GOP Capitulation? Or RINOs Showing Their Stripes?

To the congressmen and senators like Brian Fitzpatrick, Adam Kinzinger, Liz Cheney, Mitch McConnell, Lindsey Graham, and many others who didn’t oppose the obvious voter fraud that legitimately cast doubt on the outcome of the election, and who are now supporting censure and/or impeachment of a president based on ANOTHER lie, I’ll ask you if it hurt your fingers to be crossing them so hard when you swore an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution.  You ALL ran as conservatives (i.e. lied), and abandoned actual conservatism as soon as the polls closed.  And now you have abandoned the Constitution and rule of law for what?  The promise of keeping your seat?  Being “liked” by a media who will stab you in the back anyway?  To appease the very people who are destroying the Constitution and rule of law?  On what FACTUAL basis are you pushing to censure and/or impeach Donald Trump?  The one I’ve heard most frequently is that he gave a speech inciting violence against the government.  Remember when I asked you about facts?  The speech in question occurred over 2 miles away, and did not end until AFTER the violence had already begun, confirmed by the Hill and other less than conservative outlets.  Even IF he had encouraged violence, which he did not, none of the people could have reached the Hill for probably 45 minutes after the speech ended, which would be an hour or more AFTER the violence began, because of traffic and street closures.  This is just like what the media has been doing since Trump announced his candidacy.  They say things like “Trump called all Mexicans animals and rapists,” but they NEVER produce or play the FULL clip of what he ACTUALLY SAID, even though it exists and is readily available.  Don’t be one of those truth-twisting liars.  As for “insurrection,” did any of YOU, the media, or the democrats scream “INSURRECTION!” when Antifa was occupying and destroying police stations and federal court houses? Did any of you scream “INSURRECTION!” when DEMOCRATS occupied the capitol during the Kavanaugh hearings?  Were any of you screaming “INSURRECTION!” when Antifa was burning down cities and demanding overthrow of the police and government?  NO, you didn’t, even though those were far more legitimate examples of an insurrection.  What about when people like Maxine Waters were OPENLY encouraging violence against Trump and his supporters?  Crickets from all of you.  I encourage you to reconsider your course of action.  Doing what’s right is hard, but the consequences of doing what’s wrong will eventually be much harder to live with than doing what’s right to begin with. 

Mitch’s RINO Roots are Showing Again

THIS is why Mitch McConnell MUST go. Why in the world should our government spend a trillion dollars when half of that would be more than enough? He’s been hiding his establishment roots for a little while, but they’re showing again.

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McConnell to Senate Republicans Opposed to Coronavirus Bill: ‘Gag and Vote for It Anyway’

By Andrew J. Sciascia
Published March 17, 2020 at 3:56pm

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell cracked the whip this week on potentially foot-dragging GOP colleagues in an effort to respond quickly as the coronavirus spreads across the country.

After the weekly Republican caucus meeting, McConnell expressed understanding regarding some of his colleagues’ concerns over a recently passed House pandemic response bill, but urged them to “gag and vote for it anyway” in order to quickly aid those affected by the outbreak.

“A number of my members think there are considerable shortcomings in the House bill,” McConnell told reporters following the meeting.

“My counsel to them is to gag and vote for it anyway, even if they they it has some shortcomings, and to address those shortcomings in the bill that we’re in the process of crafting.

“I cannot predict how long we will be here. But we will be here as long as it takes to pass yet another measure beyond the one that came over from the House,” the Kentucky Republican added.

RINO Meghan McCain Shoots Off Her Mouth About Trump and Republicans

Just like her treasonous father, Meghan McCain wouldn’t know what “character” was if it bit her in her quite sizable posterior.  She often claims to be a conservative, but I get the impression she is a bit confused about what that really means.  

Part of both having “character,” and being a conservative, is having the COURAGE to fight for what is RIGHT.  In recent years, Republicans can’t often be accused of having courage, as they have habitually caved in to democrats on just about everything.

Meghan, you may not like Donald Trump and his style.  That’s you’re right.  However, you can’t argue that under Donald Trump the Republicans are willing to do at least a little of something they haven’t done in a LONG time, which is stand up to democrats on key issues.  They still have a long way to go to return to being the conservative party they once were, but with Trump as the catalyst, they are at least headed in the “right,” and CORRECT direction.

