In a time where both parties, post presidential election (or birth-certificate-verification-failure, as some describe it), are failing to appeal to the sane among us, the Democrats and Republicans alike should be concentrating on grass roots efforts to get in touch with real people – as opposed to fake people, AKA polls – on an individual basis, and not just so-called “movements” and “collectives.” Both have been trying. Neither have had much success.

Republicans, seeking to combat their lack of relevance on substantive issues, have released a new onslaught of attack ads, boldly calling upon their newest playbook (from 2004) and recruiting the aid of whatever MTV music video director happened upon the unemployment office this month, backed up by the Fox News Christmas Party Band. Huckabee wasn’t invited to play bass this year. Pesky commuted sentences.

At first look, the ad doesn’t serve them well. At second, it becomes a bit laughable. Anything after that requires whiskey consumed from a beer bong. Upside down and preferably in a hot tub. They seem to have shoved their fingers down their ear canals to prevent themselves from being confronted by the truth; that the efficacy of any message is lost when honest appeals to constituents – or even would be constituents – are replaced with carbon copies of retired ideas. How are ditto machine companies doing these days?

If your aim is to broach to the topic of Health Care Reform, then for God’s sake, talk about health care reform. There’s plenty to talk about: obstructionism, deceit, corporate funded opposition and support, cuts to medicare, abortion, wasteful spending, triggers, opt in or outs… There’s a catalog of legitimate pros and cons, which play to the both parties’ respective bases -  in a senate bill that is as fluid as the lines of money fueling the efforts to promote it or kill it.

But, once again, that is not the alley the GOP has chosen to go down. Here’s the approach chosen to be the focal point on the Alaska Republican Party’s page.

OH MY GOD MARK BEGICH IS JOHN KERRY!!! AND THE PRESIDENT IS THE LITTLE GIRL FROM THE RING!!! GET BACK IN THE TV!!!

Oh, wait, never mind. They’re just being “original”. This must be part of Michael Steele’s master plan.

We are strong because we are diverse.  And it’s through our diversity and commitment to these shared principles that we will reach out and welcome more communities into our Party.  The focus of my chairmanship will be to take this message to neighborhoods and communities across the country.

-Michael Steele, on his blog, previously entitled “What up”, briefly “Change the Game”, now simply “Steele’s Blog“

Well, if these other… Similar ads, paid for by the RNC, are any indication of this diversity and individual outreach… The name of the blog might be changing again sometime soon. To a different name. Check them out for yourself, and ask, is the GOP really concerned about your state? About Alaska? On a person by person level? Is this the message Republicans seek to take to communities? Because they just tried to cut and paste my state into a generic template that evidently constitutes their “big tent.” They’re not bothering to go door to door to learn your name. They just expect that you’ll drive by the one giant marquee that they leased for the month.

I’m sorry, but it rings of “integrity” about as much as George W. Bush having his signature stamped onto letters to fallen soldiers’ families. And I’m not okay with that.

Wow.

Attention RNC: I don’t want a one party system. I’m also not too worried about that, considering the unquenchable need of the Democratic party to trip over each other and fall down many, many flights of stairs, usually headfirst. But, more importantly, I want a healthy Republican party. I love discussion, crave debate, and embrace disagreements, so long as all are productive, respectful, and honest. Last I checked, good ideas didn’t generally register party affiliation. We could argue what camp they generally fall within, but that’s another matter entirely. The best solutions arrive when everyone is working towards the common good of the people they represent, and especially when they work to understand the plight of the everyday worker and family. I don’t see that happening right now to any extent that would satisfy me, on either side – but in fairness it seems to be a lot more prevalent with the Republicans. It should also be said that this is somewhat ubiquitous as the role of the party “out of power.”

But, come on folks, pretend you’ve got thick skin until you’ve evolved accordingly. This is a new breed of shameful. One quick trip to your youtube page reveals just how uninspired you are. Why would we trust you with local issues if you don’t offer us the courtesy of taking note of each location, apart from the next? You’ve essentially branded the GOP as a band on tour opening every concert with “Hello Cleveland!”

This is offensive. These ads are as out of touch as they are devoid of passion; of true commitment to the people.

You want successful outreach? Reach out. We’re right here.

The question is, do you even know where that is?

* You can listen to a segment of the Slavoj Žižek essay on contemporary apocalypticism that will appear in our upcoming issue of Polygraph here. (via Verso)

* The headline reads, Cigar-Shaped “Mothership” Plunges Argentinian Town Into A Blackout.

* 15 Toys Not to Buy Your Child This Christmas. Of course, science proves you shouldn’t buy anyone gifts at all. (Both links via Neil.)

* Is the public option now too watered-down to fight for? Matt Yglesias and Steve Benen join Josh Marshall in thinking this over. I feel exactly how I did on Monday: the point is to pass anything so it can be improved without a filibuster.

* North Carolina in the news! Kay Hagan is the Senate’s 17th wealthiest senator (via), while Blue Cross/Blue Shield of North Carolina has gotten itself in big trouble for improper issue advocacy against the public option.

* Other politics quick hits: HIV travel ban finally lifted. The national GOP has money problems. They’re talking about a war tax. Despite what you may hear in the press, Obama is pretty good at this whole international diplomacy thing. And Dubai is collapsing; couldn’t have happened to a nicer country.

* The New York Times “100 Notable Books of 2009″ list is already out.

* ‘Are Fake Academic Conferences the New Nigerian Prince Scam?’

* Little-used geek measurements.

Sheppey (distance)
I have to include Douglas Adams’ co-creation (with John Lloyd) here — It’s from The Meaning of Liff, their dictionary of things there aren’t any words for yet. All the words in the dictionary are British place names (the Isle of Sheppey is off the Kent coast). One sheppey is the closest distance at which sheep are still picturesque, and is about seven-eighths of a mile.

* Thor, a Marvel comics character I’m still pretty sure has to be an elaborate joke, will redefine what a superhero movie can be.

* Black Friday LEGO nostalgia.

* Ah, that explains it: that badly timed Dollhouse ARG turns out to be the work of overzealous fans.

* Paging George Michael Bluth. (via)

Name / Title / State / Famous quote

Alexander, Lamar / Senator / TN / “No.”

