AMERICAN CONSERVATISM IN 2008 AND BEYOND

You haven't proved anything; they are opinions without providing where in the legislation government will control healthcare.

Just because others claim something, doesn't make them true until they can provide direct evidence from the legislation. Personal opinions don't count for anything.

You still believe in "death panels" ican? You're an idiot!

Handful of elections shed light on US politics
(By LIZ SIDOTI, AP National Political Writer, November 2, 2009)

Most Americans won't vote Tuesday.

Still, a handful of elections in a few states will give hints about this country's state of mind, provide lessons for both Republicans and Democrats, and shed light on answers to a few important questions a year before pivotal 2010 midterm contests.

Among them: Did President Barack Obama's campaigning in Virginia and New Jersey persuade the diverse voting coalition that lifted him to victory in 2008 to turn out for Democratic candidates in 2009? Did fickle independents stick with the Democratic Party? Did the out-of-power GOP overcome fissures within its ranks to find a winning strategy?

On Tuesday, Virginia and New Jersey are choosing governors, voters in upstate New York and northern California are deciding who should fill two vacant congressional seats, and New York City and Atlanta are picking mayors. Maine will vote on whether to permit gay marriage while Ohio will choose whether to allow casinos.

These races are hardly bellwethers; people are voting on local issues and personalities. Still, national forces such as the recession are having an effect, and Obama has spent considerable time campaigning this fall, particularly for candidates in Virginia and New Jersey.

"This guy has been working as hard as he promised. And so now the question is, how do you respond?" Obama said Sunday as he urged voters to back embattled Democratic incumbent Gov. Jon Corzine in New Jersey. "We will not lose this election if all of you are as committed as you were last year."

Despite Obama's involvement in the races, even Republicans caution against reading too much into the election's results.

"It's a great overstatement to say this is a referendum on President Obama, but his policies have had a lot of effect on people's thinking," Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, the chairman of the Republican Governor's Association, told CNN on Sunday. "People are worried about jobs. ... Most Americans can't understand why the government keeps spending so much money. They don't see much effect from it."

The president won by cobbling together new voters from traditional Democratic-base demographics, particularly blacks, youth and Hispanics, along with disaffected Republicans and self-identified independents nationwide and in traditionally GOP-leaning states such as Virginia.

The unknown is whether those voters will stay with Democrats or turn out at all if Obama isn't on the ballot.

Both Corzine and Democratic candidate R. Creigh Deeds in Virginia desperately need party loyalists and Obama 2008 voters to swamp the polls.

Corzine's challenge is complicated by independent Chris Daggett, who's siphoning away votes in the three-way contest that includes Republican Chris Christie.

In Virginia, Deeds is trailing Republican Bob McDonnell in polls largely because independents are tilting away from the Democrat. So the voters Obama lured into the electorate become even more important.

Obama went in big in both states, campaigning on the Democrats' behalf and allowing his image to be used in TV ads for them, linking himself to their fate.

He didn't really have a choice. The Democratic base would have chafed at the party standard-bearer turning his back on the rank and file, and Obama's influence will be questioned regardless of whether Democrats win or lose the races.

Independents always have heft, but frustration across the country with both Republicans and Democrats is adding to it. How that anger manifests itself could signal anti-incumbent sentiment among a group that leaned left last year. Do independents stay home? Do they vote against the party in power?

Or, in New Jersey, do they vote for a third-party candidate trying to capitalize on the disillusionment? Can Daggett harness people's bitterness or will he become a spoiler because of financial and organizational deficiencies?

Regardless, Democrats and Republicans almost certainly will have to revamp their strategies to ensure they're attracting both independents and base voters next fall " or risk repeats of 2009's three-way races.

Virginia may offer the best measure of independent voters' sentiments.

This longtime Republican stronghold has become a new swing state in presidential elections largely because of the swiftly growing far-flung suburbs outside Washington that are filled with independent-minded voters. Obama targeted such areas to become the first Democrat to win the state since 1964, and they will determine who wins Virginia on Tuesday.

New Jersey historically has been a Democratic-leaning state in White House races, and Obama has stronger ratings in the state than in Virginia. Yet, in New Jersey, too, independents' behavior will be critical given Daggett's candidacy.

For decades, Virginia and New Jersey have chosen for governor the party that's not in the White House. So Democrats say Republicans should win both.

But Democrats control the White House, Congress and the governor's mansions in both states. So a Democratic loss in either state will be a setback. And one or more victories will be heartening to a GOP that lost its grip on Congress and the White House in back-to-back elections.

