Healthcare Rope-A-Dope

by Lonnie Spivak

This week the President announced that the “healthcare debate was over”, and that “all that needed to be said about healthcare had already been said.” With that statement, the Democrats have been put on the spot because there is still no Republican support for either bill.

Traditionally, the Senate will pass one bill, and the House will pass a separate bill. Then, members from the House and Senate will go to Conference Committee to combine the two bills in order to prepare it for both chambers of Congress to vote on it again. Once the same bill is passed in both chambers, it then goes to the President to be signed into law.

However, Obama and the democratic Senators plan to utilize a seldom-used procedure known as “reconciliation”. This procedure is generally used only for budgetary items, and, by itself, cannot be used to pass the entire healthcare bill. In order for the Senate to use reconciliation, the House will have to pass the exact same bill as the Senate. This is because the House does not have either the votes, or the willpower to start debate on a new bill. Obama is trying to convince the House members to pass the Senate bill, then reconcile the differences, in the Senate, and he would sign the bill after reconciliation.

Now here’s how Obama is trying to pull a “Rope-a-Dope” on the American People. If the House passes the same bill that the Senate passed, in December, there is no need for reconciliation because both chambers of Congress would have passed the same bill. This means that it can then go to the President to be signed into law. Obama wants us to look at his right hand with reconciliation when the knock-out punch will come from the left when he skips reconciliation all together and signs the bill without discussion!!! We can not stand by while Obama knocks America out with lawyer tricks and deceit.

Last night, I participated in a conference call with a variety of folks involved who oppose the government takeover of healthcare. Together, we laid out a plan to target “Blue-Dog Democrats” in the House. The plan calls for 500 volunteers (per day) from across the country to follow 66 different Blue Dogs, including Jim Cooper, Tennessee’s fifth district representative.

We will have a war room setup at TV Worldwide Studios in Chantilly, VA to broadcast these “traveling protests,” live and unfiltered. Volunteers will follow the targets with video cameras, ask them pointed questions regarding the healthcare bill, then broadcast their answers on the internet and throughout the mainstream media.

The operation is set to start with a webcast March 9, and will last for 2 1/2 weeks (M-F).

“Bring the Townhalls to Washington” Kickoff

Time: March 9, 2010 from 6pm to 8pm

Location: TV Worldwide Studios

Street: 4206 F Technology Ct

City/Town: Chantilly, Va 20151

Event Type: kickoff event

Organized By: Nationwide Tea Party Coalition

Visit Washington DC Tea Party at: http://washingtondcteaparty.ning.com

If you are interested in traveling to Washington and helping me stop the government takeover of healthcare, please e-mail me at lonnie@lonniespivak.com. Together, we can stop Obamacare and win this battle of the revolution.

Lonnie Spivak is a candidate in the Republican primary seeking to win the nomination to challenge Tennessee's 5th District Democratic Representative Jim Cooper.

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Victoria Jackson: "There's a Communist living in the White House"

You have got to watch this! This is so very cleaver and laugh-out-loud funny. Saturday Night Live star Victoria Jackson list the radical connections of President Obama and all the while is cute and funny while doing it.

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Three Davidson County GOP Summits this Saturday

Green Hills Grassroots Summit
Republicans, Conservatives & All Who Want to Help
Build a Better Community and Nation!
sponsored by the Davidson County Republican Party
Saturday, March 6 10AM -11AM
Green Hills Public Library
3701 Benham Avenue Nashville, TN 37215

Special Speaker: Tn. House Rep. Beth Harwell House member since 1988 & Chair of the Commerce Committee For further information, please contact Bob Schwartz, Membership Chairman, DCRP at 419-9615 or robertrschwartz@yahoo.com

________________________________________________________
RISE & SHINE TO MEET FELLOW CONSERVATIVES

at The Madison

"Eggs & Bacon Summit"
(Dutch Treat)

A meeting to strategize, organize & unify

Sponsored by the Davidson County Republican Party

Saturday, March 6, 2010
8:30 am Dutch treat breakfast - 9 am meeting
Piccadilly
721 Madison Square Shopping Center
Gallatin Road
Madison

Guest Speaker:

Jane Ferrell of The Tennessee Energy Forum
speaking on Cap and Trade

and

Former Metro Councilman Rod Williams

speaking on Organizing for Election Victory

Please join us! Help us make a difference.

