But there is a twisted logic at work behind the seeming chaos that's taken over the White House. The President does have a plan. His unyielding health care campaign is designed not to win you over but to wear you down, in the hope that at some point you'll just throw your hands up and say, "Fine, do whatever you want, just shut up and leave me alone."

And it's not just you that he's going after! The President, recognizing that many legislators' careers hang in the balance, is attempting to use the looming threat of electoral rejection to persuade Congress to pass his nightmarish bill and be done with it. He knows that they don't want to be talking about this monstrosity two weeks from now, let alone in the fall. That's why he's telling them to swallow their pride in the name of ObamaCare - if only so he'll change the subject. It's leadership by attrition; hardly inspiring, potentially effective, and undoubtedly worrying in a free society.

Want to know more? Then click here for some concrete examples of this bizarre tactic in action. Barack Obama does have a plan, but sooner or later he'll figure out that the only thing that he's wearing down is the American people's tolerance for his presidency.

I recently suggested that seniors will die sooner if Congress actually implements the Medicare cuts in the health-care bill put forward by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. My colleagues who defend the bill-none of whom have practiced medicine-predictably dismissed my concern as a scare tactic. They are wrong. Every American, not just seniors, should know that the rationing provisions in the Reid bill will not only reduce their quality of life, but their life spans as well. ...

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Reid’s government-run health care experiment costs over a staggering $2.5 trillion after ten years of full implementation – which equates to $1.2 billion per page, $6.8 million per word.

This bill is overwhelming in terms of its size, complexity, impact on our quality of life and our economy. It will raise taxes, cut Medicare benefits for seniors, raise health care costs, and lead to government interference in doctor-patient relationships. Chock full of legal jargon and political loop-holes, even the most steadfast members of Congress will be hard-pressed to comprehend this arduous bill before debate on it begins on Saturday. Adequate time for a responsible, thorough review by all members of Congress is essential before the first vote, because Senators should make sure that this bill will “do no harm” to our health care system. And once they actually read the legislation, they’ll see that government-run health care will be disastrous.

Equally important, the American public deserves to understand the ins-and-outs of this government takeover of health care before their Senators vote on it, on their behalf. But with health care reform approval ratings plummeting, time is the enemy of the Democrats who want to mask the hidden costs and pitfalls of their bill.

Contact your Senators now by calling the Capitol Switchboard at (202)-224-3121 to let them know how you feel about the bill and attend any town hall meetings over the Thanksgiving recess to let your voice be heard - this is a representative democracy after all.

This will be a 12-hour live online telecast beginning at 1pm ET today and can be seen at http://www.gop.com/index.php/12truths/

Topics Will Include:

Health Care & Small Business
Health Care & Taxes
Health Care & Seniors
Health Care & The Economy
Health Care & Your Money
Health Care & The Culture Of Life
Health Care & Low Income Households And Rural America
Health Care & Families And Women
Health Care & Young Americans
Health Care & Patients And Doctors
Health Care & States

• Go to website of Bob McDonnell and email positive stories, campaign videos and endorsements to family, friends and co-workers. Research shows that a persuasive messaging resonates well when it is received by one’s peers.
• Become a supporter of Bob McDonnell’s Facebook page. This is a great way to get the latest updates in the final hours of the campaign.
• Set your Facebook or Twitter picture or status to show your support on Election Day. The average Facebook user has over 150 friends and the average Twitter user has 126 followers; this is a perfect opportunity to remind your friends, family and followers to get out and VOTE! (Donate your status to Bob McDonnell)
• Join the group for Bob McDonnell in OurGOP: the Republican Action Network for more ways to get involved!

We have strong Republican candidates across both states – but they still need your help to achieve victory on November 3^rd!

For those living in or near NJ and VA, you have the opportunity to take part in the action; to walk door to door to get the message out in person in your neighborhoods with your family and friends. Victory office locations are listed here for Virginia and here for New Jersey.

If you’re unable to travel to either state, please consider helping from the comfort of your own home. For example, now you can access call lists for VA candidate Bob McDonnell at http://call.bobmcdonnell.com/ and call voters from your home or cell phone!  

I hope you will consider volunteering your time and being a part of the GOP fight. Let’s put these two states back in the hands of responsible Republicans and set the tone for 2010.

