaged congressional leaders with moral clarity and an energized and active citizenry - working together. August WILL be busy!

Full details will be relayed tomorrow, but for now, you will want to sign (and get everyone you know to sign) the online petition started by Sen. Ted Cruz. The link to his Ramparts page is here  and it in turn links to the Don'tFundIt.com website here. We'll be keeping this link visible throughout August -- and our plan is to be a part of veritable tsunami of phone calls, letters, office visits, and of course whatever you can contribute to Tea Party Patriots.



Sunday, July 28, 2013

Where does Sen. Rob Portman really stand on Obamacare?





Senator Portman: 
Sign the letter to Harry Reid 
If you OPPOSE OBAMACARE


As many of you are already aware, Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) has sent a letter to Harry Reid regarding the defunding of Obamacare in any Continuing Resolution talks and there is an effort to get more Republican Senators to support this effort. 

To date, Senator Rob Portman has NOT signed on the letter to support this effort.  See a previous blogpost here highlighting why Portman not signing or supporting this effort should be a cause for concern: is he really against Obamacare?

Please contact Senator Portman and encourage/demand that he sign onto Senator Lee's letter and support this additional effort to defund Obamacare. (Calls and/or postcards– whichever works best for you; no fax number available at present):

448 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-3353

1240 East 9th Street
Room 3061
Cleveland, OH 44199
Phone: 216-522-7095

312 Walnut St.
Suite 3075
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Phone: 513-684-3265

Is Senator Rob Portman really "Against" Obamacare?


In light of the John Kerry like flip-flops we have seen from Senator Portman lately, a fair question to ask would be is, "is Senator Rob Portman 'really' against Obamacare and is he dedicated to defunding it?"

In fairness to Senator Portman, it should be noted that he has signed on as a co-sponsor of a bill to defund Obamacare and also joined in with all 46 Republican Senators in a letter urging President Obama to permanently delay the implementation of Obamacare.

But, as we have so painfully seen, just because Senator Portman say's he is against something, doesn't mean he is "really" against it.  

Highlighting just some of  Senator Portman's recent triple lindy flips off the high dive of conservatism and belly flopping into the pool of progressive politics, we see Senator Portman.... 
  • Was once strongly against same sex marriage -- he now supports same sex marriage.
  • Continually claimed he was against Richard Cordray being appointed to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau -- he voted in support of Cordray's confirmation.
  • Continually claimed he was against the Senate Immigration Reform bill (S. 744) -- he voted in support of Cloture which allowed the bill to move forward and eventually pass.
Well thanks to Senator Mike Lee (R-UT), Senator Portman has an opportunity to do the right thing and show conservatives where he stands by reinforcing his claims of being "against" Obamacare.

Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) and 14 of his fellow Senate Republicans sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Reid (D-NV) urging him to delay all of Obamacare, and declaring their intent to defund the law in any Continuing Resolutions or other measures to fund the federal government.

So, with Senator Portman co-sponsoring a bill to defund Obamacare, his joining with fellow Senators urging the permanent delay of Obamacare and, being fully aware that voters in Ohio have soundly rejected Obamacare with passage of the Ohio Health Care Freedom Amendment, one would think it would be a no-brainer that Senator Portman would support Senator Mike Lee's letter and additional attempts to defund Obamacare -- right?  Wrong!

To date, even though he claims to be against Obamacare, Senator Portman has not signed onto Senator Lee's letter to defund Obamacare in Continuing Resolution talks. Taking into account the above items Senator Portman also claimed to be against, his not supporting this effort should be a cause of great concern.

If we are to defeat or defund Obamacare - the do or die fight is now and Senator Portman needs to decide and show us whose side he is on.

Please contact Senator Portman's office and urge him for once to keep his word and not abandon his conservative base again.  Please urge Senator Portman to sign Senator Lee's letter and support this do or die effort to defund Obamacare.  

Senator Rob Portman
DC Office: (202)224-3353
Contact: https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact-form
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/senrobportman
Twitter: https://twitter.com/portmanpress

To read the full text of Senator Lee's letter and to sign it yourself, please click here or on the picture below.


Friday, July 26, 2013

STOP THE AMNESTY : Melt Speaker Boehner's phones




STOP THE AMNESTY BILL

Time to melt Speaker John Boehner’s phones and faxes:
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 (more postcards):
Speaker John Boehner
7969 Cincinnati-Dayton Road, Suite B
West Chester, OH 45069



This just in from Tea Party Patriots:
House Speaker John Boehner is once again ignoring grassroots conservatives like you.  He is moving full steam ahead to pass a scaled down version of the 1,200-page Senate Amnesty bill.

We are identifying key Republicans who will decide whether this new immigration deal will pass the House.  Then we must pound them with letters, phone calls, faxes – everything we have! [but for now, Cleveland Patriots need to let Speaker Boehner hear from us!]

John Boehner plans to push through this scaled-down version of amnesty as soon as he can.  He’s under incredible pressure from the GOP establishment and Barack Obama to “do something” on immigration.

That’s why we need to push back now – and hard!

If Boehner is successful at ramming this new mini-amnesty bill through the House, he and his hand-picked conference committee will be free to simply adopt the Senate’s version of immigration reform.

It’s a clever way to get around conservatives in the House.  And he thinks it is a viable way to get around Tea Party activists like you.

That’s why we are launching this emergency effort to stop John Boehner.

Our goal is to mobilize local Tea Party groups in the districts of key swing Republicans to express outrage at this total lack of respect for the rule of law. We need to make sure an overwhelming number of Republicans understand that grassroots conservatives do not support this new plan, and that we understand exactly what the Speaker of the House is trying to do.

If you thought this immigration amnesty bill was dead in the House, please understand that you are very, very mistaken.

The special interests are flooding Capitol Hill with campaign contributions.  The Obama Administration is wheeling and dealing like you wouldn’t believe.

Amnesty is very much alive in the House.  And if "We the people" don’t rise up, make our voices heard, and fight back, this new mini-amnesty bill will pass.  

And Boehner’s conference committee will all but surrender to the Senate liberals.
Frankly, if we don’t fight back hard and NOW,  Barack Obama will probably be signing a full-fledged amnesty bill at a big White House ceremony in September.

And John Boehner will be smiling and standing right by the President’s side.

Make those calls * Send your faxes * Mail your postcards