Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) destroyed FBI Director Robert Mueller on the IRS targeting scandal and investigation today.

FBI Director Mueller has no idea who’s running the program, how many people are assigned to the investigation, where the investigation stands, and if any Tea Party groups have been interviewed. He was clueless.

This was another embarrassment for the Obama Administration. They’re obviously in no hurry to dig into this massive scandal. Via America Live:

http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2013/06/rep-jim-jordan-destroys-fbi-director-mueller-on-irs-targeting-scandal-video/

Plus he’s not doing *anything* to control public spending, and reacts to criticism by shutting people out (no, not me; I was never in). And then there’s the Wright-Duffy thing…

I have conservative friends who agree with me but who fear that by overly criticizing Mr. Harper I will contribute to Justin Trudeau being prime minister which will destroy the country (I exaggerate, but only a little). My answer: a) thanks for the flattery but I am rather confident my opinions don’t move voters; b) this is going to sound harsh but I have trouble seeing how Mr. Trudeau would be worse than Mr. Harper; c) if the country is that fragile that one politician can destroy it, then maybe it deserves to be broken up.

If, however, my friends’ fears turn out to be a tad overblown, we’ll just be griping at each other as per usual, and pay more in taxes than we need to. I’m fairly sure we can survive that.

The Republican and potential 2016 White House contender will join former President Bill Clinton on stage Friday for a discussion titled “Cooperation and Collaboration: A Conversation on Leadership.”

Christie has embraced bipartisanship he seeks re-election in his Democratic-leaning home state.

It’s an indication of the country’s desire to show respect for organized religion, even when the majority of the terrorists have originated from said religion.

What it shows more significantly other than anything else though is that if America is one thing America is a civilized country.

It should be a lesson in civility to all “over there” who apparently are preaching hate for this country from behind the cloth of religion.

Even a civilized country has limits to its restraint.

Copyright © William Thien 2013

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By Kirk Clay

Will Young Voters of Color Amplify Their Voice in New Jersey 2013 Elections?

There are plenty of reasons for New Jersey’s young surging electorate to vote this year. They will have a chance

to elect New Jersey’s next U.S. Senator who will be their voice in D.C. on issues that matter to them.  Issues like financial aid for college, student loan debt and jobs. Also, they have the opportunity to elect the next Governor.

To succeed they must remember 1+2+3.  First, they need to vote on August 13^th for the special primary election.  Second, they need to vote again for their candidate on the October 16^th – United States Senate special election.  And three, they will claim victory when they vote on the November 5^th gubernatorial election. One, two, three. August 13, October 16, November 5^th.

If young people vote, they will be part of a historic game-changing election!  With the entry of candidates like Cory Booker, the political narrative has changed. Now their vote can reflect the changing demographics of New Jersey.

This year’s election also provides an opportunity for the rising progressive electorate to expand, deepen and strengthen its proven game-changing system which turns out record levels of voters of color (VOC). This will be a demonstration on how new media, politics, and old fashion “Get Out The Vote” tactics can impact voter turnout rates in communities of color. As established in 2012, this electorate has the power to elect candidates — including women and African Americans — to local offices, state capitals, and U.S. Senate.

So how will these voters affect this year’s election? Conservative candidates rely on low voter turnout to win in off year elections. The majority of their vote comes from precincts where they have outsized support from older white male voters. While voters under 30 were 17% of the electorate for New Jersey in 2008, that number dropped to 9% in 2009. The same is true for Voters of Color; they were 27% of the electorate in 2008 and only 25% in 2009. However, their vote share bounced back to 30% in 2010 and soared to 31% in 2012.

What’s the difference this year? Just like in the 2012 campaign, new tools for contacting progressive voters make it possible to expand the electoral map at critical points in the campaign. For example, there are close to 500,000 eligible Voters of Color in 13 important cites like Newark, Jersey City, Camden, and Atlantic City. These communities are heavily populated, under-resourced, and ripe for cross-platform civic engagement. Strategic use of 21st century data-driven technology in these and other cities will ignite key voters and increase turnout throughout the state.