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NEWS JANUARY 27, 2019

Meghan McCain: Under Trump’s leadership, character in Republican Party ‘seems to be gone’

Meghan McCain, known these days for being the powerhouse conservative voice on “The View,” explained Saturday why she no longer considers herself a Republican, though still being a strong conservative who votes on the Republican ticket.

What did McCain say?

Without the leadership of her father, the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) who tragically lost his battle with brain cancer last summer, McCain told CNN’s Van Jones that the character of the Republican Party — now led by President Donald Trump — “seems to be gone.”

“I call myself conservative. I mean, I’m still a member of the Republican Party and I still vote on the Republican ticket, but Republicanism is so tied up with being for Trump,” McCain said, adding that she’s not a “NeverTrumper,” and is doing her best to navigate today’s complex political landscape.

Read rest of article here:  Meghan McCain: Under Trump’s leadership, character in Republican Party ‘seems to be gone’

White House, Dems disagree on definition of ‘negotiating’

Conservative definition of ‘negotiate’:  A little give-and-take to arrive at a compromise solution acceptable to both parties.

Democrat/leftist definition of ‘negotiate’:  Give us everything we demand, or we throw a temper tantrum, stonewall, sabotage you at every turn, and call you a racist/sexist/bigot/____phobe.

Establishment RINO definition of ‘negotiate’:  Surrender to the democrats and stab your conservative base in the back.

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Shutdown Day 17: White House, Dems disagree on definition of ‘negotiating’

White House goes on offensive with Trump Oval Office address, southern border visit

Vice President Mike Pence on Monday said Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer and other top Democrats refuse to negotiate on a border security package that would end a shutdown of a quarter of the federal government. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)
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The White House went on the offensive Monday in what likely will be a prolonged battle with congressional Democrats, arguing the party refuses to seriously negotiate an end to a partial government shutdown and readying a presidential public relations blitz.

As Democratic leaders and rank-and-file members continue blasting the Trump administration, accusing it of being dug in and unwilling to move from President Donald Trump’s demand for $5.7 billion for a southern border wall, the White House is doing what it often does: Punching back.

Read entire article here:  Shutdown Day 17: White House, Dems disagree on definition of ‘negotiating’

Jeff Flake – Drama Queen

I can not adequately express my disgust for Jeff Flake and those like him in the Republican party.  He exemplifies the term “RINO.”  Losing his seat to a democrat would have just been status quo.  With a democrat, you expect them to lie, cheat, steal, and undermine the Constitution.  When someone calls themselves a conservative Republican, you generally expect them to at least most of the time fight to uphold the Constitution and conservative principles.  Lying pieces of crap like Flake, Lisa Murkowski, Paul Ryan, and a host of others who are not actually conservatives, and are in fact Republican in name only, are in my opinion even lower forms of life than lying, cheating, stealing, anti-American democrats.  They lie even more than a typical politician to get elected, then they betray those who elected them.  There’s a special place in hell for people like that.
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Paul Ryan Not Running for Reelection

Good news to start the day off right.  Paul Ryan just announced he will not seek reelection in November.  Hopefully we can get a REAL conservative to replace him, both in his seat, and as Speaker of the House.

He says he doesn’t want his kids to know him only as a “weekend dad,” and that he’s changing priorities in his life.  I’m so glad that it’s such an easy decision for you, Paul, especially since you’ll have a nice, fat government pension to lean on and won’t have any financial worries, unlike the American taxpayers you have been screwing for so long.

Paul, my disgust for you and your dishonesty knows no bounds, and I only wish we would have found a way to FIRE you rather than watch you ride off into the sunset, taking even MORE of our tax dollars with you.

Mitch McConnell Trying to Give MORE Power to Obama, Ability to Delcare International Martial Law

Progressive RINOs Mitch McConnell, Lindsey Graham, and others are once again seeking to give away even more of congress’s constitutional power to the office of the president, read as Barack Obama.  As hard as they keep trying to do this, one could easily be forgiven for believing these progressive RINOs and their democrat friends want a monarchy in this country.  Or a dictatorship…

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Link to article:  http://tothedeathmedia.com/breaking-senator-desperately-warns-america-obama-is-changing-consitution-to-declare/

**RED ALERT** SENATOR DESPERATELY WARNS AMERICA OBAMA IS CHANGING CONSITUTION TO DECLARE INTERNATIONAL MARTIAL LAW

A new bill making its way through Congress contains “dangerous and unprecedented” language that could be considered a “declaration of international martial law,” a US senator warned last Thursday.

