Greg Walden John Boehner Transition Team Working to “return this government. . .to the people” VIDEO

Majority Transition Chairman Greg Walden. VIDEO Washington – Majority Transition Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) joined Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) today at a media availability to discuss the transition effort and Republicans’ plans to get to work right away addressing the priorities of the American people:

creating jobs, cutting spending, and reforming Congress. Below is a transcript of Chairman Walden’s remarks.

“I think we got off to a really good start in the transition team. As many of you know, we had a couple of hours meeting on Monday night in Leader Boehner’s office, had a good presentation from different folks about the issues here, and how we can make this place more open, more accessible to the public.

“It is the public’s business, by the way. That’s a statement I’m giving out to everybody on the transition team: remember this is the public’s business that we’re doing. How do we open it up, how do we make it more accessible, how do we bring the public in, how do we return this government back to the people? How do we reform this process, how do we do get at the cost savings we all know can be achieved here, how do we improve the efficiencies … how do we do the things that you would reform if you were in charge?

“So let’s start and build a House that works for the people, because this is the people’s House. We’re also putting a lot of ideas out there, and I wanted you to understand that. Having been a small business owner for over 20 years, I ask all my people in the company: how do you fix it? Let’s throw them all up there and talk about it. It doesn’t mean every idea is one you go with, but I want to create the atmosphere we can have legitimate brainstorming, where we can really look at these issues and resolve them in a really positive way. And, by the way, take advantage of modern technology. Wouldn’t it be great if you could use modern technology so you didn’t have 200 copies of every single amendment in a bill, that everybody could maybe see it online in real time, including the members.

“I don’t know if we can get there tomorrow, next week, or a year from now, but we should invite in the people who can help us decide that and actually implement new technology into this facility. So wherever you are in America, you can watch your business being done and maybe help us do that business better.”

TEXT CREDIT: House GOP Office of Majority Transition:

IMAGE CREDIT: JohnBoehner

James Inhofe about earmarks VIDEO

Caution: Senator Inhofe doesn't think getting rid of earmarks will truly matter. AFA Channel, Senator Inhofe, American Family Radio, American Family Association.

VIDEO CREDIT: AmericanFamilyAssoc1

Greg Walden Announces Members of Majority Transition Team VIDEO

Washington – As Republicans prepare for a new majority in the House of Representatives, Transition Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) today announced the members of a transition team who will help ensure the House is ready to act right away on the priorities of the American people in January. Members of this team will work to implement the congressional reforms included in the Pledge to America and look at additional ways to make Congress more transparent, cost-efficient, and accountable to the people. Ready to get to work, the transition team will hold its first meeting this evening with further meetings scheduled for Tuesday. Upon announcement of the team members, Rep. Walden released the following statement.

“Americans have sent a clear message that Congress must be run differently, and this team is ready to prove that we’re listening,” said Rep. Walden. “Our transition team includes proven leaders who will meet our challenge to restore the House of Representatives as a great deliberative body that respects the will of the American people. The diverse mix of experience, backgrounds, and regions represented by this group will help to ensure this process brings meaningful reform to how Washington does business. Each one of these members accepted this responsibility with an encouraging enthusiasm, and I’m thankful to all of them for serving.”

Members of the GOP Majority Transition Team

Rep. Rob Bishop (UT-1)
Rep. John Campbell (CA-48)
Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (WV-2)
Rep. Jason Chaffetz (UT-3)
Rep. Tom Cole (OK-4)
Rep. Mike Conaway (TX-11)
Rep. David Dreier (CA-26)
Rep.-elect Cory Gardner (CO-4)
Rep. Bob Goodlatte (VA-6)
Rep. Doc Hastings (WA-4)
Rep. Jeb Hensarling (TX-5)
Rep. Jim Jordan (OH-4)
Rep.-elect Adam Kinzinger (IL-11)
Rep. Buck McKeon (CA-25)
Rep. Candice Miller (MI-10)
Rep.-elect Martha Roby (AL-2)
Rep. Mike Rogers (MI-8)
Rep. Paul Ryan (WI-1)
Rep.-elect Tim Scott (SC-1)
Rep. Pete Sessions (TX-32)
Rep. Pat Tiberi (OH-12)

TEXT CREDIT: House GOP Office of Majority Transition:

Tim Scott to Join GOP Transition Committee

U.S. Representative-Elect Tim Scott will be one of four freshmen Members of Congress to join the GOP Transition Committee. The Committee, comprised of 21 lawmakers and led by Representative Greg Walden of Oregon, is charged with “reforming Congress, honoring the changes proposed in the Pledge to America, and making Congress more transparent, accountable and cost-effective.”

The Committee’s first meeting will be held Monday evening in House Minority Leader John Boehner’s office. Items on the agenda include ways to change Congress’ rules, its calendar, floor operations and the mechanisms that run the institution. The committee has been soliciting suggestions from the public and is already considering things like altering the House schedule to ensure hearings aren’t interrupted by votes. The committee is also looking to cut down on administrative costs of running the House.

“I am honored to have been asked to join the Transition Committee,” said Tim Scott, “and I look forward to bringing the voice of the voters of our District to the table in Washington.”

IMAGE CREDIT: FOXNEWS

TEXT CREDIT: Tim Scott For Congress

Renee Ellmers’ Recount

The Board of Elections in each county in the district are now counting 3,000 ‘provisional ballots.’ And, next Friday, each County Board (there are 10) will hold a ‘canvas’ to confirm the initial vote totals.

The good news is many of these ‘provisional’ ballots are in counties I won – like Johnston County which I carried 64% to 34%.

The bad news is today our attorneys informed my campaign that by next Friday, we face $70,000 in legal bills. And, after Friday, we face another $150,000 in costs for the recount.

Before I say another word, I want to thank everyone who has responded to my appeal for help. People from across the nation have contributed and their gifts have allowed us to quickly put the team we need in place to insure a fair vote recount. I also want to thank – from the heart – Sarah Palin, who joined in asking people to help, Rush Limbaugh, who discussed our recount today on his program, and every blogger who’s posted an article asking people give to help me.

Many people have expressed their disappointment that the National Republican Congressional Committee refused to help. Well, as President Reagan used to say, Sometimes you have to make a politician feel the heat to see the light. Whether it is due to Sarah Palin or Rush Limbaugh or all the bloggers helping us, the NRCC has seen the light. They have wired my Recount Fund $5,000 and committed to help us raise money. I am grateful for their help and, from here, we take one step at a time.

Right now, I have two deadlines staring me in the face:

1) I must be ready to pay our lawyers $70,000 for their work through next Friday.
2) And, after Friday, I have to be ready to pay another $150,000 – a total of $220,000.

So, as you can see, we’re a long way from meeting our goals, and, if you can, please send a contribution to the Renee Ellmers for Congress Recount Fund.

When you think about it, here’s the bottom line: Congressman Etheridge has already announced he will call for a recount. And if he returns to Washington it will be one more vote in Congress for Nancy Pelosi.

If you can contribute please give today.

Thank you and best wishes, Renee

TEXT and IMADE CREDIT: Renee Ellmers for Congress Committee P. O. Box 904 Dunn, NC 28335-0904 (252) 220-0181

Statement From Ann Marie Buerkle On Absentee Ballots

Ann Marie Buerkle

“It has recently come to my attention that there are efforts underway in Upstate New York to contact individuals who cast absentee ballots in the 25th Congressional District and inquire how they may have voted in the recent election. It is regrettable that this action is underway prior to those absentee votes being tabulated by county election officials. While the reasons for this effort are unclear – many agree it could be an attempt by some to identify who each person voted for in an effort to disqualify certain eligible ballots from being counted.

I would like the public to know that my campaign is not connected to this current effort. Further, no American – in Upstate New York or anywhere – is in anyway under obligation to provide information to anyone on how he or she voted in any election, including my own.”

“This Thursday is Veteran’s Day, and as Americans we will pause to honor all of our veterans who have sacrificed so much to protect the rights of all Americans. It is disappointing that such an activity would be underway at the same time our men and women in uniform are serving overseas to protect these very freedoms.”

