Free Republic

House Scheme: Approving Health Care Without a Vote? It seems that with each day comes a new legislative scheme in an effort to ram a dangerous, pro-abortion health care plan through Congress. Now, House Speaker Pelosi appears to be turning to what can only be described as an unconstitutional scheme to get health care through. It's become increasingly clear that the Speaker cannot find enough votes to pass the Senate health care bill, and now with the pressure intensifying to meet President Obama's self-imposed deadline of next week, Speaker Pelosi appears to be turning to a new legislative gimmick. This...

When you do the math, Democrats probably have only about 205 votes to pass health care reform. With four empty House seats, they will need 216 to guarantee passage. snip Here are the 18 Democrats who, after voting "no" on health care reform in November, are now most likely to flip and vote "yes" this time around: John Adler, N.J. – On Fox News Sunday, he didn't quite rule out voting "yes": “If the House and the Senate can’t work out cost containment, I don’t see how I support a bill that doesn’t help our business community and create more...

In interviews with the AP, at least nine of the 39 Democrats - or their spokesmen - either declined to state their positions or said they were undecided about the revised legislation, making them likely targets for intense wooing by Pelosi and Obama. Three of them - Brian Baird of Washington, Bart Gordon of Tennessee and John Tanner of Tennessee - are not seeking re-election this fall. The others are Rick Boucher of Virginia, Suzanne Kosmas of Florida, Frank Kratovil of Maryland, Michael McMahon of New York, Scott Murphy of New York and Glenn Nye of Virginia. Several lawmakers' offices...

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told reporters that the Democrats will use “reconciliation” in the Senate if they cannot find the 60 votes to prevent a Republican filibuster to pass health care legislation. Under reconciliation, the Democrats would need only 51 votes in the Senate to pass the bill. “What we’ll do is hope he (Reid) can still find 60 votes, but if not, we’ll have to go to the simple majority, and that simple majority confines the issues that we can address,” Pelosi said during a news conference in the speaker’s balcony hallway on Tuesday. “I’ll tell you where...

Obama, Biden, Clinton, Dodd & More Believe Reconciliation is Unconstitutional by Human Events The Obama White House has recently announced that they will go forward with a reconciliation process -- sometimes called the “nuclear option” -- to try and pass their government run healthcare plan in the Senate. This process circumvents a Republican filibuster and only requires a simple majority vote of 51 rather than 60. What did top Democrats think of this process previously? See below… Barack Obama 4/25/05: “The President hasn’t gotten his way. And that is now prompting a change in the Senate rules that really I...

Congress has intensified its efforts to force flawed, pro-abortion Health Care reform through the system - and now, President Obama, sidestepping the legislative process, says he has his own Health Care bill - a move that raises serious constitutional concerns. The Constitution requires that the legislative branch write our laws, not the President.

Hundreds of thousands of people are gathered in the nation's capital today to mark the anniversary of Roe v. Wade and protest abortion in the annual March for Life. Gathering from all over the country, protesters of all ages first heard from prominent pro-life, political and religious leaders before beginning the march. Congressman Chris Smith (R-N.J.) was among the politicians who addressed the crowd on Friday, saying, “Thank you one and all for being an important part of the greatest human rights struggle on earth – the right to life movement. By the grace of God, we stand behind, with...

Author of “Sunshine Resolution” Demands Transparency Washington, DC -- U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan (FL-13), the author of the Sunshine Resolution, today called on House and Senate Leaders to accept C-SPAN’s offer to publicly broadcast final health care negotiations. Buchanan said Congress should not engage in secret, backroom deals when it comes to writing the most sweeping health reform bill in decades. Buchanan’s resolution, H. Res. 847, has 151 cosponsors and requires that all final negotiations on the health care reform bill be conducted under the watchful eye of the American people. Speaker Nancy Pelosi has not allowed a vote yet...

SOT - Bob Schieffer "Republicans are still dead set against everything, and the Democratic left is furious. They believe the President and the Senate Democrats gave up too much when they dropped the so-called 'public option' and other features. So, liberals are going to try to restore some of what the Senate took out of the bill, which of course would kill it for sure when it goes back to the Senate. And there are even bigger differences now over abortion coverage, so this thing could still fall apart.

