Eliminating the national debt rounds out the top three
Congress is back from recess, with a fall agenda that includes the Small Business Jobs Act and deciding the fate of Bush-era tax cuts. Yet last week's most-searched bills on THOMAS.gov, the Library of Congress Web site devoted to tracking legislation, did not include any of the proposed laws that are at the top of the fall docket. The list is a mix of ever-popular laws like the stimulus package and the reforms of healthcare and the financial sector, alongside several lesser-known bills that have seen little action beyond their introduction.
Click here to find out more!
Below are last week's 10 most-searched bills on THOMAS.gov, according to data compiled by THOMAS on September 12.
1. Emergency Medic Transition Act of 2009 (H.R. 3199)
Not on list last week
Sponsor: Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA)
The Emergency Medic Transition Act would direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to states to provide fast-track EMT training and licensing to veterans trained as medics in the Armed Forces. Currently, former Armed Forces medics hoping to work as civilian EMTs must go through the same training as people with no prior experience. Harman has also promoted the bill as one way to improve the high unemployment rates faced by returning veterans. After its July 2009 introduction, this act remained untouched in the House Energy and Commerce Committee until over a year later, in late July 2010, when the committee finally passed the bill.
2. Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590)
Previous ranking: 1
Sponsor: Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY)
More commonly known as the healthcare reform bill, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act became law on March 23, 2010. Among the many changes it makes to the existing healthcare system, this act requires that all individuals have health insurance and prohibits insurers from denying coverage due to pre-existing conditions, two provisions that both will go into effect in 2014. More than a dozen provisions are scheduled to take effect in 2010, with the rest to be phased in through 2018. Shortly after President Obama signed the bill, attorneys general from 13 states joined together to file a suit in a Florida federal court, claiming that the healthcare reform law is unconstitutional. The number of states involved in that suit has since grown to 21. Virginia has also filed its own suit, which is currently being heard in a federal court in Virginia.
3. Debt Free America Act (H.R. 4646)
Previous ranking: 3
Sponsor: Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-PA)
This act aims to eliminate the $13 trillion national debt within seven years by levying a 1 percent tax on all financial and retail transactions, except for transactions involving stock. The bill would also, as of December 31, 2017, repeal the individual income tax. Fattah's Debt Free America Act was introduced in February 2010 and immediately referred to committee, with no action taken on it since. However, in recent weeks, the proposal has generated outrage in the blogosphere at the idea of a tax on transactions. The bill has been discussed in a wide range of Web sites, from minor political blogs to the popular myth-debunking site Snopes.com.
4. Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (H.R. 4173)
Previous Ranking: 2
Sponsor: Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA)
Also known as the “Restoring American Financial Stability Act,” or more commonly as the “financial regulatory reform bill,” this legislation was signed by President Obama on July 21, six months after its initial introduction. This law is intended to address the causes of the 2008 economic crisis. It aims to create a watchdog council at the Federal Reserve and also to mitigate the dangers of “too-big-to-fail” financial institutions by providing a way to liquidate failed firms. [See a list of the finance and credit industry's favorite lawmakers.]
5. Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2010 (H.R. 4213)
Previous ranking: 4
Sponsor: Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY)
This bill, which President Obama signed into law on July 22, went through several versions and was known by several names, including the “American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act” and “Tax Extenders Act.” In its final version, the bill extends unemployment benefits until the end of November 2010, and also includes a provision establishing retroactive payment of benefits to those whose benefits had recently expired. The bill was only passed after a partisan struggle in the Senate, where it was filibustered by Republicans who said they did not want to add the bill's $34 billion price tag to a budget deficit of over $1 trillion.
6. FAA Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act (H.R. 1586)
Previous ranking: 5
Sponsor: Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY)
This bill originally intended to make flying more efficient and comfortable for passengers. One provision required air carriers to submit “emergency contingency plans” describing how the airline would provide basic necessities to passengers in an airplane grounded for an extended period of time. However, all of these provisions were stricken and replaced with Senate Amendment 4575, which seeks to provide funding for education and Federal Medical Assistance Percentages. The bill now provides states with extra money to pay teacher salaries and fund Medicaid. With these new provisions and none of the original, air-travel-related text, the bill passed the House and was signed by President Obama on August 10.
7. Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (H.R. 4872)
Previous ranking: 6
Sponsor: Rep. John Spratt (D-SC)
The Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act, which contains amendments to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (No. 2, above), was passed one week after the Patient Protection Act. Among the key changes that H.R. 4872 made are the closure of the Medicare “donut hole” and the lowering of the penalty for not having insurance. This bill also reforms the student loan system, including among its many provisions the elimination of the program via which federal student loans were administered through private institutions.
8. Livable Communities Act of 2009 (S. 1619)
Not on list last week
Sponsor: Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT)
Citing a growing and aging U.S. population with limited access to public transportation and affordable housing, this act states as one of its major purposes “to facilitate and improve the coordination of housing, community development, transportation, energy, and environmental policy in the United States.” The Livable Communities Act would establish an Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities in the Department of Housing and Urban Development. This new office would make grants to local governments, planning organizations, and states to assist them in development projects related to housing, infrastructure, and land use. The bill was introduced in August 2009 and has remained largely untouched in the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs since then. [See a slide show of 10 cities adopting smart grid technology.]
9. American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (H.R. 1)
Previous ranking: 10
Sponsor: Rep. David Obey (D-WI)
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is the economic stimulus package signed into law by President Obama in February 2009. The $787 billion in provisions are going toward investing in healthcare and education, as well as numerous infrastructure projects, like improving public transportation and broadband access. To help maintain transparency in the implementation of the act, the federal government has set up Recovery.gov, a Web site that allows users to track where and on which projects stimulus money is being spent.
10. Public Safety Officer Family Health Benefits Act
Not on list last week
Sponsor: Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI)
Stupak, a former Michigan state police trooper and founder of the Congressional Law Enforcement Caucus, introduced this bill in July 2009. The bill has been in the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform since its introduction. This act would allow family members of public safety officers killed in the line of duty to be covered by federal health benefits. Stupak sponsored similar measures in 2007 and 2005. In neither of these instances did the bills move beyond committee.
US News
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Flying High, Sarah Palin's Next Stops: Iowa, TV
DES MOINES, Iowa — Forget Disneyland. Sarah Palin's going to Iowa.
The former Alaska governor and 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee is on a roll: Her political endorsements have helped propel a number of upstart Republican contenders to victory in recent primaries, including a double win Tuesday in Delaware and New Hampshire. Her cable TV show makes its debut in November. And now she's off to the state that's made and broken more than its share of presidential campaigns.
Click here to find out more!
Palin will be the big draw at Friday's Reagan Dinner in Des Moines, the Iowa Republican Party's biggest fundraiser. The question that will be on everyone's mind is whether she'll run for president in 2012.
Iowa, home to the nation's leadoff presidential caucuses, can be tough terrain for celebrity candidates. Those who try to ride their fame to victory in Iowa without organizing a grass-roots campaign often find themselves on the outs.
Remember John Glenn? The former astronaut and senator drew huge crowds and intense attention here when he sought the Democratic nomination in 1984 — and got just 4 percent of the vote.
"They were coming out to see John Glenn the astronaut, not John Glenn the Democrat running for president," said veteran Republican strategist Eric Woolson.
If she runs, Palin would start with strong appeal among the social and religious conservatives who play a crucial role in Iowa's Republican politics. But that appeal wouldn't necessarily last if it's not backed up by a strong effort to reach out to caucus voters, said Steve Scheffler, head of the Iowa Christian Alliance.
"The track to success in Iowa is slogging around all of the small towns in bad weather and sleeping in downscale motels because that's the best in town," said Rich Galen, a GOP strategist based in Washington. "That certainly doesn't seem to fit the Palin theory of how she should conduct her life."
A Palin candidacy also would test Iowa's glass ceiling. Just ask Hillary Rodham Clinton
, who came in third in the 2008 caucuses, how tough the state can be for a woman. Iowa is one of two states — Mississippi is the other — that's never sent a woman to Congress or elected a woman governor.
Palin is far from alone in taking early steps to court Iowa activists. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has made multiple trips to the state, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty has put a staff member in Iowa and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania all have visits in the works.
Palin has been coy about her presidential intentions and masterful at keeping her name in the news since she abruptly resigned as Alaska's governor in 2009. She's mixed political fundraisers and candidates' campaign events with speeches in which she commands fees as high as $100,000.
Her memoir, "Going Rogue," was a best-seller. Her new book, "America by Heart: Reflections on Family, Faith and Flag," will be published in December.
