First Republican Presidential candidate to vow reversal

From National Review:

It is an historic usurpation of the legislative process — he unleashed the nuclear option, enlisted not a single Republican vote in either chamber, bribed reluctant members of his own party, paid-off his union backers, scapegoated insurers, and justified his act with patently fraudulent accounting.

His health-care bill is unhealthy for America. It raises taxes, slashes the more private side of Medicare, installs price controls, and puts a new federal bureaucracy in charge of health care. It will create a new entitlement even as the ones we already have are bankrupt. For these reasons and more, the act should be repealed. That campaign begins today.

(H/t Rightosphere)

Mainstream Republican gets Tea Party fever

Known as a cautious old guard Republican, Senator John McCain let it rip on George Stephanopolous yesterday morning. Stephanopoulous was taken aback by the old fighter pilot's dogged determination.

From ABC News GMA via Breitbart:

It's a massive government takeover of the health care system of America... With all this euphoria inside the Beltway, all this champagne popping, outside the Beltway the American people don't like it. And we're going to try to repeal it. There will be a very spirited campaign coming up between now and November. And there will be a very heavy price to pay for it.

And in another interview McCain promised to give a big middle finger to the Dems. From The Hill:

"There will be no cooperation for the rest of the year," McCain said during an interview Monday on an Arizona radio affiliate. "They have poisoned the well in what they've done and how they've done it."

New polling data from Rasmussen and Marketing Research Group shows Republicans well on their way to picking off two heavy Democrat State Governorships: Michigan and Pennsylvania.

Michigan

Pete Hoekstra (R) 43%
Andy Dillon (D) 27%

Pennsylvania

Tom Corbett (R) 49%
Joe Hoeffel (D) 28%

Note Hoeffel is a former Congressman. Dillon is Michigan Speaker of the House.

(Source: Hedgehog)

Former Libertarian Party member Dell Schanze, known to many as "Super Dell," has made it official. We reported last week here at Libertarian Republican, that he was considering a run for Governor, but not sure on which ticket; Libertarian Party or GOP. He's since made his choice. Schanze will be running in the GOP primary.

Reports The Examiner:

Super Dell Schanze has filed the necessary paperwork to challenge republicans Gary Herbert and Richard Martin for governor. The last time Schanze ran for the same office in 2008, he did so as a libertarian. He received less than 3% of the vote and subsequently lost the mayoral race in Saratoga Springs. He has also run for Salt Lake County Mayor against Peter Corroon.

Schanze is well known throughout Utah and the Rocky Mountain West for his outrageous TV commercials promoting his former business Awesome Computers. He's also a full-time professional Para-glider.

Schanze was considered eccentric, even for the somewhat fringe Libertarian Party. Some Utah LP members originally opposed his candidacy on the grounds that it might hurt the Party's reputation.

No appeasement of Islamo-Fascism, worldwide Communism, Iran

by Dr. Art Coday

In order to defend liberty, protect our sovereignty, and safeguard the interests of the American people, we need a strong military and an effective, pro-liberty foreign policy.

Unfortunately, President Obama is pursuing a policy of inaction and indecision - apologizing to our adversaries, weakening our military, providing "constitutional rights" to captured enemy terrorists, and ignoring the very real threats to the security of the American people.

I particularly disagree with President Obama's ineffective policy with regard to the pro-terrorist, anti-liberty regime in Iran. We should be supporting the people of Iran, who thirst for liberty and freedom. Also, we should make it absolutely clear to the Islamic dictatorship that we will never allow them to acquire nuclear weapons.

In the face of threats by the outlaw regime in Iran to "wipe Israel off the map," we should support Israel's right to defend itself against such threats. In the United Nations, we should stand ready to use our Security Council veto to block resolutions condemning Israel and condoning terrorism. Unfortunately, as part of its weak foreign policy, the Obama administration has distanced itself from Israel, our best friend in the region.

I am sick and tired of those who tear America down, who blame America, who falsely accuse our great nation of "imperialism" and "empire-building," who wrongly charge America with "bullying the world" and "telling other nations how to manage their affairs."

Providing for the common defense is a primary legitimate constitutional function of the federal government. The federal governmnet should fulfill this duty honorably and reliably. Unfortunately, the Obama administration stands idly by in the face of the threat of radical Islamic terrorism, the nuclear threats by the brutally oppressive North Korean communist government, the growing influence of the pro-communist dictatorship in Venezuela, and the danger to our national sovereignty posed by illegal immigration.

As a great American once said "peace through strength" not a policy of weakness.

