Erick Erickson's Blog, page 177
March 14, 2011
Is Saxby Chambliss Becoming A Democrat? — The Erick Erickson Show
Tonight at 7pm, I'll be live from the Digital White Columns in Midtown Atlanta on WSB. You can listen live at http://wsbradio.com and call in at 1-800-WSB-TALK.
Tonight on the Erick Erickson Show, we'll be talking about Saxby Chambliss. He's open to tax increases to balance the budget. He's opposed to defunding NPR. Is he becoming a Democrat?
Consider this an open thread.
Durbin and Federal Reserve Plot to Fix Prices and Harm Consumers
Senator Dick Durbin's (D-IL) amendment to the Financial Overhaul Bill is set to go into effect in April that will allow Obama and the Federal Reserve to set the prices of debit card interchange fees.
That may sound like a boring topic, but consider this: because of Dick Durbin's amendment, banks are about to restrict the number of and amount of daily debit card purchases you can make. That's right. JP Morgan is considering capping your debit card purchases at $50.00 to $100.00 per purchase.
Lenders have repeatedly warned that the proposal, in its current form, will force them to cut benefits on debit-cards and impose new fees and restrictions.
Banks say they are considering many options in response; Bank of America Corp., Wells Fargo & Co. and J.P. Morgan have already begun to revamp debit programs.
(SOURCE)
Why? With the government setting price controls on debit card interchange fees, banks can't make money off them. Consequently, they'll be forced to push you and me into actual credit cards to make money. But that's not all.
The Fed has been talking about capping the interchange fee at 12 cents per transaction, barely ¼ of the current average fee of 44 cents. That means that local banks and credit unions will have to find other ways to make up revenues that will be lost. The banks' loss, however, is the big box retailers' gain.
The CEOs, working in cahoots with Durbin and the then filibuster proof Democrat Senate, are thrilled with the extra profits they will make once the rule goes into effect. Home Depot Exec, Carol Tome has said, "Based on the Fed's draft regulations, we think the benefit to The Home Depot could be $35 million a year," an amount they are willing to fight for. The lobbying efforts of these merchants have killed any attempts to codify passing savings along to the consumers, guaranteeing that retailers will get all of the profits for themselves.
On the eve of the vote, Wal-Mart donated $20 million to Durbin's hometown of Chicago; just a small amount compared to the extra profits they plan to line their pockets with once the rule is enacted.
The merchants' current position is to lobby Republican leaders and ask them to do nothing, which is in fact, allowing Dick Durbin, Ben Bernanke and the Fed to price fix.
In a February hearing of the House Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit on the Durbin Amendment Interchange Rule, Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) attempted to highlight the lack of consumer benefits this rule will impose when addressing 7-Eleven VP David Seltzer,
"If Congress does not act to delay this for further study, when the Federal Reserve rule is implemented, if I go to the 7-Eleven in Lakewood, Texas, in the Lakewood neighborhood of Dallas, Texas, can I expect a gallon of milk to drop in price? Can I expect a gallon of gas to drop in price?… I expect you don't know the answer to the question, but I want to make a point here… Do you know what the incremental cost is of producing a Slurpee? I just wonder how 7-Eleven would feel if the Federal Reserve came in with a rule that said you can only recover the incremental cost of selling a Slurpee. My guess is the ice and the fruit flavor don't cost a whole lot, but you got a lot of fixed cost. I think you get the point."
So much for consumer protection! Not only can consumers not expect to see prices go down as a result of this rule, many banks are saying that they will have to "abandon free checking and boost other charges to consumers to recover lost revenue," (Daily Caller). Then there's the debit card restrictions. Better find that old checkbook wallet.
But merchants need to beware of what they are asking for. Allowing the Obama administration to fix prices could come back to bite them when the next logical step, controlling the price of consumer goods, follows.
Some in the GOP believe that there's no point in doing anything, since the Senate can't move a bill. That line of thinking would continue the reckless deficit spending that Harry Reid seems intent to continue.