“If anyone is contacted in this effort please know that your vote is privileged, and under no circumstances should an individual be pressured in to revealing how their vote was cast. If you are contacted, ask them to provide their full name, for whom they work, why they are seeking this information and if you are required to provide this information.” ###

TEXT and IMAGE CREDIT: Ann Marie Buerkle for US Congress

Randy Altschuler Takes Lead for Congress (NY-1),

Accurate Count by Board of Elections Shows 393 Vote Lead Randy Altschuler, the Republican/Conservative candidate for Congress (NY-1), assumed the lead Friday evening in the hotly contested 1st Congressional District race.

Altschuler leads after the Suffolk County Board of Elections (B.O.E.) examined the voting machines upon their return to the Board of Elections' warehouse. The B.O.E reversed an approximately 3,400 vote deficit that was incorrectly reported shortly after the polls closed on Tuesday night. The new and accurate count puts Altschuler 393 votes ahead of four term incumbent Democrat Congressman Tim Bishop. Nearly 10,000 absentee ballots have been returned and remain to be counted.

Randy Altschuler said, "On Election Night, I told my supporters that this race was too close to call and that we were in the race until every vote was accurately counted. We were right! We are working closely with the National Republican Congressional Committee to guarantee that we have the resources needed to ensure that every vote is accurately and fairly counted. The voters of New York's 1st Congressional District deserve nothing less." # # #

TEXT CREDIT: Randy Altschuler for Congress>

IMAGE CREDIT: teamaltschuler

Joe Walsh The People have Won with This Victory

By Joe Walsh 8th This photo was taken on August 17, 2010. * All Rights Reserved

The counting of regular ballots is over and we have prevailed. There are a small number of absentee ballots that arrived past the point where they could be tallied in the precinct. These few ballots will be counted by each of the three local election authorities.

In McHenry and Lake Counties, where we won with a sizable margin, the Clerk’s offices will count the few absentee ballots on the 16th of November as allowed by statute.

Cook County has been counting ballots for a few days now and each time the results have been released, the trends from election night have continued. We see no viable reason why that trend will change. That is why Congressman-elect Walsh has begun a respectful transition to represent the people of the 8th district.

Nick Provenzano, spokesman for Congressman-elect Joe Walsh.

Joe Walsh for Congress Committee | 218 North Barron Blvd (Rt. 83) | Grayslake, IL 60030

Federal Contractor in Alaska Caught On Tape touting Lisa Murkowski to voters VIDEO

This was a Huckabee exclusive this evening, when Governor Mike Huckabee had Alaska Senate hopeful, Joe Miller, on his show to discuss the continuing saga of the vote counting in Alaska for the too-close-to-call race there. Someone obtained a video of a federal contractor, at a federal installation, discussing the upcoming election for Alaska Senator. While the contractor said he wasn't TELLING them to vote for Lisa Murkowski, he advised them that a vote for Lisa would help continue to bring in federal money for the state, and in turn, federal money for those projects for which this contractor was involved.

He even reminded them that her name had to be spelled correctly as a write-in candidate, and offered pocket cards with helpful information if they wanted them to take to the polls with them.

Can you imagine the hue and cry if this would have been done to encourage a similar group to vote for the Tea Party backed candidate, Joe Miller??? It would be the lead story on all news outlets tonight, through the weekend and into next week. We'll see if and when the MSM decides to even report on this, but I won't be holding my breath.

VIDEO and TEXT CREDIT: TheRealMsU

ORRIN HATCH ON WAY FORWARD ON PREVENTING TAX INCREASES ON AMERICAN FAMILIES, JOB CREATORS

Utah Senator Says Splitting Off Small Business Tax Relief is a “Non Starter” SALT LAKE CITY – U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch, a member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement today after President Obama indicated on CBS’ 60 Minutes that he is willing to work with Republicans on taxes:

“The fact that the President has indicated he would work with Republicans to ensure taxes don’t go up on millions of American families and a job creator is a step in the right direction.

“The best thing for our fragile economy would be to permanently stop the widespread tax hikes that are set to go into effect on January 1. That’s what Senator McConnell put forward, is something I strongly support and needs to be considered.

“However, splitting off the small business tax relief – or the top two marginal tax rates – is a non-starter. That’s a tax increase plain and simple that would be used to fund more Washington spending, while discouraging private sector job growth. That’s not what the American people or our fragile economy need.

“A reasonable path forward should be on the table. It would garner support from Democrats and Republicans alike. That path forward is an extension of all the tax relief well past the next election.

“Furthermore, Congress needs to act before January 1 – during the lame duck session of Congress to protect the American people from massive tax increases. The Democrat majority in Congress had four years to prevent these tax increases, but have irresponsibly failed to act. We have a limited amount of time left, so I hope the White House and its Capitol Hill allies step up to the plate to act in a responsible manner.” ###

104 Hart Office Building - Washington, DC 20510 - Tel: (202) 224-5251 - Fax: (202) 224-6331

US Senator Orrin Hatch November 8th, 2010 Media Contact(s): Mark Eddington and Antonia Ferrier, (202) 224-5251

Michele Bachmann seeking the position of House Republican Conference Chair

Bachmann Seeks Conference Chair Support from Colleagues. Washington, Nov 8 - Last week Congresswoman Michele Bachmann announced she is seeking the position of House Republican Conference Chair. Below is the “Dear Colleague” letter she sent to fellow Republican representatives.

November 3, 2010

Dear Republican Colleague,

Yesterday Americans exercised their right at the ballot box and with their voice entrusted the future of the House of Representatives to the Republican Party. With our majority designation we must now pursue a limited government by lowering taxes, ending the bailouts, and decreasing the debt. We are at a pivotal point in our nation’s history and the American people want to know their elected officials are working towards results. Faced with Democratic control of the Senate and the White House, proclaiming our party’s message effectively will be imperative. If the American people know they have a voice in Washington then our message must resonate from coast to coast.

I write you today to ask for your support as I announce my candidacy for Republican Conference Chair. In this important position, I pledge to you to listen to your concerns and to the needs of your district so together we can deliver a unified message with an organized strategy.

My goal will be to build on the excellent work Chairman Mike Pence has accomplished. As we witnessed yesterday, during his chairmanship Mike equipped our Conference with the tools necessary to effectively communicate our message.

Last night’s victory was an historic election which was fueled by the heartfelt concerns of the American people over whether our great experiment in liberty will survive. Our majority votes were garnered from disillusioned Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Libertarians, and remarkably, from people with no particular political affiliation at all.

During this election cycle and across the nation the American people have asked, “Will the new Republican majority reflect our values as they assume their position of leadership?" This is a critical question our Conference needs to answer.

Over the past four years, I have fought continually (and at some cost) for the principals of constitutional conservatism. I have successfully communicated this message in Washington and to the people we serve across America. In part, I have been highly targeted because I have been willing to challenge the Obama/Pelosi liberal establishment.

To our Conference I bring strong principled conservative values, a proven level of experience, effectiveness with our friends in the local and national media, and an energetic national constituency that reflects the results of Tuesday night. It is important that our Conference demonstrate to the people who sent us here that their concerns will be tirelessly advanced at the table of leadership.

With your support I assure you Conference will listen to the concerns of the American people, the same people that gave us this historic majority.

Your friend in the cause of liberty,

Michele

P.S. I often think the greatest test comes when our party is in the majority. We must prove that we are up to the task and will see our agenda through.

TEXT and IMAGE CREDIT: Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, Proudly Serving the 6th District of Minnesota. # Washington Office 107 Cannon HOB Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-2331 Fax: (202) 225-6475.

Michele Bachmann The Need for Tax Cuts VIDEO

Michele Bachmann The Need for Tax Cuts VIDEO

Rep. Bachmann discusses compromise in the new Congress and one item Republicans will not compromise on -- tax cuts. She promotes tax cuts for all and explains why they will be good for job creation and our nation's economy.