“This resolution is a total rewrite of the War Powers clause of the Constitution. Let’s be clear about that,” Democrat Senator Chris Murphy said on the Senate floor last week in regards to S.J. Res. 29, a bill purporting to give the sitting US president the power to declare war on ISIS.
“It is essentially a declaration of international martial law,” Murphy said.

Boehner 2.0? Don’t Expect Much From Paul Ryan. He’s Already Surrendering

You remember John Boehner, don’t you?  You know.  That fake (R)epublican who as Speaker of the House oversaw an increase in the debt of more than $4 trillion.  That RINO who surrendered to Barack Obama at EVERY turn.  That gutless wonder who when given the leadership of the House said “What do you expect me to do? We only control one half of one branch of government?”  Then, when actual conservatives gave the GOP control of both houses, surrender-monkey Boehner said “What do you expect me to do?  Obama will just veto what we send him if we don’t give him what he wants.”  Yeah, that guy.  The one that everyone except democrats hated, and were ready to take up pitchforks and torches to run out of town.  The good news?  He’s now GONE.  Thank the Lord for that.  The bad news?  Boehner’s mini-me has been crowned as Speaker.

First of all, when Nancy Pelosi and many other democrats are praising Paul Ryan, you KNOW you’ve picked the wrong guy.  We didn’t have to wait long for confirmation.  Case in point, Ryan’s pre-battle surrender over defunding Planned Parenthood.

When you have an organization that has been PROVEN to be breaking the law, that is murdering millions of babies and selling their body parts for profit in violation of the law, that provides little in the way of actual healthcare services contrary to the claims of supporters, AND taxpayers are being forced to pay for it despite moral and religious objections, it should be a NO-BRAINER to end taxpayer funding for such an organization.

So, what does the new Speaker of the House Paul Ryan say about the fight to end taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood? 

“I think we need to be very clear about what we can and cannot achieve and not set expectations that we know we can’t reach given the constraints of the Constitution,”

The only reason Ryan and the GOP CAN’T achieve what conservatives want is because the establishment, spineless, surrender-monkeys refuse to even engage in battle for what is RIGHT.  They are only interested in keeping their seat at the table, no matter who they have to lie to so they can.  They are “conservatives” when they want to be reelected, but immediately betray those who put them in power as soon as the polls close.

What does this mean?  It means that the GOP led by establishment RINOs is merely the democrat wing of the Republican party.  We effectively have one party socialist rule now, with a small handful of conservatives leading the insurgency to restore constitutional sanity.

What it also means is that the same fervor that unseated Eric Cantor, forced Boehner to resign and retire, and prevented Kevin McCarthy from running for Speaker must be rekindled and fanned into an inferno to get rid of more RINOs.  I hate to say this, but we must FIGHT LIKE DEMOCRATS.  They are relentless in pursuit of their agenda.  I hope it’s not already too late to save this nation, but I fear it is.  We must keep fighting and save what we can.
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Paul Ryan Doubtful About Defunding Planned Parenthood

November 1, 2015 5:02 pm

• Capitol Hill

(CNN) – Paul Ryan doesn’t believe Planned Parenthood should get one “red cent” from taxpayers — but he cautioned Sunday against expectations that he’ll be able to pull federal funding for the organization now that he’s House speaker.

“I think we need to be very clear about what we can and cannot achieve and not set expectations that we know we can’t reach given the constraints of the Constitution,” Ryan told CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union.”

The women’s health organization has long drawn the ire of anti-abortion lawmakers, but efforts to pull federal funding for it increased after activists released undercover videos accusing Planned Parenthood of breaking federal laws by selling tissue and organs from aborted fetuses.

“I don’t think Planned Parenthood should get a red cent from the taxpayer. I’ve always believed that, even before these disgusting videos came out,” Ryan said. “But I believe we need to do our oversight. We’re just beginning to start a committee to investigate Planned Parenthood. That’s important. So the special committee on Planned Parenthood, I think, should be in the driver’s seat overseeing this process.”

Bash asked, “Will you defund Planned Parenthood?”

“This is what I mean when I say being an effective opposition party. I think being an effective opposition party means being honest with people upfront about what it is we can and cannot achieve,” he said.

