CLT UPDATE
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
It's Tea Time!
The passage of sweeping health care
legislation in the House yesterday provoked powerful reactions in
Massachusetts, with Democrats and Republicans split along party lines,
like their counterparts in Washington, and activists, businesses, and
unions sharply divided over what the changes will mean for residents and
employers....
Tea Party activists, who loudly protested the bill in Massachusetts and
across the country, vowed to continue fighting the legislation.
“The fact of the matter is, for the federal government to demand, force,
compel citizens to buy a product under threat of financial punishment,
that’s unconstitutional,’’ said Christen Varley of Holliston, president
of the Greater Boston Tea Party. “They’ve been trying to put the
government in charge of health care for generations. And, as long as
we’re not fighting back, they’re pushing forward, so we’ll keep pushing
back.’’
Still, the vote was undoubtedly a setback for conservative activists and
Tea Party members. On
Red Mass Group,
a conservative blog, the mood was grim.
“CLT activists are used to the thrill of victory AND the agony of
defeat,’’ Barbara Anderson, executive director of the antitax
group Citizens for Limited Taxation, wrote on the blog. “Wonder
how the newbies at the Tea Party will deal with learning that Congress
REALLY doesn’t care what they say.’’
The Boston Globe
Monday, March 22, 2010
Bay State reacts with cheers, anger
An already intense and volatile Massachusetts political scene
could be cranked up several notches by last night’s controversial votes for and
against the Democratic health-care initiative - signaling a potentially long and
brutal season ahead....
Among the things at stake is the Democrats’ lock on the 10 House seats
representing Massachusetts in Congress - not to mention a slew of open
legislative seats at the State House. Republicans and conservative Tea Party
members are hoping they can now repeat Scott Brown’s stunning upset victory in
January in the U.S. Senate race....
“People have short memories,” said Bruce Schulman, a professor of political
history at Boston University. “I’m not sure health care will be that important.
By November, the issue is going to be the economy.”
The Boston Herald
Monday, March 22, 2010
In Massachusetts, ‘change is in the air’
This party’s just getting started.
That was the message from local members of the conservative Tea Party movement,
who vowed they won’t be scared off by last night’s passage of the historic
health-care reform bill.
The Boston Herald
Monday, March 22, 2010
Tea Partiers vow to push even harder for change
Everyone has a price, it seems. And President Obama has
become masterful at finding out exactly what it is and arranging to pay it....
“One minute after the vote, every single Democrat who voted for reform will have
a bulls-eye on their back,” according to the Democratic Senate Campaign
Committee.
They’ve got it about right.
A Boston Herald editorial
Monday, March 22, 2010
‘History’s’ price
A key Scott Brown strategist is predicting that “a perfect
storm” of conservatives and independents outraged over President Obama’s
partisan health-care win will sweep GOP congressional candidates to sweet
victory in November.
“I do see Republicans taking back both Congress and the Senate,” said Rob
Willington, who coordinated U.S. Sen. Brown’s online insurgent bid and is now
working for GOP challengers to U.S. Reps. Niki Tsongas and Barney Frank.
“I think it’s a perfect storm of conservative backlash and a lot of independents
and moderates who don’t like the spending that’s going on,” Willington said.
The Boston Herald
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Health care gives GOP new life
Republicans eye sweep
U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas, whose Merrimack Valley district is a
hotbed of Scott Brown independents, has emerged as the top Bay State target for
Republicans seeking to tap into health-care rage to topple Democrat incumbents.
“Voting for such a partisan and reckless government takeover of health care is a
political liability that single-handedly could jeopardize Niki Tsongas’s
re-election hopes,” said National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman
Tony Mazzola.
The Boston Herald
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Niki Tsongas is No. 1 target
They do not see passage of the landmark reforms that usher in
near-universal medical coverage as the end of the debate. Tea partiers instead
vow to support attorneys general who plan a lawsuit seeking to declare the law
unconstitutional. They are demanding the bill be repealed or not funded and want
to kick out of office all supporters of the measure.
So far, the nascent movement has almost reveled in its rebellious and grass
roots nature and has avoided becoming as much a part of the establishment as the
Republican and Democratic parties. But some tea party organizers see the health
care debate as a galvanizing force that could stir its followers to greater
action and something to rally around with midterm elections this year....
"There’s going to be a whole, all-out effort for an Election Day onslaught,"
said Michael Caputo, a public relations consultant who works with tea party
activists on the national level, as well as in Florida and New York. "The health
care process has been an incendiary issue for the tea party organizations since
Day 1. Losing that vote is going to inflame them more." ...
