William Shatner Reads Sarah Palin Farewell Speech FULL VIDEO

William Shatner Reads Sarah Palin Farewell Speech FULL VIDEO

RELATED: Sarah Palin's farewell speech as governor (Full text transcript) VIDEO

Republican Leadership Stakeout Health Care Reform PODCAST VIDEO TEXT

Republican Leadership Stakeout Health Care Reform PODCAST MP3 9.67 mb.

FULL TEXT Transcript: Conference Chairman Pence: Good Morning, everyone.

I'm Mike Pence, House Republican Conference Chairman, and we just concluded our weekly meeting of the House Republican Conference, with a special emphasis today on the debate over health care reform here in Washington, D.C. House Republicans support health care reform. It'll lower the cost of health care for every American and in particular, it will lower the cost of health insurance to small businesses, family farmers and working families. The Democrat plan for health care reform amounts to a government takeover of health care in this country, paid for with more than a trillion dollars in higher taxes and it must be opposed. Under the Democrat plan, according to independent analysis, you'll probably lose your health care and you might just lose your job.

Rep. John Boehner, Rep. Marsha Blackburn , Rep. Eric Cantor, Gov. Haley Barbour, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers PHOTO CREDIT: republicanconference / Creative Commons — Attribution-Noncommercial 2.0

House Republicans have led the fight against the Democrats' plan for a government takeover of health care and we will continue to as this debate goes forward. But now, House Republicans and a handful of Democrats are on the verge of a historic victory for American taxpayers and for the American health care economy. But we need your help.

Americans who cherish the fundamental free market foundation of our health care economy should call their Congressman today and urge them to oppose the government takeover of health care being moved by this administration and House Democrats. We urge every American who cherishes the freedom and free market foundation of our health care economy to join House Republicans and a handful of Democrats in this fight to bring about health care reform that is billed on the fundamental free market foundation of our health care economy.

Republican Whip Cantor:

House Republicans absolutely reject the status quo in terms of health care and as we talk about the prospects of reform, we are trying desperately to get it right. And we continue to wonder why it is the President and the Speaker have taken the approach of now or never. This is not the type of change I think people wanted, and certainly the my-way-or-the-highway approach that's being followed is not offering the hope that people deserve.

So what we're doing towards that end is we're going to bring together some small business people today and part of the Republican leadership in the House-these are small business people from around the country, many of them from districts represented by some of the Blue Dogs that obviously have been speaking to the sentries on the other side who say, "Look, the health care approach on the table is bad policy, it's bad for business, and in these times of economic difficulty why should we be adding to payroll taxes, why should we be adding to the burdens of small businesses?" So we stand ready again to continue to work with our colleagues. As we know, there's 68 on the other side who've voiced some concern over this bill; we stand together with them to try and get this health care reform right-not to rush it, but to make sure we can deliver ultimately the kind of reform the American people want.

Governor Haley Barbour:

Let me just say, this is not about party; this is about what's good for the country. This past weekend, the Governor's Association met, and as you have read if you were not there, in a very bipartisan way with many Democratic governors outspoken, there were huge concerns expressed about the health care reform plans that have been moving through Congress. Democrat governors time after time after time said they were worried about getting stuck with a huge unfunded mandate, and for good reason. Nobody can tell you how this is going to get paid for. There have been proposals of $800 billion of tax increases that would fall more than anything on small businesses that don't make enough money to offer health insurance. I'm concerned about that. I think every governor is concerned about what that's going to do to my economy when job creation is the most important thing for our country.

What this bill offers will cost jobs, because it will drive up the cost of employing people. And that's why we had many Democratic governors who thought and said publicly, we can't be for this in the way it's going, which makes Representative Cantor's point: there is no use in rushing this through artificially when there are so many concerns on a bipartisan basis. Obviously the House leadership could pass this without a Republican vote. That they have had to slow down is that many Democrats, including many Democrat governors, know that this is something that can't be rushed, because it's very dangerous in some of the forms it could be in.

Conference Vice Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers:

You know, it's the week before the August recess and we continue to hear from the majority that they are going to pass their health care bill yet all across this country Americans continue to have many questions. As a mom, like millions of parents, I want to make sure that I have access for my son to go to the doctor that we choose, the therapist that we choose, the specialist that we choose, and how does this bill ultimately protect that doctor-patient relationship? There are a lot of questions.

You know, this bill also proposes to spend billions of dollars saddling our children and our grandchildren with more debt. How does that help our children's future? And hidden in this bill are cuts to Medicare - cuts to the program that helps our parents. Finally, this bill is paid for by taxing small businesses - those job creators in our country - at a time when our economy is struggling and we need to be creating jobs. How does this bill create jobs? There are so many questions. Republicans stand ready to help pass health care reform that would ensure that there's access to quality and affordable health care. A health care bill that would challenge America to be healthy. A health care bill that America would be proud Congress passed.

Republican Leader Boehner:

Let me thank Governor Barbour for being here with us today. As it's pretty clear it's not just American families that are going to have less choices in health care. It's not just American families that are going to pay more and small businesses that are going to pay more. But this is going to have a dramatic impact on the state's ability to do what it's supposed to do. Yesterday, along with the Vice Chair of the Republican Governors Association, Governor Tim Pawlenty, we released a report on what would happen to the states' ability to provide the health care that they provide today. The states are the pilot programs in our democracy. You can see what's working and what isn't working. And under the Democrat proposal it's going to tie the hands of our governors, tie the hands or our state legislatures in terms of responding to the health care needs of the citizens in their state.

As you heard Governor Barbour point out, the cuts to Medicaid, nobody's saying how this is going to happen and who's going to be affected. But if you cut Medicaid to the states it's going to reduce their flexibility. And there are numbers of provisions in this bill that will tie the hands of all the states. Because what they're trying to do is to create one big central government to run healthcare delivery system. I think that's exactly what the American people don't want. We've got the most innovative health care system in the world. Ninety percent of the world's innovation in healthcare comes from the United States. We cannot take the risk to rush this bill through Congress before we have a real understanding of its real impact.

Sarah Palin's farewell speech as governor (Full text transcript) VIDEO

Sarah Palin's farewell speech (Full text transcript) Posted 27 July 2009 @ 11:09 am ET.

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin stepped down from her position on Sunday at 3p.m. local time and delivered a farewell speech, the following is her speech full transcript:

"What an absolutely beautiful day it is, and it is my honor to speak to all Alaskans, to our Alaskan family this last time as your governor. And it is always great to be in Fairbanks. The rugged rugged hardy people that live up here and some of the most patriotic people whom you will ever know live here, and one thing that you are known for is your steadfast support of our military community up here and I thank you for that and thank you United States military for protecting the greatest nation on Earth. Together we stand.

And getting up here I say it is the best road trip in America soaring through nature's finest show. Denali, the great one, soaring under the midnight sun. And then the extremes. In the winter time it's the frozen road that is competing with the view of ice fogged frigid beauty, the cold though, doesn't it split the Cheechakos from the Sourdoughs?

And then in the summertime such extreme summertime about a hundred and fifty degrees hotter than just some months ago, than just some months from now, with fireweed blooming along the frost heaves and merciless rivers that are rushing and carving and reminding us that here, Mother Nature wins. It is as throughout all Alaska that big wild good life teeming along the road that is north to the future.

That is what we get to see every day. Now what the rest of America gets to see along with us is in this last frontier there is hope and opportunity and there is country pride.