In the end, we have to remind ourselves that all elections are about voter registration and turnout. Therefore, any effort that has success reaching unique pockets of voters will have an impact at the polls. These voters can easily overwhelm daily tracking polls by amplifying their voice on Election Day. All it will take is a combination of traditional civic engagement tactics combined with the use of various social media mediums to engage and expand the state’s Youth and People of Color electorate. This strategy of micro-targeting voters proved to be clutch in 2012 and it delivered a powerful victory for the progressive coalition.

Simply put, politicians will not survive in this new political landscape if they can’t connect with the rising electorate. Understanding the nature of cross-platform civic engagement is essential in today’s new political landscape. In the past, networking may have been a second tier concern but it has become the loadstone of demographic politics. Campaigns that don’t understand this will miss the mark. If they can’t intimately link to communities of color with authentic social media tools they will fall short. It’s as simple as New Jersey 1-2-3. #NJ123

###

Kirk Clay is Senior Advisor at PowerPAC

Related articles

• A Census First: Black Voter Turnout Passes Whites (blackamericaweb.com)

The train journey down started really well with an unexpected turn of events. A young man sat a few seats from me and I recognised him as Chris Ramsey, stand-up comedian and actor from South Shields. Those that know me will not be surprised at my next actions, which was to start tweeting him. As most people travelling were using phones, he was unaware who was relating to his twitter  followers what he was doing. Once I identified myself we spoke a little while. Talk about Big Brother is watching. Thanks for the laugh Chris, you were a good sport.

After this light relief it was over to Westminster for the event. I was met by Carers Week staff and introduced to others from various organisations, including Age UK and Carers Trust. Then it was to business.

As a Carers UK member my companions were Emily Holzhausen, Director of Policy, and Chloe Wright, Senior Policy Officer. They took turns to sit with me. Also helping oversee the event was Steve McIntosh.

It was explained how the event would unfold. As MPs arrived they would be guided to tables to speak with carers, how long for was unsure, depending on if they had any other appointments they needed to attend.

I had no worries about speed networking. Those that know Geordies will know we talk fast. My main concern was how much ground could be covered when the issues surrounding carers are many. It was not just about my family’s’ circumstances, but many others out there too, struggling to cope on a daily basis.

We managed to see 8 MPs, names as follows –

Ian Mearns  Lab
Guy Opperman  Con
Norman Lamb  LibDem
Peter Aldous  Con
Sheila Gilmore   Lab
Grahame Morris   Lab
Stewart Jackson  Con
Caroline Lucas   Green

As well as outlining how caring has impacted on my family, other issues discussed were as follows.

1.    The issue of the Children and Families Bill and the lack of parent carer rights in it, and the concern that they would be left behind. We also talked about when the Care Bill comes to the House of Commons, to stop carers from being charged for their own services and to put an amendment, which would prevent family and friends’ support being taken for, granted.

2.    We discussed the impact of welfare reform on carers, in particular the bedroom tax

3.    The benefits system, which causes huge difficulties in trying to juggle work and care.

4.    Lack of services that are right for the people we care for, e.g. lack of dementia services and support for younger people.

5.    Lack of investment locally in carers’ support e.g. carer’s dementia work.

6.    Concerns about cuts to services and reassessments of severely disabled people and the impact on the caring support and family

7.    Concerned about the cumulative impact of different changes and cuts that are hitting families hard.

8.    Problems surrounding Employment Support Allowance process

9.    Impact on disabled people, as well as carers, re closure of Independent Living Fund.

10.   Advice and information being hard to come by but being vital.

11.  Importance of strong local advocates within local carers’ organisations.

12.  The level of Carer’s Allowance and the failure of this Government and the last Government to reform this benefit.

With thanks to Ian Mearns, Grahame Morris and Guy Opperman for the North East presence, to Norman Lamb who stayed longer than intended and was late for his next appt, and remaining MPs for the interest they showed, and the many questions asked.

Journey back took several hours and it was past midnight when I got home, extremely tired but an enjoyable day.

So, following on from the Carers Week theme of ‘I’m Prepared to Care’ – my question would be – What next?

Many of us have already been caring for as long as we can remember. Governments past and present have failed to fully address many of the carer issues.

We need action now

Give us the tools to assist us in our caring roles. It may be finances, respite, services, equipment, understanding from employers etc. Investing in us now can only strengthen the foundation we provide that prop up both NHS and Social Services.