Christen Varley, head of the Greater Boston Tea Party Organizers, said the House
health vote was both "heartbreaking" and a wake-up call.
"I think we all went to bed a little dejected last night, but from the
communication I received this morning, people are energized," said Varley. Sarah
Palin is scheduled to headline a tea party rally on historic Boston Common on
April 14....
Willie Lawson, a Tampa-area conservative radio talk show host who speaks at tea
party rallies, wondered what effect the vote will have on an April 15 event at a
University of South Florida stadium.
"It’s just a big punch in the gut. It really is to a lot of people," said
Lawson, who wondered whether people new to the movement will be discouraged by
the vote and not bother to come. Others, he’s sure, will be more fired up.
Associated Press
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Tea partiers vow revenge over health overhaul
Buoyed by a historic victory, President Obama and the
Democrats hope to quickly tap the momentum from passage of their big health care
bill to advance other initiatives on their political agenda, including curbing
greenhouse gases, imposing new rules on Wall Street, and overhauling immigration
laws.
But success on any of those fronts is by no means assured, despite the popping
corks and bumping fists. Republicans are seeking to blunt any sense of
Democratic progress, starting this week with efforts to scuttle a health care
reconciliation measure in the Senate, and followed by a blistering repeal
campaign that will target the health legislation leading up to November’s
congressional elections.
The Boston Globe
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Bolder Obama may press other big parts of agenda
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Chip Ford's CLT Commentary
We interrupt this federal
government takeover for Tea Time.
Revolution 2010 is now in
full swing. This is war. The Second War for American Independence has
arrived, thrust upon us as never before since the first.
Some feel defeated already
by the setback of high-handed ObamaCare. But some also felt discouraged
during the First Revolutionary War. George Washington, then Commanding
General of the fledgling Continental Army, at first lost more battles
against the British than his troops won, but he never lost faith -- and
the citizen soldiers kept fighting. In the end, Gen. Washington's army
chased the oppressors -- the most powerful military force on the planet
-- from our soil. This led to the eventual birth of the United States of
America.
It got us this far, took
the nation this long to go full circle back to the beginning.
Repeal of this abomination
requires a super-majority in both the U.S. House and Senate to override
an Obama veto. Attaining this goal begins at the polls this November,
and culminates with the next presidential election in 2012.
In the meantime, some
states are revolting against this current oppressive government,
challenging the constitutionality of the overreaching federal ObamaCare
mandate. For repeal of ObamaCare to succeed the important battles that
must be won will come in November.
But the Second American
Revolution has surely begun -- against government oppression on the
federal level, and for us in Massachusetts, at the state level as well.
The Tea Partiers aren't the
least bit
discouraged; they're reinvigorated just as we are. To the
ramparts, fellow patriots -- this is Revolution 2010 and your call to
arms!
As Patrick Henry asserted
235 years ago to this very day, "Give me liberty, or give me death."
We hope to see you on the
frontlines . . .
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Chip Ford |
They tell us, sir,
that we are weak; unable to cope with so formidable an
adversary. But when shall we be stronger? Will it be the next
week, or the next year? Will it be when we are totally disarmed,
and when a British guard shall be stationed in every house?
Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction? Shall we
acquire the means of effectual resistance by lying supinely on
our backs and hugging the delusive phantom of hope, until our
enemies shall have bound us hand and foot? Sir, we are not weak
if we make a proper use of those means which the God of nature
hath placed in our power. The millions of people, armed in the
holy cause of liberty, and in such a country as that which we
possess, are invincible by any force which our enemy can send
against us. Besides, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone.
There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations,
and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us. The
battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant,
the active, the brave. Besides, sir, we have no election. If we
were base enough to desire it, it is now too late to retire from
the contest. There is no retreat but in submission and slavery!
Our chains are forged! Their clanking may be heard on the plains
of Boston! The war is inevitable--and let it come! I repeat it,
sir, let it come.
It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry,
Peace, Peace-- but there is no peace. The war is actually begun!
The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears
the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the
field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish?
What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to
be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it,
Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for
me, give me liberty or give me death!
— Patrick Henry, March 23, 1775
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The Boston Globe
Monday, March 22, 2010
Bay State reacts with cheers, anger
By Michael Levenson
The passage of sweeping health care legislation in the House yesterday
provoked powerful reactions in Massachusetts, with Democrats and
Republicans split along party lines, like their counterparts in
Washington, and activists, businesses, and unions sharply divided over
what the changes will mean for residents and employers.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Charles D. Baker Jr., a former chief
executive of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, condemned the bill, saying it
would increase the deficit and result in higher taxes or cuts in federal
aid for teaching hospitals, medical device companies, and other health
care firms that make up one-third of the Massachusetts economy.