Her favorable ratings have been slipping all year, in recent weeks dropping below 40 percent for the first time, in the latest Associated Press-Gfk poll. Forty percent now have a very unfavorable rating of Palin. But among Republicans, about two-thirds give her positive marks and one-third view her very favorably.
Fresh off two big wins by candidates who got her blessings in Tuesday's primaries, Palin this week called for the Republican "political machine" to put aside differences within the party and home in on Democrats, whom she said have a "weakened leftist party."
Palin, whose Twitter and Facebook pages are required reading in political circles, also took some jabs at the media for all the interest in her wardrobe and gestures rather than her record.
"According to the media," she said, "I was plucked from obscurity while staring at Russia from my house."
Not that Palin is averse to using the media for her own purposes. Coming up in November on cable TV's TLC is "Sarah Palin's Alaska." Mark Burnett, who created reality TV's "Apprentice" series, describes this new project as "a really nonpolitical show, a show about Alaskan adventure."
A nonpolitical show that, no doubt, will only boost Palin's political visibility. It will only take her so far in Iowa, though.
Iowa strategist Mark Daley, who worked for Hillary Clinton's campaign, said the lesson from the 2008 caucus campaign is that Iowa is all about grass-roots organizing.
"There's definitely no question that while rock star status helps you draw a crowd, you're going to have to go to the Pizza Ranch in Algona," said Daley. "Voters take a very long time to make up their mind and they expect to meet with the candidates because they have for decades."
Richard Schwarm, former chair of the state Republican Party, said Palin's celebrity status does help.
"A lot of people have to work hard to get the media to pay attention, to get the precinct captain to take you seriously," said Schwarm. "It gets your foot in the door to get that attention, but it's a long process."
US News
The former Alaska governor and 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee is on a roll: Her political endorsements have helped propel a number of upstart Republican contenders to victory in recent primaries, including a double win Tuesday in Delaware and New Hampshire. Her cable TV show makes its debut in November. And now she's off to the state that's made and broken more than its share of presidential campaigns.
Click here to find out more!
Palin will be the big draw at Friday's Reagan Dinner in Des Moines, the Iowa Republican Party's biggest fundraiser. The question that will be on everyone's mind is whether she'll run for president in 2012.
Iowa, home to the nation's leadoff presidential caucuses, can be tough terrain for celebrity candidates. Those who try to ride their fame to victory in Iowa without organizing a grass-roots campaign often find themselves on the outs.
Remember John Glenn? The former astronaut and senator drew huge crowds and intense attention here when he sought the Democratic nomination in 1984 — and got just 4 percent of the vote.
"They were coming out to see John Glenn the astronaut, not John Glenn the Democrat running for president," said veteran Republican strategist Eric Woolson.
If she runs, Palin would start with strong appeal among the social and religious conservatives who play a crucial role in Iowa's Republican politics. But that appeal wouldn't necessarily last if it's not backed up by a strong effort to reach out to caucus voters, said Steve Scheffler, head of the Iowa Christian Alliance.
"The track to success in Iowa is slogging around all of the small towns in bad weather and sleeping in downscale motels because that's the best in town," said Rich Galen, a GOP strategist based in Washington. "That certainly doesn't seem to fit the Palin theory of how she should conduct her life."
A Palin candidacy also would test Iowa's glass ceiling. Just ask Hillary Rodham Clinton
, who came in third in the 2008 caucuses, how tough the state can be for a woman. Iowa is one of two states — Mississippi is the other — that's never sent a woman to Congress or elected a woman governor.
Palin is far from alone in taking early steps to court Iowa activists. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has made multiple trips to the state, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty has put a staff member in Iowa and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania all have visits in the works.
Palin has been coy about her presidential intentions and masterful at keeping her name in the news since she abruptly resigned as Alaska's governor in 2009. She's mixed political fundraisers and candidates' campaign events with speeches in which she commands fees as high as $100,000.
Her memoir, "Going Rogue," was a best-seller. Her new book, "America by Heart: Reflections on Family, Faith and Flag," will be published in December.
Her favorable ratings have been slipping all year, in recent weeks dropping below 40 percent for the first time, in the latest Associated Press-Gfk poll. Forty percent now have a very unfavorable rating of Palin. But among Republicans, about two-thirds give her positive marks and one-third view her very favorably.
Fresh off two big wins by candidates who got her blessings in Tuesday's primaries, Palin this week called for the Republican "political machine" to put aside differences within the party and home in on Democrats, whom she said have a "weakened leftist party."