As discussed in a prior Blog, I encourage energy efficiency in our office, to the point of being called a “Dad.”  We periodically send a few ideas to our employees to help reduce our expenses and conserve resources, and I wanted to share our latest tips with you:

• It's a turn-off. Shut down your computer, monitor, printer, lights, those energy hogging space heaters, and electrical equipment before leaving your office, even if it's just for a couple of hours.  Be a good neighbor and turn off any lights that neighbors may have left on after they have gone home for the day.  And neighbors don't turn against neighbors for being thoughtful enough to punch out your lights;
• Pass on handouts. Eliminate excess handouts at meetings by e-mailing copies of presentation and documents, display them on a screen during the presentation, or have them posted on the internet, intranet, a shared drive or burned to a CD. If you must have handouts, at least double-side copy them (Two Sides are Better than One!); and
• Printing panache. Before you print something or make a copy, ask yourself if you really need it. If you do print it, don't forget to pick it up--so you can avoid printing twice! Print double-sided whenever possible and print only the pages that you need. Did you know that a typical laser printer consumes as much as 600 watts of power when printing and 12 when idle?

Remember: Conserving is Conservative.

Boyd K. Rutherford
RNC Chief Administrative Officer
Former Assistant Secretary for Administration,
U.S. Department of Agriculture, and
Former Secretary, Maryland Department of General Services

When I was a practicing physician, I had patients with the best private health insurance available as well as patients with Medicare and Medicaid. I have seen what works and what doesn’t.

Meaningful reform should make it easier for Americans to shop for health care insurance, just like we shop for car insurance.  Let’s reform the tax code so that it treats small businesses, families and individuals looking for health care insurance the same way it treats big companies.  Let’s remove the barriers for patients with pre-existing conditions, and let’s allow patients to shop across state lines.

Medical liability reform is an important area that is largely ignored by Democrats.  President Obama has proposed “demonstration projects,” but these are not needed, because the President should look no farther than to Texas for what should be the national model for how it is done right.  A few of the impressive accomplishments of Texas’ 2003 reforms include:

• Texas has licensed over 15,000 new physicians. This is a 36 percent increase from pre-reform. 
• Thirty-three rural counties have seen a net gain in ER doctors, including 26 counties that previously had none.
• After years of decline, the ranks of medical specialists are growing in Texas.
• In my field of obstetrics, Texas saw a net loss of 14 obstetricians in the two years preceding reform. Since then the state has experienced a net gain of 192 obstetricians, and 26 rural counties have added an obstetrician, including ten counties that previously had none. 
• Charity care rendered by Texas hospitals has increased by 24 percent, resulting in $594 million in free care to Texas’ patients. 
• Texas physicians have saved $574 million in liability insurance premiums, a significant savings that has allowed more doctors to stay in their practice.

The improvements in Texas have allowed physicians to return to the state or their practice, and this is good for patients.

Instead of the proposed individual insurance mandate, which would force Americans to buy a product that they may not want or like, why not create products that consumers want?  I have a Health Savings Account, and it gives me flexibility and control over how my health care dollars are spent.  Reforms should focus more on giving Americans what they want, not telling them what they should have.

To say that Republicans have no ideas, but rather oppose any reforms and defend the status quo, is untrue.  I have found the Democratic Party to be the “Party of No.”  Despite my numerous offers to the President and others, to be part of the process and offer legitimate ideas, I have been repeatedly rebuffed.

Our country was founded on “we the people,” not “we the elected officials in air-conditioned offices in Washington, DC.”  When it comes to health care, should the federal government help Americans find the plan that works for them, or control the plan?  America has spoken, and our citizens do not want more government control. 

Congressman Michael C. Burgess is a physician and represents the 26th district of Texas.

This morning’s RNC Research Briefing shows while President Obama has often pledged that his government-run health care experiment “will slow the growth of health care costs for our families, our businesses, and our government,” the Senate Finance Committee Democrats’ bill does the exact opposite. A new report shows Sen. Max Baucus’s (D-MT) bill would raise health insurance premiums for American families by $4,000 over the next decade because of the $506 billion in health care taxes and fees, as well as the $404 billion in cuts to Medicare and Medicaid shifting costs “to private sector businesses and consumers.”

And don’t believe all the rhetoric that this version of a government-run health care experiment is “deficit-neutral.” Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) hid hundreds of billions of additional costs that would eventually create deficits shouldered on the backs of American taxpayers, a move ripped by The Washington Post’s editorial board as “A Shell Game For Disguising Health Reform Costs.”

RNC Research also shows that a vote for this bill will also be a vote for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-MV) to make it worse. Reid already plans to hide in his office with the White House to concoct a final version of the health care experiment by combining the Senate Finance Democrats health care taxes and Medicare cuts with the more liberal Senate HELP Committee Democrats’ bill, promising to include a so-called “public option” that could mean over 88 million Americans losing their current coverage.

For more facts from RNC Research, visit their new blog: Stomping Grounds.