“I’m sad for my country, and I’m sad for my state,’’ Baker said. “This
is a bad deal for Massachusetts, and I think it’s a bad deal for the
country. I think the math in this thing is appalling. . . . We’re
basically going to be dumping an onerous burden onto our children and
grandchildren.’’
Baker added that the procedural tactics used to advance the bill were
“as ugly as anything I’ve ever seen.’’
Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill, an independent candidate for governor who
garnered national attention last week after he warned that the bill
would “wipe out the American economy within four years,’’ also denounced
the bill. He asserted that the measure, like the state’s universal
health care law, is too expensive and would not lower premiums or the
cost of care.
“This is not good for the economy in any way, shape, or form,’’ Cahill
said. “If it has the same outcome as in Massachusetts, it will be a job
killer and it will kill the economy.’’
Governor Deval Patrick, who helped promote the Massachusetts law as a
model for the nation, last night commended President Obama and Congress
for delivering “meaningful health care reform.’’
“This legislation is good for America and good for Massachusetts,’’
Patrick said in a statement. “Today’s vote is also a fitting tribute to
Senator Kennedy’s life’s work. He understood better than anyone that
access to care is a right, not a privilege.’’
Business leaders struck a more measured tone.
Jim Klocke, executive vice president of the Greater Boston Chamber of
Commerce, which represents more than 1,600 businesses in the region,
said the bill would have little effect on businesses here and would be
“a step forward’’ for the country.
He noted that both the federal legislation and the state’s universal
health care law provide subsidies for lower-income residents and require
individuals to buy health insurance. So the federal bill, he said, would
mean “fewer adjustments’’ for Massachusetts than for other states
because it “extends the Massachusetts model around the country.’’
“Our experience here is that health care reform has worked since we
passed it in 2006, and I think both individuals and companies have been
able to follow the law and work with it,’’ Klocke said.
Some health care executives have expressed concerns about aspects of the
bill, including new fees it will impose on insurers. But yesterday
several prominent executives applauded the legislation, saying that,
despite its flaws, it would improve access to health insurance, as did
the law in Massachusetts, where 97 percent of residents have coverage.
James Roosevelt Jr., chief executive of Tufts Health Plan, said the bill
was as historic as the Social Security legislation passed by his
grandfather, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in 1935.
“This is really a historic moment in terms of giving people in the rest
of the United States the protections that health plan members have in
Massachusetts,’’ he said.
Those protections, he said, include guarantees that insurance companies
will not discriminate for preexisting conditions or impose “lifetime
maximum’’ limits on the money they spend on a patient’s care.
Roosevelt said he was concerned that the bill cuts funding for Medicare,
but said “that can be addressed once we have the legislation.’’
“On balance, it’s definitely positive,’’ said Roosevelt, who is also
chairman of the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans.
Dr. Gary Gottlieb, chief executive of Partners Healthcare, a major
hospital company whose members include Brigham and Women’s and
Massachusetts General hospitals, echoed Roosevelt, saying the vote was
“a remarkable and historic moment.’’
“We’re in a country that has great opportunity and wealth, and we need
to share that element relating to health care and social justice with
all the people in the country,’’ he said. “In the long run, it creates
similar circumstances for people throughout the country for what we have
here in Massachusetts.’’
Union leaders, who fought hard for the legislation, applauded
yesterday’s vote but expressed frustration that it did not include a
government-run health insurance option long sought by organized labor.
“The bill is not perfect, but imperfect progress now is better than
perfect progress never,’’ Robert J. Haynes, president of the
Massachusetts AFL-CIO, said in a statement.
Abortion-rights activists, however, were angry last night after Obama
issued an executive order affirming that the bill would not change
longstanding restrictions on federal funding for abortion. Andrea
Miller, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts, called the
order “deeply disappointing’’ and said Congress had treated abortion
rights as a mere “bargaining chip’’ in the debate.
Tea Party activists, who loudly protested the bill in Massachusetts and
across the country, vowed to continue fighting the legislation.
“The fact of the matter is, for the federal government to demand, force,
compel citizens to buy a product under threat of financial punishment,
that’s unconstitutional,’’ said Christen Varley of Holliston, president
of the Greater Boston Tea Party. “They’ve been trying to put the
government in charge of health care for generations. And, as long as
we’re not fighting back, they’re pushing forward, so we’ll keep pushing
back.’’
