Democrats Haven't Got the Message on Health Care Yet: They Will Pay a Heavy Voter Price if They Pass This Bill on Saturday

Congressional Democrats are so far out of touch with what the electorate wants in regards to health care reform that it isn't funny. Tuesday's election was as much about health care reform as it was a rebuke of President Obama's policies.

And if they pass Queen Nancy's health care bill on Saturday, they will pay a heavy price in terms of election developments. Recall drums are sounding already, and a lot of them will lose their seats in the 2010 elections. And just try to make conservatives pay monthly health care premiums for abortion services. Please.

Make your choice, Democrats. Those who vote 'no' on Queen Nancy's 1,990 page bill will probably save themselves a great deal of trouble in the coming months.

Democratic Lawmakers Are Learning What Happens When They Try to Mandate Health Coverage That Punishes Those Who Opt Out: People Push Back

I'm wondering if Democratic lawmakers, under heavy barrage at their town hall meetings across the country, are getting the message that people don't like to be forced to purchase government health care plans or ELSE?

What did they think was going to happen? That people were going to let Congress and our Socialist President push them into a Socialist agenda? And submit to fines for not wanting to get into the government health care plan, especially if they can't afford the premiums?

Then there's the fuzzy math...taxing the rich to pay for this mandatory health system? The Administration hasn't come out and said how much of a shortfall that the government will be forced to pick up. That bill is likely to be HUGE to the taxpayer, who will also be paying for the system if they don't have health care through their employer or on their own.

This is the wrong battle to be fighting right now. And Congress is learning the hard way that if they push a socialist agenda on the American people, that they'll push right back.

It's extremely unfortunate that there has been violence and disruptions at these meetings; in civil discourse there is no place at the table for those who intend to disrupt the town hall meetings through acts of violence or aiming to prevent the exchange of ideas.

Congress needs to know how their constituents feel about the issues; if that flow of information is disrupted, they're likely to go further off course than they already are.

If I was going to give advice to the protesters, it would be to register your opinions at the mike, and in your reactions to what the legislator says, then leave it at that. They'll hear you, loud and clear.

And my advice to the other side would be to not restrict the debate by underhanded tactics, such as letting your own supporters fill 85% of the seats before letting the rest of the public in. In order for a town hall meeting to be legitimate, let everyone in.

And both parties need to stay out of these meetings. They'll taint the proceedings even more.

House GOP Leaders Buy Into Socialist Groupthink: Telling Limbaugh to Shut Up Because He's Pointing Out Where They Need to Go Won't Help Them

The GOP House leadership told Rush Limbaugh to back off his comments and that he and Sean Hannity are brick-throwers who don't have to do what is necessary for the well-being of the public.

The House GOP has bought into the socialist feel-good groupthink of the Democrats.

This is why the GOP lost so badly in November, and why they will continue to lose seats. They're alienating their own constituents. By not standing up to the Democrats now, they're proving that this is simply a continuation of 2008, where they're trying to out-Democrat the Democrats. They haven't learned this lesson yet.

Republicans need to be Republicans, and stand on their own merits, not try to cling to the coattails of the Democrats, who are about to enter a troubled time in their own party, now that all the pieces of the elected government are in place.

The Dems are about to find out that capturing power is a lot easier than maintaining it, especially with the patchwork coalition that holds their party together trying to pull in so many different (and opposite) directions. And when Obama starts to move toward the center to govern, that's when the real fireworks will begin inside the liberal Democratic Party.

The Republicans blew it when they controlled the House, Senate and White House. They didn't do what they should have done, and then lost both houses of Congress and the Presidency.

Instead of telling Limbaugh to shut up, the GOP leadership ought to listen to what he's saying and maneuver themselves into position for the next elections. They need to FIGHT against Democratic Party initiatives and propose their own, not go along weakly with the Democrats.

And if the GOP leadership is too weak and too timid to do so, then perhaps they should stand down and let someone in who WILL! Joining the Democratic attack on Limbaugh is not the sign of strong GOP leadership, that's for certain.

