Karen Handel surges in Georgia poll after Sarah Palin endorsement, now in virtual tie with establishment candidate-Breitbart

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5/1/14, "GA: Karen Handel Surges to Virtual Tie for First After Palin Endorsement," Breitbart, Tony Lee

"Former Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel has surged into a virtual tie for first in the GOP Senate primary a month after receiving the endorsement of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who seems to have helped her gain support from suburban women.

According to the Augusta Chronicle, a new Insider Advantage poll shows establishment candidate David Perdue with 22%; Handel with 21%; Rep. Jack Kingston with 17%; Rep. Paul Broun with 14%; Rep. Phil Gingrey with 12%; and 11% are undecided before the May 20 primary. The poll was conducted April 27-29, and the margin of error is +/- 3.5 percentage points. 

Insider Advantage's Matt Towery said “Kingston has been losing metro-Atlanta female support with his ‘folksy’ TV ads for weeks" and Handel has been "picking up significant female support and is starting to leave both David Perdue and Jack Kingston substantially behind with women."

He also said the "other candidates show little if any movement" and "if Handel were to spend any degree of significant money on broadcast TV ads in the final two weeks, her momentum could take her to first place, leaving Perdue and Kingston battling for a spot in the runoff."

Perdue has been under fire after he mocked Handel and said she was not qualified to serve in Congress because she lacked a college degree, even though only 27.8 percent of Georgians over 25 have college degrees. The vast majority of Georgians, including Georgia's Lieutenant Governor and Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, have just high school diplomas like Handel.

Perdue apologized a week after the Atlanta Journal-Constitution released a video of his remarks, but Georgia state Senator Josh McKoon was not buying the "apology," saying it reeked of "political expediency."...

Palin endorsed Handel on March 27, emphasizing Handel's pro-life credentials and proven history of cutting spending. She campaigned for Handel on April 2 and slammed Perdue for denigrating Handel and Georgians who did not have fancy college degrees. In Handel's case, she left an abusive home to go into the workforce and become a self-made woman. Democrat Michelle Nunn, who many believe is a test-case for how a female Democrat can do in Georgia ahead of a potential Hillary Clinton presidential run, has been raising an impressive amount of money, and Palin said Handel was not only the best candidate to win in the general election but to also shield Georgia Republicans from the phony "war on women" attacks from Democrats. 

Handel's campaign manager Corry Bliss told Breitbart News then that "Perdue’s demeaning comments play right into Michelle Nunn and the Democrats’ favorite subjects: the War on Women and income inequality."...

Two polls were taken in the weeks before Palin endorsed Handel. In one poll conducted for Channel 2 Action News, Perdue had 21% while Handel had 10%. In a SurveyUSA Poll, Perdue led with 29% while Handel had 10% in that poll as well.
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Since Palin's endorsement, Handel was within the margin of error for second in an Insider Advantage Poll taken two weeks ago, gained a net of eight points in another Survey USA poll, and is essentially tied for first in the most recent Insider Advantage poll. 

Handel campaign's first radio ad only featured Palin. And her first television ad prominently featured Palin as well. And Insider Advantage's Matt Towery suggested those ads were the only ones that were working, as other candidates have been stuck in place in the polls or losing momentum....

Handel's campaign told the Chronicle that Handel's momentum has come from Palin's endorsement in addition to Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer's. Brewer endorsed Handel and assured Georgians she was the choice for conservatives and those who are pro-enforcement on immigration issues.

“This is the third poll in a row showing Karen as the only candidate with momentum,” Handel's campaign manager Corry Bliss said."

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Added: RedState.com Editor Erick Erickson endorsed Karen Handel for Senate in the upcoming Georgia Republican primary. He said he'd gladly support Paul Broun but the GOP Establishment would likely sabotage Broun in the general:

4/23/14, "Karen Handel for Senate," Erick Erickson, RedState

"If (Paul) Broun is in the runoff, while I’d gladly support him, I think you’d see the establishment pour every penny they have into crushing him. He’d either limp badly out of the runoff or we’d wind up with someone worse."...