Palin, whose Twitter and Facebook pages are required reading in political circles, also took some jabs at the media for all the interest in her wardrobe and gestures rather than her record.
"According to the media," she said, "I was plucked from obscurity while staring at Russia from my house."
Not that Palin is averse to using the media for her own purposes. Coming up in November on cable TV's TLC is "Sarah Palin's Alaska." Mark Burnett, who created reality TV's "Apprentice" series, describes this new project as "a really nonpolitical show, a show about Alaskan adventure."
A nonpolitical show that, no doubt, will only boost Palin's political visibility. It will only take her so far in Iowa, though.
Iowa strategist Mark Daley, who worked for Hillary Clinton's campaign, said the lesson from the 2008 caucus campaign is that Iowa is all about grass-roots organizing.
"There's definitely no question that while rock star status helps you draw a crowd, you're going to have to go to the Pizza Ranch in Algona," said Daley. "Voters take a very long time to make up their mind and they expect to meet with the candidates because they have for decades."
Richard Schwarm, former chair of the state Republican Party, said Palin's celebrity status does help.
"A lot of people have to work hard to get the media to pay attention, to get the precinct captain to take you seriously," said Schwarm. "It gets your foot in the door to get that attention, but it's a long process."
US News
Murkowski to Announce Decision on Write-In Run
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaskans will soon know whether U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski will mount a write-in candidacy in an effort to hold onto her seat.
Click here to find out more!
She plans a late-day announcement in Anchorage.
Murkowski lost the GOP primary last month to Joe Miller, a self-described constitutional conservative who had the support of Sarah Palin and the Tea Party Express. The California-based group reported spending more than $550,000 in support of Miller and vowed to work twice as hard to beat Murkowski if she ran as a write-in.
Murkowski has said she's considered re-entering the race because of an outpouring of encouragement from Alaskans. She said she feels a responsibility to the state and believes success is possible.
US News
Click here to find out more!
She plans a late-day announcement in Anchorage.
Murkowski lost the GOP primary last month to Joe Miller, a self-described constitutional conservative who had the support of Sarah Palin and the Tea Party Express. The California-based group reported spending more than $550,000 in support of Miller and vowed to work twice as hard to beat Murkowski if she ran as a write-in.
Murkowski has said she's considered re-entering the race because of an outpouring of encouragement from Alaskans. She said she feels a responsibility to the state and believes success is possible.
US News
EPA's College Football Challenge
That stink around the college stadium might not just be your team's performance this fall. The Environmental Protection Agency
tells us that it is challenging colleges to boost recycling during one home football game in October. Participating schools will compete in categories like the "highest recycling rates" and the "least amount of waste generated per attendee." There's no trophy for the winner, just bragging rights.
US News
tells us that it is challenging colleges to boost recycling during one home football game in October. Participating schools will compete in categories like the "highest recycling rates" and the "least amount of waste generated per attendee." There's no trophy for the winner, just bragging rights.
US News
Tea Party Fights All-White Image
The Tea Party movement has an image problem that it is urgently trying to change: It's viewed as a whites-only group.
"We do need to reach out," says Matt Kibbie, president of FreedomWorks, one of the leading Tea Party organizing groups. To bring in more African-Americans and Hispanics, he said that FreedomWorks has started a new Web site, called "Diverse Tea," where minorities can share their stories of backing Tea Party candidates.
"The goal is to build a platform for a diverse group of Tea Party leaders from across the country, African-Americans, Jews, Hispanics, others that have come to this movement, because there is this nagging perception that we are not diverse. I disagree with that," he said.
FreedomWorks Chairman Dick Armey, the former House majority leader, has another solution: liberals should stop making minorities who back the movement feel like traitors.
"Now this is a story you don't want to write, but it's a true-fact story," he says. "I've heard it from every black conservative I have ever known, the vicious, nasty things that they are subjected to. So it's not easy to stand up and say, 'I believe in individual liberty and conservatism, and Lord help me, the Republican Party' and be a minority as you all in the establishment sort people out and stick people in their boxes."
Armey says the attacks come from minority community leaders to family members. "The difficulties of harassment, the intolerance, the abuse that they suffer comes from, for example, if you are a black American at our rally, your own community, your own relatives, your own family. So it is extremely difficult for a black American to stand up and say, 'I am a conservative,' because they get beset in the most vicious ways," adds Armey. What's more, he said, "Hispanics are now subjected to the same kind of mean harassment."