We are ‘prepared to care’ 

 Is the government prepared to take ACTION?

Rosemary

Carers UK blog

In an interview with CBC National anchor Peter Mansbridge Thursday, Wallin spoke extensively about the scandal that has enveloped her, admitting she made mistakes and is “very sorry.”

Wallin quit the Conservative caucus on May 17, saying at the time that she was “recusing” herself while a report was being prepared on tens of thousands of dollars in expense claims she had made since April 2009.

But she told the CBC that, in fact, “it was clear they wanted me out.”

“A phone call comes and you’re given an hour to resign or you’ll be fired, for lack of a better word,” she said in her first extended interview since leaving the caucus.

“Their argument was that this was, you know, a distraction and that I was not representative of the views that they wanted to have in public.”

Wallin identified Conservative leadership in the Senate and Harper’s current chief of staff, Ray Novak, who was then the prime minister’s principal secretary, as being responsible for pushing her out.

Novak became Harper’s chief of staff two days later after Nigel Wright resigned amid controversy over how he had given Sen. Mike Duffy more than $90,000 to help Duffy repay his housing expenses.

The former broadcaster said she mistakenly billed travel expenses to the Senate that should have been billed to “third parties,” including boards on which she served, and that they were “business related” and not for Conservative Party events.

She attributed the mistakes to the large amount of paperwork surrounding the claims process, but said she took “full responsibility” as “what I didn’t do was mind the shop properly.”

“I think anybody understands that when you are dealing with mounds of paper you’re going to make some mistakes,” she said. “I am sorry for doing that. I wish I’d paid better attention.”

An audit into her spending was ordered late last year after Senate finance officials raised concerns about her travel habits. The Senate’s administration had tracked Wallin’s spending for one year before the audit was officially sent to outside auditors on Jan. 3, 2013.

The results of the audit will not be given to the Senate until late July. It is expected to be made public sometime in August.

However, Wallin has so far paid back $38,000 on her own. She said she made the repayments “instantly because it was clear they were mistakes.”

“I don’t think I deliberately set out to use the system or abuse the system,” she said. “I don’t think that I was there for my own personal financial gain or to aggrandize myself in some way.”

She said she never talked to Harper or Wright about receiving the type of financial help that Wright gave to Duffy.

“These are my mistakes and I will pay the bills,” she said. “I have always paid my own bills. Period. Full stop. (Wright) did not offer. I did not ask. It was not accepted. My money.”

Wallin denied having a “sense of entitlement,” saying she came to the Senate not for personal gain, but to try to make a difference in the lives of average Canadians, including those in the Canadian Forces.

“This is a chance to do something that matters,” she said of being in the Senate. “It’s not about the money. It’s not about feeling that I’m entitled to do this. It’s about having a purpose.”

With files from Jordan Press

lberthiaume(at)postmedia.com

Twitter:/leeberthiaume

“Where’s evil? It’s that large part of every man that wants to hate without limit, that wants to hate with God on its side. It’s that part of every man that finds all kinds of ugliness so attractive. It’s that part of an imbecile that punishes and vilifies and makes war gladly.”

-Mother Night, Kurt Vonnegut

I have not spoken in depth on politics here at Julien Haller Responds. To be honest, I do not keep myself up to date on all the latest comings and goings of various bills, personas, and regimes. I tend to view the subject matter of twenty-four hour news channels to be clogged with much of the pointless detail and none of the substance, political speeches with empty rhetoric, and policy debates with disgusting appeals to mass prejudice. As a man of ideas, I certainly have those that are concerned with the betterment of human society, and a few of them are sprinkled throughout my blog; but as a whole, I find myself disinterested in conventional politics and their mundane treatments in the blogosphere.

However, to even someone such as myself, a disinterested writer of literature and philosophy without a single television to his name, the swelling aggression of right-wing extremists in recent years has become painfully obvious: the Tea Party Movement, increasingly combative dialogue, and, of course, the very existence of Fox News (and Conservapedia). I normally make light of these trends, having learned to treat men such as Bill O’Reilly and Sean Hannity, and women like Ann Coulter and Sarah Palin, with the laughter they deserve. But today I heard about an Alabama State Senator named Shadrack McGill who cited “biblical principle” in an argument against paying teachers a higher salary. In another article I read, he supported public schools allowing events with obvious religious overtones, telling those who criticized such affairs that any parents who did not want their children engaged in such activities could homeschool their children, basically upholding the “right” of the majority to oppress the minority.