Still, the vote was undoubtedly a setback for conservative activists and
Tea Party members. On
Red Mass Group,
a conservative blog, the mood was grim.
“CLT activists are used to the thrill of victory AND the agony of
defeat,’’ Barbara Anderson, executive director of the antitax
group Citizens for Limited Taxation, wrote on the blog. “Wonder
how the newbies at the Tea Party will deal with learning that Congress
REALLY doesn’t care what they say.’’
Globe correspondent Jack Nicas contributed to this report.
The Boston Herald
Monday, March 22, 2010
In Massachusetts, ‘change is in the air’
By Jay Fitzgerald
An already intense and volatile Massachusetts political scene could be
cranked up several notches by last night’s controversial votes for and
against the Democratic health-care initiative - signaling a potentially
long and brutal season ahead.
“It’s going to be a hard-fought campaign, no doubt about it,” declared
John Walsh, chairman of the Massachusetts Democratic Party. “This is
going to be an important election - there’s a lot at stake.”
Among the things at stake is the Democrats’ lock on the 10 House seats
representing Massachusetts in Congress - not to mention a slew of open
legislative seats at the State House. Republicans and conservative Tea
Party members are hoping they can now repeat Scott Brown’s stunning
upset victory in January in the U.S. Senate race.
“Change is in the air,” said Peter Blute, a former two-term Republican
congressman from Shrewsbury. “It’s not just health care that has stirred
up people. It’s the (federal budget) deficits, the lack of jobs. It’s a
lot of things.”
“We have people stepping up to the plate everywhere, with a lot of
people wanting to run” against incumbents, said Linda Rapoza, a GOP
state committeewoman and Fall River’s Tea Party president.
She said opponents have come forward to run against against U.S. Reps.
Barney Frank (D-Newton), James McGovern (D-Worcester), Edward Markey
(D-Malden) and Niki Tsongas (D-Lowell) - as well candidates for the seat
of Rep. William Delahunt (D-Quincy), who has declared he won’t run for
re-election. Meanwhile, Stephen Lynch (D-South Boston), who announced
last week he planned to vote against the health-care bill, is facing
both Republican and independent challengers.
But Democrats counter that health-care reform may not be the burning
issue in the November election that it may seem now.
U.S. Rep. Michael Capuano (D-Somerville) said the economy will remain
the top issue during the election. He added midterm elections are always
tricky for the party in power.
Other Democrats said last night’s historic vote may end up helping
Democrats who voted for the health-care package. They noted that Lynch,
the only House member from Massachusetts to vote against the health-care
package, may well end up with an opponent in the Democratic primary.
Mike Shea, a Democratic media consultant and strategist, said just
getting the vote out of the way will help Democrats. “It gets health
care off the table and allows Democrats to focus on jobs,” he said.
“People have short memories,” said Bruce Schulman, a professor of
political history at Boston University. “I’m not sure health care will
be that important. By November, the issue is going to be the economy.”
But nationally, he said, Democrats are going to lose seats in Congress,
perhaps a lot of seats. “The electorate is in a throw-the-bums-out
mood.”
Locally, the Delahunt and Tsongas seats may be the most vulnerable for
Democrats, Schulman said.
The Boston Herald
Monday, March 22, 2010
Tea Partiers vow to push even harder for change
By Jay Fitzgerald
This party’s just getting started.
That was the message from local members of the conservative Tea Party
movement, who vowed they won’t be scared off by last night’s passage of
the historic health-care reform bill.
“We’re going to work awful hard to get rid of some people,” said Linda
Rapoza, president of the Fall River chapter of the Tea Party movement.
Tea Party members made their presence felt during Republican Scott
Brown’s successful U.S. Senate campaign earlier this year - and they say
they’ll be pumping up the volume in the months leading up to the
November elections.
“We’re going to continue to speak out and protest,” declared Kenneth
Mandile, president of the Worcester area Tea Party.
Levi Russell, spokesman for the national Tea Party Express, said he
expects the fight over Democrats’ health-care proposal will drive up
attendance at the organization’s 40-city tour with former Alaska Gov.
Sarah Palin, who is scheduled to hit Boston on April 14.
“It will ramp that up all the more,” Russell said. “The bill itself
represents an encroachment of government into people’s lives. People are
against it.”
Some Tea Party members expressed disappointment with last night’s
expected vote, but recognized that the issue has helped galvanize their
base.
Christen Varley, president of the Greater Boston Tea Party, said her
group plans to issue voter guides to people on the issues and where
local politicians stand.
While Varley said she doesn’t want to tell people how to vote, it’s
important for conservatives to get involved in politics and remain
active.
