No 599 “En mi opinión” Febrero
20, 2014
“IN GOD WE TRUST” Lázaro
R González Miño Editor
“Los Estados
Unidos de América se están cayendo a pedazos. Y los políticos a cargo de
mantener la seguridad, estabilidad y prosperidad de la nación hacen todo lo
contrario. Si nosotros no hacemos nada pues nada tendremos… y peor aún seremos
cómplices”
Es
tremendamente desesperante ver como las organizaciones llamadas a ser quienes
definen las estrategias que se deben poner en práctica para poder evitar la
destrucción total de “Los Estados Unidos de América” por un gobierno
equivocado e ineficiente [Aunque muchos dicen que “mal intencionado”] de toda
la historia, de nuestro presente y seguro que en todo el futuro
nuestro.
Pero no,
lejos de hacer algo para desacelerar la destrucción, en la mayoría de los casos
Los Demócratas y Los Republicanos votan en el congreso para participar en el
hundimiento y destrucción de Los Estados Unidos.
Hasta donde
hay que esperar para escuchar una voz de Verdaderos Conservadores electos que se
quieran identificar con Ronald W. Reagan, y que digan; “NO MÁS”
Lo que están
haciendo no puedo calificarlo de otra forma que “Complicidad” Si, son cómplices
de la destrucción de todo lo que se ha logrado en Los Estados Unidos desde su
creación. Realmente sería más útil calificarlos como “Camaradas”
Hemos tenidos
Presidentes vagos, borrachos, equivocados, ineptos, hasta estúpidos. Pero
realmente creo que con esta administración se han rotos todos los parámetros de
desfachatez, abuso en los gastos de vacaciones, incompetencia y estupidez... ¿O
será mala intención? Pero aun así todos los funcionarios electos
“supuestamente” Conservadores y los Democratas, se comportan como si nada
estuviera sucediendo, o mejor como dije antes… Como si fueran cómplices de los que continúan hundiendo Los Estados
Unidos de América, con todo su máximo entusiasmo.
No creo que
hacer una lista de todas las desgracias que estamos viviendo porque sería
interminable y además innecesaria porque todos las conocemos. Pero para
cualquier ciudadano es más que evidente que tenemos un tremendo problema con el
desempleo, con las elecciones que son un bochorno, por su falta de credibilidad
y los miles de denuncias de fraude y malos procedimientos que ponen en duda el
resultado de las elecciones especialmente las del actual presidente Vs Mitt
Romney y también tenemos “todos” un tremendo problema con un plan de salud completamente
enajenado y desprovisto de verdadera técnica para implantarlo, además de los
muchísimos problemas que ha acarreado, que se ha impuesto a los ciudadanos a la
fuerza y se les ha obligado a comprar un producto y que serán castigados si no
lo hacen. Se les ha obligado a ser testigos de la descomposición de la
legalidad, al poner Las drogas que han causado tantas muertes y tantos
asesinatos; como recreativas y la descomposición moral de la sociedad cuando
nuestros niños a ver en la TV y en la calle como los hombres se casan con los
hombres y las mujeres con las mujeres. Bueno y me pregunto yo: DE DONDE VAN A
SALIR LOS FUTUROS niños. Porque al ritmo que vamos con el aumento de la
esterilidad y los matrimonios que no pueden procrear porque unos no
tienen ovarios y otros no tienen esperma…
¿QUE? De
donde vamos a sacar a los niños. También si vemos las bodas de los
“papas-mamas” y las de las “mamas-papas” pues es mejor que esos engendros no
tengan prole. ¿Porque que va a salir de ahí???
Aunque desde
un punto de vista realista también todas esas asquerosidades tienen sus
ventajas. Según informaciones en el estado de Colorado y el de California el
primer día que se abrieron los establecimientos para vender “Mariguana
Recreativa” [Hasta el nombre es ridículamente estúpido] Pues murieron por sobre
dosis muchísimos de los “consumidores” No les digo drogadictos porque, quiero
ser “políticamente correcto” Después de eso no se han dado más estadísticas de
“bajas” De todos es conocido que las personas que usan las drogas son en
su mayoría delincuentes: Ladrones, violadores, asesinos. Eso es lo que queremos
hacer prosperar aquí o queremos que prospere la decencia y la tranquilidad.
El país no
tiene forma de encontrar el camino porque sencillamente no puede… porque
los que supuestamente nos guían. No tienen la capacidad o la verdadera vocación
de personas decentes. No son ciegos, en mi pueblo le llamaban sinvergüenzas, no
sé cómo les llamaran aquí. El mismo presidente ha sido acusado varias veces públicamente
en la prensa que tiene un pasado homosexual que asistía en Chicago a unos baños
para hombres donde se practicaba el homosexualismo. Él vivía en un lugar donde
vivían personas árabes que eran homosexuales. Se han publicado fotos de él
fumando mariguana. Su gran mentor era
Alinsky un terrorista muy conocido. No se puede hacer crecer un árbol sano si
no se le cultiva con los elementos que lo hagan crecer sano y útil.
El país se
revuelve en la más espantosa, promiscuidad, ineptitud y calamidad económica, el empleo no
aumenta, al contrario, la deuda externa aumenta a velocidad supersónica, este
presidente se ha encargado de casi duplicarla en los años que lleva de
presidente. el crimen aumenta descabelladamente, todas las fabricas ha sido
enviadas a China, Vietnam, Singapur, y cualquier país donde puedan pagar menos
a los empleados y luego venir a vender los productos aquí a Los NORTEAMERICANOS SIN EMPLEO que
pagan con un pedazo de cartón que pronto y a este paso lo tendrán que usar como
papel higiénico. Debo decir que él no tiene toda la culpa de esto porque este
desmembramiento de la industria americana empezó desde antes que el llegara. Solo que el acelero e incremento. Ningún país siente respeto por Los Estados
Unidos el país que hace solo 6 años
envidiaban porque era “El mejor país del mundo”
Ahora tenemos
el primer presidente negro-musulmán-no nacido en USA, y le digo negro sin ánimo
de detrimento, porque Negro era el General de las fuerzas Mambisas Cubanas,
Antonio Maceo y Grajales, que liberto a la Isla de los Españoles. Pero usted
presidente, sus detractores afirman que no
nació en USA y por lo tanto no puede ser presidente. Usted no tiene ninguna experiencia en ninguna esfera
de trabajo y eso en parte es el motivo de su fracaso. Un individuo que no tiene
pasado y que nadie conoce, ni si quiera lo recuerdan de su época en la
universidad de Yale. Nadie, no hay una
novia, un amigo, nada de su pasado existe o ha sido borrado. Y usted se ha
encargado de crear el desastre más grande “político y económico de la historia
de los USA. Y nada hace para resolver el tremendo problema que tenemos porque
usted no ha sabido o no ha querido hacerlo. Me horrorice cuando el desafortunado candidato
Republicano a la presidencia Mit Rodney lo llamo a usted antes de la media noche
del día de las elecciones y le concedió su pírrica victoria. Ese dia fue
nefasto para lalegalidad del sistema electoral norteamericano. Nunca como ese
dia se habían presentado tantas denuncias de ilegalidad en los colegios
electorales. Fue un tremendo bochorno que muchísimos colegios no terminaron de
hacer el fraude hasta después de una semana. El Estado de La Florida fue uno
que se unio a la comparsa del fraude electoral, aceptado por el peor candidato
republicano, era mas malo inclusive que John Macain que uste lo saco out, en la
previas elecciones. Todo quedo lleno de
fango, de trampas, fraudes, violaciones al derecho y mentiras. Es bochornoso recordar cómo se portó
la prensa, que asco. En mi corazón siento
que no ganaste y siento que tengo un presidente que no merece serlo. Y lo eres porque Rodney se acobardo y esa
actitud le ha costado mucha vergüenza, tristeza y muchas pérdidas a los
norteamericanos y al mundo. Si al mundo,
porque cuando los Estados Unidos
estornuda el mundo tiene tuberculosis. Tengo que aceptar que usted es un tipo
muy hábil, ladino y cruel, pero no le
tengo miedo y por eso me enfrento a usted y le digo las cosas que considero
necesita oír y más que usted, necesita oírlas la nación americana para saber que no todo está
perdido y que aún podemos hacer algo por recuperar nuestro honor y lo vamos a hacer.
Hay una grandísima
cantidad de personas que viven en viviendas “de bajos
recursos” ilegalmente, desde la época de las pirámides, son huéspedes honorarios
de ustedes, si de ustedes porque son ustedes los que pagan por todo eso y no
solo pagan por eso pagan también por sus “Food Stamps”, ayudas en efectivos
ahhh y también por su seguro médico el famoso Medicaid y además tienen un teléfono celular que
posiblemente mejor que tuyo, y tú sabes quién paga por eso “TU” Y tu sabes una
cosa. Posiblemente tú vives peor que ellos y ellos viven de la caridad pública sin
trabajar porque tú se lo permites a un gobierno que los tiene así porque ellos
son los que votan por estos gobiernos.
Tenemos en el
país de unos 15 millones de inmigrantes ilegales y a los más chiquitos los han
bautizados eufemísticamente de “dreamers” Ni dreamers ni “una cazuela de
boniatos”. Si un cubano entra ilegal en el territorio de Méjico lo cogen y le
dan una paliza por el lomo y los montan en un avión pa’cuba o para donde sea, sin tener derecho a un
abogado ni a nada y no me digan que las cárceles de aquí son peores que las de
los mejicanos.
