Research Briefing

STOMPED

This Week On The RNC Research Department’s “Stomping Grounds” Blog

OBAMA’S TRANSPARENT HYPOCRISY: After several promises to make his administration “the most open and transparent in history,” it turns out President Obama makes a better door than a window when it comes to the practices and expenditures of his labor union bosses.

OBAMA’S SUPREME COURT OBSESSION After criticizing the Supreme Court for their Citizens United decision during his State of the Union Address six weeks ago, the Obama administration has again criticized the highest court in the land, this time taking aim at Chief Justice John Roberts.

CHAOS REIGNS SUPREME: Health care is back in Congress and accordingly so is chaos among Democrats.  Obama says he’ll “do everything in [his] power to make the case for reform” but for unruly Democratic members, that might not be enough.

BANK FEE RHETORIC FALLS FLAT: Obama rolled out his “fiscal responsibility fee” back in January as part of his populist pandering push, so Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) asked the CBO to do an analysis of the proposed tax.  Unsurprisingly, Obama’s rhetoric fails to match up with reality.

THE BIGGEST BACKROOM DEAL YET: After rounding up votes using backroom deals such as the infamous Cornhusker Kickback and the Louisiana Purchase, the Congressional Democratic leadership is now eyeing the biggest backroom deal yet—a government take-over of the student loan industry.  Find out how they’re trying to pass two unpopular bills with one reconciliation vote. 

FIX THE ECONOMY, FIX HEALTH CARE: Democrats have tried to defend their unpopular government takeover of health care by citing the statistic that 15,000 people lose their health care coverage every day, but as CNN’s Matt Smith explains that number is on account of rising unemployment and the solution has more to do with fixing the economy than taking over the health care industry.

“START WITH WHAT WE CAN AGREE ON”: That’s what one Democratic member of Congress says we should have done with Obama’s $2.5 trillion government takeover of healthcare.  Funny thing is, it sounds a lot like what House Minority Leader John Boehner said we should do several weeks ago.  Find who said what.

STUPAK V. SEBELIUS: On last Sunday’s Meet The Press, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Rep. Stupak (D-MI) was misinformed when it came to federal funding for abortion in the Democrats’ health care proposal, but a quick fact check makes it clear who’s really the one that’s misinformed.

THE DON’T-SHOW-ME-WITH-OBAMA STATE: As Obama passed through Missouri to raise money for Sen. Claire McCaskill and the DSCC, Senate candidate Robin Carnahan was very conspicuously nowhere to be seen. Find out why Carnahan was a no-show in the Show-Me State.

OBAMA’S ROSE-COLORED BUDGET GLASSES: The CBO has performed its analysis of the Obama administration’s budget and they found it would lead to deficits $1.2 trillion dollars higher than the White House’s estimates – looks like Obama and his OMB Director Peter Orzag could use a new prescription. 

DOUBLE YOUR STIMULUS, DOUBLE YOUR FRAUD: Last month we went over the extensive waste, fraud, and abuse in the President’s bloated and anemic $862 billion stimulus program, and now a new Congressional report discovers that taxpayers are being hit twice for every incidence of stimulus fraud.  Find out how much is being thrown away and why.

SAVAGING FREEDOM (AND SPECTER): On President Obama’s trip to birthplace of freedom he will ironically be pushing his unpopular government takeover of health that will infringe upon the freedoms of every American, and to save time he will also be stumping for Arlen Specter (D-PA), but being tied to the President’s health care proposal won’t be good for his poll numbers. 

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