VIDEO and IMAGE CREDIT: RepMicheleBachmann

Thomas Foley concedes Connecticut governor race VIDEO

Thomas Foley concedes Connecticut governor race VIDEO

Tom Foley, the Republican candidate for governor of Connecticut, has conceded the close race to Democrat Dan Malloy despite questions about the election process. (Nov. 8)

“The election on Tuesday was a conclusive victory for Dan Malloy and this result should not be questioned,”

"I hope my supporters will accept my word on this,"

"Even though I will not be serving as your governor, I hope to use what I've learned to help our great state,"

“As soon as I am done with this press conference, I will call Dan Malloy and congratulate him and wish him good luck.”

VIDEO and TEXT CREDIT: AssociatedPress

Chris Christie Meet the Press Nov. 7, 2010 TEXT VIDEO

NBC News This is a rush transcript provided for the information and convenience of the press. Accuracy is not guaranteed. In case of doubt, please check with MEET THE PRESS NBC NEWS 885-4598 (Sundays: 885-4200)

VIDEO, IMAGE and TEXT CREDIT: Meet the Press

MR. GREGORY: We now turn to the aforementioned Republican who has emerged as a leader of his party, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.

Welcome to the program.

GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R-NJ): Thank you, David.

MR. GREGORY: Good to have you here.

GOV. CHRISTIE: Happy to be here.

MR. GREGORY: When you talk about the response from the voters on Election Day, something's very curious. We know some of the feelings about the Democrats, about President Obama's policies, but look at this from the exit polls in terms of the opinion of political parties. Republicans didn't fare too well either; 52 percent unfavorable rating. What does that say about the Republican Party today?

GOV. CHRISTIE: You know, I think what it says is what I was saying all over the country, that's it's put up or shut up time for our party. You know, we lost our way last decade, David, we did, and people expect us to do better. And if the Republican Party wants to come back, they're going to have to do what they said they were going to do. I mean, because if they don't, we're going to be sent to the wilderness for a long time, and we're going to deserve it.

MR. GREGORY: What does that mean? What do they have to put up?

GOV. CHRISTIE: What they have to do is they say they want, and, and we're doing it in New Jersey: smaller government, less spending, less regulation, lower taxes. That's what the public is saying that they want. And if you look at what we've done in New Jersey, David, we're delivering on that. We're not fixed yet, but we're on the track to being fixed, closing an $11 billion budget deficit without any new or increased taxes, cutting the corporate business tax. We're doing things to try to create an environment where private sector jobs can grow.

MR. GREGORY: And, and I want to talk about some of the choices you made in New Jersey. But, you know, you heard Senator DeMint, and there's a lot of Republicans talking about cutting the deficit, cutting the budget, but they're not specific. He wasn't specific. He talks about Paul Ryan, who has some ideas about Medicare and changing the way that's structured, indeed, making some cuts. Paul Ryan in the House, he's from Wisconsin, doesn't have support among establishment Republicans. There are 15 Republicans who stood up behind him in terms of making these cuts. Are Republicans really making good when Senator DeMint and others aren't specific about the cuts they're going to make to entitlements or to defense, to the big ticket items that really move the budget?

GOV. CHRISTIE: Well, let me tell you what's--where the leadership's going to come from. You have 11 Republican governors and a Democratic governor, Andrew Cuomo in New York, who have said we can't raise taxes and we have to cut spending in everything. In New Jersey what we did was we cut spending in every department, a 9 percent cut in real spending, not projected spending, real spending year over year. Find another state that did that and, and we'll go and talk about it. I mean, we made real hard decisions, and I cut some programs that we would've liked to have kept.

MR. GREGORY: Mm-hmm.

GOV. CHRISTIE: But we're broke. We don't have the money anymore. And so I hope that what these governors, Republicans and Democrats, will show Washington is you can do this and you have to do it.

MR. GREGORY: I asked Senator DeMint about sacrifice, and he said, `Oh, we don't want to, we don't want to break our promise to our seniors. In your state, what are you telling people they have to sacrifice and what do Republicans around the country have to tell Americans they have to sacrifice if they want to bring the size of government under control and the deficit under control?

GOV. CHRISTIE: We told everybody there has to be shared sacrifice among everyone, and let me be specific. We cut every department of state government. We cut funding to K to 12 education. We are proposed real pension and benefit reforms on public sector workers, increasing the retirement age, eliminating COLAs, things that are really going to bring the pension problem back under control. We cut all of this spending in the state in every state department, David, every state department. From environmental protection, to military and veterans affairs, all the way through had to sustain a cut. Those are the type of things you have to do to show people you really mean shared sacrifice. Everyone came to the table and everybody had to contribute.

MR. GREGORY: So, as you, as a national Republican with national influence now--and you've met with congressional Republicans and talked about issues--does everything have to be on the table?

GOV. CHRISTIE: What I told them was they'd better come up with a plan that's credible like we did in New Jersey, and the public's going to be able to smell real quickly if you're not credible. And if we are not credible, then we are really going to be in trouble as a party, and I think the numbers you showed indicate that.

MR. GREGORY: What about the tea party, the tea party's influence on the Republican party? Net positive, net negative? What do you think?

GOV. CHRISTIE: Net positive. Listen, the core that drives the tea party, in my view, are those four principles I talked about before--less spending, smaller government and less intrusive government, lower regulation, and lower taxes. And when Republicans are at their best, those are our core principles. And so I think that, at bottom, it's a positive influence. Listen, you're going to have variances around, around the country. I endorsed Mike Castle in the primary...

MR. GREGORY: Right, in Delaware.

GOV. CHRISTIE: Yes.

MR. GREGORY: Right.

GOV. CHRISTIE: Because I felt he was the best person.

MR. GREGORY: Is that a wake--do you agree with Lindsey Graham from South Carolina or Jim DeMint from South Carolina, that Delaware is a wake-up call for Republicans?

GOV. CHRISTIE: I think Delaware was a missed opportunity to have a really good United States senator in Mike Castle, and that's why I endorsed him in the primary.

MR. GREGORY: Let me talk a little bit more about New Jersey and taxes and spending. And I want to talk specifically about the--this ARC tunnel, this rail tunnel that would've connected New York and New Jersey and the controversy surrounding this. To boil all of this down, the federal government, as I understand it, offered you a deal. You were worried about cost, cost overruns, and they said, "Look, we're going to take care of that. New Jersey's not going to be responsible." So critics have used...

GOV. CHRISTIE: Whoa, let me stop you right there.

MR. GREGORY: Yeah.

GOV. CHRISTIE: No chance. That never happened. The federal government said $3 billion is what they were going to give us, and I had to sign a contract saying every nickel over $3 billion was the responsibility of the federal government. All the federal government offered me in the interim two week period, between the time when I first canceled the tunnel, was the ability to get federal loans...

MR. GREGORY: Mm-hmm.

GOV. CHRISTIE: ...that we'd have to pay back.

MR. GREGORY: They weren't going to shift this to...

GOV. CHRISTIE: No.

MR. GREGORY: ...private companies to be able to take care of it?

GOV. CHRISTIE: No. It was federal loans or, if we wanted a public-private partnership, we had to have increased fees on all the train tickets, for all the commuters, all across New Jersey, including ones that weren't using the tunnel, to be able to repay it. No matter what, David, this was going to fall on the people of the state of New Jersey, and the worst part was, it was a blank check. No one could tell me how much this was going to cost. We had already put $5.7 billion up from the state of New Jersey, and we were talking about $2 billion to $5 billion in overruns now. I mean, we could not sustain that. We're broke.

MR. GREGORY: Is this a matter of ideology for you, or simply a pragmatic issue that you don't have the money? And by that I mean, should the federal government be involved in big infrastructure projects like this?

GOV. CHRISTIE: Sure, they should. And you know what? I gave the federal government two weeks to come back to me and say if this is a project of such national importance, then put more money on the table for it. But, you know, they didn't. In, in Florida, where they're building high speed rail, Florida's being asked to give a 20 percent match to an 80 percent for federal. In this project, New Jersey was picking up 70 percent of the cost, the feds 30 percent and nothing from the state or the city of New York. Listen, this is about fairness and about what we could afford, and I'm not going to sign blank checks on the taxpayers in the state of New Jersey for a project that, as laudable as it might be in some respects, we simply can't afford now. When we talked to the campaign, David, about tough choices, this is an example.