And it is our men and women in uniform securing it, and we are facing tough challenges in America with some seeming to just be Hell bent maybe on tearing down our nation, perpetuating some pessimism, and suggesting American apologetics, suggesting perhaps that our best days were yesterdays. Palin's farewell speech (Full transcript)

RELATED: William Shatner Reads Sarah Palin Farewell Speech FULL VIDEO

President Barack Obama Weekly Address 07/24/09 PODCAST VIDEO TEXT

Remarks of President Barack Obama Weekly Address Saturday, July 24, 2009 Washington, DC PODCAST OF THIS ARTICLE Download MP3 5 mb

I recently heard from a small business owner from New Jersey who wrote that he employs eight people and provides health insurance for all of them. But his policy goes up at least 20 percent each year, and today, it costs almost $1,400 per family per month – his highest business expense besides his employees’ salaries. He’s already had to let two of them go, and he may be forced to eliminate health insurance altogether.

He wrote, simply: "I am not looking for free health care, I would just like to get my premiums reduced enough to be able to afford it."

Day after day, I hear from people just like him. Workers worried they may lose their coverage if they become too sick, or lose their job, or change jobs. Families who fear they may not be able to get insurance, or change insurance, if someone in their family has a pre-existing condition. And small business owners trying to make a living and do right by the people they employ.

These are the mom and pop stores and restaurants, beauty shops and construction companies that support families and sustain communities. They’re the tiny startups with big ideas, hoping to become the next Google or Apple or HP

. And, as shown in a new report released today by the White House Council of Economic Advisers, right now they are getting crushed by skyrocketing health care costs.

Because they lack the bargaining power that large businesses have and face higher administrative costs per person, small businesses pay up to 18 percent more for the very same health insurance plans – costs that eat into their profits and get passed on to their employees.

As a result, small businesses are much less likely to offer health insurance. Those that do tend to have less generous plans. In a recent survey, one third of small businesses reported cutting benefits. Many have dropped coverage altogether. And many have shed jobs, or shut their doors entirely.

This is unsustainable, it’s unacceptable, and it’s going to change when I sign health insurance reform into law.

Under the reform plans in Congress, small businesses will be able to purchase health insurance through an "insurance exchange," a marketplace where they can compare the price, quality and services of a wide variety of plans, many of which will provide better coverage at lower costs than the plans they have now. They can then pick the one that works best for them and their employees.

Small businesses that choose to insure their employees will also receive a tax credit to help them pay for it. If a small business chooses not to provide coverage, its employees can purchase high quality, affordable coverage through the insurance exchange on their own. Low-income workers – folks who are more likely to be working at small businesses – will qualify for a subsidy to help them cover the costs.

And no matter how you get your insurance, insurance companies will no longer be allowed to deny you coverage because of a pre-existing condition. They won’t be able to drop your coverage if you get too sick or lose your job or change jobs. And we’ll limit the amount your insurance company can force you to pay out of your own pocket.

To view the new report and learn more about how health insurance reform will help small businesses, go to WhiteHouse.gov, and send us your questions and comments – we’ll answer as many of them as we can later this week.

Over the past few months, I’ve been pushing hard to make sure we finally address the need for health insurance reform, which has been deferred year after year, decade after decade. And today, after a lot of hard work in Congress, we are closer than ever before to finally passing reform that will reduce costs, expand coverage, and provide more choices for our families and businesses.

It has taken months to reach this point, and once this legislation passes, we’ll need to move thoughtfully and deliberately to implement these reforms over a period of several years. That is why I feel such a sense of urgency about moving this process forward.

Now I know there are those who are urging us to delay reform. And some of them have actually admitted that this is a tactic designed to stop any reform at all. Some have even suggested that, regardless of its merits, health care reform should be stopped as a way to inflict political damage on my Administration. I’ll leave it to them to explain that to the American people.

What I’m concerned about is the damage that’s being done right now to the health of our families, the success of our businesses, and the long-term fiscal stability of our government. I’m concerned about hard working folks who want nothing more than the security that comes with knowing they can get the care they need, when they need it. I’m concerned about the small business owners who are asking for nothing more than a chance to seize their piece of the American Dream. I’m concerned about our children and grandchildren who will be saddled with deficits that will continue piling up year after year unless we pass reform.

This debate is not a political game for these Americans, and they cannot afford to keep waiting for reform. We owe it to them to finally get it done – and to get it done this year. Thank you.

Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Weekly Republican Address 07/25/09 VIDEO TEXT

Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Weekly Republican Address 07/25/09 TEXT TRANSCRIPT

This is Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers from Washington state, vice-chair of the House Republican Conference.

Like millions of parents, the health of my young son is our family’s top priority. When he’s sick, my husband and I take him to the doctor and expect the doctor not to just do something, but to do the right thing to help our son get better.

Cathy McMorris Rodgers

This is the same philosophy I’ve brought to the ongoing health care debate in Washington, DC. Some politicians – including the President and Democratic leaders in Congress – are demanding that we do something to change our system. I believe it’s much more important to do the right thing, which means reducing skyrocketing health care costs while protecting patients ability to choose the right treatments. Unfortunately, the Democrats’ health care plan – crafted largely behind closed doors – isn’t the right thing.

It’s a prescription for disaster – one that will put Washington bureaucrats in charge of your family's personal medical decisions.

Medical decisions that are some of the most personal decisions you’ll ever make. As a mother, I want to make those decisions for my son with a doctor we choose. Anything else is unacceptable.

Also unacceptable is how much this will cost you and your family. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the Democrats’ proposal will drive health care costs higher than ever.

The agency also warns that millions will be forced off their current coverage under the Democrats’ plan, even though they continue making the discredited claim that if you like your plan, you can keep it.

Millions of seniors will lose their health care choices too, because the Democrats’ plan cuts Medicare, making it more difficult in rural areas across the country – like mine in eastern Washington – for seniors to obtain the coverage they need. The House Democrats’ plan also will add $239 billion to our deficit – $239 billion more tacked onto the tab we’re passing along to our children and grandchildren.

Families, seniors, and future generations will not be alone in struggling with this bill’s costs. America’s small businesses will pay a steep price as well. Because the Democrats’ plan is bankrolled by a small business tax, more jobs will evaporate.

We’ve lost more than three million jobs since the beginning of the year and Americans have every right to ask, “Where are the jobs?” According to the National Federation of Independent Business, the Democrats’ plan will destroy a million more small business jobs.

And according to a methodology developed by the President’s own senior economic advisor, the Democrats’ government takeover of health care will cost at least 4.7 million jobs over the next 10 years.

Because of these extraordinary costs to families, small businesses, and future generations, alarm bells are sounding across the country. One Democratic governor recently expressed concern with the bill’s cost—at a trillion dollars or more. Another called it ‘the mother of all unfunded mandates.

Republicans have offered to help make a truly bipartisan plan that will improve the health of Americans, but Democrats have not wanted our help.

Republicans want to seize this opportunity to make health care more affordable. In the House of Representatives, we’ve outlined an alternative that reduces costs by rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse and reining in junk lawsuits that cost families millions each year in higher premiums.

Our plan lets small businesses purchase health insurance for employees at a lower cost, and for those who are uninsured now, it offers affordable choices. It reforms regulations so insurance companies compete for your business and you can shop around for the best coverage and price.

And under our plan, if you like your current health care coverage, you can keep it – no questions asked.

Finally, our plan encourages Americans to take advantage of preventive medicine and wellness programs. In the end, our real goal isn’t just to have medical coverage, but to have healthy families.

Our reforms will lower health care costs for you and your family. They won’t increase taxes on small businesses, and they won’t saddle future generations with hundreds of billions more in debt. Thank you for listening. ###

President Barack Obama news conference 07/22/09 LIVE VIDEO

Tonight, President Obama held a primetime press conference to address the nation about health insurance reform. He laid out where he believes we are, where we're going, and why health insurance reform matters.

Find FULL TEXT TRANSCRIPT of tonight's address below. And at 8pm ET, tune in to watch the press conference live on C-SPAN2 in Windows Media Format.