Para hacer una
reforma migratoria respetable. La
custodia e impermeabilidad de las fronteras terrestres, marítimas o aéreas
tiene que ser reforzadas. El primer renglón tiene que decir que cualquier
persona que cruce la frontera sin autorización tiene que ser regresado a su
país inmediatamente, sea quien sea y venga de donde venga, incluyo a los
cubanos. Porque estos llegan diciendo que son perseguidos políticos y cuando
cumplen no sé qué tiempo regresan a cuba a ver a su familia y algunos hacen
negocios degradantes, eso es un descaro. Eres un perseguido político o eres un
mentiroso y ya la posición de mentiroso está ocupada por quien ustedes saben….
Se ha
cometido traición contra miembros del equipo de diplomáticos norteamericanos en
sus sedes diplomáticas en Benghazy, se ha permitido que un embajador haya sido
violado, torturado y asesinado, no solo a él sino también a tres miembros de
esa sede diplomática fueron asesinados delate de las cámaras de televisión y
usted u la secretaria de estado lo estaban viendo como se les torturaba y
asesinaba y no fueron capaces de hacer que las fuerzas que estaban cercanas o
los aviones de combate norteamericanos, nunca recibieron una orden de atacar a
los degenerados que estaban masacrando a los funcionarios norteamericanos y
nadie aun a respondido por estos crímenes. Estados Unidos ha quedado en
ridículo porque por primera vez en la historia alguien ataca y asesina a
personal Americano y no es castigado ejemplarmente y es porque usted Señor
presidente no lo ha hecho. Lo ha limpiado el honor de América.
Usted ha sido
capaz de prometerle en forma velada y oculta al pueblo que preside, cuando sin
percatarse que los micrófonos estaban abiertos, le pidió a Mebdeleye el primer ministro Ruso que le diga
al presidente de Rusia Putin que cuando pasen las elecciones entonces usted
podrá tener la capacidad de complacerlo más.
Que tenga paciencia.
El gobierno
que tenemos es el peor que he visto aquí, pero también nosotros los que somos
americanos porque, lo sentimos y estamos dispuestos a hacer lo que haya que
hacer para defenderlo, inclusive poner nuestra vida frente a los rifles
enemigos y fajarnos con quien halla que fajarse y decirle las verdades al que
se les tenga que decir, incluyendo al presidente.
Nosotros
tenemos que hacer algo, pero algo grande, algo que le diga al presidente que se
le paso la mano y que nosotros pensamos que “YA” no más.
A partir de
hoy yo les pregunto a todos los que reciben este periódico: Cuantos miles de
ustedes están dispuestos a ir a Washington a manifestarnos frente de la Casa
Blanca para hablar con el presidente y decirle ya, no podemos seguir
destruyendo nuestro país, que fue el país mas poderoso del mundo. Este desastre
no puede continuar.
Lo que estás haciendo
no es lo que hay que hacer.
Lo que tú
estás haciendo es una basura, que nos hace infelices.
En mi
opinión, nuestro gobierno se está pareciendo a varios gobiernos de Latino América.
Y si tú no lo
sabes lo que hay hacer vete de ahí y que venga uno que si sepa hacerlo.
Pero estas
cosas no solo se las decimos a nuestro presidente también se los decimos a los
Senadores Republicanos y Demócratas y a los Representantes Demócratas y
Republicanos se los diremos también a los más de 535 miembros del congreso, a
50 gobernadores y a los miembros de Las Fuerzas Armadas que si están ahí es
para defender la Nación Americana desde dentro. Y dar un ejemplo de decencia y
capacidad de ejercer la posición para la que fue electo.
Amigos míos,
no sé cuántos de ustedes quieran ir a Washington a decirle eso al presidente, y a permanecer hasta que nos comunique que
decisión va a tomar. Yo quiero pensar que más de 160 millones de americanos si
van a querer ir a decírselo, esta es una nación de patriotas y muchísimas veces
se lo han dicho a los enemigos… ¿Por qué no, a un presidente fue electo
supuestamente legalmente?
PD. Envíen este mensaje a todas las personas,
organizaciones en todos los estados de La Unión Americana que conozcan.
La pregunta al presidente seria:
¿Lo vas a hacer bien a partir de ahora y vas a
arreglar todo lo malo que has hecho? ¿O prefieres declararte inepto y
renunciar y que busquemos a otro ciudadano que lo haga mejor que tú?
Esto no es patrocinado por ninguna organización.
Pero todas las organizaciones existentes que estén interesadas en la felicidad
de los USA están invitadas a participar. Todas las ideas y las participaciones
son bienvenidas.
Un buen día para hacerlo es el Día de Memorial
Day 26 de Mayo del 2015. Es un dia muy especial para los Americanos y tenemos
tiempo para hacer los arreglos que necesitamos para prepararnos.
Si esto es aceptado por ustedes se debe preparar
la salida para llegar a Washington DC. USA a las 6 AM del 26 de Mayo del 2014 Frente
a La Casa Blanca.
Así tenemos tiempo de preparar el viaje sin
apuros.
Individualmente o formando grupos.
Invitamos A TODOS LOS QUE PIENSEN QUE ES
NECESARIO HACER ESTO.
¿Quiénes participaran en este acto cívico?
Lázaro R González Miño
CNN
Liberals Bash Justice Clarence Thomas For His Shocking Statements About Race
Liberal
CNN commentators lashed out at Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas
on Tuesday for stating that he received worse race-based treatment from New
England liberals than from fellow Georgians during his youth in the 1960s. “The
worst I have been treated was by northern liberal elites,” said the justice. “The absolute worst I have ever been
treated.”
Thomas
had prefaced his comment with the recollection that race “rarely came up” while
he was a child in the deep South.
“In the
mid-60s, when he was a kid, you could get killed if you were a black person for
speaking about race,” remarked CNN legal analyst, Jeffrey Toobin in a clear
effort to belittle the Justice. Of course, it’s highly unlikely that as many
blacks were killed 50 years ago by racist whites as are murdered today by
fellow blacks, thanks in large part to inner-city gang violence and
ever-increasing black unemployment. Both conditions may be attributed at least
in part to the disastrous Great Society programs of President Lyndon
Johnson, a longtime hero of black race-baiters and white liberals.
Strangely enough, Toobin failed to mention either these facts or the LBJ
connection.
“He
acknowledges no part that affirmative action played in his life but he wants to
close the door for others,” added Marc Lamont Hill, an Associate Professor at
Columbia University. Hill was registering his objection to Thomas’s
belief that advantage and success in America should be functions of merit
rather than race-based affirmative action. The professor then made the
extraordinary assertion that “…it [is] disturbing, particularly for a powerful
justice like Thomas, to ‘make decisions on color blindness.’”
Indeed,
how could ANY rational individual believe that effort and ability might be
rewarded rather than color?!
It’s a
sinister threat to all liberals, but especially to blacks when a conservative
“of color” escapes what should be the agreeable bondage of the Democrat
plantation to become a nationally acclaimed success as a result of talent and
work.
After
all, what would become of the race card should it ever be widely known
that blacks can realize prosperity without it? What has been historically one
of the left’s most potent weapons of intimidation might be lost!
Clarence
Thomas represents a menace to decades of liberal endeavor aimed at making
blacks believe that securing generations of welfare and practicing
indiscriminate reproduction are the only things to which members of their race
may reasonably aspire.
Nice
people, liberals.
CBO: Obama’s proposed
minimum wage hike would cost 500,000 jobs
Destroying from within.
check it out:
check it out:
President Obama’s proposed minimum wage hike to $10.10
per hour will cost 500,000 jobs, the Congressional Budget office found Tuesday.
The increase, which Obama touted in this year’s State of the Union
address, would gradually up the minimum requirement from the current rate of
$7.25 rate to $10.10 and could cause up to 1 million workers to lose their
jobs, the CBO reported.
“This is a very weak anti-poverty tool and it’s
hurting the kinds of people it’s supposed to help,” former CBO director Doug
Holtz-Eakin told The Daily Caller News Foundation. “People that have low skills
and are trying to find employment — if you raise the minimum wage, it prices
them out of the market. That’s all the CBO’s reflecting.”
Read more at http://cowboybyte.com/28376/cbo-obamas-proposed-minimum-wage-hike-cost-500000-jobs-2016/#zQUU9OSBRH2xRKlG.99
Then and Now: What Dems Say About President Obama. By Alexander Bolton, The Hill
Sen.
Mark Udall (D-Colo.) embraced President Obama’s lofty call for hope and change
when he and other Democrats gathered in Denver six years ago to celebrate the
Illinois senator’s nomination.
The
festive buzz has long since faded and Udall has dropped his talk of “our time”
and “our moment” when discussing the president. He’s not even sure if he wants
Obama back in his state after the botched rollout of the Affordable Care Act
left some of his constituents fuming.
“Coloradoans
are going to re-elect me based on my record, not the president’s record. Not
what the president’s done but what I’ve done and how I have stood up for
Colorado,” he told CNN recently.
Udall
refused to commit to even appearing with the president, whose approval ratings
have sunk to the low 40s.
“We’ll
see what the schedule allows. I’m running for reelection, not the president,”
he added.