“We need a big shift in representation,” Varley said.
“The Scott Brown election really opened a lot of people’s eyes,” Mandile
said. “They know they can make a change.”
The Boston Herald
Monday, March 22, 2010
A Boston Herald editorial
‘History’s’ price
Everyone has a price, it seems. And President Obama has become masterful
at finding out exactly what it is and arranging to pay it.
And that is the real story behind the “historic” vote last night for a
bill that puts at risk the U.S. health care system and with it the 16
percent of the economy it represents.
To pave the way for last night’s vote, Obama bought off the pro-life
wing of his own party with an executive order that purports to prohibit
the use of federal funds for abortions. It is, of course, a fig leaf,
which might not survive a court challenge and it certainly doesn’t
obligate Obama’s successor. But if Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) thinks it
will save his sorry butt with the voters, well, good luck to him.
And our own Rep. Michael Capuano (D-Somerville), who spent much of last
week playing Hamlet, decided in the end that an additional $2 billion in
Medicaid funding (over a decade) in the reconciliation bill met his
price. He now insists the bill will make improvements in health care
“without harming the interests of Massachusetts.”
Assuming the Senate goes along, we’ll soon find out.
Sure, there’s some good stuff in this bill - nearly all of which
Massachusetts has already done.
Of course, it makes sense to allow parents to keep their children on
their health plans through age 26, to prohibit insurance companies from
denying coverage to children due to pre-existing conditions or cancel
coverage when a policy-holder becomes ill.
But that shouldn’t require $400 billion in new taxes, $500 billion in
cuts to Medicare providers and a $200 billion cut that will eliminate
Medicare Advantage program (impacting 200,000 Bay State residents).
“One minute after the vote, every single Democrat who voted for reform
will have a bulls-eye on their back,” according to the Democratic Senate
Campaign Committee.
They’ve got it about right.
The Boston Herald
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Health care gives GOP new life
Republicans eye sweep
By Jessica Van Sack and Jay Fitzgerald
A key Scott Brown strategist is predicting that “a perfect storm” of
conservatives and independents outraged over President Obama’s partisan
health-care win will sweep GOP congressional candidates to sweet victory
in November.
“I do see Republicans taking back both Congress and the Senate,” said
Rob Willington, who coordinated U.S. Sen. Brown’s online insurgent bid
and is now working for GOP challengers to U.S. Reps. Niki Tsongas and
Barney Frank.
“I think it’s a perfect storm of conservative backlash and a lot of
independents and moderates who don’t like the spending that’s going on,”
Willington said.
Democrats are touting the historic passage of health-care overhaul as a
crowning achievement of Obama’s administration, even though the final
measure failed to get a single Republican vote.
The $940-billion plan will bar insurers from dropping patients with
pre-existing conditions and lower prescription drug costs for seniors
who fall within a Medicare Part D payment gap.
But the overhaul, which will extend coverage to an estimated 32 million
uninsured Americans by 2019, has come under fire as a government
intrusion of unwanted mandates, including a $524 billion Medicare cut.
Indeed, a whopping 59 percent of Americans oppose the plan, according to
a CNN poll conducted Friday to Sunday.
“I think the country is going to come together as never before in
opposition to the Democrats - in opposition to this incredible abuse of
power - to force through an agenda that the American people have
rejected,” said conservative activist Bay Buchanan, a top adviser to
Gov. Mitt Romney’s 2008 presidential campaign.
“I think the Democratic Party implodes because of this, not just this
year, but for many years to come,” Buchanan added.
Ron Kaufman, another Brown strategist and a Republican National
Committeeman, said Congress continues to underestimate the “anger” of
American voters, and that weak Democratic incumbents should beware.
“I think the health-care fight’s not over yet,” Kaufman said.
One leading national Republican operative who requested anonymity said
the GOP is going to focus on draining Bay State Democrats’ war chests.
“The objective is to spread them thin as much as we can,” he said.
But if Republicans are energized, so too are Democrats, with Gov. Deval
Patrick’s campaign plugging the health-care package in e-mails to
supporters, and Organizing for America, a spin-off of Obama’s
presidential campaign, asking advocates to become “co-signers” of the
legislation.
Democratic consultant Michael P. Shea said Brown’s election made party
leaders and activists less complacent, spurring them to push ahead on
health care.
“Scott Brown didn’t just get Republicans fired up,” Shea said. “I hope
the Republican National Committee targets lots of money for
Massachusetts, because these incumbents are very strong.
“Massachusetts is not going to become Alabama.”