As soon as mp3 for podcast is available it will be posted here.

President Obama's opening speech and Q and A at press conference 07/22/09 FULL VIDEO

Text: Obama’s Remarks on Health Care

Following is a text of the prepared remarks by President Obama before his White House news conference on Wednesday, as released by the White House.

Good evening. Before I take your questions, I want to talk for a few minutes about the progress we're making on health insurance reform and where it fits into our broader economic strategy.

Six months ago, I took office amid the worst recession in half a century. We were losing an average of 700,000 jobs per month and our financial system was on the verge of collapse.

As a result of the action we took in those first weeks, we have been able to pull our economy back from the brink. We took steps to stabilize our financial institutions and our housing market. And we passed a Recovery Act that has already saved jobs and created new ones; delivered billions in tax relief to families and small businesses; and extended unemployment insurance and health insurance to those who have been laid off.

Of course, we still have a long way to go. And the Recovery Act will continue to save and create more jobs over the next two years – just like it was designed to do. I realize this is little comfort to those Americans who are currently out of work, and I'll be honest with you – new hiring is always one of the last things to bounce back after a recession.

And the fact is, even before this crisis hit, we had an economy that was creating a good deal of wealth for folks at the very top, but not a lot of good-paying jobs for the rest of America. It's an economy that simply wasn't ready to compete in the 21st century – one where we've been slow to invest in the clean energy technologies that have created new jobs and industries in other countries; where we've watched our graduation rates lag behind too much of the world; and where we spend much more on health care than any other nation but aren't any healthier for it.

That is why I've said that even as we rescue this economy from a full-blown crisis, we must rebuild it stronger than before. And health insurance reform is central to that effort.

This is not just about the 47 million Americans who have no health insurance. Reform is about every American who has ever feared that they may lose their coverage if they become too sick, or lose their job, or change their job. It's about every small business that has been forced to lay off employees or cut back on their coverage because it became too expensive. And it's about the fact that the biggest driving force behind our federal deficit is the skyrocketing cost of Medicare and Medicaid.

So let me be clear: if we do not control these costs, we will not be able to control our deficit. If we do not reform health care, your premiums and out-of-pocket costs will continue to skyrocket. If we do not act, 14,000 Americans will continue to lose their health insurance every single day. These are the consequences of inaction. These are the stakes of the debate we're having right now.

I realize that with all the charges and criticisms being thrown around in Washington, many Americans may be wondering, "What's in this for me? How does my family stand to benefit from health insurance reform?"

Tonight I want to answer those questions. Because even though Congress is still working through a few key issues, we already have agreement on the following areas:

If you already have health insurance, the reform we're proposing will provide you with more security and more stability. It will keep government out of health care decisions, giving you the option to keep your insurance if you're happy with it. It will prevent insurance companies from dropping your coverage if you get too sick. It will give you the security of knowing that if you lose your job, move, or change your job, you will still be able to have coverage. It will limit the amount your insurance company can force you to pay for your medical costs out of your own pocket. And it will cover preventive care like check-ups and mammograms that save lives and money.

If you don't have health insurance, or are a small business looking to cover your employees, you'll be able to choose a quality, affordable health plan through a health insurance exchange – a marketplace that promotes choice and competition Finally, no insurance company will be allowed to deny you coverage because of a pre-existing medical condition.

I have also pledged that health insurance reform will not add to our deficit over the next decade – and I mean it. In the past eight years, we saw the enactment of two tax cuts, primarily for the wealthiest Americans, and a Medicare prescription program, none of which were paid for. This is partly why I inherited a $1.3 trillion deficit.

That will not happen with health insurance reform. It will be paid for. Already, we have estimated that two-thirds of the cost of reform can be paid for by reallocating money that is simply being wasted in federal health care programs. This includes over one hundred billion dollars in unwarranted subsidies that go to insurance companies as part of Medicare – subsidies that do nothing to improve care for our seniors. And I'm pleased that Congress has already embraced these proposals. While they are currently working through proposals to finance the remaining costs, I continue to insist that health reform not be paid for on the backs of middle-class families.

In addition to making sure that this plan doesn't add to the deficit in the short-term, the bill I sign must also slow the growth of health care costs in the long run. Our proposals would change incentives so that doctors and nurses are free to give patients the best care, not just the most expensive care. That's why the nation's largest organizations representing doctors and nurses have embraced our plan.

We also want to create an independent group of doctors and medical experts who are empowered to eliminate waste and inefficiency in Medicare on an annual basis – a proposal that could save even more money and ensure the long-term financial health of Medicare. Overall, our proposals will improve the quality of care for our seniors and save them thousands of dollars on prescription drugs, which is why the AARP has endorsed our reform efforts.

Not all of the cost savings measures I just mentioned were contained in Congress's draft legislation, but we are now seeing broad agreement thanks to the work that was done over the last few days. So even though we still have a few issues to work out, what's remarkable at this point is not how far we have left to go – it's how far we have already come.

I understand how easy it is for this town to become consumed in the game of politics – to turn every issue into running tally of who's up and who's down. I've heard that one Republican strategist told his party that even though they may want to compromise, it's better politics to "go for the kill." Another Republican Senator said that defeating health reform is about "breaking" me.

So let me be clear: This isn't about me. I have great health insurance, and so does every Member of Congress. This debate is about the letters I read when I sit in the Oval Office every day, and the stories I hear at town hall meetings. This is about the woman in Colorado who paid $700 a month to her insurance company only to find out that they wouldn't pay a dime for her cancer treatment – who had to use up her retirement funds to save her own life. This is about the middle-class college graduate from Maryland whose health insurance expired when he changed jobs, and woke up from emergency surgery with $10,000 in debt. This is about every family, every business, and every taxpayer who continues to shoulder the burden of a problem that Washington has failed to solve for decades.

This debate is not a game for these Americans, and they cannot afford to wait for reform any longer. They are counting on us to get this done. They are looking to us for leadership. And we must not let them down. We will pass reform that lowers cost, promotes choice, and provides coverage that every American can count on. And we will do it this year. And with that, I'll take your questions. FULL TEXT TRANSCRIPT of President Obama’s fifth news conference, the fourth given in prime-time, as provided by Federal News Service.

Michael Steele National Press Club Republican Health Care VIDEO

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE. CONTACT: Press Office. July 20, 2009. 202-863-8614
RNC TV AD TO AIR IN TARGETED STATES STARTING MONDAY

WASHINGTON -> Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Michael Steele today announced a new television ad opposing President Obama's plan for a government-run health care system during a speech at the National Press Club. The ad, entitled "Grand Experiment," can be viewed below:

Starting today, this large, targeted television ad campaign will run in select markets in Arkansas, Nevada and North Dakota.

"Once again President Obama and Congressional Democrats are rushing through a grand experiment that will have serious consequences for future generations of Americans. It started with their failed stimulus bill and has now moved on to a trillion-dollar government-run health care plan that is simply wrong for America. Republicans know we need health care reform ?costs are too high and families are struggling to afford quality care. But the Democrats' plan would raise taxes on small businesses and lead to higher costs and rationed care," said Chairman Michael Steele.

TEXT TRANSCRIPT:

Time: 00:30

Voice: "They've loaned Barack Obama their future, without even knowing it."

Voice: "Trillions for rushed government bailouts and takeovers, banks, the auto industry."

Chyron: Trillions for government bailouts and takeovers

Voice: "The biggest spending spree in our nation's history."

Chyron: The biggest spending spree in history

Voice: "And they'll have to pay."

Voice: "The next big ticket item? A risky experiment with our health care."

Chyron: A risky experiment with health care

Voice: "Barack Obama's massive spending experiment hasn't healed our economy."

Chyron: Barack Obama's massive spending experiment

Voice: "His new experiment risks their future and our health."