Still waiting for the leadership that has been sorely lacking in the GOP....

Auto Bailout Bill Passes House: Senate Bill Faces Filibuster

The House of Representatives passed their version of a bill which partially bails out the auto industry in exchange for a controlling interest in those corporations. It appears that the bill will face an uncertain future in the Senate as the GOP has threatened a filibuster unless changes are made in the bill.

I have mixed feelings about this bailout.

While I do think that the people of Michigan have suffered enough, I don't think that government will do a better job of making the auto industry better. I do not like the idea of a "car czar," nor his/her power to put the companies into bankruptcy or withdraw potential bailout money without some protections for the corporations, as well as some oversight of the "car czar."

And the government is already into too much private business.

I also do not think that copying Venezuela's economic model is a very smart idea. In fact, it's a really dumb move.

And now that we have an incoming socialist President, I fully expect this nationalization process to accelerate. The debt he's going to inherit and his current "tax and spend" plan is going to put the economy deeper into the hurt locker that it's already in.

The government needs to come to it's senses before it's presented with a bill that it can't pay.

House Did the Right Thing in Voting Down $700 Billion Mistake-In-Progress: Yesterday's Massive Stock Market Sell-Off Looks Silly Today

Yesterday's rejection of the $700 billion bailout plan of Wall Street's Folly by the House of Representatives was exactly what was needed. The vote SHOULD have been 435-0 against the plan, but some badly misguided Representatives were not on the side of the American taxpayer.

And yesterday's knee-jerk reaction on Wall Street was sheer panic, nothing more. They badly overreacted to a very bad plan that even Wall Street is lukewarm about, as evidenced by today's stock market results. The Dow Jones Industrial Average recovered 485 points of the 777 points that they lost yesterday. The way that it goes up and down, they could make that back within a day or two.

I REALLY enjoyed Speaker Pelosi's pre-vote speech. I could just see the votes flying straight out the window and into the nearest toilet. Nice job, Speaker Pelosi. Yesterday's vote was symbolic of both her speakership and of Democratic control of Congress. More from the do-nothing majority party.

Now, Congress should offer to LOAN Wall Street $700 billion, in exchange for certain concessions on the part of companies that accept the lifeline: a large share of their profits go back to repaying the taxpayer, in addition to repayment plans to the U.S. treasury, and so forth. And they can NEVER leverage mortgages again, and can only borrow a percentage of their total net worth, not thirty times their total net worth.

THAT'S fair to the taxpayer, and will allow the companies to survive. And if a company goes under, the proceeds from the sale of assets of the company go to reimbursing the U.S. treasury.

NO corporate handouts, Congress.

Broken House Computer Adds to Trouble in House: Some Members Have Interesting Comments on This

A computer that displays live vote tallies while House voting is in progress malfunctioned today, leading to more tension on top of yesterday's disgraceful actions in the House of Representatives.

One representative complained that he couldn't possibly vote because he couldn't see what his party was doing. Here's a thought: why don't they forget about fixing that machine, and vote based on their own beliefs and values, not their party's??!

If they can't do their jobs, why don't they resign and let someone with more guts make the tough calls?

There was a reason that President Washington spoke out against political parties during his farewell address of 1796:

I have already intimated to you the danger of parties in the State, with particular reference to the founding of them on geographical discriminations. Let me now take a more comprehensive view, and warn you in the most solemn manner against the baneful effects of the spirit of party generally.

This spirit, unfortunately, is inseparable from our nature, having its root in the strongest passions of the human mind. It exists under different shapes in all governments, more or less stifled, controlled, or repressed; but in those of the popular form it is seen in its greatest rankness and is truly their worst enemy....

It serves always to distract the public councils and enfeeble the public administration. It agitates the community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms; kindles the animosity of one part against another; foments occasionally riot and insurrection. It opens the door to foreign influence and corruption, which finds a facilitated access to the government itself through the channels of party passion. Thus the policy and the will of one country are subjected to the policy and will of another.