Thankfully, there is a courageous band of renegade conservatives that need to be commended for fighting for conservative principles. Representatives Spencer Bachus (R-AL), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), Jeb Hensarling (R-TX), Randy Neugebauer (R-TX), Jim Renacci (R-OH), Sean Duffy (R-WI) and Senators Bob Corker (R-TN), Mike Lee (R-UT), Rand Paul (R-KY) and Pat Roberts (R-KS) will not take the do nothing bait. They need more conservatives to co-sponsor legislation so the free market can continue.
Let's just hope they can convince the rest of their colleagues to join in the fight to stop Ben Bernanke from price fixing.
Standing idly by, is an endorsement of Obama Administration price controls and Dick Durbin's leadership.
It is also an abdication of conservative principles and responsibility.
How House Republican Leaders Are Going to Betray House Republican Freshmen
Allow me to explain what the House Republicans are doing — not that they will ever admit it.
The House Republicans leaders are scared to death of shutting down the government, never mind that a shutdown is really just a slow down.
The House Republicans leaders absolutely, unequivocally do not want a shut down. Mean time, the Democrats would love a shutdown. They remember 1995, and they remember that it was the government shutdown of 1995 that put Bill Clinton back in the driver's seat.
While all of this is going on, we have Senate Democrat Leader Harry Reid saying we cannot defund the National Endowment of the Humanities because no one would show up at a cowboy poetry festival in Nevada.
We also have Senate Republican Saxby Chambliss now saying he's willing to consider tax increases and unwilling to defund National Public Radio.
With the House Republicans' unwillingness to shut down the government, they've out negotiated themselves. But the leadership and its inability to effectively whip its own freshman means the leadership needs a plan to scare the beejeezus out of Freshman Republicans. That plan requires a three week continuing resolution.
Let me tell you why.
What comes up in April? The debt ceiling debacle.
Merging the continuing resolution debate and the debt ceiling debate together would be the worst possible situation for conservatives. It would limit their negotiating position for substantive cuts when the clock is ticking toward what Democrats and Republican leaders are calling not just a shut down situation, but a default situation.
If a continuing resolution and debt ceiling debate were merged, moderates would be empowered to push for minimal cuts, no defunding of Obamacare, no defunding of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, no defunding of Planned Parenthood, etc. Republican leaders in the House and Democratic leaders in the Senate would be in the comfy position of being able to ignore conservatives in the name of a "good government compromise," which is Washington Speak for growing the size and scope of government while pretending not to.
It is crucial for conservatives to fight against the short term CR and force the Democrat and Republican Leaders to sit down now and start making real cuts. The cuts the Republicans are proposing are a drop in the bucket to real reform.
The voters put the GOP in power to cut the size of government. It is time to do just that.
Below is a list of Freshman Republicans to call and demand they oppose the House GOP Leadership's short term continuing resolution. Call 202-224-3121, ask for the Congressman, and tell him to oppose the new short term CR and demand he support substantive cuts and a long term plan.
These are the freshmen who voted for the Mulvaney amendment to bring spending levels back to the 2006 level. The vote was 93 to 328. It is a pretty good list of the most conservative members and freshmen with some anomaloies (Denham, Hurt, etc.).
You can reach each of these Congressmen by calling 202-224-3121.