Chyron: BarackObamaExperiment.com

Chyron: Risking everything.

Voice: "The Republican National Committee is responsible for the content of this advertising."

ONSCREEN Disclaimer: The Republican National Committee is responsible for the content of this advertising. Paid for by the Republican National Committee. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. www.gop.com

AD FACTS
The Ad

VOICE: "They've loaned Barack Obama their future, without even knowing it. Trillions for rushed government bailouts and takeovers, banks, the auto industry."

CHYRON: Trillions for government bailouts and takeovers
The Facts

Obama's Bank Bailout Plan Costs $2.5 Trillion. "The White House plan to rescue the nation's financial system, announced on Tuesday by Timothy F. Geithner, the Treasury secretary, is far bigger than anyone predicted and envisions a far greater government role in markets and banks than at any time since the 1930s. Administration officials committed to flood the financial system with as much as $2.5 trillion ?$350 billion of that coming from the bailout fund and the rest from private investors and the Federal Reserve, making use of its ability to print money." (Edmund L. Andrews And Stephen Labaton, "Bailout Plan: $2.5 Trillion And A Strong Hand," The New York Times, 02/11/09)

Federal Government 60 Percent Shareholder Of GM. "By preparing to take a 60 percent stake in a reorganized GM, the Obama administration is gambling that the automaker can compete with the likes of Toyota Motor Corp after its debt is cut by half and its labor costs are slashed under a new contract with the United Auto Workers union." (Kevin Krolicki and John Crawley, "GM To File For Bankruptcy, Chrysler Sale Cleared," Reuters, 6/1/09)

"As part of the revised plan, the U.S. would provide GM with at least $30 billion in financing to carry it through and out of bankruptcy, on top of the $20 billion in loans the government already has given the company." (Neil King Jr., John D. Stoll, and Kevin Helliker, "GM In Last Lap To Chapter 11," The Wall Street Journal, 5/29/09)
The Ad

VOICE: "The biggest spending spree in our nation's history."

CHYRON: The biggest spending spree in history
The Facts

Obama's "Spending Spree" Twice As Costly As Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Historic "New Deal." "In sheer size, the economic measures announced by President Barack Obama to address ? crisis unlike we've ever known' are remarkable, rivaling and in many cases dwarfing the New Deal programs that Franklin D. Roosevelt famously created to battle the Great Depression ŠSo far in his month-old presidency: Congress passed and Obama signed into law a record $787 billion mix of tax cuts, job-creating projects and aid to struggling states; The president pledged up to $275 billion in federal aid to help stem a tidal wave of home foreclosures; The Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve announced financial-rescue steps that could send up to $2 trillion coursing through the economy. In all, the plans would raise the federal portion of the U.S. economy to some 31 percent, more than twice the level after eight years of FDR's historic New Deal spending." ("Obama's Spending Spree To Eclipse FDR's New Deal," The Associated Press, 02/20/09)

Obama's Budget Would Create Historic Deficits. "Since the 1960s, deficits largely by increased levels of spending have been the norm, while surpluses were an exception. The 2009 Congressional Budget Office deficit projection under President Obama's plan is far above the 45-year historical average of 2.2 percent of GDP." [Graph shows average federal deficit as percentage of GDP by administration: Kennedy 1.0%, Johnson 0.9%, Nixon 1.6%, Ford 3.5%, Carter 4.3%, Reagan 4.3%, Bush 4.3%, Clinton 0.1%, Bush 3.2%, Obama 7.3%.] (Page 24, "2009 Federal Revenue And Spending Book Of Charts," Heritage Foundation, May 2009)
The Ad

VOICE: "And they'll have to pay. The next big ticket item? A risky experiment with our health care."

CHYRON: A risky experiment with health care
The Facts

Obama's Government-Run Health Care Plan Will Cost Over $1 Trillion. "On a preliminary basis, CBO and the JCT staff estimate that the proposal's provisions affecting health insurance coverage would result in a net increase in federal deficits of $1,042 billion for fiscal years 2010 through 2019." (Congressional Budget Office, "A Summary of the Specifications for Health Insurance Coverage Provided by the House Tri-Committee Group," CBO Report, 7/14/09)

Plan Creates New Czar That Will Push Government-Run Health Insurance. "The health choices commissioner would head an independent agency, as envisioned in the 800-page draft bill released by House Democratic leaders. The Health Choices Administration would regulate a revamped insurance marketplace and be expected to deliver Obama's promise of affordable coverage for all ... The commissioner and the new agency would run a kind of national purchasing pool through which individuals and small businesses could pick medical coverage from private plans and a government-sponsored alternative." (Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, "Need For Federal Insurance Czar Is Questioned," The Associated Press, 7/7/09)

Plan Could Lead To Estimated 113 Million People Losing Private Health Insurance. "We estimated the effect on coverage in the third year of the program assuming the public plan is opened to individuals and all firms, the public plan would enroll about 122.9 million people ... The number of people with private health insurance would decline by about 113.5 million people. This is equal to about 66 percent of all people currently covered under private health insurance ...." (John Shelis, Vice President, Lewin Group, "The Impact of the House Health Reform Legislation on Coverage and Provider Incomes," Testimony before the House Energy and Commerce Committee, 6/25/09)

Government-Run Health Care Pays Much Less Than Private Insurance, Which Makes Doctors Refuse Patients. "Despite more Michiganians piling onto the Medicaid rolls, fewer doctors are treating or accepting new patients insured by this state-run medical program for low-income residents ... Doctors say the state-set reimbursement rates are already too low, in some cases covering only one-third of the actual costs of patient visits." (Christina Rogers, "Doctors Balk At Medicaid Program," The Associated Press, 6/7/09)
The Ad

VOICE: "Barack Obama's massive spending experiment hasn't healed our economy."

CHYRON: Barack Obama's massive spending experiment
The Facts

Obama's Stimulus Fails To Create Jobs Despite Obama Administration's Predictions Of "Boom In Job Creation". "[T]wo of [Obama's] chief economic advisers, and leading proponents of a stimulus bill, predicted that the passage of a large economic-aid package would boost the economy and keep the unemployment rate below 8%. It hasn't quite worked out that way. Last month, the jobless rate in America hit 9.5%, the highest level it has reached since 1983 ... What has not come to pass, however, is the boom in job creation that Romer and Bernstein predicted. A little over a month ago, the Administration said the stimulus bill had created or saved 150,000 jobs. That's a far cry from the 3 million to 4 million jobs that Romer and Bernstein foresaw back in January." (Stephen Gandel, "Obama's Stimulus Plan: Failing by Its Own Measure," Time, 7/14/09)

Under Obama, Job Losses Now At Historic Highs. "The cumulative job losses over the last six months have been greater than for any other half year period since World War II, including the military demobilization after the war. The job losses are also now equal to the net job gains over the previous nine years, making this the only recession since the Great Depression to wipe out all job growth from the previous expansion." (Mortimer Zuckerman, Op-Ed, "The Economy is Even Worse Than You Think," The Wall Street Journal, 7/14/09)
The Ad

VOICE: "His new experiment risks their future and our health."