Look to Virginia to see how Republicans may try to rebound next fall.

If McDonnell wins, it will be partly because he focused on pocketbook issues rather than emphasizing social issues even though he's a conservative and Deeds attacked him as outside of the mainstream.

This may be the take away: The economy trumps all. Social conservatives get on board.

Conversely, a special election in New York's 23rd Congressional District already has provided a troubling lesson for the GOP. The race underscored a deep schism between the Republican Party and its conservative base.

The party divided between GOP candidate Dierdre Scozzafava, who supports abortion rights and gay marriage, and Doug Hoffman, the Conservative Party candidate. That split threatened to give Democrat Bill Owens the win. Then, trailing badly in polls, Scozzafava bowed out Saturday, and the GOP establishment swung behind Hoffman as it looked to ensure a Republican victory in the longtime GOP district.

One day later, Scozzafava underscored the Republican Party split by endorsing Owens.

In that case, this is the take away: The GOP still isn't unified " no matter the scorecard on Tuesday.

You haven't proved anything; they are opinions without providing where in the legislation government will control healthcare.

Just because others claim something, doesn't make them true until they can provide direct evidence from the legislation. Personal opinions don't count for anything.

Steele Throws Elbow to Palin, Pawlenty on NY-23
(George Stephanopoulos, ABC News Blog, November 4, 2009)

As any party chairman should, RNC Chairman Michael Steele took the opportunity this morning to crow about GOP victories in New Jersey and Virginia.

But he also seemed to deliver a bit of a rebuke to potential 2012 presidential aspirants in his party such as Sarah Palin, Tim Pawlenty, and Rick Santorum, all of whom immersed themselves in the NY-23 special House race with their endorsements and support for conservative Doug Hoffman who came up short last night.

"If you don't live in the district, you don't vote there, your opinion doesn't matter very much," Steele said while assessing the intra-party strife that resulted in a Democratic pick up of a seat held by Republicans since the Civil War.

Steele went on to suggest that the process by which DeDe Scozzafava was selected was a flawed one.

"It serves as an important lesson on how we manage an opportunity to win a seat," Steele said. "And how not to mismanage by putting in a botched process."

Steele noted that the Republican Party will have plenty of competitive primaries next year and suggested that is healthy for the party. "Republicans believe in an open vital primary process, we see it playing out in races across the country," he said.

When he was asked to assess the claim made by conservative blogger Erick Erickson at RedState.com -- a grassroots driving force behind Hoffman’s candidacy -- that conservatives scored a victory last night, Chairman Steele could not have disagreed more firmly.

“I don't see a victory in losing seats,” Steele said. “I'm in the business of multiplication and addition. I want more Republicans. I don't buy that we somehow find victory in defeat.”

The RNC chief also predicted that NY-23 will not be in Democratic hands for long.

"We'll get that seat back. I have no doubt about that."

As for those victories in New Jersey and Virginia, Chairman Steele trumpeted the grassroots volunteer effort in both of those states and the critical appeal to independent voters which his Republican candidates won by a 2 to 1 margin over the Democrats.

Steele refuted the notion that the 2009 election was somehow a referendum on President Obama. "I don't think it is so much a referendum on the president,” he said. “It is a check point on the policies."

You [ican] haven't proved anything; they are opinions without providing where in the legislation government will control healthcare.

Just because others claim something, doesn't make them true until they can provide direct evidence from the legislation. Personal opinions don't count for anything.

TUNE IN TOMORROW [Sat., 10/31] TO HEAR A HEALTH CARE REFORM PLAN THAT WILL PROVE TO BE THE GAME CHANGER
...
Mark my words - tomorrow is the game changer! Tune in to hear common sense solutions that bury the false accusations that 'conscientious members of Congress have no solutions to meet America's health care challenges.'

If you're like me, shaking your head wondering why all the miscommunication between Washington and the American people who have been saying, "Please hear what we're saying about our desire for health care reform," then tomorrow will be a refreshing time of clarity for all.

All Americans, and especially colleagues of House Republican Leader John Boehner: please listen to tomorrow's weekly GOP national address. Rep. Boehner will highlight a common sense alternative to Speaker Pelosi's 1,990-page government takeover of health care. I urge you to watch for it.

...

You'll hear solutions. You'll hear of real choices based on America's proven free-market principles. You'll know once and for all what the GOP and Independents have been saying all along about alternatives to another big government take over. After tomorrow, you'll know that accusations against the GOP and Independents for not providing solutions are false. Those claims are bogus. There are alternatives. Tune in to Rep. Boehner's address tomorrow to hear them.