Barrasso, John / Senator / WY / “No.”

Bennett, Robert / Senator / UT / “No.”

Bond, Christopher / Senator / MO / “No.”

Brownback, Sam / Senator / KS / “No.”

Bunning, Jim / Senator / KY / “No.”

Burr, Richard / Senator / NC / “No.”

Chambliss, Saxby / Senator / GA /  “No.”

Coburn, Tom / Senator / OK / “No.”

Cochran, Thad / Senator / MS / “No.”

Collins, Susan / Senator / ME / “No.”

Corker, Bob / Senator / TN / “No.”

Cornyn, John / Senator / TX / “No.”

Crapo, Mike / Senator / ID / “No.”

DeMint, Jim / Senator / SC / “No.”

Ensign, John / Senator / NV / “No.”

Enzi, Michael / Senator / WY / “No.”

Graham, Lindsey / Senator / SC / “No.”

Grassley, Chuck / Senator / IA / “No.”

Judd, Greg / Senator / NH / “No.”

Hagan, Kay / Senator / NC / “No.”

Hatch, Orrin / Senator / UT / “No.”

Hutchison, Kay Bailey / Senator / TX / “No.”

Imhofe, James / Senator / OK / “No.”

Isakson, Johnny / Senator /  GA / “No.”

Johanns, Mike / Senator / NE / “No.”

Kyl, Jon / Senator / AZ / “No.”

LeMieux, George / Senator / FL / “No.”

Lugar, Richard / Senator / IN / “No.”

McCain, John / Senator / AZ / “No.”

McConnell, Mitch / Senator / KY / “No.”

Murkowski, Lisa / Senator / AK / “No.”

Risch, James / Senator / ID / “No.”

Roberts, Pat / Senator / KS / “No.”

Sessions, Jeff / Senator / AL / “No.”

Shelby, Richard / Senator / AL / “No.”

Snowe, Olympia / Senator / ME / “No.”

Thune, John / Senator / SD / “No.”

Vitter, David / Senator / LA / “No.”

Voinovich, George / Senator / OH / “No.”

Wicker, Roger / Senator / MS / “No.”

Warren Langer

http://warrenlanger.wordpress.com

Name                Title    State     Famous  Quote

Alexander, Lamar / Senator/ TN / “No.”

Barrasso, John / Senator / WY / “No.”

Bennett, Robert /Senator / UT / “No.”

Bond, Christopher / Senator / MO / “No.”

Brownback, Sam / Senator / KS / “No.”

Bunning, Jim/ Senator / KY / “No.”

Burr, Richard / Senator / NC / “No.”

Chambliss, Saxby / Senator /GA / “No.”

Coburn, Tom / Senator / OK  / “No.”

Cochran, Thad  / Senator / MS / “No.”

Collins, Susan  / Senator /  ME /  “No.”

Corker, Bob  / Senator / TN /  “No.”

Cornyn, John / Senator / TX / “No.”

Crapo, Mike   / Senator / ID /   “No.”

DeMint, Jim /  Senator / SC / “No.”

Ensign, John / Senator / NV / “No.”

Enzi, Michael / Senator /  WY /  “No.”

Graham, Lindsey  /Senator / SC / “No.”

Grassley, Chuck  /Senator / IA /  “No.”

Judd, Gregg  / Senator / NH / “No.”

Hagan, Kay / Senator / NC /  “No.”

Hatch, Orrin / Senator / UT /  “No.”

Hutchison, Kay Bailey / Senator / TX / “No.”

Imhofe, James / Senator / OK  / “No.”

Isakson, Johnny / Senator /  GA /  “No.”

Johanns, Mike  / Senator / NE / “No.”

Kyl, Jon / Senator / AZ /  “No.”

LeMieux, George / Senator / FL / “No.”

Lugar, Richard / Senator / IN /  “No.”

McCain, John / Senator / AZ / “No.”

McConnell, Mitch  / Senator / KY / “No.”

Murkowski, Lisa / Senator / AK / “No.”

Risch, James / Senator / ID / “No.”

Roberts, Pat / Senator  / KS / “No.”

Sessions, Jeff  /Senator / AL /  “No.”

Shelby, Richard / Senator / AL / “No.”

Snowe, Olympia  / Senator /  ME / “No.”

Thune, John / Senator / SD / “No.”

Vitter, David  / Senator / LA /  “No.”

Voinovich, George / Senator / OH / “No.”

Wicker, Roger  / Senator / MS / “No.”

Warren Langer

 http://warrenlanger.wordpress.com

60 Votes Needed To Advance Groundbreaking Redesign of Healthcare Industry, Leaving Little Room For Error

As U.S. House members assess the political gains and losses associated with their votes on the multi-trillion dollar H.R. 3962 (the ironically named Affordable Healthcare for America Act), the U.S. Senate prepares to debate similar legislation in what Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) promises to be a much quicker battle. Initial voting could take place as early as Tuesday of next week. Activists on both sides, not having the official “Blue Dog” designation to guide them, have been working feverishly to identify the few perceived fence sitters that might be swayed by grassroots pressure. With successes swaying “Blue Dog” Congressmen throughout the south and elsewhere, the attention of Tea Party groups has turned to centrist, southern Democrats like Kay Hagan (D-NC). While Senator Hagan is not up for re-election until 2014, her vote on this piece of legislation will likely be a key factor in her re-election bid. Judging by the votes ultimately taken by North Carolina’s house delegation, including the last minute decision by Rep. Heath Shuler (D-NC) to oppose the bill, it has been made clear that a plurality of the people who will decide Hagan’s political fate do not support the type of reforms currently on the table.

Vince Kreul, a representative of Huntsville Tea Party, feels the tide is turning in favor of conservatives that want to see a more common sense approach to healthcare reform. “While the arm twisting of house leadership and the Whitehouse was enough to get 2 cushion votes on Saturday, the deep rift in the Democrat party was pushed into the spotlight. In the senate, Democrats don’t have 39 irrelevant votes to sacrifice in conservative districts. They must win every member of their party or the bill will never see the light of the senate floor. What this means is they will be asking red state Democrat senators to fall on their swords for an unpopular piece of legislation. While the leadership might be okay with that, those individual senators will be much more difficult to convince. Senators like Kay Hagan will likely be faced with choosing between re-election or voting for this healthcare plan.”