CHYRON: BarackObamaExperiment.com

CHYRON: Risking everything.
The Facts

CBO Director Says Plans For Government-Run Health Care Would Worsen Budget Outlook. "President Obama's plan to expand health coverage to the uninsured is likely to dig the nation deeper into debt unless policymakers adopt politically painful controls on spending, such as sharp reductions in payments to doctors, hospitals and other providers, congressional budget analysts said yesterday. While popular measures such as increasing preventive care, expanding the use of electronic medical records and rewarding doctors for choosing more effective treatments have the potential to lower costs, 'little reliable evidence exists about exactly how to implement those types of changes,' Congressional Budget Office Director Douglas W. Elmendorf said in a letter to Senate budget leaders. 'Without meaningful reforms, the substantial costs of many current proposals . . . would be much more likely to worsen the long-run budget outlook than to improve it,' he said. ..." (Lori Montgomery, Shailagh Murray & Ceci Connolly, "Obama's Health Plan Needs Spending Controls, CBO Says," The Washington Post, 6/17/09)

CBO Concludes Obama's Plan Increases Number Of Uninsured Americans In 2011 And 2012. (Page 13, "A Summary of the Specifications for Health Insurance Coverage Provided by the House Tri-Committee Group," CBO Report, 7/14/09)

After Spending Over $1 Trillion, 17 Million Residents Will Still Be Uninsured. "According to that assessment, enacting legislation that embodied those specifications would result in a net increase in federal budget deficits of $1,042 billion over the 2010-2019 period. By 2019, CBO and the JCT staff estimate, the number of nonelderly people without health insurance would be reduced by about 37 million, leaving about 17 million nonelderly residents uninsured (nearly half of whom would be unauthorized immigrants) ..." (Douglas W. Elmendorf, CBO Director, Letter To Rep. Charles Rangel, 7/14/09)

CBO Director Criticizes Plan For Not Making Necessary "Fundamental Changes" To Reduce Costs. "Under questioning by members of the Senate Budget Committee, CBO director Douglas Elmendorf said bills crafted by House leaders and the Senate health committee do not propose 'the sort of fundamental changes that would be necessary to reduce the trajectory of federal health spending by a significant amount.' 'On the contrary,' Elmendorf said, 'the legislation significantly expands the federal responsibility for health care costs.'" (Lori Montgomery, "CBO Chief Criticizes Democrats' Health Reform Measures," The Washington Post, 7/16/09)

Government-Run Health Care Could Drive Doctors Out Of Business, Especially In Rural Areas. "According to Dr. Scott Nelson, a family practice physician in Cleveland, Mississippi ... 'There is an unprecedented level of frustration with the government and Medicare in Mississippi,' Nelson explained. 'I have not heard of any doctors in my area opting out of Medicare, because there are not enough patients with private insurance in the rural Mississippi Delta ... we have no choice but to see them, and we are literally at the mercy of the government. I foresee some small practices closing altogether.' For states that are made up of larger numbers of Medicare patients, this latest round of cuts hits particularly hard. Florida, for instance, stands to lose $1.25 billion for physician payments by January 2009." (Audrey Grayson, "Docs Bailing Out Of Medicare, Medicaid," ABC News Medical Unit, 7/8/08)

Plans For "Comparative Effectiveness Research" Leads To Government Boards Deciding What Treatments Would Or Wouldn't Be Funded. "Skeptics, however, say Obama's decision to invest heavily in such research will lead to European-style rationing in which patients are denied lifesaving therapies to save money. It also has alarmed some drug companies and medical device manufacturers, which fear that a system of winners and losers is bound to reduce their bottom lines." (Ceci Connolly, "Comparison Shopping For Medicine," The Washington Post, 3/17/09)

Health Care Will Be Subject To Political Priorities. "The limits of single-payer insurance are a consequence of a common political reality: if governments fund it, governments wear it. Once the so-called single-payer system is in place, government insurers are obliged to manage costs politically, making decisions about capital investments, technology, and even the supply of licensed medical professionals based on short-term budgetary or political priorities." (Dr. David Gratzer, Committee on Education and Labor's Subcommittee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, U.S. House of Representatives, Testimony, 6/10/09, p. 4)

"Cost-Cutting Measures" Will Eventually Fail, Leading To Less Access For Patients. "What Mr. Obama is describing is his preferred health-care future. If or when the Administration's speculative cost-cutting measures under universal health care fail to produce savings, government will start explicitly limiting patient access to treatments and services regarded as too expensive. Democrats deny this eventuality, but health planners will have no choice, given that the current entitlement system is already barreling toward insolvency without adding millions of new people to the federal balance sheet." (Editorial, "Obama's Health Future," The Wall Street Journal, 6/26/09) ###

President Barack Obama Weekly Address 07/18/09 PODCAST VIDEO TEXT

Remarks of President Barack Obama Weekly Address Saturday, July 18, 2009 Washington, DC PODCAST OF THIS ARTICLE Download MP3 5.84 mb

Right now in Washington, our Senate and House of Representatives are both debating proposals for health insurance reform. Today, I want to speak with you about the stakes of this debate, for our people and for the future of our nation.

This is an issue that affects the health and financial well-being of every single American and the stability of our entire economy.

It’s about every family unable to keep up with soaring out of pocket costs and premiums rising three times faster than wages. Every worker afraid of losing health insurance if they lose their job, or change jobs. Everyone who’s worried that they may not be able to get insurance or change insurance if someone in their family has a pre-existing condition.

It’s about a woman in Colorado who told us that when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, her insurance company – the one she’d paid over $700 a month to – refused to pay for her treatment. She had to use up her retirement funds to save her own life.

It’s about a man from Maryland who sent us his story – a middle class college graduate whose health insurance expired when he changed jobs. During that time, he needed emergency surgery, and woke up $10,000 in debt – debt that has left him unable to save, buy a home, or make a career change.

It’s about every business forced to shut their doors, or shed jobs, or ship them overseas. It’s about state governments overwhelmed by Medicaid, federal budgets consumed by Medicare, and deficits piling higher year after year.

This is the status quo. This is the system we have today. This is what the debate in Congress is all about: Whether we’ll keep talking and tinkering and letting this problem fester as more families and businesses go under, and more Americans lose their coverage. Or whether we’ll seize this opportunity – one we might not have again for generations – and finally pass health insurance reform this year, in 2009.

Now we know there are those who will oppose reform no matter what. We know the same special interests and their agents in Congress will make the same old arguments, and use the same scare tactics that have stopped reform before because they profit from this relentless escalation in health care costs. And I know that once you’ve seen enough ads and heard enough people yelling on TV, you might begin to wonder whether there’s a grain of truth to what they’re saying. So let me take a moment to answer a few of their arguments.

First, the same folks who controlled the White House and Congress for the past eight years as we ran up record deficits will argue – believe it or not – that health reform will lead to record deficits. That’s simply not true. Our proposals cut hundreds of billions of dollars in unnecessary spending and unwarranted giveaways to insurance companies in Medicare and Medicaid. They change incentives so providers will give patients the best care, not just the most expensive care, which will mean big savings over time. And we have urged Congress to include a proposal for a standing commission of doctors and medical experts to oversee cost-saving measures.

I want to be very clear: I will not sign on to any health plan that adds to our deficits over the next decade. And by helping improve quality and efficiency, the reforms we make will help bring our deficits under control in the long-term.

Those who oppose reform will also tell you that under our plan, you won’t get to choose your doctor – that some bureaucrat will choose for you. That’s also not true. Michelle and I don’t want anyone telling us who our family’s doctor should be – and no one should decide that for you either. Under our proposals, if you like your doctor, you keep your doctor. If you like your current insurance, you keep that insurance. Period, end of story.

Finally, opponents of health reform warn that this is all some big plot for socialized medicine or government-run health care with long lines and rationed care. That’s not true either. I don’t believe that government can or should run health care. But I also don’t think insurance companies should have free reign to do as they please.

That’s why any plan I sign must include an insurance exchange: a one-stop shopping marketplace where you can compare the benefits, cost and track records of a variety of plans – including a public option to increase competition and keep insurance companies honest – and choose what’s best for your family. And that’s why we’ll put an end to the worst practices of the insurance industry: no more yearly caps or lifetime caps; no more denying people care because of pre-existing conditions; and no more dropping people from a plan when they get too sick. No longer will you be without health insurance, even if you lose your job or change jobs.