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Added 2: Independent Conservatives have to beat two parties, Establishment Republicans and Democrats (which are actually one party with two different names). Independent Conservatives have to choose between Rep. Paul Broun and Karen Handel to beat the GOP E candidate David Perdue. As we've seen countless times and especially in the recent Virginia Governor's race, if the Beltway Ruling Class GOP E doesn't get its chosen candidate in the primary, they'll move into Sabotage Republican mode and put every penny they have into supporting even the worst crony democrat retread and defeating a Republican whom they view as conservative. Nelson Rockefeller lives on. Then again, we did beat 3 parties in March 2014 in David Jolly's Florida special congressional election victory: 
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David Jolly beat the Democrat, the Libertarian and the Sabotage Republicans. The GOP establishment didn't want David Jolly, they tried to get 3 others to run. Boehner didn't want him, Jeb Bush didn't want him, Florida sicko power broker Jack Latvala supported an establishment candidate against Jolly in the primary which he won easily but resulted in him being practically broke going into the gen. election. Boehner's office feeds its hate speech to outlets like Politico:

3/7/14, "National GOP turns on Florida candidate," Politico, Alex Eisenstadt

"Jolly, a longtime aide to Young who left Capitol Hill in 2007 to start a lobbying career, wasn’t the Republican establishment’s first choice. In fact, GOP officials sought out three other prospects, eager to find a candidate with a higher and more appealing profile than they believed Jolly possessed.
 
After longtime GOP Rep. Bill Young died in October, House Speaker John Boehner called Rick Baker, a popular former mayor of St. Petersburg, and pressed him to run for the vacant seat. The Baker courtship didn’t stop there: Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush also pushed the former mayor to run, according to two sources. (Bush has since gotten behind Jolly, appearing in TV ads calling him “the best candidate to go to Congress.”)"...

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Why does CNS News headline blowhard all talk, no action Darrell Issa? Headline should be John Boehner is 'disturbing and perhaps criminal' by continually refusing to hold a vote to approve a Select Committee to examine Benghazi documents and witnesses withheld

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Recent Benghazi documents only show the continuing harm GOP House Speaker Boehner causes this country by refusing to allow a vote to empanel a House Select Committee with subpoena power to examine documents and Benghazi witnesses so far withheld. Issa is a joke:

5/1/14, "Issa: 'Disturbing and Perhaps Criminal' That WH Withheld Key Benghazi Documents," CNS News, Susan Jones

"Documents relating to the Sept. 11, 2012 terror attack in Benghazi -- released by the White House just days ago under a Freedom of Information Act Request -- should have been turned over to Congress a year and a half ago, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) told a hearing of the House Oversight Committee on Thursday...."In pushing the false narrative that a YouTube video was responsible for the deaths of four brave Americans, it is disturbing and perhaps criminal that these documents -- that documents like these -- were hidden by the Obama administration from Congress and the public alike.""...

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4/30/14, "Jay Carney Lies About the Benghazi Email," John Hinderaker, Powerline blog

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Boehner refuses to allow a Select Committee to demand documents and testimony from Benghazi witnesses that have to date been withheld:

1/6/2014, "Exclusive--Benghazi Victims' Families, Conservative Leaders to Boehner: Install Select Committee Now," Breitbart, Matthew Boyle

"The letter's signers are demanding Boehner install a select committee to investigate what happened....

“To date, five (5) different committees of the House have conducted separate hearings, uncovering information in a piecemeal fashion lacking professional investigators,” the coalition wrote to Boehner. “The five committees’ efforts are disjointed and uncoordinated. The Obama administration has benefited from that dysfunctional process to hide the truth."

"Hardly any Obama administration witnesses have testified – publicly or privately," they continued.

"You have resisted repeated calls for the creation of a select investigative committee with subpoena authority. It appears that you are satisfied to allow that state of investigative incoherence and ambiguity to continue. The last public hearing by any of the five committees was held in September – four (4) months ago."

"The families of the dead who fought valiantly to protect the mission and their families, the survivors, and the American people deserve better from you and your Members of Congress," the letter explained. "They deserve the absolute truth from their government. Your failure to get the truth and hold public officials accountable increases the possibility of other repeat attacks and additional failures to defend Americans abroad.”

The coalition argues that Boehner’s idling through the investigative process has led to things like a recent New York Times story which claimed that al Qaeda terrorists were not involved in the attack but that the attack was sparked by the YouTube video.

“On Sunday, December 29, 2013, the New York Times published a story concerning the Benghazi attacks that directly contradicts the sworn testimony of witnesses who appeared before various committees,” they wrote. “Besides the obvious New York Times editorial and political objectives of inoculating Hillary Clinton and her 2016 presidential campaign from further criticism of her failures as Secretary of State, the story contradicts objective truth and established facts in a way that confuses the public."