“Middle America has been a sleeping giant for years. The daily use of words like ‘deficit’ and ‘trillion’ have created a stir that doesn’t appear to be slowing down. Elected officials in both parties need to take heed, as an energized grassroots force with no centralized loyalties stands ready to hold them accountable. Heroes and villains will be made on the senate floor with this healthcare debate, and we pray that unlike Saturday’s vote, the heroes will rule the day and stop this unfunded, tax filled, life restricting mandate,” said Kreul.

In a bit of local news, BCBS sent out notices of rate hikes and flyers against the “unfair competition” of a public option (complete with postcards to mail to Senator Hagan expressing our putative opinion). Many people at my workplace (which is pretty lefty; I am almost certainly the most conservative person here) were pretty pissed off, and were among those who responded in this creative way:

Indignant Blue Cross customers have rebelled against the insurer’s message, complaining that their premium dollars have funded such a campaign.

They’ve hit the Internet in a flurry of e-mails to friends and neighbors throughout the state. They’ve called Hagan’s office to voice support for a public option. They’ve marked through the Blue Cross message on their postcards to instead vouch support, then dropped them in the mail — in at least one case taped to a brick — to be paid on Blue Cross’ dime. Or dimes.

Biking home today I started thinking about healthcare reform and the various compromises. To be honest, I like the idea of a public option opt-in or opt-out because, despite all the assurances that it will or won’t work, right now, nobody really knows just how effective a public option will be. Both the opt-in and opt-out allow for some experimentation. If it doesn’t work states will take a step back from it and if it does work state that initially said no will say yes. The biggest risk, I suppose, is of course if the bill doesn’t work then Republicans will be like ‘I told you so.’ But that’s getting ahead of things.

At the moment, since even moderate Democratic senators seem to believe healthcare reform is going to pass, the issue is what the bill will look like. Ezra has a nice roundup of the three major bills today:

The “trigger” option: Identified with Snowe (interview here), the trigger would call a public option into being in states where there weren’t a certain number of affordable insurance options available to a certain percentage of consumers shopping on the exchange. As you might imagine, “certain number,” “affordable” and “certain percentage” are contentious terms here. Snowe’s original proposal called for the public option to trigger if, after accounting for subsidies, there weren’t two or more options available to 95 percent of residents at less than “3 percent of [adjusted gross income] at 133 percent of the Federal Poverty Level, to 13 percent at 300 percent and above.”

The state “opt-in” option: First proposed by Sen. Tom Carper (interview here), this proposal would allow states to create their own public options for their own exchanges. California, for instance, could decide it wanted a public option, and Alabama could decide it didn’t want one, and both could have their way. The downside to this compromise is that many states are very small, so their public options would be quite weak. The upside is that if a state entered into an agreement with other states, you could have Pennsylvania’s public option being sold on, say, Delaware’s market. Ben Nelson has been talking this up.

The national “opt-out” option: This is Sen. Chuck Schumer’s modification of Carper’s proposal, and it’s attracted some kind words from Rockefeller. Schumer’s vision is to have a national public option that states can opt out of if they choose. In other words, the administration would be national in scale, but Alabama could decide against offering the public option on their state’s exchange. The downside to this is that some states won’t have access to the public option. The upside is that the national option would have the strength to potentially succeed, and if it did prove able to offer lower costs and higher quality, it’s hard to imagine even conservative states denying their residents access to it for very long.

The politics of this are changing by the day, but my sense is that Snowe’s trigger has fallen out of favor, and the moderates are now rallying around Carper’s compromise while the liberals are putting their shoulder behind Schumer’s proposal.

Personally, it’s weird for me to think that liberals are up for any kind of compromise since you hear Nancy Pelosi going full-speed ahead on the public option sans any opting. Pelosi isn’t worried about there being a healthcare bill, she’s worried about there being a public option. That’s an important fact. It’s now a fairly certain thing that healthcare reform will pass, the details are what’s uncertain now.

My question is where will the GOP stand on this? Jamelle noted that their resist-everything strategy is a high stakes gamble which doesn’t seem to be working these days. So we’re likely to see more of the GOP try and water down all the bills out there. As I write this Olympia Snowe just announced that she’s against a public option opt-out. I’m not actually as surprised as some might be over this. I think we’re going to see more of the moderate GOP take that stance, not only because, as Ezra notes above, an opt-in makes the bill weaker but also because (for those who are actually loyal to the traditional Republican ideals) it involves states taking a more active role in federal policy. What the common complaint will likely be for the opt-out is that states should be able to make the choice on their own, they shouldn’t have to make the choice even though in both cases they’re making a choice and will be able to change their minds.

I mentioned earlier that North Carolina’s junior senator, Democrat Kay Hagan, had not signed on to S. 604, the Senate companion to Rep. Ron Paul’s HR 1207 audit-the-Fed measure. Now we know why: She opposes it:

Under common usage of the term audit — an examination of accounts and records — there is already a 100 percent audit of the Federal Reserve.

And the records of these audits are publicly available where, exactly?

Furthermore, Congress already reviews semi-annual reports on monetary policy submitted by the Board of Governors as required under the Full Employment and Balanced Growth Act (PL 95-523).

Bully for Congress. What about the rest of us?

When Congress passed the Federal Banking Agency Audit Act in 1978, the legislation attempted to balance the need for public accountability of the Federal Reserve with the need to insulate the Reserve’s monetary policy function from political pressures. I believe this balance must be maintained going forward.

Because that’s worked out so well up ’til now.

There are political pressures and political pressures. Messing with the money supply or meddling in markets for partisan advantage is one thing, and a very bad thing at that. That said, the public needs to know how its economy and its fiat currency are being managed, so that the experts among the public can advocate for policy on the basis of the soundest possible information. That isn’t happening now, mainly because under current circumstances, it can’t.

The formulation of monetary policy is a decision-making process that involves information gathering from a host of foreign governments and central banks. The information provided from those exchanges is critical and extremely sensitive. The immediate and broad disclosure that S. 604 would require could disrupt the financial markets, and jeopardize our country’s international finance relationships.

Release of information can be delayed just long enough to keep it from being able to move markets.