1) Amash (MI) *voted against the first CR
2) Buerkle (NY)
3) Denham (CA)
4) Duncan (SC)
5) Ellmers (NC)
6) Fleishmann (TN)
7) Gardner (CO)
Gowdy (SC)
9) Griffin (AZ)
10) Griffith (VA)
11) Harris (MD)
12) Huizenga (MI)
13) Huelskamp (KS) *already opposed
14) Hurt (VA)
15) Labrador (ID)
16) Landry (LA)
17) Mulvaney (SC)
18) Pompeo (KS)
19) Reed (NY)
20) Ribble (WI)
21) Rigell (VA)
22) Rokita (IN)
23) Schweikert (AZ)
24) A. Scott (GA)
25) T. Scott (SC)
26) Southerland (FL)
27) Stutzman (IN)
28) Walsh (IL)
29) Woodall (GA)
30) T. Young (IN)
Other obvious conservative freshmen who didn't vote for the Mulvaney amendment:
31) Fincher (TN)
32) Lankford (OK)
33) Webster (FL)
34) West (FL)
Of the non-freshmen, these are the conservatives that should be no brainers that we need to hear from soon:
1) Broun (GA)
2) Chaffetz (UT)
3) Coffman (CO)
4) Fleming (LA)
5) Foxx (NC)
6) Franks (AZ)
7) Flake (AZ)
Garrett (NJ)
9) Jordan (OH)
10) Lamborn (CO)
11) McClintock (CA)
12) Pearce (NM)
13) Pence (IN)
14) Scalise (LA)
15) Graves (GA)
16) Blackburn (TN)
17) Lummis (WY)
Bachmann, Gohmert, Paul, Jones, and Steve King are presumably already a no vote because they voted against the first CR.
Morning Briefing for March 14, 2011
RedState Morning Briefing
For March 14, 2011
Go to www.RedStateMB.com to get
the Morning Briefing every morning at no charge.
Can Donald Trump Save America?
Our sister site, Human Events, has a great interview with Donald Trump. There's both an article, which you can access here and video too. Click on through for Jason Mattera's article about Donald Trump.
Please click here for the rest of the post.
————–
1. Will Freshman House Republicans Keep Their Promise?
2. How House Republican Leaders Are Going to Betray House Republican Freshmen
3. Letter to Leadership to Defund ObamaCare Immediately
4. Rep. Tim Huelskamp Stands Tall in Budget Showdown
5. Union-Controlled NLRB Approves Union Thuggery in Union Elections
6. Wisconsin cops & firemen break their oaths.
7. White House Falsely Takes Credit For Oil Production Increase
———————————————————————-
1. Will Freshman House Republicans Keep Their Promise?
House Republicans are unveiling their next short-term continuing resolution today to keep the government from shutting down on March 18. It is a three week-extension, $6 billion in cuts with no new policy riders.
Sound good? It's not. Realize what is going on here. House Leadership unfortunately continues to be gripped by fear of a government shutdown. It is why these short-term extensions do not include any new policy riders, such as the one to deny federal funding to Planned Parenthood or to defund Obamacare. These extensions are carefully calibrated to not prompt a veto threat from the White House.
By fearing a fight that could lead to a shutdown, House Leadership is letting the White House play rope-a-dope with them. The House has spoken. It passed a long-term bill that includes $61 billion in cuts and various aforementioned riders to defund objectionable activities of the federal government. This bill was based on a promise to the American people that Republicans would make a down-payment in the face of a staggering $1.5 trillion deficit, and when the Speaker said, "Read my lips," he was promising a real fight. Not this.
Please click here for the rest of the post.
2. How House Republican Leaders Are Going to Betray House Republican Freshmen
Allow me to explain what the House Republicans are doing — not that they will ever admit it.
The House Republicans leaders are scared to death of shutting down the government, never mind that a shutdown is really just a slow down.
The House Republicans leaders absolutely, unequivocally do not want a shut down. Mean time, the Democrats would love a shutdown. They remember 1995, and they remember that it was the government shutdown of 1995 that put Bill Clinton back in the driver's seat.
While all of this is going on, we have Senate Democrat Leader Harry Reid saying we cannot defund the National Endowment of the Humanities because no one would show up at a cowboy poetry festival in Nevada.
We also have Senate Republican Saxby Chambliss now saying he's willing to consider tax increases and unwilling to defund National Public Radio.
With the House Republicans' unwillingness to shut down the government, they've out negotiated themselves. But the leadership and its inability to effectively whip its own freshman means the leadership needs a plan to scare the beejeezus out of Freshman Republicans. That plan requires a three week continuing resolution.
Let me tell you why.