"Your inaction and failure to lead on the Benghazi investigation directly contributes to the repetition of lies; a lack of accountability from responsible government officials; and the political advancement of persons who seek to continue to ‘fundamentally transform’ the Constitution and our country," they accused. "The New York Times recent publication proves the Benghazi story is not ‘going away.’”

The group further argues that while Ahmed Abu Khattala, “a ringleader of the attack,” has “granted long interviews to reporters in Benghazi cafes,” the Obama administration’s federal law enforcement agencies have “done nothing.” Because of Boehner’s lack of willingness to aggressively investigate the terrorist attack, the coalition argues that no one has been held accountable. “Nearly 16 months after the terrorist attack, the American public has no accountability and no plan of action from House leadership,” they wrote. “The public is subjected to undisputed disinformation from a White House who calls the terror attack a ‘phony scandal.’"

"While the White House repeats false and misleading information, you continue to ignore claims, documented by Rep. Frank Wolf, of intelligence officers being intimidated with multiple, punitive polygraph examinations and harassing non-disclosure agreement demands," they claimed. "If Benghazi is ‘phony’ why are intelligence officers being threatened not to speak and subjected to polygraph exams? Why do you stand by passively?”

The coalition also questioned whether Boehner is holding up the investigation because he may be culpable for knowing certain pieces of information about the scandal. As Speaker of the House, Boehner is a member of what is called the “Super 8” in Congress. Other members include House Minority Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA); Senate Majority Leader Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV); Senate Minority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY); House Intelligence Committee Chairman and ranking member Reps. Mike Rogers (R-MI) and Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD), respectively; and Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and ranking member Saxby Chambliss (R-GA). Because of their seniority in Congress, the “Super 8” gets briefed on intelligence matters in a much more intensive manner than other members.

The coalition questions whether Boehner has “guilty knowledge” on Benghazi because of that, and wonders whether a complete investigation into Benghazi would jeopardize Boehner’s political future as Speaker of the House.

“Some analysts believe your inaction and passivity towards getting to the truth concerning Benghazi is because you were briefed on the intelligence and special operations activities in Libya as a member of the ‘Super 8,’” they wrote. “You may possess ‘guilty knowledge.’ We recall how then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi developed a form of ‘amnesia’ concerning a documented briefing she received on so-called ‘enhanced interrogation techniques’ – later termed ‘torture’ for political purposes."

"Are you in the same position as your predecessor?" they asked. "Are you dodging a legitimate, thorough, coordinated investigation of Benghazi because it will damage your political position as Speaker?”

The coalition noted because no select committee with subpoena power has been installed, some members of the House GOP conference have taken to submitting Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to attempt to get information about Benghazi out of the administration. “You should be embarrassed that members of Congress, and your own party, are forced to file Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests with Obama administration agencies to get basic information about the Benghazi issue,” the coalition wrote to Boehner.

“What a sad and pathetic statement about the operations of House standing committees looking into this tragedy that FOIA has become the last resort of even Republican Members seeking the truth!" the letter stated. "Are you concerned that the scattershot and untimely efforts of the various committees may actually be doing more harm than good at documenting facts? These are all examples of Republican leadership failures. How are you accountable?”

The coalition continued by criticizing the efforts of Rogers, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and one of Boehner’s right-hand men: “Rep. Mike Rogers and the Intelligence Committee seem to act as defense counsel for the Obama administration,” the coalition wrote. “A recent Intelligence Committee weekly update note stated as fact that no arms shipments were being run from Libya, and that no intelligence officers were being coerced not to speak. There is substantial evidence to the contrary on both counts."

"Why does Rep. Rogers parrot the discredited falsehoods of the so-called ‘Accountability Review Board’ (ARB)?" they accused. "Conflicting accounts, testimony and evidence need to be investigated – not dismissed or ignored. Don’t those contradictions and questions compel you, on behalf of the American people, to take any action to resolve the matter and get to the truth?”

The group asked Boehner why there “was thundering silence” from his office when Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) sent him a letter on Nov. 6 outlining outstanding unanswered questions about the scandal. “You have an opportunity to show strong leadership and resolve a national disgrace perpetrated by specific public officials,” they wrote. “You are failing.”

“Your reluctance to lead and resistance to create a Select Committee on Benghazi must end,” they wrote. “More than 75% of all House Republicans – with the conspicuous absence of those in leadership or committee chairmen – have cosponsored Rep. Wolf’s Select Committee bill. Few bills in this Congress demonstrate such overwhelming support from Republicans."