The good news is that people who know the system best are rallying to the cause of change. Just this past week, the American Nurses Association, representing millions of nurses across America, and the American Medical Association, representing doctors across our nation, announced their support because they’ve seen first-hand the need for health insurance reform.

They know we cannot continue to cling to health industry practices that are bankrupting families, and undermining American businesses, large and small. They know we cannot let special interests and partisan politics stand in the way of reform – not this time around.

The opponents of health insurance reform would have us do nothing. But think about what doing nothing, in the face of ever increasing costs, will do to you and your family.

So today, I am urging the House and the Senate, Democrats and Republicans, to seize this opportunity, and vote for reform that gives the American people the best care at the lowest cost; that reins in insurance companies, strengthens businesses and finally gives families the choices they need and the security they deserve.

Thanks.

Senator Jon Kyl Weekly Republican Address 07/18/09 VIDEO TEXT

Senator Jon Kyl Weekly Republican Address 07/18/09 TEXT TRANSCRIPT

Hello. I’m Senate Republican Whip Jon Kyl of Arizona. Republicans believe all Americans should have access to quality health care and that we must find ways to reduce health care costs.

The debate in Washington is about how we can achieve these goals.

Senator Jon Kyl

Republicans have put forward common-sense ideas, including rooting out Medicare and Medicaid fraud, reforming medical liability laws to discourage frivolous lawsuits, strengthening wellness and.... ...prevention programs that encourage healthy living and allowing small businesses to band together and purchase health insurance like large corporations do.

These changes do not require government takeover of the healthcare system, or massive new spending, job-killing taxes or rationing of care.

Democrats in Congress have a different approach. Their plan would increase spending by more than two trillion dollars when fully implemented, and would, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, "add additional costs onto an already unsustainable system."

It would empower Washington, not doctors and patients, to make health care decisions and would impose a new tax on working families during a recession. A study by the respected Lewin Group shows it would also move millions of people who are happy with their current insurance to a new government plan.

They propose to pay for this new Washington-run health care system by dramatically raising taxes on small business owners. Small businesses create jobs -- approximately two-thirds of new jobs in the last decade.

With a shaky economy and the need for new jobs, the last thing the President and the Congress should do is impose new taxes on America’s small businesses. New taxes on small business would cripple job creation, especially jobs for low-wage earners.

This week, the Director of the Congressional Budget Office told the Senate Budget Committee that the health care-reform measures drafted by Democrats would worsen our economic outlook by increasing deficits and driving our nation more deeply into debt. So, there’s good reason to be skeptical when the President tells us we need to pass the Democrats’ bill to help the economy.

The President and Congressional Democrats have even proposed cutting Medicare to pay for their plan.

How can we justify dipping into funds for seniors’ care to pay for a new government plan, especially since Medicare is already in financial trouble? This would ultimately lead to shortages, rationing and the elimination of private-plan choices—something our seniors rightly fear.

These are not the right steps to achieving the reform Americans want.

But the President and some Democrats insist we must rush this plan through. Why? Because the more Americans know about it, the more they oppose it. Something this important needs to be done right, rather than done quickly.

We know Americans would prefer us to work together to ensure access to affordable quality health care for all. But Americans do not want a government takeover of health care that will jeopardize their current coverage, ration care, and create mountains of new debt and higher taxes.

We urge Democrats to support a plan that would lead to real reform and include the innovative ideas Republicans have put forward that would cut costs, improve access, and preserve the kind of care that millions of Americans already have and like. That’s the kind of reform Americans would be sure to support. ###

Republicans Eric Cantor, Tom Price, the economy, jobs, small business, and health care VIDEO

House Republicans Press Conference on the Economy: House Minority Whip Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA), RSC Chairman Rep. Tom Price (R-GA), and other House Republicans spoke at a press conference about the economy, jobs, small business, and health care. Washington, DC : 20 min.

Producer: National Cable Satellite. Corporation
Keywords: Republicans Eric Cantor; Tom Price; economy; jobs; small business; health care
Creative Commons license: Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States

It's Not Iran - It's Obama's Administration Here in America VIDEO

Television ad that highlights recent press accounts that sound more like they are out of Iran than the U.S. But truth be told they are actually accounts of Barack Obama's (and his administration's) failures and poor policy decisions. From: www.OurCountryPAC.org

Confirmation Hearings Judge Sonia Sotomayor LIVE VIDEO

Confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor begin with opening statements by members of the Senate Judiciary Cmte. and introductions of Judge Sotomayor by New York Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand.

Confirmation Hearings Judge Sonia Sotomayor LIVE VIDEO

President Barack Obama Weekly Address 07/11/09 PODCAST VIDEO TEXT

Remarks of President Barack Obama Weekly Address Saturday, July 11, 2009 Washington, DC PODCAST OF THIS ARTICLE Download MP3 7.6 mb

This week, we’ve made important progress toward the goal of bringing about change abroad and change at home. During my visit to Russia, we began the process of resetting relations so that we can address key national priorities like the threat of nuclear weapons and extremism. At the G8 summit, leaders from nearly thirty nations met to discuss how we will collectively confront the urgent challenges of our time, from managing the global recession to fighting global warming to addressing global hunger and poverty. And in Ghana, I laid out my agenda for supporting democracy and development in Africa and around the world.

But even as we make progress on these challenges abroad, my thoughts are on the state of our economy at home. And that’s what I want to talk to you about today.

We came into office facing the most severe economic downturn since the Great Depression. At the time, we were losing, on average 700,000 jobs a month. And many feared that our financial system was on the verge of collapse.

As a result of the swift and aggressive action we took in the first few months of this year, we’ve been able to pull our financial system and our economy back from the brink. We took steps to re-start lending to families and businesses, stabilize our major financial institutions, and help homeowners stay in their homes and pay their mortgages. We also passed the largest and most sweeping economic recovery plan in our nation’s history.

The Recovery Act wasn’t designed to restore the economy to full health on its own, but to provide the boost necessary to stop the free fall. It was designed to spur demand and get people spending again and cushion those who had borne the brunt of the crisis. And it was designed to save jobs and create new ones.

In a little over one hundred days, this Recovery Act has worked as intended. It has already extended unemployment insurance and health insurance to those who have lost their jobs in this recession. It has delivered $43 billion in tax relief to American working families and businesses. Without the help the Recovery Act has provided to struggling states, its estimated that state deficits would be nearly twice as large as they are now, resulting in tens of thousands of additional layoffs – layoffs that would affect police officers, teachers, and firefighters.

The Recovery Act has allowed small businesses and clean energy companies to hire new workers or scrap their plans for eliminating current jobs. And it’s led to new jobs building roads, bridges and other infrastructure projects, thousands of which are only beginning now. In the months to come, thousands more projects will begin, leading to additional jobs.

Now, I realize that when we passed this Recovery Act, there were those who felt that doing nothing was somehow an answer. Today, some of those same critics are already judging the effort a failure although they have yet to offer a plausible alternative. Others believed that the recovery plan should have been even larger, and are already calling for a second recovery plan.

But, as I made clear at the time it was passed, the Recovery Act was not designed to work in four months – it was designed to work over two years. We also knew that it would take some time for the money to get out the door, because we are committed to spending it in a way that is effective and transparent. Crucially, this is a plan that will also accelerate greatly throughout the summer and the fall. We must let it work the way it’s supposed to, with the understanding that in any recession, unemployment tends to recover more slowly than other measures of economic activity.

I am confident that the United States of America will weather this economic storm. But once we clear away the wreckage, the real question is what we will build in its place. Even as we rescue this economy from a full blown crisis, I have insisted that we must rebuild it better than before.