Editor's Note - Coday is a Republican candidate for US Senate challenging incumbent Democrat Patty Murray in Washington State. His media spokesman is Libertarian Republican friend and 2008 congressional candidate Steve Beren.

You need a third choice on your ballot now more than ever!

The LPIN needs 2% of the vote in the 2010 Secretary of State race in order to continue having ballot access for the next four years. By achieving over 10% in this race, the Libertarian Party of Indiana will have the ability to hold a primary and effectively register voters!

What does ballot access mean for libertarians and the voting public? In the 2008 Presidential election, our candidate for President, Bob Barr, received over 29,000 votes. Barr was automatically placed on the ballot.

Ralph Nader was also a candidate in Indiana, but voters needed to write his name in. Nader received only 909 votes in Indiana. Constitution Party candidate Chuck Baldwin received 1,024.

So please tell all of your friend to pull the L lever on election day for our Secretary of State Candidate!

It’s important to us to have all the members of your family and young people attend our meetings and conventions. After all, they have to pay for everything anyways, right?

We have significantly lowered the price for those under 24, and for students.

Check it out: http://www.lpin.org/convention

Thanks,
Chris Spangle

Libertarian-Conservative Rep. has been a champion against Socialism

Republican Congressman John Campbell of California in conversations with colleagues and gathered reporters, was overhead to have said last night after the vote had been taken:

"this is too big. We believe that this is the beginning of the end of America..."

As quoted by The Hill.

Campbell represents a portion of Orange County. He has the Chris Cox seat. He's a friend and close colleague of fellow Orange County Rep. Dana Rohrabacher. He is also a frequent substitute host for conservative radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt. He's known for his stalwart support for Property Rights, and against increases in Government Spending and Taxes.

From the Editors:

We ran this video late night November 4, 2008. We warned that Communism had finally come to America, after 234 years. We here at Libertarian Republican were one of only a handful of blogs, in fact, we believe the very first blog, to make these pronouncements on that fateful night.

At the time we were called alarmists, hyperbolic, and even wingnuts. Now a distinguished Republican Congressman from California, the honorable John Campbell who represents Orange County, has come out in agreement. In a statement released late last night, Cong. Campbell pronounced, this is "the beginning of the end of America."

We saw the full brunt of the force of Communism on display last night in the chambers of the United States House of Representatives.

Only two more chances to win her back, November 2010, and November 2012. Failing a massive reversal at the polls in November of this year, victory over Communism in America will forever be unlikely.

(Open thread daylong for discussion of Health Care debate)

While still a Democrat Rep. Parker Griffith voted against the first Health Care vote in December. Now as a Republican, no surprise, he voted "Nay" once again. But this time, he was placed in the unusual position of attacks from district Democrats.

From WAFF:

But Rep. Griffith said it gives the government too much power over healthcare.

"We're trying to fix it for 30 million [people]," he said. "We can do that without this huge, overreaching government control of healthcare."

Mitchell Howie, the Democrats hard-left candidate challenging Griffith said that he would have voted for the bill, despite reservations, such as no clear public option incuded:

From LeftinAlabama:

Parker Griffith, on the other hand has made it clear that he will not be supporting the bill. He has become something of a mascot for Republican opposition to healthcare reform, since his political party flip flop in December...

he was tapped by his Republican Party bosses to deliver a rebuttal to the President's Weekly Message. Disappointingly, but not surprisingly, he took an opportunity that could have been used to talk about our district, to parrot the same half-truths and talking points that Republicans have offered in place of solutions since the healthcare reform debate began, over a year ago. In place of real solutions, Congressman Griffith and the Washington Republicans offer more tax cuts for the rich, and incentives for insurance companies to cover the healthy and the wealthy, while working families struggle against the status quo.

Howie went on to say that despite his reservation that there was no public option included, he would have still most certainly have voted for the bill.

Only on-the-fence Republican supports the Team in the end

The day before the crucial Health Care vote, Congressman Anh Cao of Louisiana told the local media that he was:

"pretty much a definite no."

He held to that pledge, casting a "Nay" vote. His was the only Republican vote in play.

Cao, who represents the heart of New Orleans, an overwhelmingly Democrata area, received a great deal of pressure to vote with Democrats. Reports ABC WGNO that on Saturday:

The group, Organizing for America rallied in support of health insurance reform outside the school where the [Cao] health fair was being held. A spokesperson said, "we need to show that Louisianans support the President's proposal and will fight for members of Congress who support reform."

Additionally, Obama himself called him to a personal meeting at the White House late last week.