"Additionally, the bill enjoys the support of national security advocacy groups, and the Wall Street Journal editorial board, among many others," they noted. "We urge you to bring the bill to the floor for a vote immediately to start effective oversight on this critical national security matter immediately. We have waited long enough. Your approach is not working.”

Specifically, the coalition demands that the select committee must complete its investigation before the end of the 113th Congress, which concludes at the end of 2014.

“Mr. Speaker, we call upon you to act now and create a Select Committee on Benghazi to investigate all aspects of the United States involvement in Libya, to include, but not be limited to the attacks of September 11, 2012,” they wrote. “It must now also include the protracted cover-up the American people, the families of the fallen and those with loved ones serving overseas have endured."

"The new committee must have subpoena power, capable staff and Members from both parties who are committed to finding the truth, not playing politics," the letter continued. "The Committee must be staffed with new, professional, qualified and experienced investigators. It must have resources to conduct a thorough, comprehensive investigation and issue an exhaustive report before this Congress adjourns.”

The full list of coalition letter signers includes: Adm. Jerome L. Johnson, USN Ret., former Vice Chief of Naval Operations; Lt. Gen. E.G. “Buck” Shuler, Jr., USAF, (Ret); Lt. Gen. Richard D. Lawrence, USA (Ret); LTG William G. Boykin, USA (Ret); Maj. Gen. Paul Vallely, USA Ret, Chairman, Stand Up America; Maj. Gen. Carroll D. Childers, USA (Ret), Ranger; Maj. Gen. Thomas F. Cole, USA (Ret); Maj. Gen. Richard M. Cooke, USMC (Ret); Amb. Henry F. Cooper, Former Director, Strategic Defense Initiative; LTC Allen B. West (US Army, Ret) former Congressman, FL; Capt Joseph R. John, USNA ‘62, USN (Ret), Chairman, Combat Veterans For Congress PAC; Debra Burlingame, Co-founder, 9/11 Families for a Safe and Strong America; Elaine Donnelly, President, Center for Military Readiness; Dick Brauer, Col, USAF (Ret), Special Operation Speaks; Tom Fitton, President, Judicial Watch; Allen Roth, Secure America Now; Joel A. Arends, Veterans for a Strong America; Ginni Thomas, President, Liberty Consulting; Catherine Engelbrecht, President, True the Vote; Anita MonCrief, Black Voters Alliance; David Wallace, Restore America's Mission; Dr. James Pollock, Maj., USAF (Ret), OIF VETx2, SOCOM, Wounded Warrior Congressional Advocate; John J. Molloy, Chairman, National Vietnam & Gulf War Veterans Coalition; James C. Harding, Col USAF (Ret) National Spokesman for Veteran Defenders of America; Diane M. Sendlenski, Veteran US Air Force, Special Operations Speaks Coordinator; John G. B. Howland, Publisher, USNA-At-Large; Katherine Cornell Gorka, Executive Director, The Westminster Institute; Paul Caprio, Executive Director, Family Pac Federal; William L. Walton, Chairman, Rappahannock Ventures LLC; Sandy Rios, Director of Governmental Affairs, American Family Association; David Horowitz, President, Freedom Center; Peter Thomas, Chairman, The Conservative Caucus; Rear Adm. Hugh P. Scott, MC, USN (Ret); Rear Adm. Bill McDaniel, USN (Ret); Rear Adm. John A. Moriarty, USN, (Ret); Rear Adm. Robert B. McClinton, USN (Ret); Rear Adm. Don G. Primeau, USN (Ret); Brig. Gen. Michael Neil, USMCR (Ret); Brig. Gen. Francis Hughes, USA (Ret); Brig. Gen. John Zierdt, Jr., USA (Ret); Brig. Gen. Michael T. Byrnes, USA (Ret); Brig. Gen. William A. Bloomer, USMC (Ret); Captain Kenneth Rauch, USN (Ret); Captain Peter A. Hewett, JAGC, U.S. Navy (Ret); Captain James Knight, USN (Ret); Captain Roger W. Barnett, USN (Ret); Captain Gregory Streeter, USN (Ret) USNA ’58; Col. G. Huntington Banister, USA (Ret), and former Acting Director, Selective Service System, 1994; Col. S. Badiner, USMC (Ret); Col. Gregory G. Raths, USMC (Ret); Col. Joseph V. Potter, USAF (Ret); Col. Rob Maness, USAF (Ret), U.S. Senate Candidate 2014, R-Louisiana; Dan Bongino, 2012 Republican Nominee for US Senate, MD; Lt. Col. Ken Benway, USA (Ret); Lt. Col. Dennis B. Haney, USAF (Ret); CDR Randolph J. Horhutz, USNA '61, SC, USN (Ret); Everett Woolum, CMSGT, USAF (Ret); Gregory J. Rose, USNA ’73; Thomas Corboy, USNA, ’61; Anthony R. Papandrea, USNA ’61; Raymond H. Clary, Jr., USNA ’65; John W. Slagle, U.S. Navy Aviation veteran (Ret) Special Agent U.S.B.P. Anti-Smuggling Unit; Sarah Folger White, Former Presidential Commissioner; Dick and Patricia Schermerhorn, Appleton, WI; Lee Boyland, Author, former military officer, entrepreneur, nuclear engineer; Susan Creed Percy, Advocate for Military Families; Dave Hollenbeck, retired CA Highway Patrol; Paul F. Wirtz, Military family, OH resident; John Lillywhite, U.S. Citizen; Gene Andrews, U.S. Citizen; Mrs. Nancy Olbert, Supervisor Criminal Advocates, Daytona, FL State Attorney Office; Dr. Frank Ingels, Military Defense Consultant, MSIC/TETRA Office; Robert M. Trent, Senior Special Agent, USINS and former Marine and Vietnam combat veteran; and Kelly Monroe Kullberg, Christians for a Sustainable Economy; OH resident."