Ultimately, it would be taxpayers who would bear the brunt of any losses resulting from policies caused by untimely disclosure of sensitive information. Because of this, I do not believe the benefits of legislation like the Federal Reserve Sunshine Act outweigh the costs.

Like we haven’t been bearing the brunt of losses already.

As Zero Hedge points out, we need answers to other questions, among them:

Under what circumstances, and under what authority, did the Federal Reserve step in and become the lender of last resort to the entire world?

Given what has happened in the past year, why is it such a good idea to have the Fed (which is to say, us) remain on the hook for $6.5 trillion in other countries’ potential problems?

Why have we not mitigated the international conditions that made it necessary for the Fed to bail out these other countries, so that we’re at just as much risk now as we were before the collapse of Lehman Bros. a year ago?

To what extent do we recognize, and to what extent are we addressing, the dangers created by the weakening dollar? (Yeah, I realize a weak dollar should help exports, but with capacity down in the 60s and not likely to budge soon, it ain’t helping much.)

Why is the Fed’s discount window allowing banks to offer stock in bankrupt companies as collateral? And if the banks can do it, why can’t I?

Cuz here’s the thing:

… the Fed’s liquidity swaps are now back to almost zero. This means that foreign Central Banks believe they have the [foreign-exchange] swap and dollar maturity situation under control. They thought the same before Lehman blew up. And they were wrong. As the [dollar] continues tumbling ever lower [against the yen] to fresh 2009 lows, the trade de jour is once again the dollar funding one, although unlike before when the Yen was the carry currency of choice, this time it is the dollar itself, positioning banks for the double whammy of not just a dollar funding shock, but one coupled with a potential massive and historic short squeeze. If and when an exogenous event occurs, not even $6.5 trillion in Fed swap lines will be sufficient to bail out the world economy.

In plain English, if something else bad happens, we’re going to go through the same thing we went through a year ago. Only worse.

And then there are the categories of information Rep. Alan Grayson has asked for — and still not gotten:

• Information that Bloomberg reporter Mark Pittman has requested via a Freedom of Information Act Request on the Bear Stearns rescue and that the Federal Reserve is contesting in the courts,[i] and which Manhattan Chief U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska has ordered by turned over by the Federal Resrve.
• Information that Rep. Grayson requested in February at a hearing and by follow-up letter on which institutions received the $1.2 trillion added to the Federal Reserve’s balance sheet, how much reach institution received, and what was promised in return.
• All Federal Reserve documents that went to Attorney General Andrew Cuomo’s office relating to the Bank of America/Merrill Lynch merger in which potentially illegal and coercive activity might have occurred, as well all Federal Reserve documents relating to the lawsuit pursued by Merrill Lynch shareholders in the US District court for the Southern District of New York.
• Transcripts of all Open Market Meeting Minutes up to and including that of June, 2009, transcripts which are normally withheld from the public for five years.
• Full disclosure of all terms and conditions of all off-balance sheet Fed transactions in the past three years.

In light of all of this, someone needs to explain to me again why Ben Bernanke should be re-confirmed. Because I’m thinking Sen. Hagan needs to vote a big, fat, resounding “Nay!” on that one.

Elsewhere, Zero Hedge writes:

We hope that the over 300 members of Congress who already support Ron Paul’s “Audit the Fed” Initiative consider the implications of what the Lehman fiasco has taught us, and how this unique look into the Fed’s balance sheet should be a very critical reminder of just how much risk the Fed is willing to take on with taxpayer capital when bailing out a financial system that, absent ongoing accounting gimmickry and endless Reserve Banking System subsidies, is still rotten to its core.

If they support Paul’s measure or its Senate companion measure, it’s probably because they’ve already considered those implications.

Sen. Hagan would be wise to do the same.

UPDATE: Kay, here’s a clue: Whatever Jon Kyl wants to do, both you and Americans in general are probably better off doing the opposite.

I am a natural born citizen of the US

I was born in a small town near the center of NC

My ancestors on both sides were in NC before the American Revolution

My ancestor, John Wells, signed the Tryon Resolves in August 1775

I am deeply offended by the actions and attitude of NC Senator Kay Hagan

From Senator Kay Hagan’s website:

“Hagan on board with stimulus, health-care reform
Johnston Herald

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

www.theherald-nc.com

By Andrew Kenney, Staff Writer

JOHNSTON COUNTY – U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan thinks the economy is on track to recovery, and she says health-care reform is a critical national goal.

Hagan, who took office in January, spoke with The Herald recently by phone.

The economy

“I think that the stimulus package is starting to work,” she said. “We’re seeing some of those investments in infrastructure and transportation and education.”

The money from the federal recovery bill is starting to flow faster, and positive signs have begun to surface, Hagan said. But a job-market recovery will likely not come until later, she added.

“I think jobs will lag a little bit behind … but once again, we’ve got the stimulus money out there, and we’re working hard to make sure we get the programs up and running,” Hagan said. “We’re running swiftly along those lines.”

This recession is a lingering one, but North Carolina’s workers could help pull the state ahead early, she said. “I think North Carolina has the most-eager workforce,” Hagan said. “I hear that from companies all the time.”

She sees education as a way to shorten the doldrums – and as a way to prevent another recession. Hagan has introduced a bill that would give schools money to teach personal finance to students in grades 6-12.

“Debt is good for you if you’re investing in a long-term investment, but not good for paying for your everyday expenses,” Hagan said. “It’s not rocket science; we just haven’t taught it.”

Health care

Hagan believes health-care reform is linked to economic recovery. Changes to health care could help small businesses, she said.

“I think small business is having a hard time with the health-care costs,” she said. “We’ve got to drive down the cost of health care.”

Under President Obama’s plan, a government-run program or nonprofit cooperative could compete with private insurance. For either to work, Hagan said, it must stabilize costs, ensure that people can use the plan and avoid adding to the federal deficit.

More money in health education could also drive down public health costs, Hagan said. She supports a bill that would give more money for diabetes education.

In recent weeks, some town hall meetings have echoed with protests against health-care reform. Hagan said that’s all part of the process and that the dour economy likely stirred stronger emotions and doubts about health care.