MR. GREGORY: Tax cuts. You've got a millionaires tax in New Jersey, which I know that you're opposed to.

GOV. CHRISTIE: Not anymore, we don't.

MR. GREGORY: Not anymore because...

GOV. CHRISTIE: No.

MR. GREGORY: ...you vetoed it.

GOV. CHRISTIE: Yes.

MR. GREGORY: You've got high taxes across the board.

GOV. CHRISTIE: We do.

MR. GREGORY: How do you deal with that as a Republican governor of New Jersey?

GOV. CHRISTIE: Well, first you say, "No more." And the Democrats sent me an extension of the millionaires tax that would have not only hit individuals but small business in New Jersey, and I vetoed it. And I'm not going to increase taxes on the state that the Tax Foundation has said is the highest burdened tax state in America, especially if you look at our unemployment rate, David, ours is higher than any state in our region. The reason is, over the last eight years under Corzine and McGreevey, we raised taxes and fees 115 times. We put a wet blanket on the economy of New Jersey, and that's why our people are still out of work disproportionately to everybody else in the region. New York is a point lower. Pennsylvania is more than a point lower. I mean, we, you know, we did this to ourselves with all these increased taxes.

MR. GREGORY: What about the Bush tax cuts and extending those? You've said that should happen at all levels for a couple of years, but you've said only a couple of years because there is a day of reckoning here. Can you have tax cuts when you also want to balance the, the budget? Or do you have to consider tax increases at the federal level at some point?

GOV. CHRISTIE: Well, you know, I've been watching you for weeks talk about extending the Bush tax cuts. Drives me crazy when I'm sitting at home. This is about maintaining the current tax structure in a time we have a very weak economy. And so I favor extending these for another two years, extending the current tax system and not having a tax increase...

MR. GREGORY: But those, I mean, wait a minute. It may drive you crazy, and I know other Republicans that feel the same way. But I've also talked to Republicans. I've talked to economists like Alan Greenspan who say there is no free lunch here. You cannot have tax cuts at this level and not have them be paid for. And other Republicans say, yes, they should be pay for. So you do agree they should be paid for.

GOV. CHRISTIE: Well, obviously--well, listen, I've, I'm walking the walk in New Jersey, David.

MR. GREGORY: OK.

GOV. CHRISTIE: I mean, when I said we're vetoing the millionaires tax, I found spending tax to pay for that.

MR. GREGORY: So you can have existing tax policy, but it still has to be offset.

GOV. CHRISTIE: Well, listen, and I'm not disagreeing with you, David.

MR. GREGORY: OK.

GOV. CHRISTIE: But I'm--what I'm disagreeing with you is you characterizing what's happening here as a--as tax cuts. This is maintaining the current tax policy in a weak economy, and what you're, what you're advocating through your question is tax increases.

MR. GREGORY: Right. I'm not--that's not fair. I'm not advocating. I'm, I'm questioning whether or not they have to be paid for.

GOV. CHRISTIE: Well, when you call the, when you call the tax cuts, what I'm saying is the--I take the position as the opposite of that.

MR. GREGORY: Right. Right.

GOV. CHRISTIE: The opposite of that is it is a tax increase in a weakened...

MR. GREGORY: But they are set to expire.

GOV. CHRISTIE: ...weaks in, in a weakened economy. And what I'm saying is you should keep the current tax structure in place until our economy gets stronger.

MR. GREGORY: That's fine. But they're set to expire, so if you're going to re-authorize them, they're, they're, you're voting for tax cuts.

GOV. CHRISTIE: No, you're not voting for tax cuts. You're voting to maintain the current tax structure.

MR. GREGORY: I understand, a continuation.

GOV. CHRISTIE: That's a...

MR. GREGORY: But there's...

GOV. CHRISTIE: And then we agree.

MR. GREGORY: And there's still an offset issue.

GOV. CHRISTIE: Well, then we agree.

MR. GREGORY: OK.

The, the issue of where there's room for negotiation, is there room for negotiation in your mind? Should the president make a deal here on, on these things for a certain period of time? Does everybody, then, in a couple of years have to come to this and say, "Maybe these aren't the best ideas. Maybe we also have to think about tax increases at some point"?

GOV. CHRISTIE: Well, I think the first thing that the president has to focus on is building private sector jobs again in this country. And I don't think, by increasing taxes, that's the way to--that we're going to get it done in the short term. And so, sure, there's areas for compromise, I'm sure there are, between Republican leaders in the Congress and the president. But the president has to lead on this. And I think that the message is really clear, I got the message from the election, it's about putting people back to work. And you will not put people back to work in private sector jobs by increasing the cost in the private sector.

MR. GREGORY: A couple more areas. I want to--you've become an YouTube star, as you well know, because you've had some, some interactions with voters, including when you were campaigning for Meg Whitman out in California. Let me show that moment.

(Videotape, September 22, 2010)

GOV. CHRISTIE: You know what, you want to yell, yell at me, but don't give her a hard time. We're here. We're here talking about the future of the state of California and the future of our country. And you know what?

Unidentified Man: And you're just talking about the truth that's she's lying about.

GOV. CHRISTIE: And you know what? And you know what? Let me tell you, and let me tell you this. You know what? It's people who raise their voices and yell and scream like you that are dividing this country. We're here to bring this country together, not to divide it.

(End videotape)

MR. GREGORY: So what's the balance? On to a style question. The balance for you being a straight talker, you know, taking on the corrosive conversations we have about politics, and then your image as being a little too brusque, bullying, you know, Governor Wrecking Ball? How do you, how do you straddle that line?

GOV. CHRISTIE: Well, I am who I am. I don't straddle the line. And I think what people in New Jersey appreciate about, appreciate about me is I don't send smoke signals. They know who I am. They know how I feel about issues. Sometimes they agree with and sometimes they don't, but all I think that that clip indicates is that when I have something on my mind, I'm going to say it. I'm going to say it directly. And I think that we have too little of that in politics, David. And when, when I sit around and watch the way some people in political life talk, it, it fogs me over. And I think it fogs people in America over too. They want to hear somebody say, "If you feel a certain way, say it and live with the consequences." I'm willing to let the chips fall where they may on that issue.

MR. GREGORY: So the question is whether you're going to say all this stuff at a national level.

You've ruled out running for president in 2012. But you're also acting like a guy who's increasing your national influence. You're campaigning for congressional Republicans. Why do all of that? Why, especially in tight races, if you're not looking down the line at running?

GOV. CHRISTIE: Because I care about my country, and because I felt that those people where the absolute best candidates to help make our country a better place. And so that's why I campaigned for them. I have no other agenda. And to the extent that New Jersey over the last year can serve as an example to people that say, "Listen, you can cut spending. You can balance a budget without tax increases. You can make hard choices and not only survive politically but thrive politically." Then I want to try to set that example for folks so that these other new governors who are coming in, members of Congress...

MR. GREGORY: Mm-hmm.

GOV. CHRISTIE: ...that they will act boldly and be strong.

MR. GREGORY: Shermanesque statement, you're not running in 2012?

GOV. CHRISTIE: Absolutely.

MR. GREGORY: You wouldn't be on a ticket at all as VP?

GOV. CHRISTIE: Can you see me as somebody's vice president, David, after, after that question about governor wrecking ball? I would feel bad for that poor man or woman.

MR. GREGORY: What about down the line, beyond 2012? What, what criteria would you use in making a decision about whether to run for president?

GOV. CHRISTIE: Well, first I have to decide whether I run for re-election in 2013 in New Jersey, and that's going to be determined by how good a job I do and whether the people in the state of New Jersey want me back. So before you ever get to anything beyond that, you know, my mother always taught me first things first. Do your job. Do your job that the people of New Jersey gave you. I love being governor and I'm got to be governor until 2013, then we'll see what the verdict of the people is of the job I did on 2013.