__________________________________________________________

RISE & SHINE TO MEET FELLOW GOP CONSERVATIVES

FROM THE OLD HICKORY & HERMITAGE AREAS AT THE

“Eggs & Bacon Summit ”
(Dutch treat)

A meeting to strategize, organize & unify

Sponsored by the Davidson County Republican Party

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Dutch treat breakfast 8:30 am, meeting 9 am.

Black Jack Marina, Riverside Drive, Old Hickory , TN

Guest Speaker

State Representative Susan Lynn, House District 57

Guest – SEC Committeeman, Nathan James

State Senate District 21 Candidate, Charles Williamson, House District 53

Please join us! Help us make a difference in 2010.

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A final vote on health reform

I just got this email from the President. The suspense is over. The final march has begun. After the phony dog and pony show of Blair House where Mr. President met with John, Marsha, Lamar and all his subjects, he has given his orders to ram it through. I thought you might find it interesting how he is presenting this to his loyal troops. The type in bold face in the following email is the emphasis of the President. Remember, I get email from the President so you won't have to. Rod

Friend --Last Thursday's first-of-its-kind summit capped off a debate that has lasted nearly a year. Every idea has now been put on the table. Every argument has been made. Both parties agree that the status quo is unacceptable and gets more dire each day. Today, I want to state as clearly and forcefully as I know how: Now is the time to make a decision about the future of health care in America.

The final proposal I've put forward draws on the best ideas from all sides, including several put forward by Republicans at last week's summit. It will put Americans in charge of their own health care, ensuring that neither government nor insurance company bureaucrats can ration, deny, or put out of financial reach the care our families need and deserve.

I strongly believe that Congress now owes the American people a final vote on health care reform. Reform has already passed the House with bipartisan support and the Senate with a super-majority of sixty votes. Now it deserves the same kind of up-or-down vote that has been routinely used and has passed such landmark measures as welfare reform and both Bush tax cuts.

Earlier today, I asked leaders in both houses of Congress to finish their work and schedule a vote in the next few weeks. From now until then, I will do everything in my power to make the case for reform. And now, I'm asking you, the members of the Organizing for America community, to raise your voice and do the same.The final march for reform has begun, and your participation is crucial. Please commit to join with me to take reform across the finish line.

Essentially, my proposal would change three things about the current health care system:

First, it would protect all Americans from the worst practices of insurance companies. Never again will the mother with breast cancer have her coverage revoked, see her premiums arbitrarily raised, or be forced to live in fear that a pre-existing condition will bar her from future coverage.

Second, my proposal would give individuals and small businesses the same choice of private health insurance that members of Congress get for themselves. And my proposal says that if you still can't afford the insurance in this new marketplace, we will offer you tax credits based on your income -- tax credits that add up to the largest middle class tax cut for health care in history.

Finally, my proposal would bring down the cost of health care for everyone -- families, businesses, and the federal government -- and bring down our deficit by as much as $1 trillion over the next two decades. These savings mean businesses small and large will finally be freed up to create jobs and increase wages. With costs currently skyrocketing, reform is vital to remaining economically strong in the years and decades to come.

In the few crucial weeks ahead, you can help make sure this proposal becomes law. Please sign up to join the Organizing for America campaign in the final march for reform:

http://my.barackobama.com/commit

When I talked about change on the campaign, this is what I was talking about: coming together to solve a huge problem that has been troubling America for 100 years and standing up to the special interests to deliver a brighter, smarter future for generations to come.

I look forward to signing this historic reform into law. And when I do, it will be because your organizing played an essential role in making change possible.