Please click here for the rest of the post.
3. Letter to Leadership to Defund ObamaCare Immediately
Wednesday the House will consider another Continuing Resolution. Including language to defund ObamaCare is our opportunity to stop the flow of funds to ObamaCare once and for all. Our suggested language is, "Notwithstanding any other provision of law, none of the funds made available by this or any previous Act with respect to any fiscal year may be used to carry out the provisions of Public Law 111-148, Public Law 111-152, or any amendment made by either such Public Law."
Please click here for the rest of the post.
4. Rep. Tim Huelskamp Stands Tall in Budget Showdown
Heritage Action for America (my employer), Club for Growth, and Family Research Council released a joint statement announcing their opposition to the three-week continuing resolution on floor of the House of Representatives next week, and their decision to "key vote" the extension on their respective scorecards. In doing so, they joined Mark Levin, Erick Erickson, and others, who are calling for conservatives to step up and lead by blocking this legislation.
Freshman Rep. Tim Huelskamp of Kansas just answered that call. In a bold statement late last night, Huelskamp announced his opposition to the short-term resolution.
Please click here for the rest of the post.
5. Union-Controlled NLRB Approves Union Thuggery in Union Elections
On Friday, in its continuing attempt to hand over the American workplace to union bosses at all costs, the union-controlled National Labor Relations Board has thrown employees' rights under the bus once again. This time, however, the NLRB's obedience to union bosses could cause employees to get hurt.
Please click here for the rest of the post.
6. Wisconsin cops & firemen break their oaths.
It would seem that loyalty to their union masters take precedence over loyalty to the people of Wisconsin. From a contemptible letter written to M&I Bank threatening a boycott:
"The undersigned groups would like your company to publicly oppose Governor Walker's efforts to virtually eliminate collective bargaining for public employees in Wisconsin. While we appreciate that you may need some time to consider this request, we ask for your response by March 17. In the event that you do not respond to this request by that date, we will assume that you stand with Governor Walker and against the teachers, nurses, police officers, fire fighters, and other dedicated public employees who serve our communities.
"In the event that you cannot support this effort to save collective bargaining, please be advised that the undersigned will publicly and formally boycott the goods and services provided by your company."
Now, this would not be a contemptible letter if it were signed by members of private sector unions. Private sector unions work in trades, and they have the right to make informed business choices (and even uninformed ones). But public sector union members are supposedly public servants - and they are expected to avoid even the hint of impropriety in their labor disputes.
Please click here for the rest of the post.
7. White House Falsely Takes Credit For Oil Production Increase
The White House Blog, in a post entitled "Expanding Safe and Responsible Energy Production", lays out the case for the Obama Administration as a long-time supporter of domestic oil and gas:
"One area where we have focused our efforts since the start of the administration – long before this current spike – is increasing responsible domestic energy production – including oil and gas. In fact, oil production last year rose to its highest level since 2003. From 2008 to 2010, oil production from the Outer Continental Shelf increased more than a third – from 446 million barrels in 2008 to an more than 600 million barrels of estimated production in 2010."
Have these people no shame? (Note: Rhetorical question.)
March 13, 2011
Former (Ha Ha Ha) Congressman Alan Grayson Still Stupid
Former (Hahahahahahaha) Congressman Alan Grayson took to a public former to declare Florida Governor Rick Scott like Al Qaeda. He said, "Putting Rick Scott in charge of a state is like putting Al-Qaida as the pilot of an airplane."
He also declared Rick Scott wants to turn Florida into Somalia.
H/t to Secular Stupidest.
March 11, 2011
DeMint Tried to Stop Her. But Murkowski Lied, Now Babies Will Die
DeMint tried to warn us. But Lisa lied. Now she's fighting to make sure your taxpayer dollars are used to kill babies.
And how do Washington Republicans respond to this betrayal by Murkowski, who lost the primary, vilified a patriot like Joe Miller, and lied about wanting to use taxpayer funds for abortion? They promote Murkowski as spokeswoman for the Republican Party, of course.