Living in a major city, I sometimes forget such ignorance coupled with the force of government still exists. Maybe I should not laugh so much when I see it; maybe I would not if I were reminded of it more often. But I’m not laughing now, and I have something I need to say to Shadrack McGill and all men who think like him

You will lose. If the historical record proves anything, it is that. Since the advent of the first humanistic sentiments coming out of the Dark Ages, and the advancing Enlightenment that saw its great achievement in the revolutions it spawned, the forward momentum of progress has stood undefeated against those of you who would see the course of humanity steered back into a retrograde primitivism: in the eighteenth century, the power of kings was sanctified by the church, but the power of the people opposed them, and the people won; in the nineteenth century, the power of slave owners was justified by scripture, but the power of equality opposed them, and equality won; in the twentieth century, the power of governments to withhold the teaching of evolution was touted by the faithful, but the power of reason opposed them, and reason won.

And now, in the twenty-first century, your backs are to the wall. Intellectual freedom and liberty, those most necessary complements of peace and joy, have reached new heights, and though humanity is still far from perfect, we are evolving; and your rising tide of hate, of anger, of everything unbecoming of a decent human being, we know it for what it is: fear. You are going the way of the dodo, and none too soon.

But before you do, before your voice dies in a whisper upon the winds of change, I want you to know something: many of you have children, and one day they will have children of their own, and so will these children give birth to even more, and some day, somewhere down that line, there will come a generation that learns to despise you. Like the ancestors of former slave owners, they will be ashamed of the ideologies you bear today, and they will betray the immortality you sought in them. They will strive to see your name erased from the annals of history, and when they are finished, you will be no more than a blemish on the record of human progress, an annoying insect buzzing in the face of a giant.

And once the world has bred out you and your ideas, the most frightening prospect concerning life after death will come to pass: you will be forgotten. Lost to the shifting sands of time,  you will be buried under the sea of a new generation, one that is a step closer to the joy and peace you stood in hindrance to; one that is a little less ignorant despite you; and one that is better for not having you.

As of Thursday, the voice mail on Paz’s work phone remains active and callers are asked to leave a message for Paz, though nobody answered repeated calls placed to that number. Calls to the mobile phone number listed under Paz’s name in the IRS’s internal directory are sent straight to voice mail, and indicate her mailbox has not yet been set up.

As the director of Rulings and Agreements, Paz served as the first line of management in Washington, D.C., that oversaw both the tax-law specialists who provided guidance to agents in Cincinnati reviewing tea-party applications and the Determinations Unit in Cincinnati charged with processing those applications. Paz has served in that position since January 2011, reporting directly to Lois Lerner, with the exception of a four-month period between October 2011 and January 2012 when she reportedly was on maternity leave. Lerner, the director of the IRS’s Exempt Organizations division was on May 23 placed on paid leave.

Read more here

Devinder Shory, the Conservative behind Bill C-425, said the NDP has “reached a new low” by standing in the way of efforts to “protect the safety and security of Canadians and integrity of Canadian citizenship.”

NDP immigration critic Jinny Sims, meanwhile, said the Conservatives are “abusing parliamentary process” and usurping private member’s business to push forward the government’s agenda.

With David Tilson, the Conservative chairman of the Commons committee reviewing the bill, on overseas government business, the NDP and Liberals have taken over the chair and are refusing to allow a vote on a government request for a 30- day extension. It means the committee has sat since Tuesday morning, taking time out only for so-called personal breaks.

The extension would ultimately give the Conservatives more time to obtain permission from the House to open up the bill and alter its scope before the clause by clause review begins.

While Sims argues Tilson himself ruled many of the amendments were out-of-order, the government maintains the Speaker, in a ruling last month, confirmed efforts to re-scope the bill were procedurally sound.

The original bill sought to fast-track citizenship for permanent residents who promise to serve three years in the Canadian Forces. It would allow them to become citizens in two years instead of three.