Thank you,

President Barack Obama

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Davidson GOP to make run for Tennessee House seats

By Nate Rau • THE TENNESSEAN • March 2, 2010
A reinvigorated Davidson County Republican Party has lined up candidates to run for the state House of Representatives this fall, presenting a potential challenge to Democratic incumbents unaccustomed to defending their seats against strong candidates.

Comment: The Party is invigorated. A lot of people are working hard to build the Party. There is an excitement in the air and we are having a lot of fun. We have some really great candidates. I really believe the Party can become competitive in Davidson County. I think we can win some elections!

Democrats can no longer take Davidson County for granted. I urge you to get active and help make Nashville a two-Party town. Start attending the "Egg and Bacon summits" and meet our candidates and learn what you can do to help build the Party. Join a Republican or conservative independent group and network with like-minded people and stay motivated and stay informed. These Republicans running for office are going to need a lot of help. Volunteers are needed to work the phone banks and man the polls and campaign for candidates. There is plenty to do. Would you like to start a Republican group in your community? We will show you how. Have you ever thought about running for office? Don't keep it a secret. You can make a difference. Get involved!

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The Blair House Health Care Summit comic book

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1st Tuesday: Mayor BILL HASLAM returns

The 2010 campaign to become the Republican nominee for GOVERNOR has shifted gears. The candidates are covering the state, events are taking place, the ad wars have just begun ... AND candidates are making their way back to speak at 1ST TUESDAY...
For our next meeting - on Tuesday, MARCH 2nd we welcome the return of Knoxville Mayor BILL HASLAM. Unfortunately this event is at capacity. You may be able to get on a waiting list.

First Tuesday is a great event and occurs the first Tuesday of every month. The meal is only $15 and annual membership fee is $20. The food is good, the location is the Law Offices of Waller/Lansden on the 27th floor of 511 Union Street with a panoramic view of the city. The official program is exactly one hour long, starting promptly at noon and ending at 1PM, so one can go to this event and not miss much time from work. Parking is convenient and cheap. This is a great opportunity to network and hear important speakers. I highly recommend joining First Tuesday.

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Marsha Blackburn: Allow insurance shopping across state lines.

I want health care reform. I want it because the system we have simply is not sustainable. The trajectory we are on will bankrupt the nation and leave more and more people without health care if something is not done.

I also want it because I want people to be free from being forced to work jobs they hate simply for the insurance. Too many people feel chained to their desk by the insurance their employer provides for them. For many people the most important aspect of a job is not the work they will do or the pay they will earn but the insurance. Your employer should no more provide your health insurance than they should your homeowners or auto insurance. Your employer should no more provide your health insurance than they should your housing or pay you in script that is only redeemable at the company store.

Most importantly, I want health care reform because someone very close to me who I love very dearly cannot get insurance due to having a preexisting condition. I see the anguish this situation causes and the worry and fear of living without coverage and the threat to the health of this good person.

I am not alone in wanting health care reform. I run in Republican, conservative, and libertarian circles and I have yet to meet a single person who does not want health care reform. We differ on what kind of reform we want. The other side wants to take over 17% of the economy and greatly expand government control; this side wants common-sense reform that will use market forces and empower the individual to achieve the same desirable results.

One of the things our side thinks will go a long way toward reforming health care is to allow individuals to purchase insurance across state lines. In this clip from the Blair House Health Care Summit, Representative Marsha Blackburn argues that robust competition will lower insurance cost. She argues that we should empower patients by giving them the ability to buy insurance products that fit their needs. She says people are tired of being forced to buy insurance they don’t want. She says to avoid the premium acceleration of the type we are seeing in California, Californians should be allowed to go to Oregon where they can buy a policy for 25% less. Watch the clip:


In this article, First Step: Allow shopping across state border, which appears in today’s Tennessean, Representative Blackburn further makes the case for empowering patients through expanding markets and increasing completion.