And instead of focusing on the lack of diversity in Tea Party rally crowds, he says that people should applaud the minorities who dare to be seen. "The first thing you ought to do is marvel that anybody of color as it were dares to have the courage to show up in the company of this grassroots movement...for breaking the mold," says Armey.
What's more, he said that diversity is broader than color. "Intellectually, there is greater diversity there than you will find in either of the two political parties. There's evangelicals, there's independents, there's liberals, there's Democrats, there's Republicans. It depends on your definition of diversity," he said.
And it's that diversity of thought he says Democrats can't stand. "You're talking about Democratic theology here," he says. "I really get a little tired of the diversity talk from liberals."
US News
"We do need to reach out," says Matt Kibbie, president of FreedomWorks, one of the leading Tea Party organizing groups. To bring in more African-Americans and Hispanics, he said that FreedomWorks has started a new Web site, called "Diverse Tea," where minorities can share their stories of backing Tea Party candidates.
"The goal is to build a platform for a diverse group of Tea Party leaders from across the country, African-Americans, Jews, Hispanics, others that have come to this movement, because there is this nagging perception that we are not diverse. I disagree with that," he said.
FreedomWorks Chairman Dick Armey, the former House majority leader, has another solution: liberals should stop making minorities who back the movement feel like traitors.
"Now this is a story you don't want to write, but it's a true-fact story," he says. "I've heard it from every black conservative I have ever known, the vicious, nasty things that they are subjected to. So it's not easy to stand up and say, 'I believe in individual liberty and conservatism, and Lord help me, the Republican Party' and be a minority as you all in the establishment sort people out and stick people in their boxes."
Armey says the attacks come from minority community leaders to family members. "The difficulties of harassment, the intolerance, the abuse that they suffer comes from, for example, if you are a black American at our rally, your own community, your own relatives, your own family. So it is extremely difficult for a black American to stand up and say, 'I am a conservative,' because they get beset in the most vicious ways," adds Armey. What's more, he said, "Hispanics are now subjected to the same kind of mean harassment."
And instead of focusing on the lack of diversity in Tea Party rally crowds, he says that people should applaud the minorities who dare to be seen. "The first thing you ought to do is marvel that anybody of color as it were dares to have the courage to show up in the company of this grassroots movement...for breaking the mold," says Armey.
What's more, he said that diversity is broader than color. "Intellectually, there is greater diversity there than you will find in either of the two political parties. There's evangelicals, there's independents, there's liberals, there's Democrats, there's Republicans. It depends on your definition of diversity," he said.
And it's that diversity of thought he says Democrats can't stand. "You're talking about Democratic theology here," he says. "I really get a little tired of the diversity talk from liberals."
US News
Obama, GOP Offer Dueling Realities on Unemployment, the Economy
With Republicans holding a big edge in voter intensity, a new reality may come to Washington after November
Out on the campaign trail, there are two parallel universes when it comes to describing the economy, a Democratic reality and a Republican reality. This became especially clear this month in remarks by President Obama and an assortment of leaders of both parties, including Republican
Rep. John Boehner of Ohio, who is in line to become speaker of the House if the GOP takes control in the November 2 elections.
On one side, Obama and the Democrats argue that the economy is on the mend, slowly but surely, thanks in large part to the bold actions taken by the White House and Congress over the past 19 months. These actions include the stimulus package and the bailouts of the financial industry and the auto industry. Obama says the recession was largely the fault of former President George W. Bush and his policies, and this is no time to go back. He argues that the midterm elections should be a choice between two competing visions, one that has failed (Bush's) and another that hasn't yet been given a chance to succeed (his own), not a referendum on his agenda and his leadership.
Obama's speech in suburban Cleveland last week was one of his best political addresses in a long time, as it gave voters a clear rationale for keeping the Democrats in the majority on Capitol Hill. "It's still fear versus hope; the past versus the future," Obama said Wednesday. "It's still a choice between sliding backward and moving forward. That's what this election is about. That's the choice you'll face in November." If Obama can keep this up, his party may stand a chance in the midterm balloting.
The other reality is being presented by the Republican leaders in Congress. They see a ripe opportunity to take control of both the House and Senate, and a fresh wave of polling backs them up. They argue that Obama and the Democrats have made the economy worse by running up vast deficits, wasting taxpayers' money, and investing too much power in the government, all the while failing to lower the unemployment rate, which has remained above 9 per cent for 16 consecutive months. And things will get even worse if Obama and the Democrats allow some or all of the Bush-era tax cuts to expire, the GOP says.