MR. GREGORY: So fair at least to say the door is open beyond 2012.

GOV. CHRISTIE: I'm going to need a job, David, after 2013, you know? And so whether it's going to be being governor of New Jersey or doing something else, I have four kids between 7 and 17, I'm working the rest of my life anyway. So it's going to be doing something, David, so maybe it'll be that. Who knows.

MR. GREGORY: Governor Christie, thank you very much.

GOV. CHRISTIE: Thank you, David.

MR. GREGORY: Appreciate it.

VIDEO, IMAGE and TEXT CREDIT: Meet the Press

Jim DeMint Meet the Press Nov. 7, 2010 TEXT VIDEO

NBC News This is a rush transcript provided for the information and convenience of the press. Accuracy is not guaranteed. In case of doubt, please check with MEET THE PRESS NBC NEWS 885-4598 (Sundays: 885-4200)

VIDEO, IMAGE and TEXT CREDIT: Meet the Press

MR. GREGORY: from his home state of South Carolina this morning, the Washington leader of the tea party, Republican Senator Jim DeMint.

Senator, welcome to MEET THE PRESS.

SEN. JIM DeMINT (R-SC): Thank you, David. And I can't claim to be the leader of the tea party, but I'm sure glad they raised the interest level of the American voter this year. It made a real difference in the election.

MR. GREGORY: Well, well, let me ask you that, plain and simple. Is the tea party now running the Republican Party?

SEN. DeMINT: Hardly. I'm hoping the Republican Party will embrace a lot of the ideas of the tea party, but it's a mistake to think that the tea party is one big organization. It's made of up thousands of leaders all across the country of, of citizens who are just tired of out-of-control spending. They want to take back the power from the Washington politicians. And I think they made a huge difference in the election. But they're just a part of this awakening of the American people, this citizen activism, I think, that's realigning politics in America today.

MR. GREGORY: What about the election results on Tuesday? In your judgment, was that step one in making President Obama a one-term president?

SEN. DeMINT: Well, I don't know that that's the issue. I think people are rejecting in large numbers this rampage of government spending and takeover that the, the president has been leading, but also even before Obama was president, Pelosi and Reid have been in charge of the Congress now for four years. They've had plenty of time to show what they're going to do. Pelosi said there would not be anymore deficit spending; we've had $5 trillion in deficit since then. So I think this is a rejection of Obama's policy. But this is not about whether or not he's a one- or two-term president. This is about turning our country away from a fiscal cliff. We're in trouble, and we don't have time to play politics anymore. We have got to look at the federal government, determine what it absolutely has to do, and then see if we can devolve power and spending back to the states.

MR. GREGORY: Well, and I, I want to ask you about some specific areas of--issue areas of the agenda. Before I do that, another question about the tea party. You were active in supporting tea party candidates around the country. You had some, some big winners around the country that you campaigned for. There are some of them. But you also had some notable losses, particularly in the Senate, and I want to single one out. You were behind Christine O'Donnell, who lost, of course, in Delaware. And here was the front page of the Wilmington News Journal on Wednesday after the election. The banner headline, "No taste for tea." And frankly, there's been some backlash about your support for her. Politico reported it this way this week: "A bloc of prominent senators and operatives said party purists like Palin and Senator DeMint had foolishly pushed nominees too conservative to win in politically competitive states. ...

`If you think what happened in Delaware is "a win" for the Republican Party then we don't have a snowball's chance to win the White House,'" that's Senator Lindsey Graham, also from South Carolina. "`If you think Delaware was a wake-up call for Republicans then we have a shot at doing well for a long time.'" Do you think the tea party actually cost the Republican Party control of the Senate?
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SEN. DeMINT: That is a very silly thing to say, David. The tea party are responsible for just about every Republican who was elected around the country. This time last year, if people'll think about it, we were concerned about holding our own. Many thought Republicans would fall below 38 in, in the Senate. So I supported all the Republican candidates, including Christine O'Donnell. Unfortunately, she was so maligned by Republicans, I don't think she ever had a chance. But we had historic gains in the Senate and in the House, so...

MR. GREGORY: Senator, you're not really saying that it was just lack of Republican support that tanked her candidacy, are you? This is a woman who said on national--in an ad that she was not a witch.

SEN. DeMINT: Well, I think we did see in the, in the wake of her primary win, a number of Republicans suggest she was not a viable candidate. That, that did make it difficult for her to start on the right foot. But all over the country we saw candidates like Pat Toomey in Pennsylvania, Marco Rubio in Florida, Rand Paul in Kentucky, we saw candidates that were supported by a tea party in, in a new active wave of, of citizens change the face of the Senate. This is what Republicans have needed for a long time, a new, young Republicans, Cuban-American senator. We've got African-American congressmen. This is a huge change for the Republican Party, and I think it's going to be very positive for our country.

MR. GREGORY: All right. So, Senator, let me go down the list of important issues that I know you care about, and let's try to do this in, in--a little bit more quickly than we might normally get some answers for you. On health care, how do you go about dismantling it?

SEN. DeMINT: Well, first of all we have to stop the funding of Obamacare and over the next two years show the American people what the real options are to improve the system we have now. I don't think Americans want to throw out our current system, they want to improve it. And there are a lot of ways we can make insurance more available, more affordable, available to those with pre-existing conditions. And we need to let the American people know that there are ways to do this without moving to the government-control system. The first step is obviously to, to defund it, and I think we can do that with Republicans controlling the House.

MR. GREGORY: But do you think repeal is realistic?

SEN. DeMINT: Yes, I do. I think the next Republican running for president needs to run on complete repeal of Obamacare because we really can't tweak it, David. It's built on a platform of government control, and that doesn't really work in America. We need a, a patient-physician system that's based more on competition and free markets. We really can't do that under this system that's so heavily prescribed in, in Obamacare.

MR. GREGORY: Well, you're talking about the president in 2012, running for president. You don't really think that you can overcome a presidential veto of repealing health care in the Senate, do you?

SEN. DeMINT: Well, not before 2012. But we can certainly defund it. Most, most aspects of this new Obamacare are not implemented for two more years, so it's very realistic to think we can slow the implementation of it or delay it, and then replace it in 2012 with, with a real plan to improve health care in America.

MR. GREGORY: All right, let me move to a few others. The cultural litmus test for Republicans, I've been told, the earmark issue. This is pork barrel spending as part of the budget process. You want them done away with, as do other tea party lawmakers and other Republicans. But Mitch McConnell, of course, the leader of the Republicans in the Senate, was asked about it the other day, and this is what he said.

(Videotape, Thursday)

SEN. MITCH McCONNELL (R-KY): As I think all of you know, you could eliminate every congressional earmark and it would save no money. It's really an argument about discretion.

(End videotape)

MR. GREGORY: Doesn't sound like he's with you all the way. Is this a showdown coming for Republicans?

SEN. DeMINT: Well, it, it may be. But I think the message is clear from the American people, and I know there's some senior members in Congress who think it's their job to take on bacon. But the real reason for the dysfunction of Congress right now is you have over 500 congressmen and senators who think they're there to bring home the bacon. It's kind of, "To heck with America, just give me the money." We can't do that anymore. Parochial politics needs to be out in Washington.

MR. GREGORY: But what about Leader McConnell? He is not with you.

SEN. DeMINT: We need to focus on...

MR. GREGORY: He is suggesting that it's more a question of discretion. This is a leader of the Republicans. Are you prepared to go toe-to-toe with him, and is this going to be a big showdown with your Republican leadership?

SEN. DeMINT: I don't think so. Mitch McConnell has voted twice for an earmark ban that I've proposed in the Senate. Just about every Republican who is running for the Senate this time ran on a no earmark pledge. And we've had a vote where over half of our conference has voted for the ban before. Obviously, I'm hopeful I will have leadership support. But we've got a number of co-sponsors. Tom Coburn and I are leading the effort for this earmark ban, and, and we know John Boehner has committed to it in the House. We're not going to have earmarks. So it's, it's really silly for some senior Republicans in the Senate to try to block it.