The Boston Herald
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Niki Tsongas is No. 1 target
By Jessica Van Sack
U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas, whose Merrimack Valley district is a hotbed of
Scott Brown independents, has emerged as the top Bay State target for
Republicans seeking to tap into health-care rage to topple Democrat
incumbents.
“Voting for such a partisan and reckless government takeover of health
care is a political liability that single-handedly could jeopardize Niki
Tsongas’s re-election hopes,” said National Republican Congressional
Committee spokesman Tony Mazzola.
“Tsongas ignored voters’ concerns and sided with her partisan Washington
leaders” on health care, he added.
But Tsongas told the Herald yesterday: “I feel very confident about the
record I created. I’m looking forward to the debate.”
The GOP already has two challengers, Seam Meas of Haverill and Jon
Golnik of Carlisle, vying to unseat the 62-year-old incumbent, among a
field of some 11 hopefuls who have expressed an interest in running for
Tsongas’ seat.
Tsongas, the widow of former U.S. Sen. and Democratic presidential
candidate Paul Tsongas, succeeded former U.S. Rep. Martin T. Meehan in a
special election in 2007, had no challenger in 2008 and is up for
re-election this year.
Republicans say candidates have already lined up for races in nine of 10
U.S. House districts in Massachusetts, with all except Rep. Michael
Capuano (D-Somerville) facing a challenger.
But Tsongas is seen as particularly vulnerable, with Brown having taken
20 of 29 towns in the 5th Congressional district, including Lowell,
which he won with 52 percent of the vote.
Golnik, a businessman who has commandeered some of Brown’s top
strategists, called the health-care overhaul “a mess” that creates a
sense of uncertainty for businesses, discouraging new hires.
“I’m gonna need help, I recognize that,” he said. “But I think (Brown)
showed there’s a path to victory in a blue state.”
Tsongas sidestepped questions about whether she planned to engage her
challengers, and noted she routinely holds tele-town halls, or
conference calls with hundreds of residents at one time, to keep in
contact with voters.
She touted her work on legislation to curb sexual assaults in the
military, passing consumer protections and better body armor for
soldiers.
“There’s still much work to be done here,” she said.
Associated Press
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Tea partiers vow revenge over health overhaul
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Tea party activists aren’t just angry that Democrats
passed a major health care overhaul, they are out for revenge.
They do not see passage of the landmark reforms that usher in
near-universal medical coverage as the end of the debate. Tea partiers
instead vow to support attorneys general who plan a lawsuit seeking to
declare the law unconstitutional. They are demanding the bill be
repealed or not funded and want to kick out of office all supporters of
the measure.
So far, the nascent movement has almost reveled in its rebellious and
grass roots nature and has avoided becoming as much a part of the
establishment as the Republican and Democratic parties. But some tea
party organizers see the health care debate as a galvanizing force that
could stir its followers to greater action and something to rally around
with midterm elections this year.
In states across the country, tea party groups planned protests and
vowed to target any congressional member who supported the measure
passed Sunday night.
"There’s going to be a whole, all-out effort for an Election Day
onslaught," said Michael Caputo, a public relations consultant who works
with tea party activists on the national level, as well as in Florida
and New York. "The health care process has been an incendiary issue for
the tea party organizations since Day 1. Losing that vote is going to
inflame them more."
The number of tea party groups has been growing for a little more then a
year. Many in the movement were previously not politically active and
have a strong independent streak, making organization sometimes
difficult.
Most share a common belief that government spending and influence should
be limited and they’re angry about policies President Barack Obama and
the Democratic-controlled Congress are implementing, including last
year’s $787 billion federal stimulus package and health care.
In a conference call with tea party activists Monday night, Eric Odom of
the Patriot Caucus mapped ambitious plans to set up state chapters,
organize voters online and raise money to oust incumbents who supported
the health care overhaul.
He predicted the vote would increase support for the movement across the
country.
The government "has declared war on our way of life," Odom from Nevada
told listeners.
"It’s now time to boot them from office," said Odom, who chairs the
Liberty First PAC, a fundraising arm of the group. "We absolutely must
have your help."
In Florida, about 85 tea party groups encompass about 100,000 people,
according to Everett Wilkinson, a leader in the state’s movement. A
small rally is being planned in Boca Raton on Tuesday with more likely
the rest of the week in response to the vote, he said.
There are similar reactions elsewhere.
"We will be more determined than ever to see that this country is
governed the way the constitution intended," said Brenda Bowen, a tea
party organizer in Greenville, Ala. "We are all getting our second wind.
When we do, you’d better watch out."