GOP FAIL.
Will Freshman House Republicans Keep Their Promise?
House Republicans are unveiling their next short-term continuing resolution today to keep the government from shutting down on March 18. It is a three week-extension, $6 billion in cuts with no new policy riders.
Sound good? It's not. Realize what is going on here. House Leadership unfortunately continues to be gripped by fear of a government shutdown. It is why these short-term extensions do not include any new policy riders, such as the one to deny federal funding to Planned Parenthood or to defund Obamacare. These extensions are carefully calibrated to not prompt a veto threat from the White House.
By fearing a fight that could lead to a shutdown, House Leadership is letting the White House play rope-a-dope with them. The House has spoken. It passed a long-term bill that includes $61 billion in cuts and various aforementioned riders to defund objectionable activities of the federal government. This bill was based on a promise to the American people that Republicans would make a down-payment in the face of a staggering $1.5 trillion deficit, and when the Speaker said, "Read my lips," he was promising a real fight. Not this.
Republican Leadership already threw all the riders over board by excluding them from the first extension, showing that for all their talk they are fundamentally unserious about defunding Planned Parenthood and Obamacare. With every short-term resolution, Republicans allow Democrats to play for time. With each dollar the Democrats agree to with these short-term compromises, they look more reasonable for the day when they will inevitably say, "No mas." When that day comes, Republicans will fold. They may try to obfuscate and blur this fight with the next one on the debt limit, but Republicans will still be folding. It will project weakness, and the Democrats will unmistakably recognize it for what it is: fear. And if Republicans blink in the face of a government shutdown, it will set the course for the next two years of dealing with Obama, particularly with regard to the debt limit fight.
So far the freshmen class is complicit in this dead-end strategy by allowing it. They have the votes to tell their Leadership no. But so far, they refuse. They have refused to fight to defund Obamacare and Planned Parenthood in these negotiations, and they are giving their Leadership far too much flexibility to avoid a fight. In doing so, they are empowering Leadership and letting themselves be co-opted. The freshmen need to realize that Leadership never plays to win—they play to not lose. But we didn't send them to Washington to play for ties. Make no mistake. The soul of the freshmen class is on the line in this fight.
The rope-a-dope must end. The other side continues to block the bare minimum of what our nation needs fiscally and play for time, fresh off an election that went squarely against them. Republicans gave them two additional weeks to compromise. The Democrats' chief negotiator, Vice President Biden, used that precious time to fly across the world. They are unserious, and it's time to call them on it.
Call your Congressmen and urge them to vote against any further short-term extensions and to stand for H.R. 1 as it passed the House. Tell them not blink.
Morning Briefing for March 11, 2011
RedState Morning Briefing
For March 11, 2011
Go to www.RedStateMB.com to get
the Morning Briefing every morning at no charge.
1. Lame Duck II: The Sequel
2. CRS Report: U.S. is Leader in Fossil Fuel Resources
3. A Box is in the Eye of the Beholder
4. The Left's New Tone? "…you will be killed and your familes will also be killed…"
5. Josh Mandel: A candidate to get excited about
———————————————————————-
1. Lame Duck II: The Sequel
A lot can happen between now and November, 2012. But let me make a prediction: The next month will either set Barack Obama on a "glide path" toward electoral victory -– or a glide path toward electoral defeat.
The Obama-generated narrative is that the next 30 days will be spent trying to come up with a "magic number" (between $10 billion and $61 billion) of Obama-approved spending cuts which are acceptable to both Republicans and the White House. Among other things, this negotiated plan would fund ObamaCare.
If this narrative unfolds the way Obama is planning, it will create a political dynamic comparable to the GOP's botched handling of the lame duck session:
In less than three weeks in December, Barack Obama was transformed from a has-been to a 2012
frontrunner.
Obama paid off restive Democrat constituencies: same-sex couples, foreign policy doves, environmentalists, unions, and New York's two recently reelected liberal senators.