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'Republican' Beltway crony Darrell Issa has no problem with radical left globalists controlling half a generation in the United States:

 2/10/2011, "Issa 'wouldn't feel bad' if Obama reelected due to strong economy," The Hill, by Michael O'Brien

 "It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world for President Obama to win reelection, one of his top Republican critics said Thursday.

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), the tenacious chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said his top goal is to work with the administration to revive the economy. And if Obama were to win another term as a byproduct, so be it.
 
"I hope we can do that together," Issa said of job-creation efforts. "I probably still won't vote for him, but I certainly wouldn't feel bad if Americans were working again, and he did get another four years."...

"My goal is to strengthen the president," Issa said Thursday.... 


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Commenter wonders why Speaker Boehner is necessary:

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"If Judicial Watch can acquire information through the US Legal System, then of what useful purpose is Speaker Boehner to the people of the United States of America?

Speaker Boehner has repeatedly refused to appoint a House Special Investigator [or a Select Committee] for Benghazi, Fast and Furious, IRS, NSA, illegal amendments to Federal Laws, or any other of the many, many Obama Administration Scandals.
Speaker Boehner is a continuing disgrace to the Office of Speaker of the US House of Representatives!"...

18 posted on Tuesday, April 29, 2014 11:46:57 PM by Graewoulf"

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Comment: The Republican Establishment is thrilled the left is in charge, they even cleared a path for them by destroying the economy and the Republican Party. Today they sit on Fox News at Rupert Murdoch's invitation to make sure no actual opposition party gains traction against the left.
 

Taliban suicide bomber kills 13 including 6 policemen at 'highly guarded checkpoint' in Afghanistan. Billions of US taxpayer dollars every month for over a decade prove the 'war' has only been against US taxpayers

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4/14/11, US spends $8 billion a month in Afghanistan.

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5/1/14, "Taliban suicide car bomb kills 13, including six policemen, in Afghanistan," AFP

"A Taliban suicide car bomb killed at least 13 people, including six policemen, on Thursday in a normally peaceful region of eastern Afghanistan, officials said, nearly one month after elections.

A suicide attacker detonated his vehicle-loaded explosive after been identified by security forces," Abdul Aziz Ghairat, police chief of Panjshir province, told AFP.

"Six police were killed, and seven civilians. A number of other civilians and security forces were wounded."

The ministry of interior confirmed the incident at the highly-guarded checkpoint where vehicles enter the Panjshir valley.
"Around 5:00pm, a suicide bomber in a Toyota Sedan vehicle detonated his explosives-loaded vehicle," it said in a statement. "As a result of this attack, six policemen were killed and a number of civilians were wounded."

Panjshir province, north of Kabul, was a bastion of anti-Taliban resistance during the extremists' 1996-2001 regime, and has been relatively stable since they were ousted.