I look forward to the game changer!

- Sarah Palin

http://www.gop.gov/solutions/healthcare
COMMON-SENSE HEALTH CARE REFORMS OUR NATION CAN AFFORD

The American people have spoken. They oppose government-run health care. Republicans are on the side of the American people.

What Americans want are common-sense, responsible solutions that address the rising cost of health care and other major problems. In the national Republican address on Saturday, October 31, 2009, House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) discussed Republicans’ plan for common-sense health care reform our nation can afford. Boehner’s address emphasized four common-sense reforms that will lower health care costs and expand access to quality care without a government takeover of our nation’s health care system that kills jobs, raises taxes on small businesses, or cuts Medicare for seniors:

Number one: let families and businesses buy health insurance across state lines.
Number two: allow individuals, small businesses, and trade associations to pool together and acquire health insurance at lower prices, the same way large corporations and labor unions do.
Number three: give states the tools to create their own innovative reforms that lower health care costs.
Number four: end junk lawsuits that contribute to higher health care costs by increasing the number of tests and procedures that physicians sometimes order not because they think it's good medicine, but because they are afraid of being sued.
For the full text of Leader Boehner’s address, click HERE. For more information about these and some of the other common-sense health care reforms proposed by Republicans, please visit the links below. The Republican health care substitute to be offered during floor debate on Speaker Pelosi's government takeover of health care will incorporate all or part of the following bills:

Empowering Patients First Act (Republican Study Committee Health Care Reform Bill, introduced July 30, 2009)
Improving Health Care for All Americans Act (Shadegg Health Care Reform Bill, introduced July 14, 2009)
Medical Rights & Reform Act (Kirk-Dent Health Care Reform Bill, introduced June 16, 2009)
Help Efficient, Accessible, Low-cost, Timely Healthcare (HEALTH) Act (Gingrey medical liability reform bill, introduced June 6, 2009)
Small Business Health Fairness Act of 2009 (Johnson small business health plans bill, introduced May 21, 2009)
Promoting Health and Preventing Chronic Disease through Prevention and Wellness Programs for Employees, Communities, and Individuals Act of 2009 (Castle Wellness & Prevention Bill, introduced July 31, 2009)
Improved Employee Access to Health Insurance Act of 2009 (Deal auto-enrollment bill, introduced October 15, 2009)
Health Insurance Access for Young Workers and College Students Act of 2009 (Blunt bill to improve health insurance coverage of dependents, introduced October 21, 2009)

Democrats have proposed the establishment of a public-option government-run health plan. Some of the consequences of this government take over of health care include higher costs, lower quality and fewer choices.

Government Control:
Government programs constitute nearly half of all health care spending, and further increasing government's clout may well limit patient care as a way to contain costs. The federal government already imposes price controls on doctors, hospitals and pharmaceutical companies. Controls on patient procedures are likely to follow.

Spending and Tax Increases:
Democrats proposed more than $850 billion in tax increases on small businesses and middle class families to pay for their health care reform plan. Health spending will jump from 16.6% to 17.6% of GDP this year alone. House Democrats are calling for an additional $1.6 trillion in new health spending - on top of the more than $150 billion in health spending in the "stimulus" bill.

Massive, Forced Dislocation of Currently Insured Individuals:
Analysis by actuaries at the independent Lewin Group found that nearly 114 million individuals could involuntarily lose their private coverage due to a government-run plan, and be forced into the public plan.

Reduced Revenue for Providers:
Other analysis by the Lewin Group found that a government-run plan reimbursing at Medicare rates would cause hospitals' total revenue to drop by nearly 5% ($36.5 billion), and physicians' total revenue to decline by nearly 7% ($36.4 billion).

Poorer Coverage and Access:
CBO Director Doug Elmendorf recently testified that traditional Medicare provides a benefit package 15% lower than the standard employer-sponsored plan which is one reason why more than four in five Medicare beneficiaries rely on supplemental health coverage. In Medicaid, low provider participation rates often lead to long waits for care, such that low-income Americans would prefer private insurance coverage to Medicaid by a more than two-to-one margin.

Fraud:
Reports by the Government Accountability Office and other watchdog groups have highlighted persistent problems with fraud in government-run Medicare - estimating tens of billions per year, at taxpayer expense.
...

http://gopleader.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=152439
House GOP Leader John Boehner (R-OH) Delivers Weekly Republican Address

GOP Leader: “Only Republicans have offered solutions to lower health care costs and make it easier to obtain quality, affordable coverage without imposing a massive burden on the American people.”