“I think many people are concerned about health care,” she said. “I think it’s important for the people in our country to be able to have discussions about any legislation, and you certainly have the right to do so.”

Hagan, a former state senator, said she has cherished her months on Capitol Hill. “It’s pretty exciting time, and I am honored to be serving the people of North Carolina,” she said.”

 
http://hagan.senate.gov/?p=news&id=286

No wonder Senator Hagan does not want to host a town hall meeting with her constituents.

Blindly following or embracing the Obama far left strategy will not work in NC.

I have never been more proud of my fellow NC citizens than when I watched a video of a town hall meeting they held after many attempts to get the attention of Senator Kay Hagan.

The good folks in Wilmington, NC have been busy. Here is a video of one of their Tea Part protests from August 22, 2009.

Was this an Isolated case of miscommunication? Apparently not. Senator Hagan was interviewed on WBT talk radio by Keith Larson on Friday, August 28, 2009.

http://larson.wbt.com/index.cfm;jsessionid=2a30f8c2526d5fb6c99e664dc532cd303c62

Senator Kay Hagan has time for a Health Care for America Now, a radical Obama controlled organization, town hall, but not time for her hard working constituents.

Please pass this along to as many people as possible. Even if you do not live in NC, Senator Hagan’s attitude toward her constituents is typical of many in Congress. If you do live in NC, make sure everyone in NC is aware of Hagan’s position.

If you would like to have a town hall meeting hosted by Kay Hagan and have her explain her position on health care or why she is not listening to the public, contact her or comment on this site.

Contact Senator Kay Hagan:

http://hagan.senate.gov/?p=home

UPDATED SEPTEMBER 4, 2009

The following list contains the elected officials who refuse to hold town hall meetings on the matter of health reform. Do you really want to vote in favor of these individuals who have better things to do than to listen to your concerns? Print this list so you will have it in hand when the 2010/2012 polling stations open. Congressional members run for reelection every 2 years; senators run every 4 years.

Alabama

Rep. Bobby Bright (D) – 2nd District

Rep. Mike Rogers (R) – 3rd District

Alaska

Sen. Mark Begich (D) – reelection in 2012

Arizona

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D) – 8th District

Rep. Ed Pastor (D) – 4th District

Rep. Harry Mitchell (D) – 5th District

Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D) – 1st District

California

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D) – reelection in 2010

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D) – reelection in 2012

Rep. Jane Harman (D) – 36th District

Rep. Henry Waxman (D) – 30th District

Rep. Doris Matsui (D) – 5th District

Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D) – 6th District

Connecticut

Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D) – 3rd District

Florida

Rep. Robert Wexler (D) – 19th District

Rep. Suzanne Kosmas (D) – 24th District

Rep. Alan Grayson (D) – 8th District

Sen. Bill Nelson (D) – reelection in 2012

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D) – 20th District

Illinois

Rep. Melissa Bean (D) – 8th District (note: Rep. Bean is charging a $25 entrance fee for her town hall meeting)

Rep. Debbie Halverson (D) – 11th District

Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D) – 2nd District

Sen. Roland Burris (D) – reelection in 2010

Rep. Peter Roskam (D) – 6th District

Rep. Bill Foster (D) – 14th District

Sen. Dick Durbin (D) – reelection in 2012

Indiana

Rep. Andre Carson (D) – 7th District

Rep. Brad Ellsworth (D) – 8th District

Kansas

Rep. Dennis Moore (D) – 3rd District

Kentucky

Rep. Ben Chandler (D) – 6th District

Maine

Rep. Chellie Pingree (D) – 1st District

Maryland

Rep. John Sarbanes (D) – 3rd District

Massachusetts

Rep. John F. Tierney (D) – 6th District

Rep. John Olver (D) – 1st District

Rep. Richard Neal (D) – 2nd District

Michigan

Rep. Mark Schauer (D) – 7th District

Rep. Bart Stupak (D) – 1st District

Rep. Mike Rogers (R) – 8th District

Minnesota

Sen. Al Franken (D) – reelection in 2012

Rep. Jim Oberstar (D) – 8th District

Mississippi

Rep. Travis Childers (D) – 1st District

Missouri

William “Lacy” Clay, Jr. (D) – 1st District

Ike Skelton (D) – 4th District

Emanuel Cleaver (D) – 5th District

Montana

Sen. Max Baucus (D) – reelection in 2012

Sen. Jon Tester (D) – reelection in 2012

New Hampshire

Carol Shea-Porter (D), 1st District

Paul Hodes (D), 2nd District

New Jersey

Rep. Bob Andrews (D) – 1st District

Rep. Chris Smith (R) – 4th District

Rep. Donald Payne (D) – 10th District

Rep. Leonard Lance (R) – 7th District

New York

Rep. Tim Bishop (D) – 1st District

Rep. Steve Israel (D) – 2nd District

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D) – reelection in 2010

Rep. Brian Higgins (D) – 27th District

Rep. Louise Slaughter (D) – 28th District (added September 4, 2009)

North Carolina

Rep. Brad Miller (D) – 13th District

Rep. Mike McIntyre (D) – 7th District

Rep. Mel Watt (D) – 12th District

Sen. Kay Hagan (D) – reelection in 2012

Rep. David Price (D) – 4th District

Rep. Heath Shuler (D) – 11th District

Ohio

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D) – reelection in 2012

Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D) – 9th District

Rep. Betty Sutton (D) – 13th District

Rep. Tim Ryan (D) – 17th District

Rep. Charlie Wilson (D) – 6th District

Pennsylvania

Sen. Robert Casey (D) – reelection in 2012

Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D) – 13th District

Rep. Patrick Murphy (D) – 8th District

Rep. Chris Carney (D) – 10th District

Rep. John Murtha (D) – 12th District

Rhode Island

Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D) – 1st District

Sen. Jack Reed (D) – reelection in 2012

Tennessee

Rep. Jim Cooper (D) – 5th District

Rep. John Tanner (D) – 8th District

Texas

Rep. Chet Edwards (D) – 17th District

Rep. Lamar Smith (R) – 21st District

Rep. Ruben Hinojosa (D) – 15th District

Rep. Henry Cuellar (D) – 28th District

Rep. Solomon Ortiz (D) – 27th District

Utah

Rep. Jim Matheson (D) – 2nd District

Virginia

Sen. Jim Webb (D) – reelection in 2012

Rep. Gerald Connolly (D) – 11th District

Washington

Rep. Norm Dicks (D) – 6th District

Rep. Jay Inslee (D) – 1st District

Sen. Maria Cantwell – reelection in 2012

Sen. Patty Murray – reelection in 2010

The following list contains the congressmen and senators who refuse to hold town hall meetings on the matter of health reform. Take note of these individuals come election time. Congressmen run for reelection every 2 years.