The steep valley in the Hindu Kush mountain range is also famous for its residents' dogged resistance against the Soviet occupation of the 1980s."    =======================                    

Neither party today represents US individuals. GOP enacts tiny ObamaCare 'fixes' only if the 'fix' helps a business interest-Daniel Horowitz

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4/9/14, "House Republicans Push Another Corporate Bailout Disguised as Partial-Repeal of Obamacare," Daniel Horowitz, Madison Project blog

"When observing the actions of political class Republicans it’s important to remember what makes them tick. It’s not that they are liberal or moderate; it’s that their ideology is power. When conservative policies will benefit them politically and assuage their donors and lobbyists, they will jump on board the constitutional bandwagon. But as soon as there is a schism between their puppet-masters on K Street on conservative policy, they are completely off the reservation. Nowhere is this more evident than with Obamacare.

While other issues such as corporate welfare, amnesty, and Common Core are blatantly embraced by the corporate interests, Obamacare is more complicated. On paper, big business opposes many parts of Obamacare. But that is the point. They oppose the parts of the bill that directly affect their bottom line (at least with the shortsighted focus on the near term), but have no problem with the rest of the bill that distorts the market and raises costs on individuals. Indeed, much of the insurance industry was in on Obamacare from day one.

Hence, that is why none of us are surprised that GOP leadership has quietly given up on Obamacare. This is not just about strategy, it’s about core beliefs.  Look no further than the Chamber of Commerce’s official position that they desire to fix Obamacare.

Accordingly, this is why Republicans and even some Democrats have enthusiastically embraced repeal of the medical device tax. Undoubtedly, it is a pernicious job-killing tax, but it is unanimously opposed by the business community. Juxtapose that to repeal of the risk corridors (the insurance company bailout for those who participate in Obamacare but inevitably incur losses from the mandates), championed by Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), and you won’t find too many followers.

Today, we will witness the latest example of (GOP) leadership’s tendentious treatment of big business in the Obamacare debate. The House will quietly vote on a bill sponsored by Democrat Rep. John Carney (D-DE) and Republican Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) (H.R. 4414), which would exempt all expatriate health insurance plans from Obamacare. Expatriate plans are robust high-end forms of insurance for executives, primarily in big corporations, working overseas and in need of global access to healthcare. The bill is co-sponsored by a random mix of moderate Republicans and Democrats.

Carney and Nunes sent a letter to their colleagues noting that these plans are offered by Cigna, Metlife, Aetna, and United Health. This is not surprising because Cigna provides health insurance to large companies with many top executives working overseas. Perforce, all of the special interests groups who oppose full repeal or defunding of Obamacare have swooped in on this bill. The American Benefits Council and the Chamber of Commerce quickly circled the wagons around this bill, which had not undergone any committee hearings or markups and was randomly passed under suspension.

While there is some debate among conservatives about partial repeal bills, even those conservatives who support a partial repeal strategy should only support game-changing bills that both bring relief to the consumer and help disrupt the viability of the entire law.  For example, in the case of the 1099 tax-reporting provision, it benefited all businesses and alleviated them from an onerous burden. The 1099 provision required companies to report all vendors from which they purchased $600 worth of goods or services within a year on their annual tax report. Moreover, instead of bailing out Democrats from the political wrath of a deleterious provision, we extracted concessions from them by limiting the individual subsidies for purchasing insurance.

The expatriate reform, on the other hand, is a parsimonious tweak (yet full repeal for one special interest) that serves no purpose but ameliorating the law, making some Democrats look good, and playing into the insidious and selfish strategy of big business and the insurance companies. Moreover, Republicans have not attached any other concession to this bill like they did with the 1099 repeal.

In the case of Cigna, they spent millions promoting Obamacare; now they are looking for a bailout specifically for their corporate clients. There’s no reason we should help them out. It’s no surprise that Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD), a conservative House member and lifelong physician, allegedly accused leadership of being in the pockets of big insurance companies.

The Wall Street Journal continues to lambast conservatives for opposing partial-repeal measures, but they are too shortsighted to see how these bills are geared towards bringing relief to Obamacare lobbyists, not consumers and taxpayers at large.

Those who think that the intra-party battle of 2014 is merely about strategy are not paying attention. Establishment Republicans have never stood for limited constitutional government and free markets except for when it overlaps with corporate interests. Don’t be fooled by the ubiquitous public opposition to Obamacare within the party. If conservatives fail to win this year’s primaries, a GOP majority will not be committed to repealing Obamacare."

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Jobless claims "unexpectedly" rise wk. ending 4/26/14 for 2nd week in a row

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5/1/14, "JOBLESS CLAIMS UNEXPECTEDLY SPIKE," businessinsider.com, Rob Wile

"Jobless claims hit 344,000 [week ending April 26], unexpectedly rising for the second week in a row.

