The Lady Patriot » Scott Brown

House Doesn’t Slaughter the Deem-and-Pass Rule

The Lady Patriot — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 20:42:28 +0000

You’ve heard of the Slaughter Rule. It means that, if used, the House would NOT vote on the Senate version of the health care bill (a move that is required in order for the health care bill to be passed). Instead, the House will vote on a reconciliation bill that would “fix health care issues” like eliminate the FFEL Program from student lending.

That’s right. Student loans and health care. They go together like chocolate chip cookies and a tall glass of Pine-Sol. The changes state that “savings” from removing the Federal Family Education Loan Program will go to increase the per student Federal Pell Grant. (You do know that a community college student with a Pell Grant can walk away with a refund check that’s derived solely from Pell Grant proceeds, right? Just a little something for you to mull over, as if this health care debacle isn’t bad enough.)

Those “savings” from eliminating FFELP will also off-set health care costs, too. Yeah, um, okay. (By the way, the elimination of the FFEL Program means choice in student lending is over and the only option students will have is the Department of Education. In case you aren’t aware, the US Department of Education has been telling schools for a year they need to begin setting up their processes to handle this switch as it was inevitable with Obama as President.)

Back to the Slaughter Rule. If the House votes for those proposed changes, then they will “deem” the Senate bill as having been passed, although no votes were actually cast for or against the Senate bill.

Then, the Senate bill that the Senate passed and the House “deemed to have passed” is sent to the President to sign, the “Cornhusker Kickback” and “Louisiana Purchase” included.

The Slaughter Rule seems underhanded, doesn’t it? That’s BECAUSE IT IS.

What about the “fix” that includes the elimination of FFELP? That reconciliation bill will be sent to the Senate for their vote. Since it’s a reconciliation bill, the Senate only needs 51 votes to pass it. The original Senate bill didn’t have pro-life language in it so it’s not a given the Senate will pass the reconciliation bill. If they make any changes to the reconciliation bill, it has to go back to the House. The question is, will pro-life Democrats in the House, like Bart Stupak of Michigan, trust the Senate to pass the changes? Are there more procedural tricks up Nancy Pelosi’s sleeve to somehow assuage Stupak’s concern, maintain the large pro-abortion coalition in the House and get the bill passed? (By passed I mean, deemed-and-by-default-passed.) [UPDATE: According to HotAir, there is a possible hand to play between Pelosi and Stupak to do just that. Will it ever end??]

So much for Scott Brown being central to defeating health care, right? Wrong. The election of Scott Brown has brought to light all the dirty tactics the left is willing to use, like the Slaughter Rule, to cram government-controlled health care down the throats of the American people.

Perhaps Representative Stephen Lynch (D-MA) is a little nervous that his home state elected a Republican. Although he voted for the initial House version of the bill, he is saying he will vote against the Senate version. Ah, but what about the Slaughter Rule? He was quoted in a Boston Globe article saying the Slaughter Rule “may be unconstitutional” and using it would damage their credibility.

Lynch also criticized the procedure Democrats are considering using to pass the legislation – by “deeming” the Senate bill approved, instead of voting directly on the Senate bill itself. Repeating a comment reported by the Boston Herald today, he called the procedure “disingenuous.” Echoing Republican complaints, he also said it “may be unconstitutional” because it wouldn’t involve an up-or-down vote on legislation.

“It’s a stretch,” he said. “I think it hurts our credibility to try to pull a prank like that. We should stand up and tell voters where we stand.”

Nonetheless, Lynch predicted it would pass.

“I think the president and speaker Pelosi are fairly persuasive,” he said. “They wouldn’t call on a vote unless they had the votes.”

He predicted it would pass? Well, what do you know? Stephen Lynch voted FOR the Slaughter Rule the same day the article appeared! Imagine that.

Are you still confused over the Slaughter Rule? Here’s all you need to know: In voting to use the Slaughter Rule to bypass actually voting for the health care bill, the House has slaughtered the oath they each took to uphold and defend the Constitution. As Article 1, Section 7 states, “Every Bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate, shall, before it become a Law, be presented to the President of the United States.” A bill that has not passed the House but has been “deemed” as passed through a procedural Slaughter Rule and is signed into law by the President will find itself headed to court.

Are you still confused? I don’t blame you. This 90 second video pieced together by the NRCC (National Republican Congressional Committee) will quickly explain, not how a bill becomes a law, but how a bill gets “demon passed” in a House run by Nancy Pelosi.