“But we also have to push issues where we can push issues, we have to speak truth to power,” he added. “We have a president that isn’t willing to listen, that isn’t going to sign lots of our bills into law, we have a Senate that has a very difficult process when it comes to actually getting bills voted on, so knowing that we have those constraints, we have to operate within those constraints.”

http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/01/politics/paul-ryan-planned-parenthood/index.html

– See more at: http://www.teaparty.org/paul-ryan-doubtful-defunding-planned-parenthood-127593/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=paul-ryan-doubtful-defunding-planned-parenthood#sthash.QLf70KxA.dpuf

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Your Voting Choice – Explained

It can’t be explained more simply than this.  We either elect CONSTITUTIONAL conservatives to pull us out of our crash dive, commit slow suicide by electing more RINOs, or kill ourselves quickly by electing democrats.

Ted Cruz passes 19th hour of filibuster: THIS IS OUR ALAMO!

THIS IS OUR ALAMO!  Stand with Ted Cruz, and spark the fire of resistance that will burn the liberty-destroying, anti-Constitutional progressivism from our nation.

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Ted Cruz passes 19TH HOUR of epic filibuster against Obamacare

By David Martosko, U.s. Political Editor and Francesca Infante

PUBLISHED: 18:38 EST, 24 September 2013 | UPDATED: 09:31 EST, 25 September 2013

Senator Ted Cruz, who vowed to speak out against Obamacare on the Senate floor ‘until I am no longer able to stand’, has slogged his way into a second day and shows no sign of relenting after speaking for more than 19 hours.

Cruz, who began at 2.41pm on Tuesday, is continuing his crusade to deny funding for Obama’s overhaul of the U.S. healthcare system, branding it the country’s ‘biggest jobs killer’.

With no sign of stopping, Cruz has so far navigated disparate topics including the American revolution, sending a man to the moon, his Cuban-born father and the impact of the health care law.

And in more bizarre moments, he recited an edited version of Dr. Zeus’ ‘Green Eggs and Ham’ poem and compared the fight against Obamacare to the battle against the Nazis.

In surpassing the 18 hour and 23 minute mark this morning, Cruz and his allies notched up the fourth longest occupation of the floor since precise record-keeping began in 1900.

It also eclipsed March’s 12-hour, 52-minute speech by Sen. Rand Paul, who like Cruz is a tea party lawmaker and potential 2016 presidential contender.

Paul was demanding information on the Obama administration’s use of drones to monitor Americans.

Cruz is aiming to scuttle the Senate Democrats’ vote that would send a budget bill back to the house without a measure that would defund the president’s signature health care law.

Conservative Republicans have threatened to level an ultimatum at the president: Defund Obamacare, or risk a government shutdown and the GOP’s refusal to raise the federal government’s all-important debt ceiling.

But the mechanics of advancing the bill were overshadowed by Cruz’s filibuster, which included a reading of Dr. Seuss’ ‘Green Eggs and Ham’ to his daughters back home in Texas.

‘When Americans tried it, they discovered they did not like green eggs and ham and they did not like Obamacare either,’ he said. ‘They did not like Obamacare in a box, with a fox, in a house or with a mouse. It is not working.’

But his actions have provoked anger on both sides of the house as many of his GOP colleagues accuse him of poor strategy and enjoying political grandstanding at the expense of other Republicans.

A Pew Research Center poll published Monday shows that 39 percent of Americans would blame Republicans for a government shutdown, while 36 percent would blame Democrats.

Not wishing to go it entirely alone Sen. Cruz drafted in some help a few hours into the parliamentary stunt, yielding the floor to Sen. Paul, then to Sen. Marco Rubio, and again for a question from Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts.

Utah’s Mike Lee, Louisiana’s David Vitter and Alabama’s Jeff Sessions also asked questions, pausing the forward motion for minutes at a time while Cruz caught his breath.

The Texas Republican is trying to halt the implementation of President Obama’s national health insurance overhaul, and said he’s acting on behalf of ’26 million Texans and 300 million Americans’.

But Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, the chamber’s top Democrat, put down a marker earlier in the day with a promise that ‘there will be no filibuster today’.

While Cruz apparently didn’t get the memo, or more likely ignored it, it’s unlikely his filibuster-by-committee will change any results.

CHIEF FILIBUSTER: TED’S TOP 10

1. ‘I will credit my father, he invented…green eggs and ham… he would put green food coloring in. Green Eggs and Ham was my favorite book as a little boy.’