Rep. Brad Miller (D) – 13th District

Rep. Mike McIntyre (D) – 7th District

Rep. Mel Watt (D) – 12th District

Sen. Kay Hagan (D) – reelection in 2012

Rep. David Price (D) – 4th District

Rep. Heath Shuler (D) – 11th District

The following list contains the congressmen and senators who refuse to hold town hall meetings on the matter of health reform. Take note of these individuals come election time. Congressmen run for reelection every 2 years.

Rep. Brad Miller (D) – 13th District

Rep. Mike McIntyre (D) – 7th District

Rep. Mel Watt (D) – 12th District

Sen. Kay Hagan (D) – reelection in 2012

Rep. David Price (D) – 4th District

Rep. Heath Shuler (D) – 11th District

*** SEE  UPDATES  BELOW ***

I rarely listen to WBT radio in Charlotte, especially since Jeff Katz was let go. However, this morning, quite by chance, I caught the tail end of an interview of Kay Hagan by Keith Larson. Kay Hagan is a Democrat Senator from NC. Larsen did a really good job of forcing Hagan to answer questions about her support of the health care bill and about her not hosting town hall meetings. Senator Hagan provided very evasive and non commital answers. She claimed that she has an open door in her Charlotte office to answer questions from citizens, but when asked when she would be available she stated that she was going to Ted Kennedy’s funeral and had such a hectic schedule that she could not provide an answer as to when she will be available for her constituents.

This is unacceptable!

The Citizen Wells blog will get to the bottom of this and help the NC citizens hold Kay Hagen accountable.

The Charlotte Observer, today, Friday, August 28, 2009, has an article about Kay Hagen and her position on health care reform.

“Hagan held no town hall meetings over the August recess, but she noted that she held open office hours in Sanford this week in which she met in small groups with 50 to 60 residents.”

Sanford is a small city in the center of the state.

Keith Larson was trying to pin down Hagan as to when she would be available in Charlotte, the largest city in the state. He never got an answer.

Perhaps we should demand a town hall meeting from Senator Kay Hagan.

If you are a NC resident, let us know if you want a town hall meeting.
Listen live to WBT radio:

http://www.wbt.com/programming/person.cfm?ID=3

Listen to the interview:

http://larson.wbt.com/index.cfm;jsessionid=2a30f8c2526d5fb6c99e664dc532cd303c62

Senator Kay Hagan’s official website:

http://hagan.senate.gov/

*** More on the real Kay Hagan and her disrespect for her constituents ***

Senator Kay Hagan has time for a Health Care for America Now, a radical Obama controlled organization, town hall, but not time for her hard working constituents.

CW, Thank you for posting Larson interview. You are right, it is the best I have heard.
I am very active here in Wilmington. Kay Hagan will not answer our emails, phone calls, ect. We have tried for weeks to get a commitment from her to visit Wilmington. Finally, we had a mock Town Hall without her. A video was made, and of course, sent to her. No response so far.

A couple of weeks ago I said that auditing the Federal Reserve was a great idea even if it was Ron Paul who introduced the bill that would make it happen. I am delighted to note that that bill, HR 1207, has, as of today, 282 co-sponsors, more than enough to pass if the bill makes it to the floor. I’m less delighted that only one of Greensboro’s three reps, Howard Coble, is among the co-sponsors, although I don’t know whether that means Brad Miller and Mel Watt oppose the bill or just figured that with a majority assured they would turn their attention to other things.

The companion Senate bill, S 604 from Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, has 23 co-sponsors, ranging in political ideology from Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, to Sam Brownback, R-Kansas. (That’s quite a range, actually.) Among them is North Carolina’s Richard Burr but not our other senator, Kay Hagan. I do not know why that is.

But here’s what I suspect.

I suspect that the Fed has been doing things with our tax dollars, largely for the benefit of a few very large financial institutions, that will infuriate people once word becomes public. I further suspect that the wave of outrage that will follow will be something any incumbent and quite a few challengers would want to surf, rather than be swamped by. That wave is coming, and the time to get your board lined up and get up on your feet is drawing to a close.

There’s additional good news on this front: The Bloomberg news organization sued the Federal Reserve Bank of New York last year under the Freedom of Information Act for records on how tax money was spent. On Monday, a federal judge granted Bloomberg’s motion for summary judgment, meaning that both the facts and the law are so clearly on Bloomberg’s side that there’s no need for a trial. The bank has five business days to provide certain records and until Sept. 14 to let the court know how it intends to provide others. Should bank allies manage to kill or stall the Paul or Sanders bills, people could just file more FOIA lawsuits. So one way or another, this stuff’s coming out.

Congresscritters and would-be congresscritters of all stripes, take note.

UPDATE: Arguably another excellent reason to support auditing the Fed: Tim Geithner thinks it would be a bad idea.

Allow me to introduce  a couple of folks to you. They are  Senators  Richard Burr and Kay Hagan from North Carolina. Mr Burr is  a Republican from Winston Salem and was elected to his first term in 2004. Ms Hagan is  a Shelby, NC native and was elected to her first term in 2008. Both are in their mid 50’s  and seem to be pleasant looking people.

So why the basic info? It appears that the people of North Carolina are largely ambivalent  towards these fine public servants. A recent poll by  Public Policy Polling, a Raleigh, NC based political pollster,  surveyed folks in 14 states  to determine what  they thought about their U S  Senators.  Theydiscovered that an average of 33% of those polled in North Carolina had no opinion of how the senators were doing their job.

