11/20: Tea Partiers Turn On Each Other
After emerging out of nowhere over the summer as a seemingly potent and growing political force, the tea party movement has become embroiled in internal feuding over philosophy, strategy and money and is at risk of losing its momentum.
The grass-roots activists driving the movement have become increasingly divided on such core questions as whether to focus their efforts on shaping policy debates or elections, work on a local, regional, state or national level or closely align themselves with the Republican Party, POLITICO found in interviews with tea party organizers in Washington and across the country.
11/20: Doc Fix or Doc Tricks?
Should we add to the deficit or pay doctors less? That’s the question Congress is contemplating after coming up $200 billion short for Medicare providers’ reimbursement this year.
The $200 billion “Doc Fix” issue is controversial because Democrats are trying to separate it off from the larger health care bill snaking its way through Congress. By separating off doc fix, they can maintain that Obamacare is budget neutral, because that’s the way it was scored by the Congressional Budget Office.
They can’t maintain the bill’s budget-neutrality after a doc fix is added into the mix.
11/20: Obama Goes From Radiant to Radioactive
Rosslyn Smith: After the 2008 election, Obama basked in a triumph of superlatives that would have made a Caesar returning for the barbarian wars blush, so thickly did the media slather on the paeans to semi-divine political status In 2010, it is starting to look like Obama may be worse than deadly Caesium-137 to incumbent Democrats.
11/20: Progressive Taxation Is Punishing Success
According to the National Taxpayers Union, the top 1% of federal income tax filers paid 36.89% and 40.42% of all federal income taxes in 2004 and 2007, respectively. That equates to a 9.6% increase in the percentage of taxes paid over the four year period.
11/20: The Day I Met Sarah Palin… and the Liberal Media
Where on earth do I begin? This all started as me, a young 17 year old American going to see a woman I admire and turned into this crazy event hah I’ll start at the very beginning.
My dad and I arrived at the Barnes and Noble at 11 pmTuesday evening. There were 2 tents in front of us; we were probably number 15 or so in line. It was a chilly evening but I enjoyed some good conversation from several Palin fans. We talked about Obama, Palin and just some other stuff. We sat outside in the cold, bundled up until 5:30 am. At that time they ushered us inside where we had to sit outside the B&N entrance until 7am. We received our bracelets at 7am and were told if we’d like to be guaranteed to see Palin we should remain in line all day. So I did. I was not about to lose a chance at seeing Sarah Palin after sitting in line out in the freezing cold for hours. So I sat, and sat… I read some of her book and then the media circus began. I spotted Norah O’Donnell and Andrea Mitchell right off the bat and couldn’t believe they were there.. I mean I thought they hated Sarah Palin. I thought Sarah Palin had no impact, she was a nobody yet they send their 2 big guns to cover her book tour… but I digress.
11/20: Reid Schedules Saturday Night Vote for Bill Supported by 35% of Voters
Senate Republican aides say that Harry Reid has scheduled the first vote on his health-care bill for Saturday night for 8:00 p.m. after 10 hours of floor debate. Ed Morrissey notes that registered voters oppose the House health care bill 51 percent to 35 percent; a poll done by the Democratic firm Public Policy Polling shows registered voters oppose “President Obama’s health care plan” 52 percent to 40 percent.
Rep. Conyers: ‘I’m Getting Tired of Saving Obama’s Can…’
11/20: Postal Service’s Letter to Santa Program Lives On
Have no fear, kids: The Postal Service’s Letters to Santa program lives on … just not at the post office in North Pole, Alaska.
Postal officials disputed an Associated Press report Thursday that said the entire program was bust. The program will continue at participating post offices, so long as they abide by strict guidelines designed to protect young children.
“We’re not Grinches,” insisted Postal spokeswoman Sue Brennan.
11/20: SEIU Thugs vs. Boy Scouts
Michelle Malkin: The Purple Shirted-thugs of the Service Employees International Union — ACORN’s alter ego and Obama’s most frequent visitor — are going after an Eagle Scout who poses a threat to their workers because he’s volunteering too much.
11/20: Vail Daily Letter: County Still Overspending
As I wrote in a letter about a month ago, the county has increased spending almost 50 percent in four years. Every dollar of the 50 percent tax increase has been spent as fast as it has rolled in, and that is why the county is doing everything it can to gouge out the last dime from citizens worried about paying for food and other expenses. Some people will lose their houses as they won’t be able to afford more taxes.
Some of our taxes have gone for such essentials as county-subsidized day care (rejected by the voters but done anyway), trading in perfectly good cars to buy “green” Priuses at a premium price to save minimal amounts of gas, ripping out perfectly good landscape to build a “green” entrance to the county building at $250,000 and building an expansion to the jail for around $20 million that we will be paying for for decades.