Appearing on ABC's Good Morning America, Boehner called for a rollback of nonsecurity discretionary federal spending to 2008 levels—pre-Obama—and a freeze on tax rates for at least two years, in effect rejecting any administration plan to raise taxes on the highest-income earners. "I think the president is missing the bigger point here," Boehner said. "With all of the spending in Washington, and all the uncertainty facing small businesses, including the coming tax hikes on January 1 [when the Bush-era tax cuts end], until this uncertainty and spending is under control, I don't think these [solutions from Washington] are going to have much impact."
Boehner's new visibility worries conservative activists who say he is giving Obama a convenient target as the caricature of a politician who is locked in the past and has no new ideas. But the dueling versions of economic reality are being played out in campaigns across the country from California to Pennsylvania. Each side has an element of truth in its arguments. But the latest polls indicate that it is the Republicans who will come out on top, as they benefit from voter anger and anxiety over the status quo. Equally important, Republican voters appear to be far more motivated to actually cast ballots than are the Democrats. A new survey by American University political scientist Curtis Gans finds that 4.2 million more Republicans have voted this year in statewide primaries for Senate and governor than Democrats (nearly 17.2 million to 13 million), in part reflecting the intramural battles between candidates backed by the GOP establishment and the Tea Party movement. In a historical perspective, the average percentage of eligible citizens who voted in the GOP statewide primaries (10.5 percent) was the highest since 1970 while the comparable Democratic figure (8.3 percent) was the lowest on record, Gans found.
Of course, the reality that counts most is the one felt by everyday people. And polls suggest that a majority of voters think what Obama and the Democrats have done hasn't made much difference or has had a negative effect on the economy. That's a recipe for big Republican gains, which would mean an entirely new reality in Washington for, at minimum, the next two years.
US News
Out on the campaign trail, there are two parallel universes when it comes to describing the economy, a Democratic reality and a Republican reality. This became especially clear this month in remarks by President Obama and an assortment of leaders of both parties, including Republican
Rep. John Boehner of Ohio, who is in line to become speaker of the House if the GOP takes control in the November 2 elections.
On one side, Obama and the Democrats argue that the economy is on the mend, slowly but surely, thanks in large part to the bold actions taken by the White House and Congress over the past 19 months. These actions include the stimulus package and the bailouts of the financial industry and the auto industry. Obama says the recession was largely the fault of former President George W. Bush and his policies, and this is no time to go back. He argues that the midterm elections should be a choice between two competing visions, one that has failed (Bush's) and another that hasn't yet been given a chance to succeed (his own), not a referendum on his agenda and his leadership.
Obama's speech in suburban Cleveland last week was one of his best political addresses in a long time, as it gave voters a clear rationale for keeping the Democrats in the majority on Capitol Hill. "It's still fear versus hope; the past versus the future," Obama said Wednesday. "It's still a choice between sliding backward and moving forward. That's what this election is about. That's the choice you'll face in November." If Obama can keep this up, his party may stand a chance in the midterm balloting.
The other reality is being presented by the Republican leaders in Congress. They see a ripe opportunity to take control of both the House and Senate, and a fresh wave of polling backs them up. They argue that Obama and the Democrats have made the economy worse by running up vast deficits, wasting taxpayers' money, and investing too much power in the government, all the while failing to lower the unemployment rate, which has remained above 9 per cent for 16 consecutive months. And things will get even worse if Obama and the Democrats allow some or all of the Bush-era tax cuts to expire, the GOP says.
Appearing on ABC's Good Morning America, Boehner called for a rollback of nonsecurity discretionary federal spending to 2008 levels—pre-Obama—and a freeze on tax rates for at least two years, in effect rejecting any administration plan to raise taxes on the highest-income earners. "I think the president is missing the bigger point here," Boehner said. "With all of the spending in Washington, and all the uncertainty facing small businesses, including the coming tax hikes on January 1 [when the Bush-era tax cuts end], until this uncertainty and spending is under control, I don't think these [solutions from Washington] are going to have much impact."