MR. GREGORY: All right. Let me ask you about another hot button issue, and that is the debt ceiling. Come spring Congress is going to have to vote to raise the debt ceiling because our debt is increasing and it's reaching the $4.3 trillion limit that Congress has already set--$14.3 trillion limit that Congress set in February. Will you vote to increase the debt ceiling?

SEN. DeMINT: No, I won't, not, not unless this debt ceiling is combined with some path to balancing our budget, returning to 2008 spending levels, repealing Obamacare. We have got to demonstrate that we have the resolve to cut spending. Now, we've already spent the money, and raising the debt ceiling is just like paying off your credit card bill; but we cannot allow that to go through the Congress without showing the American people that we are going to balance the budget and we're not going to continue to raise the debt in America.

MR. GREGORY: All right. Well, let me ask you specifically about that. Where would--do you think the American people have to be prepared for sacrifice? Which part of the budget, knowing that there's only 15 percent that's nondiscretionery, or that's real--nondefense discretionary part of the budget, what are you going to target for cuts?

SEN. DeMINT: Well, I don't think the American people are going to have to sacrifice as much as the government bureaucrats who get paid about twice what the American worker does. First of all, we just need to return to pre-Obama levels of spending in 2008. We need to cut earmarks so people will quit focusing on taking home the bacon. We need to defund Obamacare, and then we need to look at the entitlement programs, such as the way Paul Ryan has done in the House with his road maps to America's future, to fix our tax code, to fix Social Security and Medicare, and to cut the cost over time. We've got the plans, David, to do this, we just--we need to talk about them, we need to help the American people see where we're going...

MR. GREGORY: But let me just...

SEN. DeMINT: ...but we can cut spending.

MR. GREGORY: Let me just stop you. I want to be very, very, very specific because going back to 2008 spending levels will not get anywhere close to balancing the budget. So you're saying that everything has to be on the table--cuts in defense, cuts in Medicare, cuts in Social Security. Is that right?

SEN. DeMINT: Well, no, we're not talking about cuts in Social Security. If we can just cut the administrative waste, we can cut hundreds of billions of dollars a year at the federal level. So before we start cutting--I mean, we need to keep our promises to seniors, David, and cutting benefits to seniors is not on the table. Excuse me, let me grab a sip of water.

MR. GREGORY: But then, but where, but where do you make the cuts? I mean, if you're protecting everything for those, the most potent political groups like seniors who go out and vote, where are you really going to balance the budget?

SEN. DeMINT: Well, look at Paul Ryan's road map to the future. We see a clear path to moving back to a balanced budget over time. Again, the plans are on the table. We don't have to cut benefits for seniors, and we don't need to cut Medicare like, like the Democrats did in this big Obamacare bill. We can restore sanity in Washington without cutting any benefits to seniors or veterans.

MR. GREGORY: Let me ask you a final question about 2012. Who's got the inside track for president, and do you think tea party forces--yourself, Sarah Palin--have an inside track moving forward?

SEN. DeMINT: Well, I think the, the, the voters have the inside track here. I think the citizen activism is going to change politics. I think Sarah Palin did an incredible amount of good to raise the interest level of what's going on in politics, so she did a lot for the Republican Party, Michele Bachmann, others. But we've got a, I think, a great list of folks, including the next person who'll be on your show, Chris Christie, who's demonstrated a lot of courage. And probably more than anything else right now, David, we need politicians with the courage to make very difficult decisions, to fight special interest groups, and that's what I want to see in the next Republican nominee.

MR. GREGORY: All right. Senator DeMint, thank you very much for joining us this morning.

SEN. DeMINT: Thank you, David.

VIDEO, IMAGE and TEXT CREDIT: Meet the Press

Marco Rubio Weekly Republican Address TEXT VIDEO 11/06/10

11/6/10 - Sen.-elect Marco Rubio (R-FL) Delivers The Weekly GOP Address

Hi, I'm Marco Rubio.

With Election Day now behind us, it's an honor to talk to you about the opportunity before us -- an opportunity to put America back on track.

For too long, Washington has taken our country in the wrong direction, bigger government, reckless spending, and run away debt. And though I'm a proud Republican, here is the truth, both parties have been to blame.

This election the American people said enough is enough. That message was loud and clear. We Republicans would be mistaken if we misread these results as simply an embrace of the Republican Party. This Election is a second chance. A second chance for Republicans to be what we said we were going to be.

America is the single greatest nation on earth, a place without equal in the history of all mankind. A place built on free enterprise, where the employee can become the employer. Where small businesses are started every day in a spare bedroom and where someone like me, the son of a bartender and maid, can become a United States Senator.

I know about the unique exceptionalism of our country. Not because I read about it in a book, I've seen it through my own eyes. You see, I was raised in a community of exiles, by people who lost their country, people who once had dreams like we do today but had to come to a foreign shore to find them.

For some their dreams were answered here in America, but many others found a new dream. To leave their children with the kinds of opportunities they themselves never had. And that is what we must do as a nation. To fulfill our sacred obligation to leave the next generation of Americans a better America than the one we inherited. And that is what this election was about.

In the past two years, Republicans listened to the American people and what they said is that it was time for a course correction.

The past two years provided a frightening glimpse at what could become of our great nation if we continue down the current path: wasteful spending, a growing debt and a government reaching ever further into our lives, even into our health care decisions.

It is nothing short of a path to ruin, a path that threatens to diminish us as a nation and a people. One that makes America not exceptional, not unique, but more like the rest of the world.

As Republicans, here is what our commitment should be to you. Our focus must not be simply winning elections. It must be to ensure the next generation inherits a strong, free and prosperous America.

We will govern as public servants who understand that re-election is simply a byproduct of good public service and good ideas. And most importantly, we will stand up and offer an alternative to the policies coming out of Washington for the past two years.

The challenges are too great, too generational in scope for us to be merely opponents of bad policies. Instead, we will put forward bold ideas and have the courage to fight for them. This means preventing a massive tax increase scheduled to hit every American taxpayer at the end of the year. It means repealing and replacing the disastrous health care bill. It means simplifying our tax code, and tackling a debt that is pushing us to the brink of our own Greece-like day of reckoning.

For many of us coming to Washington for the first time and others returning to serve, it's a long way from home. A long way from the people whose eyes we looked into at town halls, at diners or roundtables, and promised that this time it would be different. That if you elected Republicans to office again, we would not squander the chance you gave us, and we must not.

Because nothing less than the identity of our country and what kind of future we will leave our children is at stake. That is our commitment and from you we ask this. Hold us accountable to the ideas and principles we campaigned on.

This is our second chance to get this right. To make the right decisions and the tough calls and to leave our children what they deserve -- the freest and most exceptional society in all of human history.

Thank you for listening, God bless you and your family, and may God continue to bless the United States of America.

VIDEO and IMAGE CREDIT: gopweeklyaddress

Michael Savage talks to Col. Allen West about his election to Congress AUDIO

"Tonight, the good people of South Florida have sent a very loud message to
those in Washington and across the country who have forgotten that, we
the people, are in charge" Allen West

VIDEO CREDIT: clareman2009

IMAGE CREDIT: AllenWestForCongress

Congressman-elect Tim Scott Makes History VIDEO

Congressman-elect Tim Scott Makes History-Fox News Interview. Congressman-elect Tim Scott Talks to FOX and friends Hosts Brian Kilmeade.

VIDEO and IMAGE CREDIT: FOXNEWS

TEXT CREDIT: Tim Scott For Congress

Keith Olbermann suspended indefinitely without pay for donations to Democratic candidates

Simmi Aujla POLITICO

Keith Olbermann was suspended indefinitely today for making campaign donations to three Democratic congressional candidates, in violation of NBC News ethics policy. The statement from msnbc TV President Phil Griffin: “I became aware of Keith's political contributions late last night. Mindful of NBC News policy and standards, I have suspended him indefinitely without pay.”

