Communications

Today, Senate Democrats are headed over to the White House to discuss the budget and deficit reduction.  Considering that the President has failed to put forward an actual budget reduction plan since his partisan speech on April 13^th, one can only assume this will be nothing more than a messaging meeting for the Democrats to get on the same page before they vilify Republicans tomorrow.  Unfortunately, thanks to Chuck Schumer, we’ve already seen that movie.

CAUCUS TALK: The Senate Democratic Caucus heads to the White House on Wednesday afternoon to talk about the budget and deficit reduction with President Obama. The meeting should be more friendly than the one he has scheduled with the Senate Republican Caucus on Thursday; the president and Democrats have been in agreement about using proposed cuts to Medicare to demonize the Republican budget plan. (National Journal “Need-To-Know Memo: White House,” 5/11/10)

"I Always Use The Word 'Extreme'"

THE FACTS:

The CBO Projects That By ... more

If you can’t beat them, join them.  The Obama White House has completely walked away from the mantle of “change” in order to embrace the type of politics they once relentlessly attacked.  Just as when he reneged on his promise to campaign within the public finance system, this President is all too happy to embrace and discard “principles” according to what is most politically expedient for him.

WHITE HOUSE SPIN: “‘The president’s position on disclosure remains the same,’ Carney said during a gaggle aboard Air Force One.” (Michael O’Brien, “Carney: 'The president's position on disclosure remains the same,” The Hill, 4/29/11)

But the real question is whether the President will continue his assault against these groups from the campaign stump? He is certainly spending plenty of time on the campaign trail.

Obama Called Outside Spending Groups “A Threat To Our Democracy.” OBAMA: “Now, that’s not just a threat to Democrats -- that’s a threat to our democracy.  Every American business and ... more

For the second time in three days, President Obama referred to the tragic Minnesota bridge collapse as a potential consequence to reining in Washington’s runaway spending.  While perhaps an effective scare tactic, the claim has little basis in reality.  The truth is a group of experts found the tragedy to be a result of design flaw and not a lack of spending.

But why let facts get in the way when you are trying to frighten the American people into supporting an unsustainable status quo?

Obama: "We don't have the best infrastructure anymore. Our roads and bridges are deteriorating -- remember what happened in Minnesota? That bridge just collapsed. There are bridges just like that all across the country." (President Barack Obama, White House Town Hall in Reno, NV, 4/21/11)

FLASHBACK

• Obama Already Used The Minnesota Bridge Collapse To Attack The House GOP’s Deficit Reduction Plan. “President Obama invoked the 2007 collapse of the Interstate 35-W bridge in Minneapolis while ... more
  
  

It appears that candidate Tim Kaine is having a difficult time heeding the advice of former DNC Chairman Tim Kaine.  As Party Chairman, Kaine famously said that Democrat candidates were “Crazy” to push back on their leaders and that the President is helpful on the campaign trail nationwide.  But when Obama comes to meet voters in Kaine’s home state, the President’s close friend and ally is nowhere to be seen…

KAINE: "Democrats Who Are Kind Of Afraid Of To Be Who They Are, Or Who Are Pushing Back On The Leaders -- I Think They're Crazy." (Fox News' "Fox & Friends," 8/13/10)

•  KAINE: "I Don't Think There's A Place Where The President Isn't Helpful..." (Mike Allen, "Tim Kaine: Democrats Still Have 'Mojo,'" Politico, 8/11/10)

Kaine, most Virginia Democrats to skip Obama visit
Washington Post
Anita Kumar
4/19/11 @ 9:16 AM ET
http://wapo.st/icuAcc

When President Obama crosses the Potomac into Virginia Tuesday morning to talk about reining in the nation’s escalating debt, which Democrats ... more

After whiffing on his first budget, President Obama is prepared to lay-out a new budget (re)vision today.  Unfortunately for those of us waiting for that “adult conversation” from the President, we may have to keep waiting as the early reports are indicating more vague rhetoric and talk of tax increases during a period of high-unemployment.