Consensus was for 320,00, down from revised 330,000.

Full release »

A Labor Department official said claims tend to be more volatile around Easter.

The four-week moving averaged also claimed back to 320,000, an increase of 3,000."...

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5/1/14, "Jobless claims jump for second straight week," Marketwatch.com, Greg Robb

"The number of initial claims in the week ending April 26 rose 14,000 to 344,000, which is the highest level since the end of February. 

The gain came as a surprise, as the consensus forecast of Wall Street economists was for claims to fall to 320,000. 

Claims had jumped 25,000 to 330,000 in the prior week but analysts had thought at least some of the gain was due to the Easter holiday and would be reversed this week. 

Claims often rise around Easter because the holiday falls on different dates each year and that makes it harder for the government to conduct seasonal adjustments. 

Economists said the Easter impact lasted longer than expected but the rise in claims was temporary."...

GOP is foolish to think ObamaCare is fixable, its main feature is massive infrastructure for enrolling not only insurance but food stamps, housing assistance, welfare, and voter registration, a new Tammany Hall, even includes insurer bailouts. Economy can never recover w. employer mandate-Betsy McCaughey

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4/30/14, "GOP foolish to think ObamaCare is fixable," Betsy McCaughey

"Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), the No. 4 House Republican, is walking back comments attributed to her that ObamaCare can’t be repealed. But she’s not the only one suggesting Congress merely make changes within the framework of the health law. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) says the goal is to get the law “fixed.” It seems many GOP lawmakers still haven’t read the law, or they’d know the framework is corrupt. 

Even Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) speculated Friday that repeal is unlikely because it will be “difficult to turn the clock back.”

Nonsense. Even by the most inflated administration claims, some 8 million people have signed up for exchange plans, out of a nation of 318 million. ObamaCare is repealable, and should be replaced with a plan to cover the uninsured and reduce costs.

ObamaCare’s authors paid lip service to these goals but had an ulterior motive: forging a permanent Democratic majority. The law creates a huge infrastructure for enrolling millions of people not just in insurance but also for food stamps, housing assistance and other welfare programs — and registering them to vote.

Here are the pillars of this corrupt scheme. None of the minor fixes Republicans are discussing comes even close to sweeping away this corruption.

Navigators and assisters: Instead of government employees promoting ObamaCare and enrolling the uninsured, the law (Sec. 1311) reserves these jobs for community activists, unions, community health centers and other not-for-profits. Players include the NAACP, Planned Parenthood and Service Employees International Union. Hiring these groups is a way to fund the Democratic Party’s shadow army between elections.

Assisters sign up the uninsured for non-health benefits and register them to vote. The National Association of Community Health Centers identifies voter registration as a key part of its mission.
The whole scheme recalls the days of Tammany Hall, when local ward bosses got the poor and newly arrived whatever they needed, in exchange for their votes. ObamaCare institutionalizes this corrupt model and pays for it with your premiums.

Bailouts for insurers: ObamaCare rules make it impossible for insurers to offer “affordable” plans and still cover their costs. The premiums have to cover a long list of mandatory benefits as well as $100 billion in taxes on insurers over the decade. Insurers also have to cover seriously ill people for the same price as healthy people. Every state that tried this “community rating” scheme has seen premiums soar, as the healthy stop buying the plans.

To make ObamaCare seem affordable, the law includes a bailout (Sec. 1342). It encourages insurers to price plans below cost, with the assurance that taxpayer money will make them whole for most losses at year’s end. In short, John Q. Public is paying to make a law look affordable that isn’t. 

Worse, in January, the Obama administration sweetened the bailout terms, though only Congress has the legal authority to do so.

The big lie that this law is paid for. Reductions in future Medicare spending pay for over half the law, including a staggering 27 percent cut in payments to Medicare Advantage plans. That’s on paper. But the administration is postponing the Medicare Advantage cuts to dodge angry seniors.

Also postponed is the employer mandate, which requires workplaces with 50 or more full-time employees to provide a costly package of benefits. In anticipation of that mandate, employers are holding their workforces below 50 or cutting hours below the law’s zany 30-hour-a-week definition of full time. In the first seven months of 2013, an astounding 77 percent of hires were part time.

With the employer mandate, the economy cannot recover. Without it, millions more will need taxpayer-funded coverage and ObamaCare collapses.

So much for the false sales pitch that ObamaCare is paid for and repealing it would increase the deficit.