The donations were reported by Politico reporter Simmi Aujla earlier in the day. She has been Tweeting about her story since.

In a statement to Politico, Olbermann acknowledged the donations saying he gave donations of $2,400 to Arizona Reps. Raul Grijalva and Gabrielle Giffords and Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway.

Politico reports that the donations to Grijalva and Giffords were made on Oct. 28, the same day that Grijalva appeared on “Countdown with Keith Olbermann”.

Olbermann said in his statement to Politico, he did not encourage his viewers or other staff members to donate to the candidates.

Joe Miller Vows to Fight for Voters of Alaska VIDEO

Murkowski “Lawyers Up” With High Priced Election Lawyers

Anchorage, Alaska. November 4, 2010 — Joe Miller is still cautiously optimistic about his chances for victory in the Alaska US Senate race. Meanwhile, Lisa Murkowski speaks as if she has already won the Alaska Senate race, but her declarations are premature. Murkowski proved her concern about the ultimate outcome of the election by her actions–she has parachuted in a phalanx of lawyers, including high profile election law attorney, Benjamin Ginsberg, as part of her legal team. Ginsberg played a key role in the “hanging chads” Florida recount of the 2000 election.

“While Senator Murkowski speaks of winning an historic write-in candidacy, she understands (as Joe Miller does), that this race is not over,” said Miller campaign spokesman Randy DeSoto. He continued, “The difference between the “write-in votes” and Joe Miller votes is about 13,000; however there are approximately 31,200 absentee ballots that have gone out and over 26,000 have been returned to date, which are still to be counted. Absentees broke strongly for Joe during the primary election, particularly within the military community. We also still need to know how many of the write-in votes were properly cast for Lisa Murkowski.”

If past trends hold, a significant percentage of those 13,000 write-in votes will likely be disqualified and many others will be non-Murkowski votes. During the 1998 gubernatorial race, thousands of the write-in votes for Robin Taylor were disqualified. Miller is also assembling a legal team to oversee the ballot counting in an effort to maintain the integrity of the election process. The count will apparently occur in Juneau.

“We have two goals. To make sure the election is fair and that every valid vote is counted,” said DeSoto. ###

TEXT CREDIT: Joe Miller for US Senate | PO Box 72838 | Fairbanks, AK 99707-2838 | Phone: 907-452-8559

VIDEO CREDIT: JoeMillerUS

Right Change The Government High Life VIDEO

RightChange releases "The Government High Life" a fun parody of the popular commercial series. In this spot we're taking the government back for the people. We need to hold all of our elected representatives accountable.

VIDEO and TEXT CREDIT: RightChange

Dino Rossi made the following statement regarding the Washington Senate race

Bellevue, WA – U.S. Senate candidate Dino Rossi made the following statement regarding the Washington Senate race:

“This evening, I called Senator Murray to offer my congratulations on her re-election to the U.S. Senate.

“I ran for the Senate because I believe we need a basic course correction from where Washington, D.C. has been taking us and to make sure this country is as free, as strong and as prosperous in the future as it has been in the past to preserve the best of America for future generations.

“That was a message that found a very receptive audience all across this state, though not quite receptive enough.

“We’re sending at least one new person, maybe two, to Congress to represent Washington State. We elected a host of new people to the state legislature — all on the message of controlling spending and helping the private sector grow, saying no to government overreach and confronting some very difficult challenges in front of us.

You’ve heard me say during this campaign that the problems we face are too big for one political party. They are, and I can say that with absolute certainty.

“It is my hope that the new House and Senate will address them seriously, responsibly, and in a bipartisan way. I hope the President and Senate Democrats will join the new House majority to face these problems head on rather than leaving them for the next Congress or the next generation.

“My hope going forward is that our representatives in Washington, D.C. will be thinking about how an issue affects Bellevue, Bellingham or Bingen, not the D.C. Beltway.

“I hope they will be thinking about the small business owners struggling to stay open and the people that work there who are trying to pay their mortgage and feed their kids. 0 I hope the things that are done in D.C. make it easier for these folks, not harder.

The lesson I leave you with is one we learned as kids: we’re all in this together. If Washington, D.C. doesn’t act to help the economy grow and solve this massive ‘spending and debt, it’s going to hurt us all. It won’t distinguish by political party.

Let me close with one more heartfelt thank you to the people of our state. Thank you for letting me have an honest, straightforward discussion with you about our future.

“God bless you, our country, and this wonderful state we call home.”

TEXT CREDIT: Rossi for Senate

IMAGE CREDIT: DinoRossiWA

Mitch McConnell Listening To The People Who Sent Us Here An address to the Heritage Foundation TEXT VIDEO

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks (as prepared) this morning at the Heritage Foundation:

“Over the past two years, the American people looked at what was going on in Washington and they became increasingly worried. Not only were Democratic leaders ignoring our nation’s ongoing job crisis; their big-government policies and out-of-control spending was causing some to wonder about the future of the American dream itself.

“Americans worried about the consequences of a $14 trillion debt; about a health care bill that creates 159 new bureaucratic entities, including two massive new entitlement programs; they worried about all the bailouts, and they worried about every other piece of legislation that seemed like it was designed to kill jobs rather than create them.

“Most of all, they worried that what some have called the Europeanization of America would continue unchecked, and that, as a result, our children and grandchildren could no longer expect to have the same opportunities that we’ve had.

“Two days ago, those worries gave way to a new optimism. For the past two years, Democrat lawmakers chose to ignore the American people, so on Tuesday the American people chose new lawmakers. They held their elected representatives to account. And they demonstrated to all of us that Constitutional conservatism is alive and well.

“This isn’t a reason for Republicans to gloat; rather, it’s a time for both parties to realize who’s really in charge — the people — and to be grateful for the opportunity we now have to begin to turn this ship around. Tuesday was a referendum, not a choice. It was a report card on the administration and anyone who supported its agenda, plain and simple.

“It doesn’t take a roomful of political scientists to figure it out. Americans voted for change in the last two elections because of two long and difficult wars and because they hoped a changing of the guard would stabilize the economy and get America moving again. And then the people they elected set about dismantling the free market, handing out political favors at taxpayer expense, expanding government, and creating a more precarious future for our children. In other words, Democrat leaders used the crisis of the moment to advance an agenda Americans didn’t ask for and couldn’t afford. And then they ignored and dismissed anyone who dared to speak out against it.

“So the voters didn’t suddenly fall in love with Republicans; they fell out of love with Democrats. And while they may have voted to send more Republicans to Washington, they’re sending them here with clear marching orders: stop the big-government freight train and respect the will of the people who sent you there. As Churchill once observed, “Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; [and] courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.” And I can’t think of a better way to sum up Tuesday’s election than that.

“This morning, I would like to talk a little bit more about how we got here, and the task ahead. And I wanted to do it here at the Heritage Foundation, because for nearly 40 years Heritage has played a crucial role in promoting and defending the principles of free enterprise, limited government, freedom, and a strong defense — in other words, the very principles the American people voted to uphold in Tuesday’s historic election.

“First: how we got here. Let’s cast our minds back for a moment to early 2009. I think a “Newsweek” cover from early February sums up the conventional wisdom in Washington at the time, at least among a lot of Democrats. It read, “We’re All Socialists Now”. And I’ll just note parenthetically that “Newsweek” was recently sold for less than the cover price of a single copy of the magazine. Hopefully the Democrats don’t bail them out too.

“Anyway, while the media was still groping to define the 2008 election, Republicans were taking stock. We knew the principles that had made our party great were the same principles that had made America great, and that if we were going to solve the problems of the day, we would have to embrace and explain those principles, not discard or conceal them. So we renewed our commitment to our core principles — win, lose, or draw.

“If we had not done this, the administration would never suffer the consequences for pushing policies Americans opposed, and Americans wouldn’t have a clear alternative. And that is why this, in my view, was the single most important thing Republicans in Congress did to prepare the ground for Tuesday’s election. By sticking together in principled opposition to policies we viewed as harmful, we made it perfectly clear to the American people where we stood. And we gave voters a real choice on Election Day.