Now wonder what that means? Did they all know these people were  their Senators, did they care or are these two just invisible in Washington ? One might  say that the poll is particularly unfair to Ms Hagan who was just elected. But people seem to have opinions of Al Franken and Roland Burris who are very new senators. And Mr Burr hasn’t been around that long but look at Jim Webb,running all over the world.Burr and Hagan need a hook, something that identifies them to the voter. An issue of their own would be good, probably better than a new hairstyle or such.But what issue. Let us see. There is talk about the evils of soft drinks, swine flu is thundering in our direction. Just don’t know what  would fit them. It makes one  long for the days of  Sam Ervin.  Now there was  a  senator. Shucks, at least people knew John Edwards, he sort of made certain of that. States with Harry Reid and Chuck Shumer or Joe Lieberman just don’t know how fortunate they are. Maybe we could someone famous to run against Burr in 2010. Remember they don’t necessarily have to be from North Carolina so that really opens up the field. Remember that Alec Baldwin is thinking of taking on Lieberman. Wonder if Glenn Beck is busy right now?

In closing, one cautionary thought. It is 6:30 PM EDT. Do you know where your senators are?

While health care may be foremost in the minds of both lawmakers and citizens, few initiatives are focused on providing improved access to medical professionals. However, U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan, D-N.C., is working with U.S. Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., to help medical students who want to serve those areas, like eastern North Carolina.

Hagan’s bill would directly benefit the work being done at East Carolina University’s Brody School of Medicine and therefore is of particular interest to our readership. But the bill’s scope could serve millions who lack sufficient access to care across the nation, and deserves widespread support.

Editorial: Rural care — Hagan bill will improve residents’ health

Rural areas find themselves at a marked disadvantage when it comes to finding accessible and affordable medical care. These regions are traditionally underserved because of the difficulty in drawing health care professions to serve in places with smaller populations, and which traditionally have lower incomes and education levels.

Freshman U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan hopes to change that trend through the Rural Physician Pipeline Act, a bill that would add incentives to doctors who serve these areas. The need is real, and members on both sides of the aisle would do well to make passage of this act a priority when Congress returns to work.

Eastern North Carolina knows all too well the challenge of providing medical care to residents throughout this region. Pitt County Memorial Hospital has grown to become an invaluable service provider to residents in 26 counties, but it was not long ago that residents outside Greenville and Pitt County struggled to find care.

A key institution that has changed that situation is the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. Since its establishment more than 30 years ago, the school has focused on rural health and encouraging its graduates to serve those regions in need of gifted health professionals.

Hagan aims to bolster that effort through her bill, which is under committee consideration. The legislation, which she cosponsored with U.S. Sen. Mark Udall of Colorado, would provide funding to create a specific degree track for those wishing to practice medicine in rural areas. It would also expand recruiting efforts in those areas, to give students who seek a career in medicine the opportunity to pursue that dream and help their communities.

Udall is hopeful that the health-care reform under heated debate in Washington would include assistance for rural areas, but it is hard to share his optimism. Rural regions are routinely neglected, despite overwhelming evidence they are most in need of help. Residents of eastern North Carolina have never received the type of care enjoyed in more urban areas, and suffer from higher levels of disease and shorter life spans as a result.

This bill may not be the cure-all to that problem, but it represents an important attempt to address a major inadequacy. Legislation that aims directly at the problem of poor health care in rural regions is needed, and Hagan’s effort should have the support of both parties as it progresses.

Next to Barack Obama*, there’s nobody I’d like to see out of office more than Brad “I don’t care if you trust me” Miller.  Fortunately for North Carolinians, there’s a conservative challenger waiting in the wings, Bill Randall.  Mr. Randall will be speaking at the monthly Granville County GOP meeting tomorrow night.  Doors open at 6:30 pm and he is scheduled to speak around 7 pm.  The meeting is at the Creedmoor City Hall building.

Check out Mr. Randall’s website!

*Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Arlen Specter, Barbara Boxer, Ted Kennedy, John Kerry, Kay Hagan, and Al Franken

From the NEWS & RECORD:

The watchdog group Democracy North Carolina offers a piece of advice about the health care reform issue: follow the money.

The nonpartisan group says that between 2003 and 2008, the nation’s drug makers, health care professionals and insurance industry contributed $5.2 million to the state’s congressional delegation.

Following the money, said Bob Hall, executive director of the Durham-based group, “tells us that there is a substantial amount of money given by this sector. It tells us that nearly a third of it went to one person: Richard Burr .”

Original DVD cover

An analysis by Hall’s group shows that over the six-year period, the health and insurance industries gave Burr, a Republican senator from Winston-Salem , $1.6 million in campaign contributions.

Hall said that’s nearly three times greater than the next-highest recipient in the Tar Heel delegation: Rep. Sue Myrick , a Charlotte Republican who took in nearly $631,000 from the health care and insurance industries.

Hall, whose group works on campaign finance and voting-related issues, said Burr opposes the Democratic-sponsored health reform proposals in the House and Senate .

…snip…

Democracy North Carolina said Burr opposed bills to require Medicare to negotiate lower prices for prescriptions drugs and a bill to provide incentives for Medicaid recipients to use generics instead of brand-name drugs.

The group also said the top three Tar Heel recipients from the health care/insurance sector in the past six years were Republicans.

The organization said Sen. Kay Hagan, a Democrat from Greensboro, received $217,208 from the sector for her 2008 campaign. That compares to the $786,712 raised by her opponent, then-Sen. Elizabeth Dole , a Republican.

The analysis showed that health care/insurance money represented less than 4 percent of the contributions Hagan collected that could be classified by sector.

…snip…

Rep. Brad Miller of Raleigh, whose district includes a portion of Greensboro and Guilford County , received contributions of $300,249, the most of any Democrat in the delegation.

…snip…

Rep. Howard Coble, a Republican from Greensboro, received $133,602, ranking him last among candidates who have run in the past three elections.

…snip…

Rep. Mel Watt, a Democrat from Charlotte whose district includes parts of Greensboro and Guilford County, raised $177,350 from the sector.

“Money plays a role in politics, unfortunately,” Watt said. “The appearance of being purchased … is not good. We need to find some other means of financing campaigns, such as public financing, which is what Democracy North Carolina is all about.”

The analysis used data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics and the Federal Elections Commission.

I’ll spare you the individual quotes from their mouthpieces. It’s the same thing they always say–the money doesn’t affect how they vote, as they all vote their consciences. Of course, that doesn’t answer the question–why do lobbyists ply them with money if it doesn’t change any minds?