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Another Update on what others are saying about Ron Paul's CPAC victory

The boos, Ron Paul in his own words, and Morning Joe commentary:

The Next Right, Why Ron Paul's CPAC Victory is Good for the Movement. In terms of organizing, conservatives can learn a lot from libertarians. Online, the moneybomb concept originally pioneered during the Ron Paul campaign has started to work for more conventional Republicans like Scott Brown.

The 2008 Ron Paul campaign can be compared to the 1988 Pat Robertson campaign in helping a movement find its way into the Republican Party and thus establishing itself as a permanent fixture in the party. Like Robertson, Paul did not come anywhere near capturing the nomination, but the influence of Christian conservatives -- and now libertarians -- endures.

Rush Limbaugh: All I'll tell you is that any organization that has a straw poll vote on who the party presidential candidate ought to be and comes up with Ron Paul is not an organization of conservatives. I just tell you. Something's haywire there. I know the Ron Paul people go in there, but they had been attendees to get in there. Ron Paul winning a straw poll at a conservative conference?

Carpe Diem, Dr Paul! by Mark R. Crovelli at Lew Rockwell.com: Ron Paul’s stunning landslide victory in the CPAC straw poll is an event that cannot be allowed to go to waste. Political moments this ripe are about as rare as the California condor, and Ron Paul would do us all an incalculable service if he would seize the day, and declare his intention to run in the 2012 presidential election. He needs to do this right now. Not next month, not next year, but now.

Jamie Weinstien columnists at Town Hall: Paul was received like a rock star at CPAC. Attendees burst into applause at various times throughout his speech, must notably when he stated that America should “end the Fed.” Who knew that so many people not only had a strong grasp of monetary policy, but also found monetary policy an exciting political issue?

Paul’s victory in the CPAC straw poll is likely not reflective of how he would do in the Republican primary. It is reflective, however, of the concern of many CPACers, and Americans as a whole, of the ballooning deficits and out of control spending in Washington.

Red State points out, "only 2,395 CPAC registrants voted in the CPAC poll. It’s the largest number of votes in CPAC straw polling history, but but less than 25% of the total turnout at CPAC" and "48% of the votes cast were from students."

Paul Mulshine of The Star Ledger at NJ.com writes, "It's encouraging to see that this convention of self-identified conservatives has finally tapped into the true American conservative tradition of small government and limited powers running back through Barry Goldwater to Robert Taft and of course Washington and Jefferson." He says Paul will be a "major force in 2012."

The Huffington Post says, "What it portends for a possible 2012 presidential run is anyone's guess. Paul had a similar cult-like following during the 2008 election, only to garner a relatively small chunk of the actual vote."

The Politico says, "Paul’s victory renders a straw poll that was already lightly contested among the likely 2012 GOP hopefuls all but irrelevant, as the 74-year-old Texan is unlikely to be a serious contender for his party’s nomination." And, points out "CPAC organizers were plainly embarrassed by the results." Politico also points out that the result was greeted by boos when the result was announced.

National Review OnLine reports: "There may have been some boos, but Paul was by far one of the more popular speakers at CPAC this year. “End the Fed!” was one of most-heard chants and his “Campaign for Liberty” group was everywhere. Heck, a lot of the time, it seemed like they, not the American Conservative Union, was CPAC’s host. Even Ann Coulter, who drew a huge crowd herself, felt compelled to give a shout out to Paul-mania, saying she agreed with everything he stands for outside of foreign policy — a statement met with cheers."

Real Clear Politics says, "the sense that Paul supporters flooded the vote will lead other Republican presidential water-testers to easily discount the results. A straw poll that will be conducted at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference this April in New Orleans will be taken much more seriously among those involved with and eagerly watching the presidential sweepstakes."

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Ron Paul wins the CPAC staw poll. What??

I was very surprised- no, I was shocked; I was shocked that Ron Paul won the CPAC staw poll. It took me completely by surprise. I guess that tells you what kind of political pundit I am.