After it came to light that a Canadian dual national was involved in a Hezbollah-linked bus bombing in Bulgaria that killed five Israeli tourists, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney suggested the government amend Shory’s bill so that it also strip citizenship from dual nationals, born in Canada or abroad, involved in acts of terror. It would not apply to those who only have Canadian citizenship as it’s against international law to render somebody stateless.

“If this minister wants to have a bill that addresses terrorism, he should bring it forward as a government legislation, not try to parachute (it) into a private member’s bill,” Sims said. “There is not a member of Parliament on any side of the House . . . that supports acts of violence or terrorism of any sort. We will gladly sit down with government, if they decide to bring forward legislation that will actually tackle some of those issues.”

Kenney called the Opposition’s tactics nothing more than “bad faith parliamentary gimmickry” and argued Shory himself wanted the changes to be included in his bill.

tcohen(at)postmedia.com

Twitter.com/tobicohen

Just about an hour ago, Representative Jim Jordan questioned FBI Director Robert Mueller about the FBI investigation into the IRS illegally targeting conservatives, Republicans, Tea Party movement members and organizations.

The answers are absolutely stunning, demonstrating BRUTAL stupidity.

Either he just blatantly lied to US Congress, which is the most likely possibility, or he is guilty of extreme gross incompetence. It stinks of being another cover-up. It’s no wonder the majority of US citizens no longer trust anyone in the federal government.

The entire Obama Administration is functioning like that now. The truth from Obama and anyone in his administration is just another lie not yet found out.

To be brutally blunt about it, in this case, it appears Robert Mueller has an extreme serious anatomical problem. He has his head so far up his rear end that it is actually hanging out of his mouth. So no wonder he can’t answer any questions put to him.

+ + +

The political bombshell exploded Thursday afternoon, as the police force released a carefully worded statement about the matter and opposition parties continued to press in the House of Commons for more details on the affair. Prime Minister Stephen Harper, on a trip to Europe, was absent from the Commons.

The news broke after Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner Mary Dawson announced that she had “suspended” her own probe so that another investigation, which she did not identify, could proceed on whether Wright had violated an Act of Parliament.

Later, RCMP Cpl. Lucy Shorey released a statement to the media which confirmed the Mounties had moved beyond their initial review of the matter, which became publicly known in mid-May. Now, they are in the midst of a formal investigation into the payment involving Wright and Duffy.

“The RCMP continues its investigation to determine whether a criminal act has taken place,” she wrote in an email.

“It must be meticulous and carefully consider, and examine, all information. The RCMP would only lay charges when there is sufficient evidence to do so.”

The RCMP did not elaborate on how extensive its criminal investigation into the Senate scandal — which has embroiled the Prime Minister’s Office because of Wright’s gift to Duffy — will eventually become.

“We will not be commenting any further on this matter,” wrote Shorey.

A law enforcement source said the decision to launch a criminal investigation took place within the last 10 days. The Mounties informed Dawson of this development in a letter Thursday morning and were unaware that she would then announce the suspension of her own probe. That left the RCMP scrambling to confirm their criminal investigation into the Senate spending affair, something they don’t normally do.

In the House of Commons, opposition MPs kept up their attack and demanded to see a copy of the $90,000 cheque that the government says Wright gave Duffy so he could repay his ineligible housing expenses.

Heritage Minister James Moore said the Mounties would collect information on the matter but declined to answer questions from MPs about the investigation.

“The RCMP is independent,” he said. “The RCMP can speak to the RCMP’s investigation.”

Later, NDP ethics critic Charlie Angus told reporters he’s “happy” that the RCMP have launched an investigation, as his party requested last month. But he expressed concern that Harper will hide behind the investigation and use it as an excuse to not answer questions publicly now.

“I think the prime minister owes it to Canadians to come clean and explain himself.”

Angus said he doesn’t know what laws might have been broken, but he said the Parliament of Canada makes it an indictable offence to offer compensation to a senator regarding a matter that’s before the Upper Chamber.

“These are serious issues. There may be other issues in terms of this cheque. The question is: Was Nigel Wright acting on his own?  Who else was involved with him?”