For those of you wondering, “demonpass” may not have entered the nation’s vernacular so readily were it not for a Carly Fiorina campaign ad, known as the “demon sheep” ad. If you haven’t seen it yet, or need a dose of laughter after all this Slaughterhouse activity, here it is for your viewing pleasure.

Mitt Romney Pulls No Punches at CPAC

The Lady Patriot — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 20:03:36 +0000

Mitt Romney addressed CPAC yesterday in a well-delivered and well-received speech. Romney has been embraced by CPAC the last few years and this year is no exception.

Below are my favorite sound bites, mostly because of the mouth-watering red meat. Bon appetit!

Just when everyone thinks Mitt is going to mention his encounter with the man on the airplane during he and his wife Ann’s return trip from the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, he takes a sharp turn and lands a power punch:

Romney then gives a shout-out to Massachusetts and the victory of Republican Scott Brown!

Then, like a teacher to his pupil, Romney reviews the failures of Obama’s first year and mocks his self-proclaimed grade of B+. The only thing that would have made his jab at Al Gore better is if he had replaced “the internet” with “global warming.” Romney has a way to go on unequivocally rejecting anthropogenic global warming (AGW) but maybe he’ll come around sooner rather than later. Time will certainly tell. At least he’s on record for being against Cap-and-Tax.

Get my steak knife! Romney reminds us of Supreme Court Justice Sam Alito’s rebuke of President Obama during the State of the Union Address. If you haven’t watched Alito mouthing the words “Not true” over and over, you must. It’s finger licking good!

If Obama truly thought he earned a B+ for his first year’s performance as Leader of the Free World, why does he need fall guys? Perhaps it’s a reflex of studying Saul Alinsky. Perhaps he’s hedging his bets. Either way, he needs to redirect attention off his unsuccessful first year. Romney wastes no time dismantling Obama’s excuses for his three favorite go-to blame game targets.

Target 1: Obama blames the GOP by calling them the Party of No. More like the Party of Saying No to the Wrong Things!

Target 2: Obama blames the American People, the very ones who elected him to the Presidency.

Target 3: Obama blames his predecessor. The current President falls back on the “Blame Bush” mantra with almost every breath and certainly as frequently as he utters “um” or “ah” when the TelePrompTer isn’t in use. Think about it. Invoking George W. Bush was toxic during the 2008 election. It didn’t take too long to realize Obama is worse than Bush and that change for the sake of change can win elections but change towards the wrong direction can wreck a country. Who would have thought one year ago we would be talking about a “Miss Me Yet?” billboard in Minnesota? Stay with this clip until the end as the mention of Dick Cheney receives a roar of applause!

Invoking a birthday party game favorite of years past, Romney cuts through Obama’s long list of excuses and lays blame precisely where it belongs.

Now for the final morsel of meat, which I hope is the change we’re looking forward to in the 2010 and 2012 elections.

(For the entire speech, visit CSPAN.)

It’s waaaay too early to tell but Hot Air has the latest PPP poll which shows Romney’s slight edge over Huckabee, Palin and Thune in a one-on-one matchup against Obama. I actually loathe the “Whose going to be the GOP’s 2012 candidate?” question this far away from the Presidential primaries but one thing we learned from Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton is that 2 years might be the new campaign standard. If that carries forward to 2012, make sure you have a DVR before then. You don’t want to be caught fast forward-less during campaign commercials!

Putting aside favorite Presidential hopefuls for now, I look forward to the day Mitt’s statement below rings true.

Massachusetts: This Brown’s For You!

The Lady Patriot — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 14:45:32 +0000

‘Tis the day of the election
And all through my town,
I’m praying for a Senator,
His name is Scott Brown!

Today is the moment of truth. Today we find out if Massachusetts will send a second shot heard ’round the world, or, at least, heard ’round the nation. Millions of citizens have rallied, from local town hall meetings to Washington, DC. We’ve raised our voices, hoisted our homemade signs and thrown symbolic tea into our waterways, all while being called despicable, raunchy and crude names by the media lap dogs. However, despite the tricks and schemes of Pelosi, Reid, Obama, SEIU and closed-door compromises sans C-SPAN, current health care legislation hinges on this all-important vote: the Massachusetts Senate seat to replace the departed Ted Kennedy.