2. On comparing fighting Obamacare to fighting the Nazis: ‘If you go to the 1940s, Nazi Germany. We saw in Britain, Neville Chamberlain, who told the British people, “Accept the Nazis. Yes, they’ll dominate the continent of Europe but that’s not our problem. Let’s appease them. Why? Because it can’t be done. We can’t possibly stand against them”.’

3. On comparing the costs of sending a man to the moon to the cost of defunding Obamacare: ‘The moon might be as intimidating as Obamacare’

4.’It is apparently very, very important to be invited to all the right cocktail parties in town. Now, I’ll confess: I don’t go to a whole lot of cocktail parties in town.’

5. ‘I like their little burgers…I’m a big fan of eating White Castle burgers.’

6. ‘You know, almost all of us are in cheap suits with bad haircuts. Who cares?’

7. ‘They want to make this about a battle of this senator versus that senator, this person versus that person. So it’s all personal. It’s like reading the Hollywood gossip pages.’

8. ‘I don’t know if it’s the water, something in the air, the cherry blossoms, but people get here and they stop listening to the American people.’

9. ‘We don’t work for the lobbyists with tasseled loafers who walk the halls, but the single mom working in the diner.’

10. ‘I guarantee all of the pundits that we see going on TV and intoning in deep baritone voices, “This can’t be done.” If this were back in the 18th century, they would be going on, I don’t know, maybe [with] pigeon carriers or something.’

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2431223/Ted-Cruz-vows-speak-longer-stand-rises-opposition-Obamacare.html#ixzz2fv6qwj7f

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Doctor Obamastein

John McCain is nothing more than a progressive yes-man for Obama. He left his sanity, and his integrity in Hanoi. Maybe since we are supposed to be “friends” with the Vietnamese now, he could ask them to give it back.

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House Rebukes Obama on Libya, Stops Short of Funding Cutoff

I don’t claim to be any smarter than the next guy, but it didn’t take a genius to predict this one. I predicted this outcome on a FB post about the original non-binding resolution.

A positive vote on the NON-BINDING resolution, but let’s see how many “were against it before they were before it” this afternoon when they vote on the binding law. Let’s just say I would be surprised if they actually make Obama pull out of Libya.

Mike Pence of Indiana had this to say about voting NOT to defund our involvement in the Libyan conflict:

“Once American military personnel are engaged in hostilities, this Congress has an obligation to stand by our troops and do everything in our power to make sure our soldiers have the resources they need to get the job done and come home safe,” said Pence.

Mr. Pence, on this issue, you are an idiot. Apparently all the imperial president has to do is send troops to any place in the world he desires and pick a fight. Then, according to your logic, you MUST fund the operation.

Let me ask you Mr. Pence, and all republicans who voted NOT to defund this operation, is it “standing by our troops” to allow them to be sent into battle in a place where we have no business or national interest, and then spend billions of dollars while getting who knows how many of our soldiers killed? When you say “do everything in our power to make sure our soldiers have the resources they need to get the job done and come home safe,” isn’t it kind of stupid to send them to do a job that they shouldn’t be doing, where many of them most assuredly WON’T “come home safe?”

With support like yours, I think I’d rather go it alone.

Take note of all the RINO’s who did the Kerry-esque flip-flop, they-were-against-it-before-they-were-for-it move.

81 Republicans flip-flopped their votes from the previous resolution.  Here are all 89 Republicans who voted against defunding the Libya operation:

John McCain Makes Me Puke!

McCain, you sicken me.  It wasn’t too long ago that you were partnering with Lindsey Graham(nesty) on an amnesty bill.  You are a political windsock.  Now that the true conservatives in this country are awakening, you seem to have “found religion” and started acting like a real conservative.  That’s the problem.  It’s just an act.

You should change your campaign slogan to:
“You can count on John McCain.  He’ll always be there when he needs us.”

J.D. Hayworth gets my vote.  (http://www.jdforsenate.com/)

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Yellow Snowe

How did I know that Olympia Snowe would be one of the first RINO’s in line to betray Republicans, conservatives, and Americans, again?  If it wasn’t her, it would be John McCain, who’s always there when he needs us, or Lindsey Graham(nesty).  They are about to lay flowers on the grave of American capitalism with this so-called financial reform bill.