Duff Conacher, an adjunct law professor at the University of Toronto and founder of Democracy Watch, a non-profit that advocates for government accountability, said Thursday it is likely that investigators are zeroing in on two rarely used sections of the Criminal Code — sections 119 and 121 — which deal with the acceptance or giving of bribes involving public officials.

He said investigators are likely going to be scouring emails, phone logs and other communications between Duffy and members of the Prime Minister’s Office, and conducting interviews with associates to see who knew what.

The Duffy affair has sparked a major political controversy for Harper, who had initially publicly supported Wright once his actions were made public but then accepted his resignation after several days of growing public outrage.

Andrew MacDougall, director of communications for Harper, was traveling with the prime minister in France Thursday and provided the following comment by email: “The Prime Minister’s Office has not been approached by the RCMP. We would provide any possible assistance if asked.”

Opposition parties have pressed Harper in the House of Commons for more details about what transpired, but he has said that the facts would be learned through Dawson’s probe

However, on Thursday, Dawson’s office released a statement saying she had “suspended” her conflict of interest probe into Wright’s involvement in the payment.

Her office said she was required to suspend her investigation when it was confirmed to her earlier Thursday  “that Mr. Wright is also being investigated in relation to the same subject-matter to determine whether he has committed an offence under an Act of Parliament.”

According to the Conflict of Interest Act, Dawson “cannot continue the examination until any investigation or charge in respect of the same subject-matter has been finally disposed of.”

mkennedy@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/Mark_Kennedy_

With files from Douglas Quan

• Ohio Republicans introduced what ThinkProgress is calling “the worst abortion bill of all time,” mandating, among other things, that doctors tell women medically disputed information, a 48 hour waiting period, and that women not only submit to intrusive ultrasounds but pay for the procedure themselves.

• House Republicans—the national, big boy branch!—is planning a vote on a blatantly unconstitutional measure restricting abortion after twenty weeks, with no exception for rape or incest, a bill with no chance of passing the Senate, being signed by the president, or surviving an appellate court.

• Trent Franks, the author of the 20-week ban, decided to re-up Todd Akin and blah blah blah about the relation of rape to pregnancy.

• The House passed the new National Defense Authorization Act with an amendment overturning the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.

• The House—they’re on a roll—also passed a bill calling for the deportation of DREAM-eligible immigrants, a pointless salvo in the calm before they take up immigration reform.

The tea partyish elements pulled this bait-and-switch in 2010, when the clown car that got elected on cutting spending pulled up to state capitol buildings with anti-Planned Parenthood bills falling out the passenger window. But that cultural undercurrent, which was largely obscured by subsequent debt-ceiling dramas and budget battles, came back to upend the GOP in 2012 in the form of Richard Mourdock and Todd Akin and the gang. Moral of the story: conservatives are on much firmer footing when they rail about debts and deficits than when they improv on reproductive systems.

But that political calculus requires a deficit crisis. If you read this blog you know the deficit crisis was always more of an imagined moral imperative than a real emergency, but it’s still deflating before our eyes, even with the gratuitous austerity measures we’ve passed in the past three years. So what we’re seeing right now is a political movement suddenly faced with a void where their raison d’être used to be. The GOP clearly has no bench of issues: the moment the government spending alarm stops sounding, they immediately revert to criminalizing women’s health, oppressing gay people, and demagoguing immigrants. Which means the better the economy gets, the more we’re going to hear white men inveigh on the morality of pregnancy.

The meeting will begin at 6:30 on Tuesday, June 18.  Please come early and support Big Horn BBQ restaurant.  This is a free event/meeting, but your  Dinner and drinks are on you.  Please feel free to bring your friends, family and neighbors. We’re looking forward to seeing you there!

The nation the Founders built is now in the throes of a political, economic, social, and spiritual crisis that has driven many to an almost frantic search for modern solutions. The truth is that the solutions have been available for a long time — in the writings of our Founding Fathers — carefully set forth in this timely book.

In The 5000 Year Leap: A Miracle That Changed the World, Discover the 28 Principles of Freedom our Founding Fathers said must be understood and perpetuated by every people who desire peace, prosperity, and freedom. Learn how adherence to these beliefs during the past 200 years has brought about more progress than was made in the previous 5000 years. These 28 Principles include The Genius of Natural Law, Virtuous and Moral Leaders, Equal Rights–Not Equal Things, and Avoiding the Burden of Debt.