Yesterday afternoon we went to a rally outside the TD Garden. We got to shake hands with Scott Brown, speak with him briefly and have our pictures taken. (It’s not the first time I’ve heard Scott Brown speak but it was the first time I shook his hand as I didn’t have a cold this time!)

A Bruins game was about to begin inside the TD Garden which meant crowds dressed in yellow and black were drifting by us. One man said, to no one in particular, “Hey, is that Brown over there?” to which I replied, “Yeah, he’s shaking hands with everyone. You should go over and say hello” and off he went. There were chants of “Go, Scott, Go!” and “41st Vote!” but what struck me the most was the amount of smiles on people’s faces. Look, I’ve lived in Massachusetts long enough to know that smiles outside TD Garden (and its myriad of former names) only occur after a Celtics or Bruins victory. Perhaps that is what was in the air: a prelude to victory. We could almost taste it.

After the rally, Brown left for North Attleboro and we headed for our relaxing day in the city. As we turned to walk away, a reporter from the New York Daily News asked if we could answer a few questions. I read through their account of the Boston rally and we weren’t quoted. No surprises there as the article was pro-Coakley. The questions were what you’d expect:

Q: Why does Scott Brown have your support?
A: He has promised to be the 41st vote against the current health care reform bill.

Q: What do you think about a Republican winning Ted Kennedy’s seat?
A: It’s not Ted Kennedy’s seat. That’s not just a line, either. It’s the truth. This being the people’s seat has resonated with the state. Once they heard Scott Brown articulate that in the final debate, people began to say, “Yeah, that’s right! It’s our seat!”

Q: How do you feel about his chances?
A: We’re optimistic. The polls look good and he’s drawing large crowds.

Q: Why do you think Coakley is trailing?
A: For one, she took the Democrat vote for granted. She didn’t think she needed to work for it. Also, in the same vein, as you are probably aware, the majority of Massachusetts voters do not align with either major party. Independents like to be courted and they haven’t been courted by Coakley. Scott Brown has made a concerted effort to woo Independents over to his side.

Q: Do you think the people of Massachusetts will turn out for Coakley, though, because they want to do it for Obama, especially since he came to town yesterday?
A: No. (My husband and I were laughing as we said No and the reporter started chuckling as well.)

To many who are skeptical about Scott Brown and his conservative credentials, let me keep it simple for you. Our current struggle is to avoid government-run health care. As you can see from my prior entries, the health care debate is what started this blog and is the thread that runs through my posts. I am determined to do what I can to keep the current health care bill from passing. I’ve e-mailed my Senators and Congressmen but this is the one thing, as a resident of Massachusetts, that will actually get attention. I am voting for Scott Brown for the very reason I listed above: He has promised to vote against the current disastrous health care bill.

To those who think Scott Brown is the prototype for 2010 elections, quit wasting your ink. He is the best candidate for Massachusetts. He may not be the best candidate for the other 49 (or is it 56?) states. If I were back in my native South Carolina, I would want a fiscal and social conservative, like Jim DeMint. Jim DeMint is a fantastic Senator. He has served South Carolina well and continues to spearhead efforts to reduce the size of our federal government. As great as I think he is, he would likely have a difficult time winning a Republican primary in a New England state. This is the beauty of state elections. Each state gets to choose the candidate that best fits their needs, their values and their priorities.

Massachusetts, this Brown’s for you! Cast your vote for Scott Brown to send a message to Washington that even the most stubborn amongst them would be hard-pressed to ignore. What’s at stake is immeasurable: our freedom to choose our doctor, make our own decisions about treatment and the inalienable right to pursue life.

That’s why, for this state senatorial election, I join in unison with fellow Scott Brown supporters to say:
Go, Scott, Go!
Go, Scott, Go!
Go, Scott, Go!

UPDATE I: Follow Hot Air’s ongoing election coverage here and tune in to local radio (www.wrko.com or www.wtkk.com) for anecdotal coverage from local callers.

UPDATE II: Join us on Hot Air with the open thread for the election results!

UPDATE III: Scott Brown wins! Scott Brown is now the Senator-elect of Massachusetts! We’ll send him to DC with a big red bow on his GM truck. It’s rather fitting, then, that tomorrow is President Obama’s 1st year anniversary as president. Our gift to him is, of course, Scott Brown. To reflect a sentiment familiar with the First Lady, for the first time in my adult life, I am proud to be a Massachusetts resident.