Speaking about the government-run healthcare, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann said it's not totally inevitable that it will pass. She reminded listeners that President Obama wanted the health bill on Labor Day and that got pushed back. Now Obama wants it on Christmas and that could be pushed back. Rep. Bachmann says we can retreat, or stand our ground. She stated that around 71% of the country could be under Federal control if this bill passes. Bachmann said if you see your senators when they come home, be strong, and tell them they don't speak for you. She said, between the prolife...

If Obama and the Dem leadership are giving Senator Nelson a hard time, the Republican leadership in Congress should reach out to him, and invite him to join the Republican Party, and give him an attractive job in the senate. Why not contact the Republican leaders in the Congress, and also the RNC? The RNC phone number is: 1-202-863-8500

I received this from a friend via email: "Urgent! Senate to vote on amendment on government-funded abortion What to do: Call your senator in Washington. Now! Why now: The Hatch-Nelson amendment will be filed to prevent government funding of abortion. Things could move very quickly, so call now. When we know this amendment is moving it could be too late to notify you. Message: No government-funded abortion. Vote for the Hatch-Nelson Amendment."

Is a wood stove insert warmer than a regular fireplace, even without the fan (if there's a power outage)?

Today I called my U.S. Senators and told them both: "Please stop ignoring us. We don't want government healthcare; we want JOBS!"

Levin Surge! Say No to Reid Health Care Bill! Call These Senators & Tell Them to Vote No on Reid’s Health Care Bill (Remember Be Polite) Mary Landrieu of Louisiana 202-224-5824 Ben Nelsonof Nebraska 202-224-6551 Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas 202-224-4843 Evan Bayh of Indiana 202-224-5623

Prosecutors say building owners illegally funneled money to Iran NEW YORK - Federal prosecutors Thursday took steps to seize four U.S. mosques and a Fifth Avenue skyscraper owned by a nonprofit Muslim organization long suspected of being secretly controlled by the Iranian government. In what could prove to be one of the biggest counterterrorism seizures in U.S. history, prosecutors filed a civil complaint in federal court seeking the forfeiture of more than $500 million in assets of the Alavi Foundation and an alleged front company. The assets include Islamic centers in New York City, Maryland, California and Houston, more than...

Preserve your health care freedom by embracing the moderate Democrats who we need to do the right thing on health care reform. Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) 202-224-5623 Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) 202-224-2043 Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) 202-224-4843 Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) 202-224-4041 Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND) 202-224-2551 Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) 202-224-6154 Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) 202-224-5824 Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) 202-224-5274 Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) 202-224-6551 Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) 202-224-5852 Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) 202-224-2644 Posted by Staff at 9:30 AM

Democrats say reform before end of year is highly unlikely. Senior Congressional Democrats told ABC News today it is highly unlikely that a health care reform bill will be completed this year, just a week after President Barack Obama declared he was "absolutely confident" he'll be able to sign one by then. "Getting this done by the by the end of the year is a no-go," a senior Democratic leadership aide told ABC News. Two other key Congressional Democrats also told ABC News the same thing. This may come as an unwelcome surprise for the White House, where officials from...

A last-minute poll of New York's suddenly significant 23rd District interim House race shows that with less than 12 hours before voting begins, the Conservative/Republican candidate Doug Hoffman has built a 5-point lead over Democrat Bill Owens. But the newfound allies of Hoffman and the Republican National Committee had best hold off on the champagne purchases. The undecided voters there have doubled to nearly 1 in 5, making the final hours volatile. snip The symbolism comes in two forms: It's seen as a microscopic referendum on the Obama-Biden spending agenda.

Dear Editor: Although I am not from the 23rd district, I am supporting Doug Hoffman, the New York State Conservative Party candidate, because we need his voice in Congress! Doug Hoffman is a really good man - prolife, a strong fiscal conservative, proConstitution, pro2nd amendment, and you can check out the rest by visiting www.doughoffmanforcongress.com. Doug Hoffman is not a politician. He's a CPA, and with his family, runs 23 businesses. He is the candidate we have been waiting for. While it will be close, Hoffman is running neck and neck with the other candidates in the polls. The NewYork...