No other candidate even came close in the CPAC poll. He was the only candidate to score in the double digits. I don't know if the CPAC poll is significant or not. CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) is, however, a respectable mainstream conservative gathering. It is the nation’s largest gathering of conservatives annually and it is a project of the American Conservative Union Foundation. This year was the biggest gathering ever for CPAC with over 9000 people in attendance.

We have witnessed an amazing growth of grassroots conservative activism this year with the summer town hall meetings and tea parties. Here in Nashville, we have seen a growth in the Republican Party and various libertarian and conservative groups have also been springing up. I assumed that most of the growth in activism was still a reflection of a mainstream conservative movement, however. I consider Ron Paul far removed from the mainstream.

The area where I most disagree with Ron Paul is in the area of national defense. I strongly disagreed with the decision of the Bush administration to invade Iraq. I thought that was an unnecessary war and that we were misled to get us in it. Despite my anti-war stance toward that particular conflict however, I still believe we have vital interest in the world and must be engaged in the world. We must have a strong national defense. I am not an isolationist or a pacifist.

I am also not ready to abolish the Federal Reserve. I think maybe the Fed needs reformed and a maybe a little less independence. It should be studied and reevaluated but I think we need a National Bank or something like it. I am probably most bothered by Ron Paul's flirtation with and refusal to disavow the 9-11 truthers.

I would like to know what you think about Ron Paul. What do you think about the his showing in the CPAC poll? Do you think there is any chance he could win the 2012 Republican nomination? Do you think he is electable should he get the 2012 Republican nomination?

I have placed two polls in the sidebar. Please cast your vote in these polls. Also, please feel free to leave me a comment. If you are a blogger and have blogged on the topic feel free to leave a link. If you would like to share your views on the Ron Paul phenomena in more detail, drop me an email. If you would like to submit an essay for publication, I will consider publishing it.

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"Barack" is an arrogant jerk

Watching the health care summit, I thought "Barack" came across as arrogant and condescending. I was struck by how Barack referred to everyone by their first name, calling Senator John McCain, who is certainly old enough to be his father, as “John” yet all of the senators referred to Barack as “Mr. President.” Later, I heard on CNN commentary that there was a pre-negotiated protocol for the meetings which demanded this.

This is an outrage. If senators must call the President “Mr. President” then he should return the courtesy by referring to the senators as “Senator.” Republicans should never have gone into this meeting as subjects. Those ground rules should have scuttled the meeting.

Does Barack think he is the Pope or a King? I am not opposed to formality and use of title, but it should be a two way street. Why did not Barack just go for “Your Highness” or "Your Excellency" or “Exalted Leader?” Who does he think he is? What nation does he think he is governing? (Or, is that ruling?) Despite my dislike for Barack’s policies, in my blogging and conversation I usually refer to Barack as “The President” or “President Obama” out of respect for the office. For the next few days it will just be “Barack.”

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More Bad News for the Global Warming Alarmist: Arizona quits the WCI.

There are more problems for the united front to support the settled science and solid consensus of global warming.

The Western Climate Initiative is an agreement between California, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and Washington and the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec to develop a regional target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and develop their own system of cap and trade. The WCI was established in February 2007 and grew out of efforts in the western states to establish such a compact that date back to 2003. With the economic might of California as the anchor for this initiative, there was a view that these eleven jurisdictions could force a cap and trade system on the rest of the nation.

In establishing the WCI, then Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano said, “In the absence of meaningful federal action, it is up to the states to take action to address climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in this country.”

This month, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer announced that her state would no longer participate in the WCI saying "Right now, given the economic downturn, given the complexity of the cap-and-trade scheme being developed, we're not going to be supportive of it."

Other jurisdictions are also going wobbly on the work of the WCI and showing less energy in moving forward. The WCI may fall apart or it may just become impotent, but the wind is out of the sail for a regional cap and trade.

What should the global warming community do? They need to shout even louder that the science is settled and the consensus is solid. They need to keep ignoring Climategate, and glaciergate, and the admissions of Phil Jones. They need more of that symbolic stuff like a big world-wide rock concert or turning off all the lights for an hour. That ought to do the trick.

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