It’s a
striking difference from six years ago, when Udall basked in the popularity of
Obama.
Udall
spoke at Invesco Field on the final day of the Democratic nominating convention
before tens of thousands of people who were eagerly awaiting Obama’s
appearance.
“This
is our time,” Udall declared triumphantly. “This is our moment to change the course
of history.”
Udall’s
seat is relatively safe this year, compared to a handful of his Democratic
colleagues in the Senate. But Udall and other Democrats who rode high on
Obama-mania are seeking to change the subject when the president’s name is
uttered.
Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska)
The
freshman used strong language when he recently discussed the possibility of
Obama visiting his red-leaning home state.
Begich
said he would “drag him around” to show him the real-life impact of his
policies and “bang him over the heads a few times” to hammer home the message
that he should open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling.
In
2008, when he first ran for the upper chamber, Begich was still talking about
energy issues. But his tone was strikingly different; he described Obama as a
potential ally after meeting with him one-on-one.
“I
appreciated the opportunity to meet alone with Sen. Obama,” he said at the time
after pressing Obama to support a natural-gas pipeline. “He was quite
knowledgeable about Alaska issues and he understood the need for the gas line.”
AP
$100 Billion In Improper Welfare Payments Per Year.
Thomas Lifson
The federal government is wasting an
astonishing hundred billion dollars a year in improper welfare payments to
recipients not entitled to them. This is an amount of money greater than the
GDP of most nations on earth, more than Morocco and within striking distance of
Hungary. The figure comes from a study by Veronique de Rugy and Jason Fichtner,
who produced the following chart based on the OMB's High-Error Programs Report:
·
BREAKING NEWS: Housing Starts See Biggest Drop
Since February 2011FoxBusiness.com (foxbusiness@newsletters.foxnews.com)
The Commerce Department reports starts of new housing
construction dropped 16% in January to an annual rate of 880,000 units, the
biggest drop since February 2011. Economists were expecting a rate of 950,000
unit.
For more news, please go to FoxBusiness.com and watch the FOX Business Network.
For more news, please go to FoxBusiness.com and watch the FOX Business Network.
Rampant Democrat
Corruption
Jon Stewart better be careful or he might begin seeing
much higher ratings among Republicans.
Just last
week he took Democrat House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to task for the
failure that is Obamacare. Now he is taking Democrat corruption head on with
his unique perspective on government payoffs.
Sadly for Jon, he may have noticed a lot more of this
kind of corruption and scandal had he been paying attention to the Obama
administration all along.
The False Question of Benghazi
Hillary
famously said about Benghazi, "Was it because of a protest or was it
because of guys out for a walk one night and decided they’d go kill some Americans."
"What difference – at this point, what difference does it make?"
Hillary
is posing a false question. It doesn’t make any difference whether it was
protest or thugs out for a walk. What matters is that she didn’t do her
job and provide Stevens with proper protection. If she had been vigilant,
either the protest or the thugs would have been stopped.
It also
matters that Hillary tried to minimize Al-Qaeda by emphasizing the silly
video. She and Obama had said that Al-Qaeda had been defeated and it was
necessary for the prestige of their administration to maintain this myth.
Benghazi
proved that our leaders were lying. It was necessary for Hillary to pin
it on the video rather than the supposedly defunct Al-Qaeda.
Hillary
is right to the extent that the proximate cause doesn’t matter. Where she
is wrong is that the ultimate causes—Al-Qaeda and her negligence—do matter.
Hillary
and Obama are at fault. The other excuses are false. The “video” and the “guys
out for a walk one night” are not so meaningful. Giver her due in saying, “What
difference does it make?” It doesn’t.
What
matters is that her negligence and pretending that she defeated Al-Qaeda shine
a light on her irresponsibility. Hillary like her husband is gifted with
excuses. Remember, “I did not have sexual relations with that woman.”
Bill
lies. It’s just sex and it involves his bad relationship with Hillary.
She is present in his consciousness and inadvertently on the scene of the
crime.
Hillary
lies. Christopher Stevens dies. Bill is a puppy dog. Hillary is a
pit bull biting out pieces of innocent lives, playing assassin behind the
scenes.
Chris Stirewalt: Buzz Cut.
· Dems struggle (again) to explain why less work is better
· ObamaCare tax blamed for huge job loss
· Dems to Obama: Get out of town! No, seriously.
· Cancer patient’s ObamaCare heartbreak goes big in Senate ad
DEMS’ MIDTERM PLAN MEANS LESS WORK FOR AMERICANS
For a second straight week, Democrats find themselves explaining why it’s a good thing for fewer Americans to be employed. Last week, it was a Congressional Budget Office report that said millions would leave the U.S. workforce in order to obtain ObamaCare benefits. This week, the CBO says that the centerpiece of the Obama Democrats midterm campaign pitch, a call to increase the federal minimum wage by 40 percent, will cost as many as 1 million jobs. Democrats aren’t much disputing the finding from the nonpartisan green-eyeshade brigade, but are instead trying to explain why less work is a good thing. Again. The argument is that while those low-wage jobs would be wiped out, the enhanced incomes of those still working will pay dividends in the years to come. It’s a similar argument as last week’s: Fewer people will work, but their being “freed” from unsatisfying employment will create new opportunities and raise overall living standards.
[Watch Fox: Chief Congressional Correspondent Mike Emanuel is following how the report is playing out as Congress debates a federal minimum wage increase.]
Much as has been the case with the consequences of ObamaCare, the painful process of explaining the real-world disruptions from the application of economic theories is bloody awful work for a midterm campaign message. Unable to continue to effectively blame Republican practices from the previous decade for the unhappy condition of the economy or health sector, Democrats have decided to get proactive. Big mistake. Unfortunately, what Democrats propose fits too neatly into Republican talking points honed over the last four years, namely that President Obama’s policies mean big government and more dependency. While Dems will be torturing the forecast tables of economic reports to explain why lost insurance, higher premiums, lost jobs and more debt are necessary for building a sustainable economy, Republicans will simply say “Obama isn’t working.”
[A Pennsylvania small-business association says its members are getting walloped by ObamaCare insurance cost increases, with hikes ranging from 49 percent to almost 300 percent.]
OBAMACARE TAX BLAMED FOR HUGE JOB LOSS
Daily Caller: “Obamacare’s medical device tax has already created a job loss of 33,000 in the medical device industry and 132,000 more job losses are expected, according to a new report from the industry trade group the Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed)...”
[LAT shares how one high-end California restaurant is adding a 3 percent fee to customer’s bills to pay for its employee’s insurance under ObamaCare]
OBAMACARE FORCES MORE HOSPITAL CLOSURES
Daily Caller: “The fourth Georgia hospital in two years is closing its doors due to severe financial difficulties caused by Obamacare’s payment cuts for emergency services. The Lower Oconee Community Hospital is, for now, a critical access hospital in southeastern Georgia that holds 25 beds. The hospital is suffering from serious cash-flow problems, largely due to the area’s 23 percent uninsured population…the federal government has historically made payments to hospitals to cover the cost of uninsured patients seeking free medical care in emergency rooms, as federal law mandates that hospitals must care for all patients regardless of their ability to pay. Because the Affordable Care Act’s authors believed they’d forced all states to implement the Medicaid expansion, Obamacare vastly cut hospital payments…”
[NYT details how ObamaCare’s campaign-style enrollment tactics are not meeting much success in signing up the uninsured.]
DEMS TO OBAMA: GET OUT OF TOWN! NO, SERIOUSLY.
WaPo’s Dana Milbank notes: “President Obama, in trouble at home, is quite literally heading for the border. His approval rating is in the 40s, vulnerable Democratic candidates don't want to be seen with him and Republicans think his unpopularity could win them the Senate. So it's likely no coincidence that Obama is making himself scarce in these parts… [Today], he flies to Mexico. Next month, he visits the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy and Saudi Arabia. In April, he travels to Japan, Malaysia, South Korea and the Philippines… on Tuesday he was back in Maryland, at a Safeway distribution hub in Upper Marlboro ‘where delivery trucks get everything from Doritos to diapers where they need to go’… It’s a worthy cause, no doubt. But diapers, Doritos and diesel won’t deliver Democrats from a drubbing in November.”
[Obama’s baggage for Mexico trip: Keystone, trade pact and immigration - NYT: “President Obamatravels to Mexico on Wednesday for a brief but politically fraught visit aimed at forging closer trade ties with America’s two closest neighbors even as his party’s leaders back home have vowed to undercut his efforts. Mr. Obama will meet with the leaders of Mexico and Canada …”]
IRS officials dodged taxes - The Hill: “Several IRS executives should have paid taxes on expenses they racked up for out-of-town travel for work, according to a new inspector general report. Treasury’s inspector general for tax administration found that the expenses for nine IRS executives — out of 31 whose travel was examined — were wrongly deemed to be nontaxable, on average reimbursements of $51,420… The tax administration inspector general looked into the matter after finding last year that IRS executives spent $9.5 million in travel expenses in 2011 and 2012, with several claiming more than $100,000 a year. The inspector general released that report just weeks after it outlined the extra scrutiny the agency gave to Tea Party groups.”