UPDATE: Wickle mentioned NASCAR in the comments, which brought to mind this graphic I made a while back. It’s what a politician would look like if he had to wear the logos of all the corporations that lined his pockets. The bigger the logo, the more money he took from them.

• A d v e r t i s e m e n t
• 

She couldn’t come, but they pretended she was there, saying her absence wouldn’t silence their opinions about health care reform.

So, at Saturday’s “mock” town hall meeting, leaders of the local Constitutional Patriots hung an enlarged photo of Sen. Kay Hagan, D-N.C., and announced plans to send a video of all speakers’ questions and comments to her office.

Almost everyone who spoke to the crowd of more than 150 people seated at New Hanover County Northeast Library – and to Hagan’s photo – was opposed to the health care reform legislation lawmakers are considering.

Read entire article

URL to article: http://www.infowars.com/constitutional-patriots-hold-town-hall-meeting-in-senators-absence/

David Price held a “town hall” on August 14, 2009, hosted by SEANC (SEIU Local 2008).  I use the term “town hall” loosely because it appears to be nothing more than a union-sponsored Pro-ObamaCare rally.  The union provided “security” for the town hall as well; one anti-ObamaCare supporter took one for the team and was punched in the face!

Here is a conservative calling Price out on his votes to increase the US deficit and fund the “stimulus” project

Here’s Price “answering” his constituent’s question (if you don’t feel like watching “It’s Bush’s fault!” is his answer)

Two minutes and 14 seconds of not answering the constituent’s question.  Price can’t even answer a pointed question, and does nothing more than spout democrat talking points.  Also, notice how all the folks up front are ObamaCare supporters – how’d they managed to get the good seats?  All the opposition is forced to stand in the back – if they were lucky enough to get in at all.

Rhetorical question for Rep. Price:  how are you going to get a real feel for your constituents’ feelings if you don’t listen to both sides?  What kind of representative are you if you can only keep company with those who kowtow to your positions?  You do realize – despite being a liberal Democrat – you represent every person in your district, right?  So much for leaning across the aisle, Dems.  You really shouldn’t promise things you have no intention of keeping.

Your constituents DO NOT WANT this health care plan forced upon them, just like 54% of Americans.

Randy has a full rundown of the town hall and lots of video, including the tea party at Sen. Kay Hagan’s office on Friday.  Go have a look-see!

Reader JP left this in the comments section, but I think it’s important enough to merit its own post:

Met with Senator Hagan and 200 or so physicians last night in High Point. She was exceedingly political, never answering questions with straight answers, even refusing to answer yes or no questions. I feel like the meeting would have been just as productive had the Senator stayed home and sent a homeless man dressed in her place. She seemed unable to comprehend or understand the very basics of how the health care system works and she seems to have minimal knowledge into how the current system is wrong. I went there with an open mind about her and left feeling exceedingly disappointed.

This is very distressing news indeed, but not wholly unexpected.  Sen. Hagan is the junior senator in NC, so I expect she’s going to tow the party line despite the quality of the legislation being proposed. It really bothers me that she’s hearing from physicians and not taking their input into account.  These are the folks Congress should be listening to – not non-medical interest groups, unions, lobbyists, and the like.  Who better knows than the doctors themselves?

What can we do?

We need to make calls this next week and let her know that her constituents DO NOT SUPPORT this egregious monster of a bill in the House and will not support a public option bill in the Senate either.  She may have 5.5 years left on her term, but like the elephant that is the GOP mascot, we won’t forget how she voted when November of 2013 rolls around.  If we’re still having elections, that is. I urge you to call, email and/or fax.  Prayer works too

If you get any information out of her staffers about upcoming events or anything note-worthy, please send me an email (ncteapartyrevolution@gmail.com)  and I’ll update this post to include your information!

Senator Hagan’s contact information:

Website:  http://hagan.senate.gov/

Contact Form:  http://hagan.senate.gov/?p=contact

WASHINGTON, DC OFFICE

521 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-6342
Fax: 202-228-2563

GREENSBORO OFFICE – STATE HEADQUARTERS

(Tarheel Pundit’s note:  These folks are the ones who announce her schedule)

701 Green Valley Rd; Suite 201
Greensboro, NC 27408
Phone: 336-333-5311
Fax: 336-333-5331

RALEIGH OFFICE

310 New Bern Avenue
Raleigh, NC 27601
Phone: 919-856-4630
Fax: 919-856-4053

TOLL FREE FOR NORTH CAROLINIANS

P: 1-877-852-9462

A gathering of conservative community organizers will take place at Kay Hagan’s office in Raleigh at 330pm on Friday.

Since she is not having town hall meetings, wouldn’t it be great if thousands from across the state took the afternoon off and travelled to the state capitol to voice their opposition to the Democrat’s health care reform plan.

I am planning to attend this event and hope to see others from the Triad join our brothers and sisters in Raleigh to stand up for liberty and freedom and the American spirit of individuality.

From Randy’s Right:

Sen Kay Hagan has stated she will support govt health care and also has the support from moveon.org

referback to this post of our head on protests with morons.org

http://randysright.wordpress.com/2009/07/09/counter-protest-at-sen-kay-hagans-office-in-raleigh-today/

http://www.meetup.com/wesurroundthem/calendar/11077789/?from=list&offset=0

Friday Aug 14th 3:45pm

Location

Kay Hagan’s Raleigh Office

310 New Bern Avenue
Raleigh, NC 27601

A member sent out an email stating that Kay Hagan was accepting one on one meetings in her office this week! You can schedule yourself to see her during the week. Everyone should schedule a date/time. Just make sure you call to confirm before driving out to see her – I have a feeling she might change her mind! I have signed up for 4pm on Friday, August 14th. I am pretty sure I won’t be seeing her, but I think we should protest outside of her office. It will be the end of the week and that way if she does not meet with any of us, we can let her know how we feel about that.

So, tea party protest on August 14th outside of Kay Hagan’s office! Hope to see you all there!

I have plans I cannot break on Friday afternoon, but I hope there will be hundreds of other tea-partiers outside Sen. Hagan’s office to protest ObamaCare!