Obama was perceived as a leader who had embraced both bipartisanship and tax cuts.
Similarly, Obama is on the precipice of becoming a hero to every group facing cuts under the House's long-term funding bill –- while appearing bipartisan and becoming a champion of spending cuts.
If this happens, Republicans can forget about any more spending cuts which are not paid for with tax increases. And they can clench their teeth and prepare for the electoral disaster which 2012 will bring.
But let me suggest this. . .
Please click here for the rest of the post.
2. CRS Report: U.S. is Leader in Fossil Fuel Resources
While Obama continues his implacable war on fossil fuels and campaigns for impotent and unreliable energy sources, he incessantly condemns oil as 'the energy of the past'. He is obviously referring to his self-fulfilling dream of eradicating oil from our economy; not the proven reality of our oil reserves. According to the latest research by the Congressional Research Service (CRS), America has more proven reserves and undiscovered resources of gas, oil, and coal than any other country in the world. Contrast that to the billions of dollars in special interest subsidies that have failed to ameliorate ineffectual 'alternative fuels' and it becomes quite obvious where the energy source of the future lies.
Please click here for the rest of the post.
3. A Box is in the Eye of the Beholder
On December 11, 2005 former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright went on "Meet the Press" to opine that the Iraq war had been a mistake–worse than that it had de-railed the successful pre-war program of sanctions and a no-fly zone, which had contained the paper tiger.
Please click here for the rest of the post.
4. The Left's New Tone? "…you will be killed and your familes will also be killed…"
Because you believe in freedom and fiscal responsibility, you've been told that you are racist hate-monger. Because you rallied and held Gadsen Flags, you've been called astroturf. You were blamed for a shooting by an anarchist madman. As you've watched in horror as your country has been consumed by collectivist unions and crony capitalists, you've been accused of advocating slavery and hypocritically excoriated for rhetoric.
For all of their false accusations, there is nothing, nothing that compares to this.
Please click here for the rest of the post.
5. Josh Mandel: A candidate to get excited about
I have to be honest with you. With the exception of Ted Cruz and Michael Williams in Texas and Jeff Flake in Arizona, I am not really that excited about any of the Senate races this year. There are few solid conservative rockstars out there.
And yes, if you are thinking I am ignoring candidate X in your state, I've thought of them. They're good. But they are no Rand Paul or Jeff Flake or Mike Lee or Ted Cruz or Michael Williams. Good does not equate rockstar.
I might have a new race to get excited about. It appears Josh Mandel is going to run against Vladimir Sherrod Brown (S-OH). Yes, i know I put an "S" and not a "D" next to his name. He's an unrepentant socialist.
Mandel is a solid conservative. He's the Ohio Treasurer. He's young. He can win statewide. And should he definitely make a go of it, we should all be willing to rally to him.
March 10, 2011
The Erick Erickson Show
I'm live tonight from Louisiana. You can listen at http://wsbradio.com and call in at 1-800-WSB-TALK.
I'll be spending a good bit of time on Wisconsin tonight.
Consider this an open thread.
Josh Mandel: A candidate to get excited about
I have to be honest with you. With the exception of Ted Cruz and Michael Williams in Texas and Jeff Flake in Arizona, I am not really that excited about any of the Senate races this year. There are few solid conservative rockstars out there.
And yes, if you are thinking I am ignoring candidate X in your state, I've thought of them. They're good. But they are no Rand Paul or Jeff Flake or Mike Lee or Ted Cruz or Michael Williams. Good does not equate rockstar.
I might have a new race to get excited about. It appears Josh Mandel is going to run against Vladimir Sherrod Brown (S-OH). Yes, i know I put an "S" and not a "D" next to his name. He's an unrepentant socialist.
Mandel is a solid conservative. He's the Ohio Treasurer. He's young. He can win statewide. And should he definitely make a go of it, we should all be willing to rally to him.
I hope that in other states candidates will shape up to be solid and exciting. Right now though, while there are some good candidates out there, too few are dazzling.
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