Attention, Republicans: Repeal this “stinkburger” and replace it with a health-insurance safety net built on compassion, not lies.

Betsy McCaughey is author of “Beating ObamaCare 2014.” via Lucianne



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Fed. Election Commission lawyer resigns after Special Counsel finds she engaged in political activity for Mr. Obama on taxpayer time

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4/30/14, "Federal Election Commission Lawyer: Politicking for Obama on Taxpayer Time," J. Christian Adams, PJ Media

"A lawyer for the Federal Election Commission has resigned after being found to have engaged in prohibited political activity to help President Obama’s reelection on government time. The Federal Election Commission is the agency charged with regulating campaign finance for the presidential campaigns and serving as a purportedly neutral federal agency. The Washington Times reports on a finding by the Office of Special Counsel about the actions of this FEC lawyer:

"The employee, a lawyer whose name wasn’t divulged, solicited campaign donations for Mr. Obama and other political campaigns, and even took part in a web broadcast from an FEC facility where the employee criticized the GOP and Republican 2012 presidential candidate Mitt Romney."

The Hatch Act prohibits federal employees from engaging in political activity on government time or using government resources to aid the election of candidates.  The most serious penalty possible for violation of the Hatch Act is loss of federal employment. Criminal charges are not available for violations of the Hatch Act.

The Washington Times did not identify the lawyer who engaged in prohibited political activity at the FEC, but PJ Media has identified the former FEC attorney as April Sands.

This Huffington Post live stream includes a lawyer named April Sands making statements which match the Washington Times description of the lawyer’s improper activity. April Sands is the name of a lawyer who worked in the General Counsel’s office of the Federal Election Commission. 

PJ Media contacted the FEC press office and asked if April Sands is the lawyer who resigned after the finding of improper political activity at the FEC.  The FEC official declined comment.

PJ Media also asked the FEC if April Sands is still employed as a lawyer at the FEC. Again, the official declined comment.  Efforts to reach April Sands by telephone at the FEC were also unsuccessful.

I also contacted the Twitter handle contained in the Huffington Post live stream for April Sands (@reignofapril) and asked if she was still employed by the Federal Election Commission. The April Sands in the Huffington Post live stream replied by Twitter that she had no idea what I was talking about.

 People familiar with the former FEC attorney April Sands confirm to PJ Media that the April Sands who participated in the Huffington Post live stream is in fact one in the same person, despite her false denials on Twitter to the contrary. Immediately after falsely denying to PJ Media any awareness of the facts in the Washington Times story, April Sands made her Twitter account private.

April Juanita Sands is a member of the Maryland Bar. Bar records list her current employer as the Federal Election Commission. Bar records also indicate she was admitted to practice in 1994 and graduated from the University of Texas law school.

Sands is the latest example of federal employees being found to have engaged in prohibited political activity to help Democrats.  It illustrates a significant problem across the civil service that will be difficult to undo even in a Republican administration.  

Federal employees donate overwhelmingly to Democrats and view the ministerial state through an activist and ideological lens.  Whether at the IRS, EPA or DOJ, partisans inside government use their power to advance a partisan agenda, and despite the resignation of Sands, few are caught and purged from the civil service." image above appears to be screen shot from HuffPo live stream, via Lucianne


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Mexico has seized 200,000+ tons of illegal iron ore recently most of which was en route to China-BBC

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5/1/14, "Mexico seizes ship carrying 68,000 tonnes of illegal iron," BBC

"Mexican authorities say they have seized a ship belonging to a drugs cartel which was carrying 68,000 tonnes of illegal iron ore.

The authorities were tipped off by an anonymous phone call after the ship left the port of Lazaro Cardenas.

The town's mayor was arrested on Tuesday over suspected links to drug traffickers.

Mexico has seized more than 200,000 tonnes of illegal iron ore in recent months, most of it on its way to China.

The ship, Jian Hua, was detained near the Pacific port of Manzanillo. The company operating the ship now have 30 days to prove to authorities that the iron ore was extracted legally from Mexico.

Knights Templar cartel
 
Lazaro Cardenas is one of the main port cities on the Pacific coast and a drug-trafficking hotspot.

The city's mayor, Arquimedes Oseguera, is accused of having ties to the Knights Templar drugs cartel, which he denies.

The city's treasurer was also arrested on suspicion of having links to the group....

Farmers in western Michoacan state have long complained about the power of the Knights Templar and the corrupt nature of local officials.

Many have joined "self-defence" groups which have taken control of a number of small towns in the state."


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