Obama’s Budget Mulligan

The morning after President Obama delivered his State of the Union address, which offered more in spending proposals than it did budget cuts, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) came out with some alarming numbers about our nation’s fiscal state – this year’s budget deficit is estimated to reach a record high of $1.5 trillion and unemployment will likely remain above 9 percent through 2011. This startling news confirms that our descent into job-crushing debt under the Obama Administration is only accelerating and that America’s jobs crisis isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Our new Republican House majority took the first step towards reversing the out-of-control spending that has led to three consecutive years of budget-busting, trillion dollar deficits by holding a vote last week to reduce non-military discretionary spending down to pre-stimulus, pre-bailout levels. Only a handful of House Democrats joined their Republican colleagues to begin cutting wasteful ... more

Friday’s dismal jobs report was the final verdict on nearly two years of failed economic policies enacted by President Obama and the Democrat-controlled Congress. Another 95,000 net jobs lost and unemployment remaining over 9.5% for the fourteenth consecutive month will only compound Democrats’ problems as voters head to the polls. The White House’s disastrous decision to use the economic crisis as an excuse to grow the size and reach of the federal government, rather than to take concrete, pro-growth steps to revive the economy, has prolonged the struggle of middle class families and small businesses. And what do Democrats have to show for it? A nation as polarized as at any point in our history, burdened with chronic joblessness and a national debt that threatens to transform America into a second-class nation.

Yet – the President and his Democrat allies on Capitol Hill continue to insist that the economy is moving in the right direction, hoping that perhaps their empty ... more

Midterm elections have historically been an opportunity for the electorate to send the president and his administration a message. Just as the current Administration prefers to believe its policies are unpopular due to a public relations problem rather than admit that they have led our country in the wrong direction, the White House would like to believe that this year’s midterms are anything but a referendum on the President – after all last year’s weren’t either (or so they say).

Leading up to last year’s Republican victories in the Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial races, the Obama Administration staunchly denied that the GOP’s looming victories were a referendum on the President and his agenda. In Massachusetts, then-candidate Scott Brown made being the 41^st vote against ObamaCare the crux of his campaign, and won a seat in the United States Senate that had been held by Democrats since 1953. Even then according to the Obama Administration, his unprecedented victory was ... more

Last week, House GOP women Members held a press conference to highlight Republican women running for Congress this year. House Republican Conference Vice Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA) was joined by candidates Martha Roby (AL-02), Jackie Walorski (IN-02), Vicky Hartzler (MO-04), Diane Black (TN-06), Jaime Herrera (WA-03), Ann Marie Buerkle (NY-25) and Sandy Adams (FL-24) to promote the “Year of the Republican Woman” in a series of events last Thursday. The events were highly successful and raised $500,000 to further the effort of increasing GOP female representation in Congress.

Republican women across the country are rejecting what they see going on in Washington and have the values, experience, and ideas to get America back on the track to prosperity. The Republican Party is making great strides in growing its female base, reaching out to all women, and appealing to more and more voters who are alarmed about the out of control spending and loss of jobs under the Obama ... more

Dems Spinning ObamaCare’s Effects on Child Care; Ignore Insurers Dropping “Child-Only” Policies

DNC Chairman Kaine Tries To Tout How ObamaCare Will Improve Child Care: 

DNC CHAIRMAN TIM KAINE: But I’ll tell you, last week some things went into effect that are pretty important. Children can now stay on family policies until age 26, not 21. That is a benefit that now all Americans are entitled to that the Republicans want to take that back. Insurance companies can't turn kids down for insurance because they're ill or have preexisting conditions. (DNC Chairman Tim Kaine, MSNBC, 9/30/10)

But Several Insurers Are Dropping “Child-Only” Policies Due to ObamaCare:

Several Health Insurance Companies Will Stop Offering “Child-Only” Policies As A Result Of ObamaCare. “Several of the nation’s largest health insurance companies will stop issuing certain children’s insurance policies to avoid complying with a new mandate in the Democrats’ health care overhaul. The insurers will no longer write ... more