Decadent chic - Peggy Noonan considers Our Decadent Elites: “‘House of Cards’ very famously does nothing to enhance Washington’s reputation. It reinforces the idea that the capital has no room for clean people. The earnest, the diligent, the idealistic, they have no place there. Why would powerful members of Congress align themselves with this message? Why do they become part of it? I guess they think they’re showing they’re in on the joke and hip to the culture. I guess they think they’re impressing people with their surprising groovelocity. Or maybe they’re just stupid.”
BAIER TRACKS: WHAT WILL BECOME OF SYRIA?
“International estimates now have the number of dead in the three-year Syrian civil war at more than 150,000 with no end in sight. Much was made of a Russian-brokered deal last year to end the fighting and eliminate the country’s chemical weapons arsenal. But the Syrian government has missed deadline after deadline for removing chemical weapons stockpiles and components. Now, according to the Washington Post, “Syria’s rebels are launching a new push to persuade the Obama administration to provide them with advanced weapons.” Rebels who felt abandoned by the administration the first time around are giving it another shot. We’ll see what the reception is this time. It's doubtful that President Obama is ready to seriously consider another strike option... But stranger things have happened.” – Bret Baier
WITH YOUR SECOND CUP OF COFFEE…
Economist Thomas Sowell considers the lessons of the Afghan war: “F.A. Hayek said, ‘We shall not grow wiser until we learn that much that we have done was very foolish.’ Nothing is more foolish – and immoral – than sending men into battle to risk their lives winning victories that are later lost by politicians for political reasons.”
Got a TIP from the RIGHT or LEFT? Email FoxNewsFirst@FOXNEWS.COM
POLL CHECK
Real Clear Politics Averages
Obama Job Approval: Approve – 43.2 percent//Disapprove – 52.8 percent
Direction of Country: Right Direction – 29.6 percent//Wrong Track – 63.6 percent
Generic Congressional Ballot: Democrats – 41.7 percent// Republicans 41.7 percent
“The Democratic Party is not going to lose the Senate”—White House Press Secretary Jay Carneyduring Tuesday’s press briefing
CANCER PATIENT’S OBAMACARE HEARTBREAK GOES BIG IN SENATE AD
Americans for Prosperity is putting $750,000 behind a heart-wrenching ad that uses the story of a Michigan leukemia patient who lost her health policy because of ObamaCare. The spot targets Democratic Senate candidate Rep. Gary Peters, D-Mich., for his continued support of ObamaCare. From the group: “The ad shares the story of Julie Boonstra, who was diagnosed with leukemia five years ago. Despite the President’s promises that “if you like your health care plan, you can keep it,” Julie’s existing health insurance was cancelled due to ObamaCare. Now, under her new health care plan, Julie’s out-of-pocket expenses are so high that she struggles to afford the medication she needs to treat her illness.”
NRSC NAILS DEMS OVER OBAMACARE CANCELLATIONS
The National Republican Senatorial Committee is using the latest ObamaCare enrollment figures to take vulnerable Democrats to task over more cancellations than signups under the troubled health law. The NRSC will be hitting Sens. Kay Hagan, D-N.C., Mary Landrieu, D-La., Jeff Merkley, D-Oreg.,Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., Mark Udall, D-Colo., and Rep. Gary Peters, D-Mich. From the group’s attackon Udall, “As of February 1st, 68,454 Coloradans have signed up for ObamaCare. However, 335,484 Coloradans received cancellation notices - about 86,000 more than previously known…No matter how hard Mark Udall tries to convince voters otherwise, he knew many would lose health insurance plans and doctors that they liked as they are forced into the ObamaCare exchanges. This is - and always has been - an intended consequence of ObamaCare…”
[“The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee outraised the National Republican Senatorial Committee in January, bringing in about $6.6 million to the NRSC's $4.6 million. The DSCC ended the month with $15 million on hand and $2.5 million in debt. The NRSC had $10 million in the bank and no debt.” WaPo reports.]
VULNERABLE DEMS SEEK COVER FROM MEDICARE CUTS
The Hill: “Nineteen Democratic senators signed a letter Tuesday to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services warning of the dire consequences for seniors if cuts to Medicare Advantage go through as expected later this month. The letter was signed by party heavyweights, including Sen.Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), as well as vulnerable Democrats facing reelection, such as Sens. Mark Pryor(D-Ark.), Mary Landrieu (D-La.) and Mark Begich (D-Ak.)… The GOP has sought to make cuts to Medicare Advantage an election-year issue… ObamaCare enacted $200 billion in cuts to Medicare Advantage over 10 years. The administration is expected to announce 2015 rates for the alternative to government health insurance later this week. Insurers have mounted an intense lobbying campaign to head off expected cuts to the popular program. The issue is particularly sensitive during an election year as both parties court senior voters, who make up a disproportionate percentage of the voting population.”
TEA PARTY SENATE HOPEFUL SUFFERS LEGAL SETBACK
A big relief for North Carolina GOP Senate frontrunner state House Speaker Thom Tillis as his primary pursuer suffers a huge setback in court. WRAL: “A Wake County [North Carolina] jury found Tuesday that Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dr. Greg Brannon misled investors in a technology start-up. As a result of the civil judgment, Brannon will be personally liable for repaying $250,000. If the judgment is upheld on appeal, he will also have to pay 8 percent interest from the time each of the aggrieved investors wrote their checks and could be required to pay their attorneys’ fees in the case… The judgment comes less than three months before Republican voters will make their selection in the May primary. Brannon said he planned to file as a Senate candidate this week, making him one of at least five Republicans who plan to run for the chance to challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan.”
COCHRAN: WHAT IS THIS TEA PARTY YOU SPEAK OF?
Embattled Republican incumbent Sen. Thad Cochran may want to rethink his media strategy. AP: “Veteran Republican Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi says he’s not familiar with the tea party, even though he’s being challenged by a supporter of the populist movement. ‘The tea party, you know, is something I don’t really know a lot about,’ says Cochran, 76, who’s seeking a seventh six-year term in the Senate. ‘And it’s a free country. We have open opportunities for people to participate in the election process.’ Cochran’s comments came Monday in response to questions from Jackson television stations. He is being challenged in the June 3 GOP primary by state Sen. Chris McDaniel…an attorney with strong support from tea party groups…. ‘The tea party matters. They care for their country,’ McDaniel told The Associated Press in a phone interview Tuesday. ‘These are conservative voters who feel like they’re not being heard.’’’
U.S. CHAMBER HITS AIRWAVES FOR MCCONNELL
Lexington-Herald Leader: “The U.S. Chamber of Commerce will begin running a new television ad in Kentucky starting Wednesday that describes Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell as someone who is fighting against ‘Obamacare’ and for Kentucky’s future.”
[Bloomberg breaks down the costly ad wars and the influence of outside groups in the Kentucky Senate race.]
PICK SIX
Republicans need a net gain of six Senate seats this year to take control of the upper chamber. Which six seats are the most likely to flip? The current consensus among Fox News First readers: Arkansas, Montana, Louisiana, South Dakota, North Carolina and Alaska.
Share your top six picks. Email them – just your top six, please – to FOXNEWSFIRST@FOXNEWS.COMor tweet @cstirewalt.
HOUSE DEM CALLS COLLEAGUE A ‘BIMBO’
Roll Call: Former Rep. Joe Baca, D-Calif., apologized Tuesday for calling retiring [fellow Democrat] Rep. Gloria Negrete McLeod a ‘bimbo’ earlier in the day… in a phone call to CQ Roll Call late Tuesday afternoon, Baca, who is running for the open 31st District and struggling to raise money, backtracked. ‘I wanted to apologize for the poor choice of words,’ he said. ‘I was upset and disappointed that we have a person that’s not running again. To me [Negrete McLeod's retirement] was a disservice to the area. The people lost the representative. They want someone who’s got continuity. … I was just disappointed. That’s all it was.’’’
BIG SPENDING IN FLORIDA SPECIAL ELECTION
WaPo: “There’s no doubt that Republicans and Democrats see the outcome of Florida's 13th district special election as a crucial marker ahead of the midterm elections this fall. For proof, look at how much money organizations on both sides have been pouring in. The biggest spenders thus far have been Republican-aligned groups, according to a tally from the Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks campaign spending. GOP groups have spent more than $2.8 million to boost Republican nominee David Jolly or attack Democratic nominee Alex Sink, CRP's most up-to-date numbers show. Democratic groups have spent nearly $1.5 million doing the opposite… The biggest spenders on the GOP side have been the National Republican Congressional Committee ($1.3 million), the U.S. Chamber of Commerce ($800,000) and American Action Network ($439,000). On the Democratic side, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee ($886,000) and House Majority PAC (495,000) have spent most of the money.”
Crossroads says Sink ‘sunk’ Florida - Sunshine State News: “Republican-aligned super-PAC American Crossroads announced on Tuesday it was launching a new television ad taking aim at former state CFOAlex Sink … The ad will be running over the next three weeks as American Crossroads spent $357,000 to run it in the Tampa Bay market. ‘Alex Sink sunk Florida, and now she wants to reward herself with a congressional seat,’ said Jonathan Collegio, a spokesman for American Crossroads. ‘Floridians deserve better.’’’
FORMER REDSKIN MAKES PLAY FOR HASTINGS’ SEAT
Seattle-Post Intelligencer: “Clint Didier, ex-Washington Redskins tight end and Tea Party ally, on Monday became the first candidate to formally declare for the U.S. House seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash.,… State Sen. Sharon Brown, R-Kennewick, is exploring the race.”