Without serious reforms, we are destined to either see more crises, or suffer stagnant growth rates for the foreseeable future, or a combination of the two. That’s a future I absolutely reject. And that’s why we’re laying a new foundation that’s not only strong enough to withstand the challenges of the 21st century, but one that will allow us to thrive and compete in a global economy. That means investing in the jobs of the future, training our workers to compete for those jobs, and controlling the health care costs that are driving us into debt.

Through the clean energy investments we’ve made in the Recovery Act, we’re already seeing start-ups and small businesses make plans to create thousands of new jobs. In California, 3000 people will be employed to build a new solar plant. In Michigan, investment in wind turbines and wind technology is expected to create over 2,600 jobs. And a few weeks ago, the House of Representatives passed historic legislation that would finally make clean energy the profitable kind of energy, leading to whole new industries and jobs that can’t be outsourced.

To give our workers the skills and education they need to compete for the high-tech, high-wage jobs of the future, we’re working on reforms that will close achievement gaps, ensure that our schools meet high standards, reward our teachers for performance and give them new pathways to advancement.

Finally, we have made important progress in the last few weeks on health care reform that will finally control the costs that are driving our families, our businesses, and our government into debt. Both the Senate and the House have now produced legislation that will bring down costs, provide better care for patients, and curb the worst practices of insurance companies, so that they can no longer deny Americans coverage based on a pre-existing medical condition. It’s a plan that would also allow Americans to keep their health insurance if they lose their job or if they change their job. And it would set up a health insurance exchange – a marketplace that will allow families and small businesses to access one-stop-shopping for quality, affordable coverage, and help them compare prices and choose the plan that best suits their needs. One such choice would be a public option that would make health care more affordable through competition that keeps the insurance companies honest.

One other point. Part of what makes our current economic situation so challenging is that we already had massive deficits as the recession gathered force. And although the Recovery Act represents just a small fraction of our long term debt, people have legitimate questions as to whether we can afford reform without making our deficits much worse.

So let me be clear; I have been firm in insisting that both health care reform and clean energy legislation cannot add to our deficit. And I intend to continue the work of reducing waste, eliminating programs that don’t work, and reforming our entitlement programs to ensure that our long term deficits are brought under control.

I said when I took office that it would take many months to move our economy from recession to recovery and ultimately to prosperity. We are not there yet, and I continue to believe that even one American out of work is one too many. But we are moving in the right direction. We are cleaning up the wreckage of this storm. And we are laying a firmer, stronger foundation so that we may better weather whatever future storms may come. This year has been and will continue to be a year of rescuing our economy from disaster.

But just as important will be the work of rebuilding a long term engine for economic growth. It won’t be easy, and there will continue to be those who argue that we have to put off hard decisions that we have already deferred for far too long. But earlier generations of Americans didn’t build this great country by fearing the future and shrinking our dreams.

This generation – our generation - has to show that same courage and determination. I believe we will.

Thanks for listening.

Congressman Eric Cantor Weekly Republican Address 07/11/09 VIDEO TEXT

Weekly Republican Address 07/11/09 FULL TEXT TRANSCRIPT

Hello. I’m House Republican Whip Eric Cantor and I have the great privilege of representing the hardworking people of Virginia’s 7th District.

American families and small businesses today are struggling.

Eric Cantor

Republicans have put forth thoughtful, serious and comprehensive plans of action that put jobs first. We offered an economic recovery plan that would have revitalized struggling small businesses and helped middle-class families by putting Americans back to work. Yet, the president, in tandem with Democrats in Congress, have pushed through a $787-billion bill full of pork barrel spending, government waste and massive borrowing cleverly called ‘stimulus.’

There is no doubt that our nation faces many challenges, but the plain truth is that President Obama’s economic decisions have not produced jobs, have not produced prosperity and have not worked.

President Obama has already asked you to borrow trillions, and so far nearly 3 million jobs have been lost this year alone.

Remember the promises? They promised you if you paid for their stimulus, jobs would be created immediately. In fact, they said that unemployment would stay under 8%.

Yet just months later, they are telling us to brace for unemployment to climb over 10%. They promised jobs created. Now, they scramble to find a way to play games with government numbers by claiming jobs saved.

Simply put, this is now President Obama’s economy and the American people are beginning to question whether his policies are working.

But that doesn’t mean we are out of options. Together, we can bring about a strong and real recovery. We can create an environment that empowers small businesses and American workers to thrive. We must focus on job creation and restoring the financial and retirement security lost by millions.

And for the sake of our children and our long-term fiscal viability, Washington must stop spending money that it doesn’t have.

That’s why every day, my Republican colleagues are fighting to enact policies that will stabilize our economy, create jobs and ignite prosperity. You and your family deserve no less.

Since January, we have offered alternatives to the out-of-control, big government, Democrat agenda that unfortunately became law and has completely failed to create jobs. Our plan is simple and smart -- and its strength is that it doesn’t invest in Washington, it invests in the American people.

We believe Washington should stop its war on the middle class and reduce tax rates so every hardworking, taxpaying family in America will see an immediate increase in their income. A prosperous middle class is critical for our entire nation’s well-being.

We believe Washington must stop targeting America’s small businesses and instead should empower them by allowing employers to take a tax deduction to free up funds to retain and hire new employees.

Our history proves that it is the small businessmen and women who will reignite our economy by putting people back to work. Washington should get out of the way and encourage small-business employers to start or grow a business.

Lastly, we believe Washington must be responsible for every taxpayer dollar that it spends. Washington must live within its means. We will not support tax hikes to pay for even more so-called stimulus spending.

The overwhelming majority of Americans are working hard and are playing by the rules. They are providing for their families and doing their part to return America to the pinnacle of prosperity.

Their reward? Trillions more in debt.

For the "stimulus" alone, Washington borrowed nearly $10,000 from every American household. Let me ask you: Do you feel $10,000 richer today? Do you feel $10,000 better off? If you don’t, please know most people agree.

That is why we continue our fight because during these tough economic times, it often seems that Washington is offering you few choices except for spend and borrow. I’m here today to let you know there are alternatives: common-sense tax relief, smart and necessary reductions in spending, and intelligent policies that do not bankrupt our nation.

That is why I’m asking you to join our fight for accountability and common sense. We can do better and we will do better, but first we have to come together to change what is going on. The time is critical; the choice is yours. I’m Eric Cantor, and on behalf of my Republican colleagues, join with us to get Washington working for you once again. Thank you for listening. ###

2009 Young Republican National Convention VIDEO

Young GOP reflect and rebuild in Indy. WISH CBS 8 Indianapolis. Jul. 09, 2009. 06:14 PM EST. The 650 delegates, who come from 45 states are ages 40 and under gathered in Indianapolis for three days of meetings.

• 2009 Young Republican National Convention
• We have received 26 submitted amendments to the YRNF Constitution and Bylaws for consideration and adoption. All amendments submitted will be considered during the Convention Business Session on July 11, 2009. Amendments to the YRNF Constitution and Bylaws in PDF Format.

Republicans Want Health Care for All Americans VIDEO

Senate Republicans Want Health Care for All Americans. On Capitol Hill, Senate Republicans said they want health care reform that addresses rising costs. They want to take the time to find a solution that covers the uninsured but doesn't saddle future generations with trillions of dollars of debt.

Harry Reid Al Franken:VIDEO

Reid Statement Following Meeting With Senator-Elect Franken

Washington, DC— Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid made the following statement today after his meeting with Senator-elect Al Franken:

“I am pleased to welcome Senator-elect Al Franken to the United States Senate. Senator-elect Franken ran a hard-fought, issues-based campaign and I know he will work hard for the people of Minnesota. But don’t take my word for it. This is what former Republican Congressman Vin Weber had to say about our newest Senator: ‘…when people find out he's a smart guy who is serious about issues and a hard worker, they will be very pleasantly surprised.’