What is this monstrosity?  It basically allows the government to step in any time for any reason to take over or shut down a business.  It allows government, not the market, to determine winners and losers.  It penalizes Americans by rewarding political loyalty rather than strong business practices.  So, it comes as no surprise that Yellow Snowe, a not so closet liberal, would be abandoning the conservative ship at the first opportunity.

It’s time to show these yellow-bellied traitors to the constitution that there is more at stake than just losing at the ballot box. Their actions, their corruption, their greed, their thirst for power are all paid for by the tons of flesh exacted from the American people.  These traitors don’t care how they vote because the have “no skin in the game.”  Why should they?  They are gambling with our skins.

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http://www.reuters.com/assets/print?aid=USN2415678120100424

US Senate Republican calls for strict swaps rules

7:21pm EDT

* Senate vote to start debate set for Monday
* Democrats need at least one Republican backer
* Snowe seen as one of the swing votes
* Snowe skirts most controversial part of Lincoln bill

By Roberta Rampton and Rachelle Younglai

WASHINGTON, April 24 (Reuters) – A Senate Republican has called for the “strongest” derivatives rules, signaling that Democrats may get the votes needed to start debating their sweeping financial regulation bill on Monday.

Just days before the Senate was due to vote to start working on Democrats’ legislation, Senator Olympia Snowe said that strong derivatives regulation goes to the heart of an effective financial reform bill.  (Just like the the “Economic Stimulus” was in fact the take over of the auto and banking industries, and “Health Care Reform” is in fact the government take over of the entire health care industry, the so-called “Financial Reform Bill” merely completes the government takeover of the economy.  These supposedly educated people who think they are all smarter than we are, are in fact demonstrating that they are nothing more than ideological idiots who don’t study history, don’t know history, and are therefore doomed to repeat it.  Tragically they are going to make us repeat it right along with them.  The policies they are pursuing have NEVER worked in the history of mankind.  But rather than looking to strategies that actually have been proven to work, they simply hold to the belief that they just haven’t been allowed to do enough of their idiocy yet.  Liberalism is a mental disease.)

“If we are to effectively regulate the derivatives market, we must start the Senate floor debate with the strongest proposal we can craft and defend against the inevitable attempts to weaken it,” Snowe told Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in a letter dated on Friday.  (“Effectively regulate” means to control and limit, which leads to no progress or profit.  When government promises to make everything safe, and that no one will fail, there is no incentive to take risks that lead to reward.  Under the system Snowe, Reid, Obama and company are pursuing, there is no success, there is no excellence, there is only mediocrity.)

Democrats need to convince at least one of the 41 Republican senators to vote with them in order to start debating a bill to impose new rules for the financial system.

Snowe and other moderate Republicans such as Susan Collins are under pressure from the White House to support Democrats’ efforts to overhaul the financial system.

Although Republicans had vowed on Friday to oppose Democrats’ efforts until the sides were able to reach a bipartisan agreement, public anger over Wall Street’s taxpayer bailout and Goldman Sachs’ alleged fraud may force Republicans’ hand.

The bill written by Senate Banking Chairman Christopher Dodd would rein in banks, bring new oversight for hedge funds and derivatives and usher in new rules to protect consumers from risky financial products.  (This all sounds good on the surface when appealing to the emotions of the uneducated, but on deeper examination is just a thinly veiled justification to take over or shut down any business based on political desires.)

Dodd and the top Republican on his committee, Richard Shelby, have been trying to reach an agreement. As of Saturday mid-afternoon, no real progress had been made, sources said.

Some of the sticking points include how to ensure that taxpayers are not on the hook to rescue troubled financial firms such as what happened with AIG and Bank of America.

CLEARINGHOUSES

Senate aides have also been trying to hash out how best to rein in derivatives trading. The Senate package likely will require most over-the-counter swaps to move through clearinghouses to limit the domino effect large, risky trades can have on the economy.

Less clear is whether a proposal to severely curb big banks’ participation will remain in the final Senate bill.

Senator Blanche Lincoln, chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, shocked markets with the proposal to effectively bar banks from the $460 trillion market. Dodd’s derivatives proposal did not go that far.

In her letter to Reid, Snowe skirts the controversial issue of requiring banks to spin off their swaps desks. Instead she pushes for more transparency and said any exemptions to the new derivative rules must be narrowly constructed.