GOHMERT MIMICS DEMINT STRATEGY WITH HOUSE PAC
Daily Caller: “Republican Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert is launching a new political action committee to help defend House conservatives from 2014 attacks from mainstream Republican PACs… The new GOH Conservative PAC, inspired by the Senate Conservatives Fund, ‘defends conservative Republicans from the attacks that come from the mainstream,’ Gohmert told TheDC. ‘That’s been a problem, we’ve seen in some races, where we’ve had leadership come and play and there was no counterbalance. So I’m going to do something about it’… ‘I was inspired by what Jim DeMint did as a senator,’ Gohmert said, referring to the recent Republican senator and current Heritage Foundation president who formed the Senate Conservatives Fund in 2008…”
DEM GROUP BLASTS HUTCHINSON’S LOBBYING HISTORY
Jobs and Opportunity, an outside group associated with the Democratic Governors’ Association is hitting Arkansas Republican gubernatorial hopeful Asa Hutchinson’s lobbyist past. From the ad: “Washington D.C. lobbyist Asa Hutchinson…his lobbying firm made millions pushing the Wall Street and Detroit bailouts, even the stimulus bill.” The ad concludes praising Democrat Mike Ross for opposing Democratic initiatives and being independent, “just like Arkansas.”
CLOCK TICKING FOR DEMS TO FIND SANDOVAL OPPONENT
Las Vegas Sun: “Clark County Commission Chair Steve Sisolak announced Monday night he will not challenge incumbent Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval for the governor’s office in this year's election. The announcement leaves the Nevada Democratic Party bereft of potential candidates less than a month before the filing deadline and effectively concedes the election to Sandoval unless Nevada Democrats have an independently wealthy candidate hiding in the wings.”
KELLY FILE: CLINTON ACCUSER SAYS SEX CHARGES RELEVANT TO HILLARY’S CANDIDACY
Longtime former Clinton supporter Kathleen Willey was a volunteer in the Clinton White House who alleges then President Bill Clinton sexually assaulted her during his first term. (Vintage WaPo details on the Willey allegations here.) Willey told Megyn Kelly that the former president’s past is relevant to the ambitions of 2016 Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton. “Hillary Clinton is the war on women and I think that she needs to be exposed for all of the terror campaigns that she has waged against the women who were in the wrong place at the wrong time with her husband,” Willey said. Willey said the former first lady, “…enables him to do it because she realizes the power that he has and she wants to ride on his coattails like she’s done all along.” Willey, who discussed recently revealed document that show Hillary Clinton speaking of “whiney women” who make sexual harassment allegations, said that it is part of a pattern. “The easiest way for [Hillary Clinton] to handle the scandals is to ruin the women who just happen to cross paths with him,” Willey said. “And that’s horrible and they do a good job at it.” Watch the full interview from the “Kelly File” here.
RYAN KEEPS 2016 OPTIONS OPEN IN NEW HAMPSHIRE
AP: “Rep. Paul Ryan, the most recent Republican nominee for vice president, said Tuesday he's keeping his options open about a prospective run for president but won't look at the 2016 contest in earnest until after Congress breaks for the year. Ryan, R-Wis., said he is focused on his job as House Budget Committee chairman and would ‘worry about those things later on.’ Ryan briefly visited New Hampshire's largest city to headline a Tuesday night fundraiser for a former House colleague, Frank Guinta, who is running for the seat he lost in 2012… The Wisconsin Republican discounted the GOP's intraparty skirmishes as ‘creative tension’ and praised the tea party's influence on the Republican Party… Asked whether [Mitt Romney] should run again for president, Ryan responded, ‘I'd love it if he did, but I don't think he would.’’’
CHRISTIE TAKES FIGHT FOR SPORTS BETTING TO HIGH COURT
New Jersey Star -Ledger: “Gov. Chris Christie [R-N.J.] and the leaders of the state Legislature have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a 22-year-old federal law preventing them from legalizing sports betting at New Jersey’s horse racing tracks and Atlantic City casinos. The state’s appeal, filed last week and made public today, is a last-ditch effort by the governor and lawmakers. They have been rebuffed at every turn, losing three times in federal court to the NCAA and the nation’s professional sports leagues, which originally brought the high-profile case.”
JILL BIDEN JOINS DUBYA FOR VETS EVENT
Military Times: “Former President George W. Bush will host a veterans’ summit in Texas on Wednesday focused on ways to provide assistance to separating service members and their families. The event… will also include remarks from… [Vice President Joe Biden’s wife] Jill Biden …” Watch livestarting at 10 a.m. ET.
[What could possibly go wrong? - Hollywood Reporter: “Vice President Joe Biden to Appear on ‘The View’ to Discuss Health Care”]
PRESS POLICE?
A Federal Communications Commission member is warning about the agency’s plans to launch an in-depth study of how news managers, reporters and producers choose what to cover and how. Many news organizations are pushing back, saying the intrusion into how stories are determined to be newsworthy is a violation of freedom of the press, given the commission’s authority of their broadcast license.—Watch Fox: Correspondent Shannon Bream considers the controversy at a time when many argue the Obama administration has become increasingly opinionated about what qualifies as news.
AND NOW, A WORD FROM CHARLES…
“What [a federal minimum wage increase] is, is a transfer of wealth from some low-income earners to other low-income earners… this is so obvious, not rocket science -- some will be better off, will make more, but others are going to lose everything. They’re going to lose all of their income, and they’re going to lose the first step on the ladder into employment, which is the hope for the future. So it’s a high price. You can make your choice, but there isn’t a free lunch. They are running ads saying give America a raise, as if it’s no cost. It is a cost, and it’s other low income people who will be the ones who pay it.” – Charles Krauthammer on “Special Report with Bret Baier.”
Chris Stirewalt is digital politics editor for Fox News. Want FOX News First in your inbox every day? Sign up here. To catch Chris live online daily at 11:30 a.m. ET, click here.
· Dems struggle (again) to explain why less work is better
· ObamaCare tax blamed for huge job loss
· Dems to Obama: Get out of town! No, seriously.
· Cancer patient’s ObamaCare heartbreak goes big in Senate ad
DEMS’ MIDTERM PLAN MEANS LESS WORK FOR AMERICANS
For a second straight week, Democrats find themselves explaining why it’s a good thing for fewer Americans to be employed. Last week, it was a Congressional Budget Office report that said millions would leave the U.S. workforce in order to obtain ObamaCare benefits. This week, the CBO says that the centerpiece of the Obama Democrats midterm campaign pitch, a call to increase the federal minimum wage by 40 percent, will cost as many as 1 million jobs. Democrats aren’t much disputing the finding from the nonpartisan green-eyeshade brigade, but are instead trying to explain why less work is a good thing. Again. The argument is that while those low-wage jobs would be wiped out, the enhanced incomes of those still working will pay dividends in the years to come. It’s a similar argument as last week’s: Fewer people will work, but their being “freed” from unsatisfying employment will create new opportunities and raise overall living standards.
[Watch Fox: Chief Congressional Correspondent Mike Emanuel is following how the report is playing out as Congress debates a federal minimum wage increase.]
Much as has been the case with the consequences of ObamaCare, the painful process of explaining the real-world disruptions from the application of economic theories is bloody awful work for a midterm campaign message. Unable to continue to effectively blame Republican practices from the previous decade for the unhappy condition of the economy or health sector, Democrats have decided to get proactive. Big mistake. Unfortunately, what Democrats propose fits too neatly into Republican talking points honed over the last four years, namely that President Obama’s policies mean big government and more dependency. While Dems will be torturing the forecast tables of economic reports to explain why lost insurance, higher premiums, lost jobs and more debt are necessary for building a sustainable economy, Republicans will simply say “Obama isn’t working.”
[A Pennsylvania small-business association says its members are getting walloped by ObamaCare insurance cost increases, with hikes ranging from 49 percent to almost 300 percent.]
OBAMACARE TAX BLAMED FOR HUGE JOB LOSS
Daily Caller: “Obamacare’s medical device tax has already created a job loss of 33,000 in the medical device industry and 132,000 more job losses are expected, according to a new report from the industry trade group the Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed)...”
[LAT shares how one high-end California restaurant is adding a 3 percent fee to customer’s bills to pay for its employee’s insurance under ObamaCare]
OBAMACARE FORCES MORE HOSPITAL CLOSURES
Daily Caller: “The fourth Georgia hospital in two years is closing its doors due to severe financial difficulties caused by Obamacare’s payment cuts for emergency services. The Lower Oconee Community Hospital is, for now, a critical access hospital in southeastern Georgia that holds 25 beds. The hospital is suffering from serious cash-flow problems, largely due to the area’s 23 percent uninsured population…the federal government has historically made payments to hospitals to cover the cost of uninsured patients seeking free medical care in emergency rooms, as federal law mandates that hospitals must care for all patients regardless of their ability to pay. Because the Affordable Care Act’s authors believed they’d forced all states to implement the Medicaid expansion, Obamacare vastly cut hospital payments…”
[NYT details how ObamaCare’s campaign-style enrollment tactics are not meeting much success in signing up the uninsured.]
DEMS TO OBAMA: GET OUT OF TOWN! NO, SERIOUSLY.