“At the same time, we made it perfectly clear from the beginning that if President Obama proposed policies that were consistent with our principles, we’d work with him. Just two days after the Inauguration, in fact, I made a public offer at the National Press Club to accept the President’s campaign promise of post-partisanship by proposing to work with him on a number of goals that he himself had suggested, such as reforming entitlements, reducing the debt, increasing our energy independence, and lowering taxes to create jobs.

“But it turned out the White House had different plans. Their strategy from the start, as I said, was to govern hard-left and use their big majorities to push through the most left-wing agenda possible, squeezing unpopular proposals through Congress by the slimmest majorities and hoping Americans would forget the details and the unseemly process over time. The Democrats’ idea of consensus was for Republicans to do whatever the administration wanted us to. And that’s why they plowed ahead from the very beginning with one piece of legislation after another written by liberals for liberals.

“And so by the spring of 2009, they had given us ample opportunity to stand up for the principles of limited government, lower taxes, and a strong defense. First, they called for closing Guantanamo without any plan for housing the terrorists who were held there; they had forced through their trillion dollar Stimulus; proposed a federal budget that would double the national debt in five years and triple it in 10; and bailed out automakers that should have been allowed to reorganize or fail. And it shouldn’t be lost on anybody, by the way, that the only one that refused a bailout, Ford, is the one that’s doing best today.

“As Democrats governed left, Republicans stood together time and again, making the case for conservative alternatives. And over the course of 19 months, Democrats added $3 trillion to the debt, more than 2.5 million Americans would lose their jobs … and Republicans would win races in states that had gone solidly for Democrats in 2008 —states like Virginia, New Jersey, and, of all places, Massachusetts. Clearly, the Democrat agenda was not the change Americans had hoped for. And Republicans were offering a clear alternative. That was the message of those races. And that was the message on Tuesday.

“The question now is whether Americans were wise to entrust Republicans with the task of reversing the damage. In answer, I would argue that Republicans can be entrusted with the task voters have given us — not because we say so, but because we’ve already been at it for two years. We have shown that we share the priorities the people have voiced. We have fought to defend them. Now we’re ready to get back to work on their behalf.

“Which raises a practical question: what can Americans expect from Republicans now?

“Let’s start with the big picture. Over the past week, some have said it was indelicate of me to suggest that our top political priority over the next two years should be to deny President Obama a second term in office. But the fact is, if our primary legislative goals are to repeal and replace the health spending bill; to end the bailouts; cut spending; and shrink the size and scope of government, the only way to do all these things it is to put someone in the White House who won’t veto any of these things. We can hope the President will start listening to the electorate after Tuesday’s election. But we can’t plan on it. And it would be foolish to expect that Republicans will be able to completely reverse the damage Democrats have done as long as a Democrat holds the veto pen.

“There’s just no getting around it.

“By their own admission, leaders of the Republican Revolution of 1994 think their greatest mistake was overlooking the power of the veto. They gave the impression they were somehow in charge when they weren’t. And after President Clinton vetoed their bills, making it impossible for them to accomplish all their goals, they ended up being viewed as failures, sellouts, or both. Today, Democrats not only have the White House. They have the Senate too. So we have to be realistic about what we can and cannot achieve, while at the same recognizing that realism should never be confused with capitulation.

“On health care, that means we can — and should — propose and vote on straight repeal, repeatedly. But we can’t expect the president to sign it. So we’ll also have to work, in the House, on denying funds for implementation, and, in the Senate, on votes against its most egregious provisions. At the same time, we’ll need to continue educating the public about the ill-effects of this bill on individuals young and old, families, and small businesses.

“And this is why oversight will play a crucial role in Republican efforts going forward.

“We may not be able to bring about straight repeal in the next two years, and we may not win every vote against targeted provisions, even though we should have bipartisan support for some. But we can compel administration officials to attempt to defend this indefensible health spending bill and other costly, government-driven measures, like the Stimulus and financial reform. We also need groups like Heritage to continue studying the ill-effects of the health care bill, and to show how its implementation is hurting families, seniors, and small businesses, limiting choices and making us less competitive. We welcome any help we can get in reversing the damage this bill has done and will do.

“Through oversight we’ll also keep a spotlight on the various agencies the administration will now use to advance through regulation what it can’t through legislation. Potential backdoor efforts in this area could include imposing a new national energy tax through the EPA now that cap-and-trade is dead, additional health care provisions through HHS, Card Check through the National Labor Relations Board, and some form of immigration change through the use of administrative amnesty and the selective enforcement of our laws.

“Good oversight can also make more accountable all the policy czars the administration has installed without any accountability to Congress or the American people.

“Another obstacle is the temptation to over-read our task. It’s my view that Americans are no more interested in a Republican plan for using government to reengineer society than they were in the Democrats’ plan to do so. Government has limits, thank heavens, and voters want us to respect them. That’s why Republicans will focus on doing a few things well.

“We will stop the liberal onslaught. We will make the case for repeal of the health spending bill even as we vote to eliminate its worst parts. We will vote to freeze and cut discretionary spending. We will fight to make sure that any spending bill that reaches the Senate floor is amendable, so members can vote for the spending cuts Americans are asking for. We will push to bring up and vote for House passed spending rescission bills.

“On the economy, we will work hard to ensure Democrats don’t raise taxes on anybody, especially in the middle of a recession. We will loudly oppose future stimulus bills that only stimulate the deficit and fight any further job-killing regulations. We will fight tooth and nail on behalf of Americans struggling to find and create jobs.

“And when it comes to educating the public about the effects of Democrat legislation, we will fulfill our constitutional duty to oversee the Executive Branch through smart, aggressive oversight.

“We will scrutinize Democrat legislation and force them to defend it. And we will continue to make the case that the Democrats’ big-government vision hinders freedom, prosperity, and opportunity — and that while it may benefit some in the short-term, it exposes everyone to calamity down the road.

“If we do these things well over the next two years, I believe the voters will be pleased with what they did on Tuesday, and Republicans will be in a much better position to reverse the worst excesses of the past two years and lay the groundwork for the kind of change we want and need. Meanwhile, Republican governors will help by showing at the state level that the kind of change we want is not only possible but also effective in cutting waste, creating jobs, and showing that government can work for people, not against them. Think tanks like Heritage will help too by arming us with ideas and tools like this week’s Checklist for getting America back on track. And Tea Party activists will continue to energize our party and challenge us to follow through on our commitments.

“None of this is to say that Republicans have given up cooperating with the President. The American people reminded us this week that we work for them, and we owe it to them and future generations to work together to find solutions to present troubles and to help guide our nation to better days. But, as I see it, the White House has a choice: they can change course, or they can double down on a vision of government that the American people have roundly rejected. If they choose the former, they’ll find a partner in Republicans. If they don’t, we will have more disagreements ahead.

“The formula is simple, really: when the administration agrees with the American people, we will agree with the administration. When it disagrees with the American people, we won’t. This has been our posture from the beginning of this administration. And we intend to stick with it. If the administration wants cooperation, it will have to begin to move in our direction.

“There is no reason we can’t work together to prevent a tax hike on small businesses. There’s no reason we can’t work together on energy independence, cutting spending, or increasing American exports by completing free trade agreements. And we can continue to work together to give our armed forces in Afghanistan, Iraq and around the world whatever they need to accomplish their mission.

“So this morning I re-extend an offer that’s been on the table for two years to cooperate on shared goals — because ultimately this isn’t about an election; it’s about doing what’s best for our country. The American people want us to put aside the left-wing wish list and work together on helping to create jobs and restore the economy to health and prosperity. There is no reason the two parties can’t work together on achieving these goals.

“But whether or not the administration has a mid-course correction, Republicans have a plan for following through on the wishes of the American people. It starts with gratitude and a certain humility for the task we’ve been handed. It means sticking ever more closely to the conservative principles that got us here. It means learning the lessons of history. And, above all, it means listening to the people who sent us here. If we do all this, we will finish the job.” ###

VIDEO and TEXT CREDIT: Republican.Senate.Gov