Boehner's new visibility worries conservative activists who say he is giving Obama a convenient target as the caricature of a politician who is locked in the past and has no new ideas. But the dueling versions of economic reality are being played out in campaigns across the country from California to Pennsylvania. Each side has an element of truth in its arguments. But the latest polls indicate that it is the Republicans who will come out on top, as they benefit from voter anger and anxiety over the status quo. Equally important, Republican voters appear to be far more motivated to actually cast ballots than are the Democrats. A new survey by American University political scientist Curtis Gans finds that 4.2 million more Republicans have voted this year in statewide primaries for Senate and governor than Democrats (nearly 17.2 million to 13 million), in part reflecting the intramural battles between candidates backed by the GOP establishment and the Tea Party movement. In a historical perspective, the average percentage of eligible citizens who voted in the GOP statewide primaries (10.5 percent) was the highest since 1970 while the comparable Democratic figure (8.3 percent) was the lowest on record, Gans found.
Of course, the reality that counts most is the one felt by everyday people. And polls suggest that a majority of voters think what Obama and the Democrats have done hasn't made much difference or has had a negative effect on the economy. That's a recipe for big Republican gains, which would mean an entirely new reality in Washington for, at minimum, the next two years.
US News
Christine O’Donnell Calls for GOP to Unite
The Delaware Tea Partyer who split the Republican Party is trying to patch things up.
Click here to find out more!
Christine O'Donnell, who won the GOP Senate primary on Tuesday night, called for party unity in an interview that aired on NBC's "Today."
"I'm hoping that when emotions settle down and the dust clears, we can move past this," she said of the upset victory against nine-term Rep. Mike Castle.
O'Donnell has faced mounting criticism by some Republicans that the former marketing and media consultant is too conservative to win in November. She has also been slammed over allegations relating to a trail of bad debts, potential fudging of her education history and allegedly living off of campaign funds.
For example, Castle does not intend to endorse Palin-backed O'Donnell, and former George W. Bush adviser Karl Rove said, "This is not a race we're going to be able to win."
O'Donnell said she was perplexed by Rove's comments. "I wonder does he want a Democrat in that seat?" she asked.
Sen. Jim DeMint, whose endorsement boosted O'Donnell late in her primary race, also dismissed concerns about the electability of Tea Party-backed candidates like O'Donnell.
"You can't change Washington unless you change people who are here," DeMint said on "Today." "People are ready to throw out the bums."
DeMint added that the Tea Party represents a section of the American people and that the GOP needs to embrace Tea Party goals.
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said O'Donnell's win reflected GOP in-fighting, and was a bonus for Democrats on Wednesday.
O'Donnell addressed criticism over comments she made in the 1990s to promote abstinence, including, "The Bible says that lust in your heart is committing adultery. So you can't masturbate without lust."
O'Donnell said those remarks, made years ago, are not relevant.
"I'm in my 40s now. I've matured in a lot of my positions. … This campaign is about getting our country back on track."
US News
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Christine O'Donnell, who won the GOP Senate primary on Tuesday night, called for party unity in an interview that aired on NBC's "Today."
"I'm hoping that when emotions settle down and the dust clears, we can move past this," she said of the upset victory against nine-term Rep. Mike Castle.
O'Donnell has faced mounting criticism by some Republicans that the former marketing and media consultant is too conservative to win in November. She has also been slammed over allegations relating to a trail of bad debts, potential fudging of her education history and allegedly living off of campaign funds.
For example, Castle does not intend to endorse Palin-backed O'Donnell, and former George W. Bush adviser Karl Rove said, "This is not a race we're going to be able to win."
O'Donnell said she was perplexed by Rove's comments. "I wonder does he want a Democrat in that seat?" she asked.
Sen. Jim DeMint, whose endorsement boosted O'Donnell late in her primary race, also dismissed concerns about the electability of Tea Party-backed candidates like O'Donnell.
"You can't change Washington unless you change people who are here," DeMint said on "Today." "People are ready to throw out the bums."
DeMint added that the Tea Party represents a section of the American people and that the GOP needs to embrace Tea Party goals.
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said O'Donnell's win reflected GOP in-fighting, and was a bonus for Democrats on Wednesday.
O'Donnell addressed criticism over comments she made in the 1990s to promote abstinence, including, "The Bible says that lust in your heart is committing adultery. So you can't masturbate without lust."
O'Donnell said those remarks, made years ago, are not relevant.
"I'm in my 40s now. I've matured in a lot of my positions. … This campaign is about getting our country back on track."
US News
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