Washington, Oct 30 - Delivering the weekly Republican address, House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) outlined Republicans’ plan to make health care more accessible and affordable for American families at a price our nation can afford. The address highlights the differences between Republicans’ smart, fiscally responsible reforms and Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) 1,990-page government takeover of health care. More on Republicans’ common-sense health care solutions is available at http://healthcare.gop.gov. Audio of the address is available here; video of the address will be available here once the embargo is lifted.

“I’m House Republican Leader John Boehner. At the beginning of this year, I told President Obama and Speaker Nancy Pelosi that Republicans would be ready to work with them whenever possible to address the nation’s biggest challenges. I also said that where there are differences, it was our obligation as a party to explain to the American people how we would do things better. And on the ‘stimulus,’ the budget, the energy bill, and health care, we have done exactly that.

“As a matter of fact, only Republicans have offered solutions to lower health care costs and make it easier to obtain quality, affordable coverage without imposing a massive burden on the American people.

“We first released our health care plan in June, and over the last six months, we have introduced at least eight bills that, taken together, would implement this blueprint. You can go right now to healthcare.gop.gov and get all the details, but for now, I just want to share with you four ideas Republicans have proposed:

· Number one: let families and businesses buy health insurance across state lines;

· Number two: allow individuals, small businesses, and trade associations to pool together and acquire health insurance at lower prices, the same way large corporations and labor unions do today;

· Number three: give states the tools to create their own innovative reforms that lower health care costs; and

· Number four: end junk lawsuits that contribute to higher health care costs by increasing the number of tests and procedures that physicians sometimes order not because they think it's good medicine, but because they are afraid of being sued.

“These are four smart, fiscally-responsible reforms that we can implement today to lower costs and expand access at a price our nation can afford. Again, you can learn more about these and all the health care initiatives Republicans have supported by visiting healthcare.gop.gov.

“The best way to get a sense of what Speaker Pelosi’s takeover of health care looks like is to actually look at it. Just shy of 2,000 pages, it runs more than 620 pages longer than the government-run plan Hillary Clinton proposed in 1993.

“This 1,990 pages of bureaucracy will centralize health care decision making in Washington, DC. It’ll require thousands of new federal employees. It’ll put unelected boards, bureaus, and commissions in charge of who gets access to what drug and what potentially life-saving treatment.

“And it won’t come cheap. Speaker Pelosi’s health care bill will raise the cost of Americans’ health insurance premiums; it will kill jobs with tax hikes and new mandates; and it will cut seniors’ Medicare benefits.

“We now have a choice: we can come together to implement smart, fiscally responsible reforms to improve Americans’ health care or we can recklessly pursue this government takeover that creates far more problems than it solves.

“It’s clear where the American people stand on this issue. They‘re frustrated and fed up. The ‘stimulus’ bill isn’t working. Unemployment is rising. The debt to be paid by our kids and grandkids is exploding. And now, Speaker Pelosi’s 1,990-page government takeover of health care.

“Enough is enough. Breaking the bank and taking away the freedoms Americans cherish is not the answer to the challenges we face.

“This coming week, Republicans will continue to stand on principle, defend freedom, and fight for our better solutions to make health care more affordable and accessible for American families.

“Thanks for listening.”

What I dislike about Obama are all the promises made during his campaign that has been broken. He is not trustworthy in my books.

That's what happens when the government spends money without the necessary controls and regulations. That's the reason why I'm against all this spending that only increases our deficit, and does very little of what they claim as job creation and job savers. They're a bunch of incompetents that should be thrown out of office.

I believe it's more than 1/2 of the 3.5% increase. I also think without the clunker and $8k home buying programs, the real GDP would have barely been in the positive numbers.

Our economy can't grow when thousands continue to lose their jobs (and homes). Those are the facts that belies all the positive spin these guys are putting on our economy. Commercial property defaults continues to increase; those are multi-million dollar programs that out-distance home mortgages.

When shopping centers are losing tenants and renters, those property developers will default on their loans. The worst is yet to come as consumer spending continues to drop. Those still with jobs cannot make up for all those losing jobs to increase consumer spending; that just isn't going to happen.

Those "purchases" subsidized by the government only pushed buying to the currrent quarter, and future quarters will suffer for it.

I just wonder how the government is going to manipulate GDP numbers in the current and future quarters.

I still stand by that opinion; so what's your point?