“Much has been made of the expectations of Al Franken joining the United States. I expect Al to work hard for the people of Minnesota, who have gone far too long without full representation. I expect him to help deliver the change this country demands as we work to strengthen our economy, ensure all Americans can access and afford quality health care, and make our country more energy independent. I am confident Senator-elect Franken will make a difference, but we will need more than just his presence to effectively address all of our nation’s challenges.

“The challenges we face are not Democratic or Republican in nature. They are America’s challenges and they are too great to be solved by partisanship. Moving America forward will still require the cooperation and collaboration of Democrats and Republicans alike. The last eight years have shown us that the American people want us to work together. Democrats aren’t looking at Senator Franken’s election as an opportunity to ram legislation through the Senate.

“In turn Senate Republicans must understand that Senator-elect Franken’s election does not abdicate them from the responsibility of governing. That is why we have and will continue to offer Senate Republicans a seat at the table. It is up to them to decide whether they will sit down and work for the common good or continue to be the Party of No.”

President Barack Obama Weekly Address 07/04/09 PODCAST VIDEO TEXT

Remarks of President Barack Obama Weekly Address Saturday, July 04, 2009 Washington, DC PODCAST OF THIS ARTICLE Download MP3 4.03 mb

Hello and Happy Fourth of July, everybody. This weekend is a time to get together with family and friends, kick back, and enjoy a little time off. And I hope that’s exactly what all of you do. But I also want to take a moment today to reflect on what I believe is the meaning of this distinctly American holiday.

Today, we are called to remember not only the day our country was born – we are also called to remember the indomitable spirit of the first American citizens who made that day possible.

We are called to remember how unlikely it was that our American experiment would succeed at all; that a small band of patriots would declare independence from a powerful empire; and that they would form, in the new world, what the old world had never known – a government of, by, and for the people.

That unyielding spirit is what defines us as Americans. It is what led generations of pioneers to blaze a westward trail.

It is what led my grandparents’ generation to persevere in the face of a Depression and triumph in the face of tyranny.

It is what led generations of American workers to build an industrial economy unrivalled around the world.

It is what has always led us, as a people, not to wilt or cower at a difficult moment, but to face down any trial and rise to any challenge, understanding that each of us has a hand in writing America’s destiny.

That is the spirit we are called to show once more. We are facing an array of challenges on a scale unseen in our time. We are waging two wars. We are battling a deep recession. And our economy – and our nation itself – are endangered by festering problems we have kicked down the road for far too long: spiraling health care costs; inadequate schools; and a dependence on foreign oil.

Meeting these extraordinary challenges will require an extraordinary effort on the part of every American. And that is an effort we cannot defer any longer.

Now is the time to lay a new foundation for growth and prosperity. Now is the time to revamp our education system, demand more from teachers, parents, and students alike, and build schools that prepare every child in America to outcompete any worker in the world.

Now is the time to reform an unsustainable health care system that is imposing crushing costs on families, businesses, large and small, and state and federal budgets. We need to protect what works, fix what’s broken, and bring down costs for all Americans. No more talk. No more delay. Health care reform must happen this year.

And now is the time to meet our energy challenge – one of the greatest challenges we have ever confronted as a people or as a planet. For the sake of our economy and our children, we must build on the historic bill passed by the House of Representatives, and make clean energy the profitable kind of energy so that we can end our dependence on foreign oil and reclaim America’s future.

These are some of the challenges that our generation has been called to meet. And yet, there are those who would have us try what has already failed; who would defend the status quo. They argue that our health care system is fine the way it is and that a clean energy economy can wait. They say we are trying to do too much, that we are moving too quickly, and that we all ought to just take a deep breath and scale back our goals.

These naysayers have short memories. They forget that we, as a people, did not get here by standing pat in a time of change. We did not get here by doing what was easy. That is not how a cluster of 13 colonies became the United States of America.

We are not a people who fear the future. We are a people who make it. And on this July 4th, we need to summon that spirit once more. We need to summon the same spirit that inhabited Independence Hall two hundred and thirty-three years ago today.

That is how this generation of Americans will make its mark on history. That is how we will make the most of this extraordinary moment. And that is how we will write the next chapter in the great American story. Thank you, and Happy Fourth of July. ###

Senator John McCain Weekly Republican Address 07/04/09 VIDEO TEXT

Weekly Republican Address 07/04/09 FULL TEXT TRANSCRIPT

Hi, I’m Senator John McCain.

Today, we celebrate our independence, declared 233 years ago, achieved through the trial of a long and difficult war, and preserved through the years with the blood and sacrifice of millions. It’s an occasion for Americans to reunite with family and enjoy a mid-summer holiday with picnics and barbeques, ballgames and golf, and other recreation.

Our appreciation for what happened on a hot summer day in Philadelphia all these years ago is often limited to a fleeting, warm feeling about an ancient generation of Americans who against great odds, stood up to a powerful oppressor, and claimed their natural right to liberty.

This is an accurate but incomplete understanding of the revolution begun that day. For written on that piece of yellowed parchment is not only the bold assertion that thirteen former British colonies were and forever would remain free and independent states,

but also the once radical idea that history has a right side and a wrong side, and that Americans stood and would always stand on the right side.

The signers put their names and ransomed their lives to a universal, not just a national ideal; that all human beings everywhere, not just Americans, not just the mostly well-off white men gathered in Philadelphia for the occasion, ‘are created equal, and endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.’

We’ve not always been true to that ideal, and the rights guaranteed by our Constitution. Slavery, Jim Crow, the disenfranchisement of women were betrayals of the principles enshrined in our founding documents, and had to be conquered before we could claim without qualification to be firmly on the right side of history.

But we overcame our faults, corrected our mistakes and in the unfinished story of our Republic, we continue our progress toward ‘a more perfect union.’ And, in the struggle to do so, we have achieved greatness.

Our wealth and power, unequaled by any nation before or since, are not the cause of our greatness. Our ideals have made us great. We are strong and prosperous because we are free, not the other way around. We have marched, in fits and starts, toward the right side of history and have ascended to a most exalted station in the affairs of mankind – ‘leader of the free world.’ It’s a great tribute to us, but also a great responsibility.

We share a kinship of ideals with every man and woman on earth who struggles for their God-given rights. The world must never doubt where we stand in the liberation struggles of our time. We stand with those who risk the anger of tyrants and their lives for the proposition that just government is derived from the consent of the governed; that all people are entitled to equal justice under the law.

Today, we stand with the millions of Iranians who brave batons, imprisonment and gunfire to have their voices heard and their votes counted. They do not ask us to arm them or come to their assistance with anything other than public declarations of solidarity, and public denunciations of the tyrants who oppress them.

We have a moral obligation to do so.

There are those among us who warn that a strong and unequivocal declaration of moral support for Iranians would be used by the cruel regime in power there to convince their subject people that the United States is behind the civil unrest they have attempted to hide from the world. But the regime will make that claim no matter what we say or do.

Do they really believe Iranians don’t know why they’re protesting and who is oppressing them? Do they think Iranians whose votes were discarded, whose voices have been ignored, whose lives have been threatened by the regime they wish to be rid of will think America has put them in that position; that the CIA caused a brave and idealistic young woman to step out of her car to join their protest, only to be instantly murdered by the henchmen of the regime?

Iranians know the truth. They know who is oppressing them and why. It’s a government that governs without their consent, which beats them, imprisons them and threatens their lives to preserve its own hold on power, and not to resist some imagined foreign enemy.

They are not fools, these brave and determined Iranians. They are on the right side of history, and the cynics among us, who think them fools, are on the wrong side. Liberty and justice will someday be theirs. Let us hope they will have reason to remember then, who their friends were in their struggle for freedom.

This is John McCain, wishing you a happy and meaningful Fourth of July. ###