The Atlantic

When it comes to immigration reform, Senator Rand Paul says he is only trying to help. Should immigration-reform advocates believe him? On Wednesday, Paul, the Tea Party Republican from Kentucky, stood before a phalanx of cameras and microphones in a Capitol Hill hotel where he’d just given a speech. “I want to vote for immigration reform,” he told the group of reporters. But in order to meet his standards, the bill needed some changes, such as putting it in the hands of Congress to judge whether the border was sufficiently secure.

A number of conservative politicians are using a version of this line. They say they support immigration reform in the abstract, but in practice, the legislation is never good enough. As the immigration debate opened in the Senate on Wednesday, this was the major question facing the bill’s proponents: make the bill more conservative to meet this group’s demands? Or refuse, on the grounds that these right-wingers are never going to support the final bill anyway?

Read more…

Congress wrote the ACA specifically to not exempt themselves.  Now they want out.  They subjected the entire nation to this abomination and they want out.

Rep. John Larson, a Connecticut Democrat in leadership when the law passed,  said he thinks the problem will be resolved.  “If not, I think we should begin an immediate amicus brief to say, ‘Listen  this is simply not fair to these employees,’” Larson told POLITICO. “They are  federal employees.”

It could be politically difficult to change this provision. The provision was  put in the bill in the first place on the theory that if Congress was going to  make the country live under the provisions of Obamacare, the members and staff  should have to as well.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/06/obamacare-lawmakers-health-insurance-92691.html#ixzz2W6SuypD5

Not fair Federal employees?  Who gives a shit.  Comments like that make me want to puke.  How arrogant.  What about the American People?  Let them eat cake?  Where is their concern for the rest of the nation being subjected to these cost increases and coverage declines?  This is hopelessly tragic.  Obamacare was always about centralizing power in Washington.  It was always about creating an entitlement that would generate a permanent voting bloc for Democrats.  If you truly believe the Democrats passed this for all their self-professed ideals about helping thy neighbor well… then I have a healthcare plan I would like to sell you.

Repeal this.  Defund this.  Stop this.

Now why am I not surprised by this? Disturbing new research suggests the answer to that question may depend on your political ideology. In three experiments, “we found that conservatives were more …

See on nomorerace.wordpress.com

Organizers behind the bodacious “Road to Majority” conference are determined  to wrangle conservatives onto the same page as the 2014 midterm elections loom.  The event, virtually ignored so far by the mainstream press, begins Thursday at  a hotel just three blocks from the White  House.

By Jennifer Harper
The Washington Times

“This conference is a chance to unify all conservatives. And I mean social  conservatives, tea party folks, fiscal conservatives, middle of the road  Republicans — everyone,” Gary  Marx, executive director of the Faith & Freedom  Coalition, tells Inside the Beltway.

“This is a chance to focus, to get on the real road to a majority together.  And there’s no big push towards the 2016 presidential election. That comes  later,” Mr. Marx says. “Right now, this is all  about 2014.”

The Georgia-based nonprofit is behind the three-day event, with initial  welcomes from Republican Sens. Marco  Rubio, Ted Cruz,  Rand Paul, Ron  Johnson and Mike  Lee, among other lawmakers. Rick  Santorum, Mike  Huckabee, Grover Norquist, Jonah  Goldberg and Dick  Morris later host an “after hours event.”

A parade of luminaries follows over the next 48 hours: Sens. John  Cornyn and Jeff Sessions, Jeb  Bush, Republican  National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, plus Reps.  Paul Ryan, Michele  Bachmann and Marsha  Blackburn. To name a few, a very few.

The cast also includes Texas Gov. Rick  Perry, Donald  Trump, John R.  Bolton, Herman  Cain and The Washington Times’ very own Emily  Miller. To name a few, a very few. The grand finale Saturday  afternoon? That would be Sarah Palin.

WEST AND LIMBAUGH WONDER WHY

The ever-unfolding saga that is the National  Security Agency vs. Edward  Snowden matter has sparked stark questions.