Dear Policy Patriots -
Thank you for joining 1.34 million of Americans in your support of the Free Our Health Care NOW! petition against government-run health care.

The Worst Bill Ever! Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi sent her version of health care reform to the House last week. The Wall Street Journal pulled no punches in "The Worst Bill Ever," its sharply critical assessment of Pelosi's proposals in which it decried the bill as possibly being "the worst piece of post-New Deal legislation ever introduced." We couldn't have said it better.

We've identified 8 REASONS why the Wall Street Journal's assessment is spot-on. If you agree, we urge you to TAKE ACTION. You can join us in the fight against the worst bill ever. Tell your representatives to JUST SAY NO!

1. The Affordable Health Care for America Act will cost upwards of $2 trillion over 10 years. Ms. Pelosi promised $829 billion. Initial Congressional Budget Office (CBO) figures suggested $1.055 trillion. However, these estimates assume that:
o Doctors accept more than 20% cuts in Medicare payments for their services.
o Middle-class Americans accept an arbitrary distribution of benefits.
o Congress 'finds' additional funding in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.
The budgetary reality is, however, that these assumptions won't materialize and, instead, costs will rise beyond CBO expectations, racing towards $2 trillion.

2. The Affordable Health Care for America Act is a government-takeover of the U.S. health care system. Under Pelosi's plan, the federal government will tell you what insurance you have to buy, where you have to buy it and what you will pay. If you refuse to purchase government-approved insurance, the government will assess a penalty tax on 2.5% of your income. If you don't pay the fine, you could go to jail.

3. The Affordable Health Care for America Act will force millions from their current insurance plans. Despite President Obama's frequent promise that "you can keep your current plan, if you like it," that won't be true. These Americans will be forced from their current coverage into to Medicaid, where rationing-by-waiting already exists, or into a health insurance exchange where health plans will have an economic incentive to under-provide to the sick.

FIGHT BACK! Clearly, Pelosi's 'solution' to the health care crisis isn't a solution. Fortunately, you can fight back: click on the link below and send a letter to Congress. Tell your Reps to JUST SAY NO!

Still not convinced that you should act? Consider this:
4. The Affordable Health Care for America Act will result in higher health care spending, despite President Obama's promises to control costs. At present, the unfunded liability for Medicare is currently $37 trillion over the next 75 years and the combined unfunded liability of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid is estimated at $107 trillion, roughly 7 times the size of the U.S. economy. By creating yet another massive entitlement program, Pelosi's proposal will dramatically expand the federal deficit and significantly increase the size of the burden of the federal government's unfunded liabilities.

5. The Affordable Health Care for America Act will lower the quality of care for millions of Americans. Pelosi's pitch will force millions of Americans out of good health insurance plans and into inferior plans.

6. The Affordable Health Care for America Act will specifically target Medicare funding. Pelosi's plan will steal $426 billion from future Medicare spending as well as immediately taking $170 billion from Medicare Advantage, a program that currently gives 20% of America's seniors private insurance options.

FIGHT BACK! Most Americans don't want the stuff Pelosi is peddling. In fact, Congressional liberals have taken a desperate gamble: attempting to push their legislation through before public opinion turns completely against them. Incredibly, they're committed to a 'before we're run out of town on a rail' form of governing. You don't have to put up with this! Click on the link below and send a letter to Congress. Tell your Reps to JUST SAY NO!

Still don't believe that you should take action? Think about this:
7. The Affordable Health Care for America Act will increase taxes on businesses and punish economic growth. Pelosi's proposal will raise $572 billion in new taxes, the lion's share of the burden falling disproportionately on small businesses. What's more, if these businesses fail to pay at least 72.5% of their workers' insurance premiums, the federal government will hit them with an additional 8% payroll tax. The result of these new taxes will be to constrict job creation and slow economic growth.

8. The Affordable Health Care for America Act will 'tax' states. Pelosi's bill will create a joint state-federal program which would force state lawmakers to assume $34 billion in new spending, despite the fact that no state can easily afford it and several states-New York and California, for instance-have budgets that are already awash in red ink.

FIGHT BACK! We don't want this and neither should you. The American people deserve better and we're fighting to see that they get it. Join in the fight! Click on the link below and send a letter to Congress. Tell your Reps to JUST SAY NO!

Thank you again for your support of the "Free Our Health Care NOW!" and for fighting against government-run health care. This is a fight worth fighting!

Warm regards,
Jeanette Nordstrom
National Center for Policy Analysis
www.ncpa.org