WaPo’s Dana Milbank notes: “President Obama, in trouble at home, is quite literally heading for the border. His approval rating is in the 40s, vulnerable Democratic candidates don't want to be seen with him and Republicans think his unpopularity could win them the Senate. So it's likely no coincidence that Obama is making himself scarce in these parts… [Today], he flies to Mexico. Next month, he visits the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy and Saudi Arabia. In April, he travels to Japan, Malaysia, South Korea and the Philippines… on Tuesday he was back in Maryland, at a Safeway distribution hub in Upper Marlboro ‘where delivery trucks get everything from Doritos to diapers where they need to go’… It’s a worthy cause, no doubt. But diapers, Doritos and diesel won’t deliver Democrats from a drubbing in November.”
[Obama’s baggage for Mexico trip: Keystone, trade pact and immigration - NYT: “President Obamatravels to Mexico on Wednesday for a brief but politically fraught visit aimed at forging closer trade ties with America’s two closest neighbors even as his party’s leaders back home have vowed to undercut his efforts. Mr. Obama will meet with the leaders of Mexico and Canada …”]
IRS officials dodged taxes - The Hill: “Several IRS executives should have paid taxes on expenses they racked up for out-of-town travel for work, according to a new inspector general report. Treasury’s inspector general for tax administration found that the expenses for nine IRS executives — out of 31 whose travel was examined — were wrongly deemed to be nontaxable, on average reimbursements of $51,420… The tax administration inspector general looked into the matter after finding last year that IRS executives spent $9.5 million in travel expenses in 2011 and 2012, with several claiming more than $100,000 a year. The inspector general released that report just weeks after it outlined the extra scrutiny the agency gave to Tea Party groups.”
Decadent chic - Peggy Noonan considers Our Decadent Elites: “‘House of Cards’ very famously does nothing to enhance Washington’s reputation. It reinforces the idea that the capital has no room for clean people. The earnest, the diligent, the idealistic, they have no place there. Why would powerful members of Congress align themselves with this message? Why do they become part of it? I guess they think they’re showing they’re in on the joke and hip to the culture. I guess they think they’re impressing people with their surprising groovelocity. Or maybe they’re just stupid.”
BAIER TRACKS: WHAT WILL BECOME OF SYRIA?
“International estimates now have the number of dead in the three-year Syrian civil war at more than 150,000 with no end in sight. Much was made of a Russian-brokered deal last year to end the fighting and eliminate the country’s chemical weapons arsenal. But the Syrian government has missed deadline after deadline for removing chemical weapons stockpiles and components. Now, according to the Washington Post, “Syria’s rebels are launching a new push to persuade the Obama administration to provide them with advanced weapons.” Rebels who felt abandoned by the administration the first time around are giving it another shot. We’ll see what the reception is this time. It's doubtful that President Obama is ready to seriously consider another strike option... But stranger things have happened.” – Bret Baier
WITH YOUR SECOND CUP OF COFFEE…
Economist Thomas Sowell considers the lessons of the Afghan war: “F.A. Hayek said, ‘We shall not grow wiser until we learn that much that we have done was very foolish.’ Nothing is more foolish – and immoral – than sending men into battle to risk their lives winning victories that are later lost by politicians for political reasons.”
Got a TIP from the RIGHT or LEFT? Email FoxNewsFirst@FOXNEWS.COM
POLL CHECK
Real Clear Politics Averages
Obama Job Approval: Approve – 43.2 percent//Disapprove – 52.8 percent
Direction of Country: Right Direction – 29.6 percent//Wrong Track – 63.6 percent
Generic Congressional Ballot: Democrats – 41.7 percent// Republicans 41.7 percent
“The Democratic Party is not going to lose the Senate”—White House Press Secretary Jay Carneyduring Tuesday’s press briefing
CANCER PATIENT’S OBAMACARE HEARTBREAK GOES BIG IN SENATE AD
Americans for Prosperity is putting $750,000 behind a heart-wrenching ad that uses the story of a Michigan leukemia patient who lost her health policy because of ObamaCare. The spot targets Democratic Senate candidate Rep. Gary Peters, D-Mich., for his continued support of ObamaCare. From the group: “The ad shares the story of Julie Boonstra, who was diagnosed with leukemia five years ago. Despite the President’s promises that “if you like your health care plan, you can keep it,” Julie’s existing health insurance was cancelled due to ObamaCare. Now, under her new health care plan, Julie’s out-of-pocket expenses are so high that she struggles to afford the medication she needs to treat her illness.”
NRSC NAILS DEMS OVER OBAMACARE CANCELLATIONS
The National Republican Senatorial Committee is using the latest ObamaCare enrollment figures to take vulnerable Democrats to task over more cancellations than signups under the troubled health law. The NRSC will be hitting Sens. Kay Hagan, D-N.C., Mary Landrieu, D-La., Jeff Merkley, D-Oreg.,Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., Mark Udall, D-Colo., and Rep. Gary Peters, D-Mich. From the group’s attackon Udall, “As of February 1st, 68,454 Coloradans have signed up for ObamaCare. However, 335,484 Coloradans received cancellation notices - about 86,000 more than previously known…No matter how hard Mark Udall tries to convince voters otherwise, he knew many would lose health insurance plans and doctors that they liked as they are forced into the ObamaCare exchanges. This is - and always has been - an intended consequence of ObamaCare…”
[“The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee outraised the National Republican Senatorial Committee in January, bringing in about $6.6 million to the NRSC's $4.6 million. The DSCC ended the month with $15 million on hand and $2.5 million in debt. The NRSC had $10 million in the bank and no debt.” WaPo reports.]
VULNERABLE DEMS SEEK COVER FROM MEDICARE CUTS
The Hill: “Nineteen Democratic senators signed a letter Tuesday to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services warning of the dire consequences for seniors if cuts to Medicare Advantage go through as expected later this month. The letter was signed by party heavyweights, including Sen.Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), as well as vulnerable Democrats facing reelection, such as Sens. Mark Pryor(D-Ark.), Mary Landrieu (D-La.) and Mark Begich (D-Ak.)… The GOP has sought to make cuts to Medicare Advantage an election-year issue… ObamaCare enacted $200 billion in cuts to Medicare Advantage over 10 years. The administration is expected to announce 2015 rates for the alternative to government health insurance later this week. Insurers have mounted an intense lobbying campaign to head off expected cuts to the popular program. The issue is particularly sensitive during an election year as both parties court senior voters, who make up a disproportionate percentage of the voting population.”
TEA PARTY SENATE HOPEFUL SUFFERS LEGAL SETBACK
A big relief for North Carolina GOP Senate frontrunner state House Speaker Thom Tillis as his primary pursuer suffers a huge setback in court. WRAL: “A Wake County [North Carolina] jury found Tuesday that Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dr. Greg Brannon misled investors in a technology start-up. As a result of the civil judgment, Brannon will be personally liable for repaying $250,000. If the judgment is upheld on appeal, he will also have to pay 8 percent interest from the time each of the aggrieved investors wrote their checks and could be required to pay their attorneys’ fees in the case… The judgment comes less than three months before Republican voters will make their selection in the May primary. Brannon said he planned to file as a Senate candidate this week, making him one of at least five Republicans who plan to run for the chance to challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan.”
COCHRAN: WHAT IS THIS TEA PARTY YOU SPEAK OF?
Embattled Republican incumbent Sen. Thad Cochran may want to rethink his media strategy. AP: “Veteran Republican Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi says he’s not familiar with the tea party, even though he’s being challenged by a supporter of the populist movement. ‘The tea party, you know, is something I don’t really know a lot about,’ says Cochran, 76, who’s seeking a seventh six-year term in the Senate. ‘And it’s a free country. We have open opportunities for people to participate in the election process.’ Cochran’s comments came Monday in response to questions from Jackson television stations. He is being challenged in the June 3 GOP primary by state Sen. Chris McDaniel…an attorney with strong support from tea party groups…. ‘The tea party matters. They care for their country,’ McDaniel told The Associated Press in a phone interview Tuesday. ‘These are conservative voters who feel like they’re not being heard.’’’
U.S. CHAMBER HITS AIRWAVES FOR MCCONNELL
Lexington-Herald Leader: “The U.S. Chamber of Commerce will begin running a new television ad in Kentucky starting Wednesday that describes Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell as someone who is fighting against ‘Obamacare’ and for Kentucky’s future.”
[Bloomberg breaks down the costly ad wars and the influence of outside groups in the Kentucky Senate race.]
PICK SIX
Republicans need a net gain of six Senate seats this year to take control of the upper chamber. Which six seats are the most likely to flip? The current consensus among Fox News First readers: Arkansas, Montana, Louisiana, South Dakota, North Carolina and Alaska.
Share your top six picks. Email them – just your top six, please – to FOXNEWSFIRST@FOXNEWS.COMor tweet @cstirewalt.
HOUSE DEM CALLS COLLEAGUE A ‘BIMBO’
Roll Call: Former Rep. Joe Baca, D-Calif., apologized Tuesday for calling retiring [fellow Democrat] Rep. Gloria Negrete McLeod a ‘bimbo’ earlier in the day… in a phone call to CQ Roll Call late Tuesday afternoon, Baca, who is running for the open 31st District and struggling to raise money, backtracked. ‘I wanted to apologize for the poor choice of words,’ he said. ‘I was upset and disappointed that we have a person that’s not running again. To me [Negrete McLeod's retirement] was a disservice to the area. The people lost the representative. They want someone who’s got continuity. … I was just disappointed. That’s all it was.’’’