“Now that we’ve learned the National Security Agency is  monitoring our phone and Internet records, I want to know why they weren’t  listening to Anwar  al-Awlaki and his conversations with Army Maj. Nidal  Malik Hasan. I also want to know why they didn’t pay more attention  to the Tsarnaev brothers’ travels and connections to Chechen Islamic terrorism  after Russia warned them about their activities,” Allen B. West asks, referring to the 2009 Fort Hood shootings and the Boston Marathon  terrorist attacks in April.

Donald Trump (Getty Images)

“This isn’t national security. It’s a national circus. And it’s  unacceptable,” the former congressman from Florida adds.

A refresher: Anwar al-Awlaki, an  extremist Islamic cleric, was killed in 2011 by a drone strike in Yemen, Maj. Hasan is still incarcerated. Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed in the intense manhunt following the  Boston bombing; his younger brother Dzhokhar remains  hospitalized.

And from talk radio kingpin Rush Limbaugh, who ponders the  federal agency’s role in tracing  the whereabouts of undocumented workers: “If the NSA can track anyone anywhere, why can’t we find 10 to 11 million illegals living in  the shadows?” he asked his audience Wednesday.

“If the NSA can track anyone anywhere, why can’t we find 10 to 11 million illegals living in  the shadows?”

SOME SOUL-SEARCHING

Blockbuster news prompts deep thought. The aforementioned Edward  Snowden extravaganza has prompted lawmakers to wonder if  whistleblowers and the journalists who publish secret information should be  praised or prosecuted. Rep. Peter T. King, New York Republican  and former chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, has told both CNN  and Fox News that there’s a “moral and legal obligation” to punish journalists  who “severely compromise” national security.

“I think whistleblowers are absolutely essential in a democracy. But it’s a very gray area. What’s a whistleblower and what’s someone who is leaked information that could be harmful to some of our American assets who are trying to protect American citizens?” counters Rep. Xavier Becerra,  California Democrat, and perhaps a “Star Trek” fan.

“I don’t know the answer to that. And that’s why I’m sort of going with  Capt. Kirk, to a place where no man has gone before,” Mr.  Becerra observes.

AND THE NUMBERS

A Gallup poll released Wednesday gauges American sentiment toward the  Edward Snowden dilemma:  44 percent say it was “right” for Mr.  Snowden to reveal what he knew about the NSA;  42 percent say he was wrong. About 59 percent say it was right for The Guardian  and The Washington Post to publish the information; 33 percent say it was  wrong.

A MILLION-DOLLAR MOMENT

A quartet of those who “advance the cause of freedom” have received generous  recognition indeed from the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation. The 2013 Bradley  Prizes were awarded Wednesday evening at the John F. Kennedy Center to Fox News  Chairman Roger Ailes, former U.S. Solicitor General  Paul D. Clement, former Indiana Gov. Mitch  Daniels, and National Affairs editor Yuval Levin. Each  gent received $250,000; the prize selection committee included former Heritage  Foundation President Ed Feulner, George Will and Charles Krauthammer.

“We recognize individuals whose accomplishments strengthen American  institutions, in hopes that others will strive for excellence in their  respective fields,” says Michael Grebe, spokesman for the  Milwaukee-based philanthropic organization.

POLL DU JOUR

• 75 percent of Americans approve of federal government  agencies collecting phone records of Americans suspected of being terrorists; 72  percent of Republicans and 81 percent of Democrats agree.

• 58 percent overall disapprove of the agencies collecting  phone records of ordinary Americans; 66 percent of Republicans and 48 percent of  Democrats agree.

• 53 percent overall say government collecting of the  records is a “necessary tool” to help find terrorists; 49 percent of Republicans  and 60 percent of Democrats agree.

• 49 percent overall are “concerned” about losing their  privacy; 62 percent of Republicans and 54 percent of Democrats agree.

• 38 percent overall are concerned the government might be  collecting their phone records; 39 percent of Republicans and 33 percent of  Democrats agree.

Source: A CBS News poll of 1,015 U.S. adults conducted June 9-10.

• Blithering and dithering to  jharper@washingtontimes.com.

Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/jun/12/
inside-the-beltway-unifying-conservatives-by-2014/#ixzz2W5NpPou9

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Photo: Tea Party favorite Sarah Palin