There is an opinion that parties in free countries are useful checks upon the administration of the government, and serve to keep alive the spirit of liberty. This within certain limits is probably true; and in governments of a monarchical cast patriotism may look with indulgence, if not with favor, upon the spirit of party. But in those of the popular character, in governments purely elective, it is a spirit not to be encouraged. From their natural tendency it is certain there will always be enough of that spirit for every salutary purpose; and there being constant danger of excess, the effort ought to be by force of public opinion to mitigate and assuage it. A fire not to be quenched, it demands a uniform vigilance to prevent its bursting into a flame, lest, instead of warming, it should consume.

I think Washington's words ought to be considered carefully by politicians who need a machine to tell them how their party is voting before they cast their own vote.

Democrats Tack on Withdrawal Date to Military Spending Bill Again: Bush May Not Be Given Time for Surge to Work

Senator Levin tacked on an amendment to a new military spending bill that features a withdrawal date for troops from Iraq.

Here we go again.

This time, however, the Democrats may have support from GOP Senators Lugar, Warner and Voinovich, as well as several other GOP senators. They have said that the Administration's plan isn't working and a change in direction was needed.

It appears that Congress isn't going to wait for General Petraeus's report in September to decide what's working and what isn't. The House has already voted to withdraw troops next year.

And President Bush isn't gaining any new allies in Congress; he's losing the allies he's already got. Looks like things are going to get really nasty.

Before Too Many Republicans Tuck Tail and Run, They Need to Remember That They're Still on the Taxpayer Time Clock

Republicans like Senator Lincoln Chafee need to remember that they're STILL in office, STILL on the taxpayer time clock and BEHOLDEN to fulfill the promises that they made to those who elected them six years ago.

The new Congress isn't seated until January, so this Congress is still very much in session. There's still work for them to do.

The recent election sets a mandate for the 110th Congress and for the President to follow. But the current Congress already has a mandate from prior elections that they should honor until they recess and the new Congress takes over.

They need to get back to work, and stop wasting time.

If they decide to keep the seat warm and do nothing, they should resign immediately and get off the taxpayer time clock. We aren't paying them to keep the seat warm and vote themselves pay raises until January. There's been enough of THAT already.

Democrats Take Over House: GOP Did This To Themselves

It appears that the Democrats did very well for themselves this time around, capturing control of the U.S. House of Representatives.

How bad the GOP did is still in the air and will be for some time to come as a number of Senate races are still too close to call.

President Bush and the GOP did this to themselves by not doing what they were supposed to over the last year with regards to illegal immigration, spending, fighting corruption and improving the situation in Iraq. They allowed election year politics to interfere with doing their j-o-b-s.

In some cases, moderate Republicans were defeated by conservative Democrats. That's not an altogether bad thing.

It will be interesting to see how this shapes up in the coming weeks and months. But if the Democrats go too liberal on the issues, they may make themselves as vulnerable as the GOP was in this election for the next time around.

Foley Sex Scandal Shows Congress Isn't Immune to Scandals Like This

People seem to be shocked that a former Representative of the House stands accused of soliciting Congressional pages (aides in training--usually under age 18) for sex.

I'm not.

NOTE: I am not defending the accused. He needs to be in jail for what he has done, and the page system needs to be revamped with protection guidelines for everyone under age 18 who participate as a Congressional page.

Everyone needs to remember that Congress is made up of people, and sometimes Congress is a mirror image of society in all of it's beauty, and in all of it's ugliness...and everything in between. Sometimes those with criminal intent make it past all of the background checks, psyche profiles and other standards of testing to get into positions where they have access to kids. Or get access to kids through programs like the page program, which has been around Congress for decades.

Every part of society has seen scandals like this; why do people consider Congress any different?

Remember: hypocrisy is a part of politics, and Congress is all about politics. Even Jay Leno showed unaltered clips of the accused talking about "sicko predators" to John Walsh on America's Most Wanted during last night's Tonight Show.

People should probably get used to the idea that this is probably just the tip of the iceberg and could get a lot worse before it gets better.

But it should also be noted that there are plenty of good apples in Congress and that there are bound to be some bad ones in there too, just like the rest of society. People need to remember that.