BIG SPENDING IN FLORIDA SPECIAL ELECTION
WaPo: “There’s no doubt that Republicans and Democrats see the outcome of Florida's 13th district special election as a crucial marker ahead of the midterm elections this fall. For proof, look at how much money organizations on both sides have been pouring in. The biggest spenders thus far have been Republican-aligned groups, according to a tally from the Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks campaign spending. GOP groups have spent more than $2.8 million to boost Republican nominee David Jolly or attack Democratic nominee Alex Sink, CRP's most up-to-date numbers show. Democratic groups have spent nearly $1.5 million doing the opposite… The biggest spenders on the GOP side have been the National Republican Congressional Committee ($1.3 million), the U.S. Chamber of Commerce ($800,000) and American Action Network ($439,000). On the Democratic side, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee ($886,000) and House Majority PAC (495,000) have spent most of the money.”
Crossroads says Sink ‘sunk’ Florida - Sunshine State News: “Republican-aligned super-PAC American Crossroads announced on Tuesday it was launching a new television ad taking aim at former state CFOAlex Sink … The ad will be running over the next three weeks as American Crossroads spent $357,000 to run it in the Tampa Bay market. ‘Alex Sink sunk Florida, and now she wants to reward herself with a congressional seat,’ said Jonathan Collegio, a spokesman for American Crossroads. ‘Floridians deserve better.’’’
FORMER REDSKIN MAKES PLAY FOR HASTINGS’ SEAT
Seattle-Post Intelligencer: “Clint Didier, ex-Washington Redskins tight end and Tea Party ally, on Monday became the first candidate to formally declare for the U.S. House seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash.,… State Sen. Sharon Brown, R-Kennewick, is exploring the race.”
GOHMERT MIMICS DEMINT STRATEGY WITH HOUSE PAC
Daily Caller: “Republican Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert is launching a new political action committee to help defend House conservatives from 2014 attacks from mainstream Republican PACs… The new GOH Conservative PAC, inspired by the Senate Conservatives Fund, ‘defends conservative Republicans from the attacks that come from the mainstream,’ Gohmert told TheDC. ‘That’s been a problem, we’ve seen in some races, where we’ve had leadership come and play and there was no counterbalance. So I’m going to do something about it’… ‘I was inspired by what Jim DeMint did as a senator,’ Gohmert said, referring to the recent Republican senator and current Heritage Foundation president who formed the Senate Conservatives Fund in 2008…”
DEM GROUP BLASTS HUTCHINSON’S LOBBYING HISTORY
Jobs and Opportunity, an outside group associated with the Democratic Governors’ Association is hitting Arkansas Republican gubernatorial hopeful Asa Hutchinson’s lobbyist past. From the ad: “Washington D.C. lobbyist Asa Hutchinson…his lobbying firm made millions pushing the Wall Street and Detroit bailouts, even the stimulus bill.” The ad concludes praising Democrat Mike Ross for opposing Democratic initiatives and being independent, “just like Arkansas.”
CLOCK TICKING FOR DEMS TO FIND SANDOVAL OPPONENT
Las Vegas Sun: “Clark County Commission Chair Steve Sisolak announced Monday night he will not challenge incumbent Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval for the governor’s office in this year's election. The announcement leaves the Nevada Democratic Party bereft of potential candidates less than a month before the filing deadline and effectively concedes the election to Sandoval unless Nevada Democrats have an independently wealthy candidate hiding in the wings.”
KELLY FILE: CLINTON ACCUSER SAYS SEX CHARGES RELEVANT TO HILLARY’S CANDIDACY
Longtime former Clinton supporter Kathleen Willey was a volunteer in the Clinton White House who alleges then President Bill Clinton sexually assaulted her during his first term. (Vintage WaPo details on the Willey allegations here.) Willey told Megyn Kelly that the former president’s past is relevant to the ambitions of 2016 Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton. “Hillary Clinton is the war on women and I think that she needs to be exposed for all of the terror campaigns that she has waged against the women who were in the wrong place at the wrong time with her husband,” Willey said. Willey said the former first lady, “…enables him to do it because she realizes the power that he has and she wants to ride on his coattails like she’s done all along.” Willey, who discussed recently revealed document that show Hillary Clinton speaking of “whiney women” who make sexual harassment allegations, said that it is part of a pattern. “The easiest way for [Hillary Clinton] to handle the scandals is to ruin the women who just happen to cross paths with him,” Willey said. “And that’s horrible and they do a good job at it.” Watch the full interview from the “Kelly File” here.
RYAN KEEPS 2016 OPTIONS OPEN IN NEW HAMPSHIRE
AP: “Rep. Paul Ryan, the most recent Republican nominee for vice president, said Tuesday he's keeping his options open about a prospective run for president but won't look at the 2016 contest in earnest until after Congress breaks for the year. Ryan, R-Wis., said he is focused on his job as House Budget Committee chairman and would ‘worry about those things later on.’ Ryan briefly visited New Hampshire's largest city to headline a Tuesday night fundraiser for a former House colleague, Frank Guinta, who is running for the seat he lost in 2012… The Wisconsin Republican discounted the GOP's intraparty skirmishes as ‘creative tension’ and praised the tea party's influence on the Republican Party… Asked whether [Mitt Romney] should run again for president, Ryan responded, ‘I'd love it if he did, but I don't think he would.’’’
CHRISTIE TAKES FIGHT FOR SPORTS BETTING TO HIGH COURT
New Jersey Star -Ledger: “Gov. Chris Christie [R-N.J.] and the leaders of the state Legislature have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a 22-year-old federal law preventing them from legalizing sports betting at New Jersey’s horse racing tracks and Atlantic City casinos. The state’s appeal, filed last week and made public today, is a last-ditch effort by the governor and lawmakers. They have been rebuffed at every turn, losing three times in federal court to the NCAA and the nation’s professional sports leagues, which originally brought the high-profile case.”
JILL BIDEN JOINS DUBYA FOR VETS EVENT
Military Times: “Former President George W. Bush will host a veterans’ summit in Texas on Wednesday focused on ways to provide assistance to separating service members and their families. The event… will also include remarks from… [Vice President Joe Biden’s wife] Jill Biden …” Watch livestarting at 10 a.m. ET.
[What could possibly go wrong? - Hollywood Reporter: “Vice President Joe Biden to Appear on ‘The View’ to Discuss Health Care”]
PRESS POLICE?
A Federal Communications Commission member is warning about the agency’s plans to launch an in-depth study of how news managers, reporters and producers choose what to cover and how. Many news organizations are pushing back, saying the intrusion into how stories are determined to be newsworthy is a violation of freedom of the press, given the commission’s authority of their broadcast license.—Watch Fox: Correspondent Shannon Bream considers the controversy at a time when many argue the Obama administration has become increasingly opinionated about what qualifies as news.
AND NOW, A WORD FROM CHARLES…
“What [a federal minimum wage increase] is, is a transfer of wealth from some low-income earners to other low-income earners… this is so obvious, not rocket science -- some will be better off, will make more, but others are going to lose everything. They’re going to lose all of their income, and they’re going to lose the first step on the ladder into employment, which is the hope for the future. So it’s a high price. You can make your choice, but there isn’t a free lunch. They are running ads saying give America a raise, as if it’s no cost. It is a cost, and it’s other low income people who will be the ones who pay it.” – Charles Krauthammer on “Special Report with Bret Baier.”
Chris Stirewalt is digital politics editor for Fox News. Want FOX News First in your inbox every day? Sign up here. To catch Chris live online daily at 11:30 a.m. ET, click here.
HEALTHCARE
THERE IS NO ‘FIX’ FOR OBAMACARE. John Hayward
The big new
Democrat brainstorm for surviving the 2014 elections is to run on a platform of
“fixing” ObamaCare. They’re hoping this rhetoric can be made to sound
more constructive, and therefore more appealing to voters, than Republican
calls for repeal. The velvet glove of “fix” rhetoric will fit neatly
around the iron fist of despair that is the true Democrat Party message to
America: It’s the “settled law of the
land,” you can never be free of it no matter how much you hate it, people we
like more than you will suffer if the law is repealed, you really don’t want to
manage your own health care anyway because it’s scary, there are no refunds
when “progressives” take a chunk of your liberty because making government
smaller is “regressive.”
The big
problem with this Democrat strategy is that they don’t really have any ideas
for “fixing” ObamaCare. That’s because it cannot be fixed. The
President’s failed health-care law is fundamentally flawed. It’s a
massive income-redistribution scheme, with the customary 90 cents on the dollar
skimmed off for Big Government overhead, and those schemes are only politically
viable when the Takers outnumber the Makers. That’s not the case with
ObamaCare, which hurts far more people than it helps, in just about every income
bracket and demographic.
ObamaCare’s
failure can be judged by the public reaction as each of its Big Lies
unraveled: If you like your health care
plan, you can keep your plan. If you like your doctor, you can keep your
doctor. The average family will save over $2400 per year. We must
drastically reduce the scandalous number of uninsured Americans.
The first Big Lie will go nuclear when employer-market plans start dying
this year. There is no way to “fix” that. President Obama might
break the law again to illegally modify the Affordable Care Act to grant some
sort of temporary reprieve, and maybe try to set Republicans up to look like
the villains if they insist on fidelity to the law Democrats rammed through
Congress, but that gambit has reached its expiration date. If Republicans
have a modicum of political sense, they’ll remind voters that Democrats are
playing them for fools by asking them to accept temporary one-year
Band-Aids that do nothing more than control ObamaCare’s political bleeding until
the midterm elections are past.