Even though they didn’t stop the bill, Tim Dake, organizer of the
Milwaukee-area group GrandSons of Liberty, said he and others intend to
push for a state constitutional amendment that would prohibit forcing
people to buy health insurance. The amendment has been introduced by
Republicans in the Democratic-controlled Wisconsin Legislature, but
there are no plans to hold a hearing on it.
The Republican-controlled Legislature is pushing a similar measure in
Florida. If lawmakers put it on the ballot, at least 60 percent of
voters would have to approve it.
Christen Varley, head of the Greater Boston Tea Party Organizers, said
the House health vote was both "heartbreaking" and a wake-up call.
"I think we all went to bed a little dejected last night, but from the
communication I received this morning, people are energized," said
Varley. Sarah Palin is scheduled to headline a tea party rally on
historic Boston Common on April 14.
Massachusetts already has a form of universal health care, yet the state
made passage of the bill more difficult when voters elected Republican
Scott Brown to replace the late Sen. Ted Kennedy — who spent nearly his
entire career pushing for health care for all. Brown’s election took
away Democrats’ filibuster-proof majority in the Senate.
Willie Lawson, a Tampa-area conservative radio talk show host who speaks
at tea party rallies, wondered what effect the vote will have on an
April 15 event at a University of South Florida stadium.
"It’s just a big punch in the gut. It really is to a lot of people,"
said Lawson, who wondered whether people new to the movement will be
discouraged by the vote and not bother to come. Others, he’s sure, will
be more fired up.
"For some people it will just be more raw meat, more raw meat out the
back door to get people to come," he said. "The hardcore people will be
there. They’ll be angrier than ever."
Whether or not tea partiers will be able to turn anger into organization
may vary from state to state.
"People in the Tea Party movement are fiercely independent. They don’t
like being told what to do. It’s like herding cats," said Chad Capps,
strategy coordinator for a Huntsville, Ala., group.
While tea party activists have made themselves heard, University of
North Florida political science professor Matthew Corrigan said the
movement alone won’t be enough to oust incumbents.
"Do they have energy? Yes. Have they been getting into the media? Yes,
but they still haven’t sold me on the fact that they can swing
elections," Corrigan said. He added, however, that tea party activists
could be more influential if they work with Republicans against
Democrats.
And for Wilkinson, it doesn’t just stop at voting out the lawmakers who
supported the measure.
"When they leave office, we’re going to make sure the private sector is
aware of who they are and we’ll make it virtually impossible for them to
have a job even after they leave office," Wilkinson said. "Wherever they
are, we will be there. We are not stopping. We’re not going away. This
is just the beginning."
The Boston Globe
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Bolder Obama may press other big parts of agenda
By Michael Kranish and Susan Milligan
WASHINGTON — Buoyed by a historic victory, President Obama and the
Democrats hope to quickly tap the momentum from passage of their big
health care bill to advance other initiatives on their political agenda,
including curbing greenhouse gases, imposing new rules on Wall Street,
and overhauling immigration laws.
But success on any of those fronts is by no means assured, despite the
popping corks and bumping fists. Republicans are seeking to blunt any
sense of Democratic progress, starting this week with efforts to scuttle
a health care reconciliation measure in the Senate, and followed by a
blistering repeal campaign that will target the health legislation
leading up to November’s congressional elections.
At a bill signing today, Obama will celebrate the most significant
domestic policy victory of his term when he enacts a sweeping health
care bill to help an additional 32 million Americans obtain health
insurance. It is the most significant expansion of health coverage in
America in four decades.
Democratic senators, meanwhile, are laying their strategy to pass the
second piece of the landmark health care deal, a package of “budget
reconciliation’’ fixes that can be approved with a simple majority and
do not require a filibuster-proof 60 votes.
But mustering this same display of strength on other issues would be
difficult, according to lawmakers and political experts.
Obama and Democratic leaders would need support from Republicans who
have fought him bitterly in recent weeks. And they could face opposition
from Democrats unwilling to take another controversial vote that could
hurt their reelection chances.
“My own view is there’s only so many ‘profile in courage’ votes that the
average House or Senate member wants to take,’’ said Republican pollster
Bill McInturff, co-founder of research firm Public Opinion Strategies.
“This health care bill has used up enormous political capital.’’
The safer bet for Democrats, in this view, would be to focus on smaller,
job-producing spending bills in the months before the 2010 mid-term
elections.
Unlike the overall health care measure, which had already passed the
Senate before the arrival of Senate Republicans’ “41st vote,’’
Massachusetts Republican Scott Brown, the legislation on climate change,
Wall Street, and immigration have yet to win Senate passage.