Lincoln’s proposal has been viewed by many observers as a bargaining chip that would allow for the bulk of her derivatives proposal to remain intact — and to score points with voters ahead of midterm November elections.

“If it weren’t an election year, I would be telling you … that (the measure) would not survive” into the final Senate bill, said Joel Telpner, partner with law firm Jones Day in New York.

“But given that it’s an election year and it’s coming on the heels of the Goldman situation, maybe it will have more leg,” he said. (Editing by Xavier Briand)

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Copenhagen: Travelgate part Deux

So this was the real reason for Copenhagen, at least as far as the liberal/progressives were concerned.  They just wanted to go party on our dime to celebrate their destruction of capitalism, liberty, and the American way of life.  Notice I said liberal/progressive, and not just democrat.  There were a few RINO’s on the trip as well.

If CBS is actually reporting this story, you know it has to be much worse than they are letting on.  They don’t exactly have a strong track record of being unbiased when it comes to reporting on liberals.

We all have to sacrifice, pay penance, do our fair share, and all the other crap the liberals are saying we have to do.  Only they aren’t doing THEIR fair share.  They are more than willing to TAKE OUR fair share for their own benefit.  They view themselves as royalty.  They are just trying on the oligarchy that they are trying to build on for size.

I guess the $5,000 per year pay raise they got this year to add to their already large 6-figure salaries just wasn’t enough to buy their own plane tickets.  Oh, the poor, poor politicians.  Their lives are so hard.

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http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/01/11/cbsnews_investigates/main6084364.shtml

Copenhagen Summit Turned Junket?

Exclusive: At Least 20 Members of Congress Made the Trip to Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen Last Month

By Sharyl Attkisson

(CBS)

Few would argue with the U.S. having a presence at the Copenhagen Climate Summit. But wait until you hear what we found about how many in Congress got all-expense paid trips to Denmark on your dime.

CBS investigative correspondent Sharyl Attkisson reports that cameras spotted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at the summit. She called the shots on who got to go. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, and embattled Chairman of the Tax Committee Charles Rangel were also there.

They were joined by 17 colleagues: Democrats: Waxman, Miller, Markey, Gordon, Levin, Blumenauer, DeGette, Inslee, Ryan, Butterfield, Cleaver, Giffords, and Republicans: Barton, Upton, Moore Capito, Sullivan, Blackburn and Sensenbrenner.

That’s not the half of it. But finding out more was a bit like trying to get the keys to Ft. Knox. Many referred us to Speaker Pelosi who wouldn’t agree to an interview. Her office said it “will comply with disclosure requirements” but wouldn’t give us cost estimates or even tell us where they all stayed.

Senator Inhofe (R-OK) is one of the few who provided us any detail. He attended the summit on his own for just a few hours, to give an “opposing view.”

“They’re going because it’s the biggest party of the year,” Sen. Inhofe said. “The worst thing that happened there is they ran out of caviar.”

Our investigation found that the congressional delegation was so large, it needed three military jets: two 737’s and a Gulfstream Five — up to 64 passengers — traveling in luxurious comfort.

Add senators and staff, most of whom flew commercial, and we counted at least 101 Congress-related attendees. All for a summit that failed to deliver a global climate deal.

As a perk, some took spouses, since they could snag an open seat on a military jet or share a room at no extra cost to taxpayers. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) was there with her husband. Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) was also there with her husband. Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA) took his wife, as did Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI). Congressman Barton — a climate change skeptic — even brought along his daughter.

(CBS)

Until required filings are made in the coming weeks, we can only figure bits and pieces of the cost to you.

Three military jets at $9,900 per hour – $168,000 just in flight time.

Dozens flew commercial at up to $2,000 each.

321 hotel nights booked – the bulk at Copenhagen’s five-star Marriott.

Meals add tens of thousands more.

Steve Ellis of Taxpayers for Common Sense, wasn’t against a U.S. presence. But he said, “Every penny counts. Congress should be shaking the couch cushions looking for change, rather than spending cash for everybody to go to Copenhagen.”

Nobody we asked would defend the super-sized Congressional presence on camera. One Democrat said it showed the world the U.S. is serious about climate change.

And all those attendees who went to the summit rather than hooking up by teleconference? They produced enough climate-stunting carbon dioxide to fill 10,000 Olympic swimming pools.

Which means even if Congress didn’t get a global agreement – they left an indelible footprint all the same.

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