I’m as cynical about the GOP’s messaging skills as anyone, but I doubt
they could miss the obvious “playing for time until the elections are over”
angle, especially since some of the previous temporary patch jobs are already
coming apart at the seams. Frankly, I’m not sure the public needs all
that much reminding; Obama’s constant arbitrary revisions to ObamaCare have
already made a mockery of the “settled law of the land.”
At any rate,
there’s really no feasible way to defuse the First Big Lie, because anything
that keeps the old, superior plans alive for much longer is only going to make
ObamaCare look worse. Like all other socialist schemes, the Affordable
Care Act cannot survive competition. It must be inescapable and
compulsory, or it will fall apart as people flee its clutches. Enrollment
levels are disastrous enough as it is; Democrats will have no luck running as
apologists for a multi-trillion-dollar program nobody wants to participate in.
Likewise, there’s no way to fix ObamaCare “doc shock.” Of course,
the geniuses who dumped ObamaCare on us think the solution is more
hyper-regulation: passing laws to force those tiny ObamaCare provider networks
to become larger, so fewer people lose access to their doctors. This will
inevitably raise the cost of ACA policies, which are already too expensive, not
to mention running into resistance from the medical community. Higher ACA
premiums mean lower enrollment and more state-by-state insurance death spirals.
Republicans should make these points during their 2014 campaigns, along
with plenty of warnings about the coming insurance-industry bailout. That
would be a nice bit of political judo, turning Democrat demonization of the
insurance industry against them, now that they’re poised to become sugar
daddies for a massive special interest they used to denigrate relentlessly.
“Doc shock” is actually still a disease in the very early stages.
Another warning issued by ObamaCare critics is that our doctor supply
will diminish as doctors find a variety of reasons to disengage from the
system. This will be an especially acute problem for the newly-swelled
ranks of Medicaid patients.
There’s no
way to “fix” the high cost of Affordable Care Act policies. That problem
is going to get worse - much worse
– especially if Obama tries to regulate “doc shock” away. The
disappointing enrollment figures for ObamaCare mean higher premiums are baked
in the cake anyway. As with many other aspects of the ObamaCare debacle,
premiums will rise at different rates in different states, making some areas
particularly toxic for the Democrats… and they have not a single idea, not even
a puff of rhetorical hot air, for how to bring those premiums down.
The most
likely idea they’ll eventually put forward will be higher subsidies for more
people, but that’s going to be a tough sell given how badly ObamaCare is
already hammering the deficit, and the healthy reluctance of middle-class
Americans to grow dependent on government subsidies for a product they could
formerly purchase with dignity.
That’s the
political problem posed by ObamaCare in a nutshell: it’s making everything worse, for too many people. It’s not even reducing the
number of uninsured very much, which was pretty much the last political straw
Democrats could grasp. If a large number of formerly uninsured people
were picking up insurance for the first time, Democrats could used weaponized
guilt to beat the rest of America into submission - how dare you complain about your high
premiums, back-breaking deductibles, and shoddy choice of doctor when these
good people know the joy of health insurance for the first time in their lives!
But that’s not happening. The vast majority of
ObamaCare enrollments are coming from people who used to have better insurance
they liked more, but lost their plans due to the First Big Lie. Only ten
to twenty percent of ACA sales are going to the formerly uninsured.
Ten-year projections show an extremely modest reduction in the number of
uninsured, an “achievement” that could be achieved through plenty of reforms
that wouldn’t have all the problems of ObamaCare.
Several
reports this week have observed that Democrat rhetoric about “fixing” ObamaCare
is running afoul of their absolute lack of actual repair proposals. Byron
York at the Washington Examiner:
Many leading Democrats say they want to “fix” the
Affordable Care Act. “I think what most Americans want us to do is not
repeal Obamacare, which is what our Republican colleagues are focused on,
but fix it,” said Sen. Charles Schumer on “Meet the Press” on Dec.
22. “The president is working to fix it; we are working in the Senate to fix
it; we urge our Republican colleagues to join us in fixing it.”
Sounds
good. But what, precisely, are Democrats on Capitol Hill doing to fix
Obamacare? The answer is not much.
“It’s just
a talking point,” says a GOP Senate aide of Schumer’s claim. (A Schumer
spokesman did not respond to requests for comment.)
“No
Democratic fixes jump out,” says a GOP House aide. “Seems like all they want to
do is continue delaying portions of the law to insulate themselves against the
political fallout.”
A
spokesman for Rep. Tom Price, one of the House GOP’s leaders on health care
policy, says Democrats haven’t contacted Price to discuss possible fixes to
Obamacare. “No,” says the spokesman. “No one has approached.” The same is true
for Rep. Steve Scalise, another House Republican health care leader.
Obviously
Republicans would be foolish to jump in and save Democrats from their own
failed law… which, remember, was railroaded through Congress with payoffs and
shady tricks in a rushed vote that made no effort to win Republican support,
and got none. The Democrats were busy using your money to buy off
reluctant members of their own caucus to practice any bipartisan outreach.
They pushed the vote through with such comical banana-republic speed that
it wasn’t even fully written
yet, and neither Chuck Schumer nor any other Democrat bothered
to read the parts that were written
before they voted on it. I hope Republican candidates are savvy enough to
remind voters of that, too.
ObamaCare illustrates the problem with forcing bad legislation through
Congress on a party-line vote, especially something on the scale of the
health-care takeover. The concessions necessary to win Republican votes
would have either killed the bill outright – to the great benefit of the United
States of America – or modified it into something more viable, more “fixable,”
with better odds of securing bipartisan cooperation to design the fixes.
The result wouldn’t have resembled the Affordable Care Act much, and that
would be a very good thing.
Josh
Kraushaar at National Journal also noticed
that Democrats are talking up their “mend it, don’t end it” political strategy
without advancing any ideas for mending it:
The latest
version of the argument points to polling showing that voters don’t want to
repeal the law but prefer to see it fixed—perfectly in line with the newly
adopted positions of vulnerable Democratic officeholders. In a memo leaked
to the press, Democrats argue they can neutralize their health care
vulnerabilities by promoting their desire to fix the law and blaming
Republicans for intransigence in seeking a full repeal. But dig a bit deeper
past the talking points, and it’s unclear what they want to fix—beyond their
broken poll numbers.
Indeed, in
a sign that Democrats are stuck in neutral on their Obamacare messaging, the
“news” from the memo is months old. The strategy devised by the sharpest
party operatives has already been in effect in numerous ads across the country
and was promoted by the party’s top strategists two months ago. In those
targeted races, public polling has shown Democratic standing worsening where
the on-air Obamacare debate has already begun. (See: Landrieu, Mary; Hagan,
Kay.)
Kraushaar highlights an interesting example of predicament facing
Democrats, who are now absurdly laboring to position themselves as insightful
critics of a law they formerly supported with the blind enthusiasm of zombies
chasing a minor cast member on “The Walking Dead”:
For a
crystal-clear sign of the political woes Obamacare faces, look no further than
the ad the Democratic House Majority PAC is airing in a majority-Hispanic south
Florida district that Obama carried twice. The seat, represented by freshman
Rep. Joe Garcia, is one of a small handful in the country that gave Obama a
larger share of the vote in 2012 than in 2008—he won 53 percent last election.
It’s also one of the media markets where the Obama presidential campaign spent
millions of dollars in Spanish-language ads praising the law in unequivocal
terms.
This new
ad, as part of the damage control, contains no such accolades. It promotes how
Garcia “took the White House to task,” referencing its “disastrous” health care
website. Like its counterparts, it argues Garcia wants to fix the broken law.
Democratic strategists said that outside of the most liberal precincts, they
can’t persuade people of the law’s benefits until they acknowledge its problems
first.
The Garcia ad shows that even in an Obamacare stronghold, where support
for the law ran well ahead of its national numbers, dissatisfaction is creeping
up. Indeed, The New York Times reported that
uninsured Hispanics were signing up for the law at “strikingly” lower rates
than anticipated. One Democratic operative involved in the race told me it was
much harder to find nonpartisan Obamacare advocates to cheerlead for the law in
South Florida this year—compared with 2012.
Yes, good
luck running as champions of the little guy against the “disastrous” law you
shoved down their throats, Democrats. The case for full repeal of
ObamaCare grows stronger by the day, and it will only benefit from these
ridiculous triangulation efforts, which must begin with Democrats acknowledging
the same flaws Republicans are spotlighting. There is no way to fix ObamaCare. It must be swept aside in order
to enable the real reforms that would actually improve health insurance, bring
costs under control, ensure a healthy medical industry, and dismantle the
incredibly expensive bureaucracy Democrats have created. Now let’s see if
Republicans are smart enough to get behind those solid reforms while their opponents
are blowing smoke.
-IN CASE OF GOVERNMENT
TYRANY-
“USE THE SECOND
AMENDMENT”
“LA LIBERTAD NO ES GRATIS”
<IN GOD WE TRUST>
“En
mi opinión” Lázaro R González Miño
Editor.
Para contribuir con artículos, opiniones, sugerencias o recibir “En mi
opinión”
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