Senator John McCain, the Arizona Republican who lost the presidential
election to Obama and is now facing a reelection fight, set the tone for
his party this week when he said in a radio interview that the GOP would
not cooperate with the White House this year on other measures after the
health care passage.
“They have poisoned the well in what they’ve done and how they’ve done
it,’’ McCain said.
Similarly, Senator Judd Gregg, the New Hampshire Republican who briefly
was Obama’s nominee for Commerce secretary, said in an interview
yesterday that there was little hope of progress on other bills “if they
pursue the health care template, which was to take the bill into a back
room.’’
Senator John Kerry, the Massachusetts Democrat, however, held out hope
for passing a climate bill, among others.
“Some people will be angry and fight for the sake of fighting,’’ Kerry
said in an interview. “Do people really want to play more politics with
national priorities? At some point the Republican Party will have to
decide if it’s for something.’’
Obama is set to go to Iowa Thursday to build public support for the
health care measure, which was approved 219-212 by the House late Sunday
night.
Despite widespread public skepticism — and, Democrats say, confusion —
about what the bill will do, the Obama administration is confident that
they can assure Americans that the overhaul will improve their lives and
make delivery of their health care more secure.
“After the president signs this bill, the American people are not going
to have to wait long to see benefits,’’ Health and Human Services
Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a conference call with reporters.
“From the moment he puts down his pen,’’ groups such as senior citizens
on prescription drugs and young adults without health insurance will
begin to feel relief, she said.
Obama plans to make periodic trips between now and November to tout the
health care package, said White House press secretary Robert Gibbs.
Some analysts said Obama’s health care victory will embolden him to
revive a variety of campaign promises.
“The victory on health care without any Republican support should steel
Obama for additional partisan wars ahead, especially on financial
regulation,’’ said Thomas Mann, an expert on Congress at the Brookings
Institution, the nonprofit Washington think tank. “I think Democrats
will be much tougher and dare the Republicans to filibuster. Immigration
and climate change have their own politics but Republicans began a
strategy of opposition before Obama was inaugurated and I see no change
yet in that strategy.’’
But immigration reform will prove so divisive that, in pollster
McInturff’s analysis, it has only a 1 percent chance of being approved
before the midterm elections. Climate change, he said, won’t have a
chance in the Senate unless it is substantially changed from the version
the House passed last summer. He rated passage of stricter Wall Street
regulations a “tossup.’’
Powerful interests are lined up on either side of all three of the major
bills.
▪ On
rules to limit greenhouse gases, Kerry is already working with
Republicans and has signaled his willingness to compromise. But the
climate bill is opposed by some Democrats from energy-producing states,
meaning that Obama will need significant amount of Republican support.
Kerry, however, said he believes there are enough Republicans who
support the measure to pass it in the Senate.
▪ On
financial regulation, Senator Chris Dodd, the Connecticut Democrat,
yesterday began hearings on legislation that he said will be designed to
win over at least a few Republicans. This may provide Obama’s best
chance for success, particularly if the president can galvanize voter
anger against financial institutions that played a role in the economic
meltdown. But the details are complex and difficult for voters to
understand, and Obama’s proposal for a Consumer Financial Protection
Agency might have to be sacrificed in order to win enough bipartisan
support.
▪ Congress is
discussing immigration legislation that would provide a pathway for
citizenship for some of the nation’s estimated 12 million illegal
immigrants. While members of both parties want to win over the important
Latino vote for the midterm elections and beyond, there are members in
both parties opposed to the measure.
If nothing else, the passage of the health care bill has the practical
impact of freeing up the time of legislators to focus on other issues.
“It should make it easier because health care sucked up a lot of the
oxygen in the political room as well as consumed a lot of time,’’ said
Daniel Weiss, an expert on climate change at the liberal Center for
American Progress Action Fund. Weiss cited the example of a Democrat who
was unable to attend a key meeting on global warming with Obama two
weeks ago because he was meeting elsewhere about health care.
Weiss believes that health care passage will strengthen the president’s
hand on climate change, particularly if his poll numbers go up in the
coming days. “In politics, success breeds success. So instead of
depleting political capital, it can replenish it.’’
That is what advocates of immigration reform are hoping. Yesterday, the
Rev. Jim Wallis, an evangelical Christian who supports the reform
effort, met with officials at the White House, urging them to take
advantage of the momentum from health care passage.
In the meantime, Wallis said, he wants to help Obama by forming prayer
groups for immigration reform in the same way that tea party activists
have led protests against various Democratic policies.
“The country needs to know we are together,’’ Wallis said.
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