In the end, Cao who is ironically the son of refugees of Communist oppression in Vietnam, gave the Republican Party the right to forever claim that the GOP was unanimous in opposition to Obama's Socialist take over of America's health care industry.

All 178 Republican House Members vote No on Health Care bill

by Eric Dondero

There was at least one silver-lining in last night's proceedings. The clear authoritarianism of the Democrat Party on so many levels, was on full display for all to see.

No longer will our friends in the Libertarian Party be able to say that the Republican Party is "just like the Democrats." Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dum has been their mantra for decades.

Turns out there really is a dime's worth of difference between the major parties.

All 178 Republican House members voted against the Marxist takeover of America's Health Care system yesterday. Not a single dissenting vote. Not one.

From the Associated Press (via Breitbart) late last night:

Not a single Republican is expected to vote for the bill, a priority of President Barack Obama.

The number of Republican House members who voted "Nay" included every single "moderate" Republican, such as most notably, Rep. Joseph Anh Cao of Louisiana, who had voted with the Democrats originally back in the Spring. But also deserving of great praise include GOP centrists Rep. Mark Kirk of Illinois, Rep. Mike Castle of Delaware, Rep. Mary Bono of California, Rep. Ken Calvert of California, Rep. Candice Miller of Michigan, Rep. Dave Reichart of Washington State, Rep. Frank LoBiondo of New Jersey, among many others. A number of these individuals often garner enormous scorn in their districts from Libertarian puritanical hardliners. Kirk and Castle who notably are both now running for US Senate, have been particularly hammered as "too squishy" and "too willing to compromise."

(List of Moderate Republicans at Republican Main Street Partnership)

So, you can take some of the most "squishiest" Centrist Republicans, and they're still better than 95% of all Democrats (the 38 Democrats who still voted No, like Reps Gene Taylor of Mississippi, and Walt Minnick of Idaho for example, could still be considered decent).

One thing's now crystal clear: Henceforth, the Libertarian Party cry of Tweedle-dee, Tweedle-dum will forever be nothing more than a hollow refrain.

read more

It's the Republicans who are into Selfishness

From Eric Dondero:

Very late in the campaign of 2008, in at least two speeches, Barack Obama took a direct jab at individualist philospher Ayn Rand. He seemed completely aware of Rand's philosophy. In one election even speech delivered at Tampa, Florida, Obama criticized the "virtue of selfishness," the title of one of Rand's most successful books.

Here's the quote from Oct. 31, 2008:

"John McCain and Sarah Palin they call this socialistic. You know I don’t know when, when they decided they wanted to make a virtue out of selfishness."

And here's the quote in a slightly different form, from a speech delivered in Ohio, Nov. 2, 2008 as reported by Jake Tapper of ABC News, Nov. 3:

"The change we need won’t come from government alone," Obama said to a crowd of an estimated 80,000. "It will come from each of us doing our part in our own lives, in our own communities. It will come from each of us looking after ourselves and our families but also looking after each other. You know I – it’s been awhile now – we’ve made a virtue out of selfishness, there’s no virtue in that. We made a virtue of irresponsibility and we need to usher in a new spirit of service and sacrifice and responsibly."

Community over Liberty

Now, he's at it again, bringing up the subject of individualism last night in a health care vote eve pep rally to Democrat Congressman.

Transcript from the Washington Post:

Something inspired you to get involved, and something inspired you to be a Democrat instead of running as a Republican. Because somewhere deep in your heart you said to yourself, I believe in an America in which we don’t just look out for ourselves, that we don’t just tell people you’re on your own, that we are proud of our individualism, we are proud of our liberty, but we also have a sense of neighborliness and a sense of community -- (applause) -- and we are willing to look out for one another and help people who are vulnerable and help people who are down on their luck and give them a pathway to success and give them a ladder into the middle class. That’s why you decided to run. (Applause.)

YouTube video, June 2009, Ayn Rand vs. Barack Obama

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR: This site will not be updated today with further articles. Please consider this article to serve as an open thread to discuss the crucial Health Care vote. We will return to regularly scheduled programming early tomorrow morning.

Ugly yes; but no racial remarks

From Eric Dondero:

Far Left websites such as Huffington Post and Firedog Lake reported with glee late yesterday, on alleged "racial slurs" hurled at black members of Congress as they passed a gauntlet of Tea Party protesters, while entering the Capitol. Big media have picked up on the story this morning, from ABC News, to the NY Times, to the Washington Post.

This is how MSNBC reported on the story "Protest gets Ugly, Racist":

From NBC's Luke Russert
The Tea Party protests got ugly today.

African-American Congressman John Lewis (D-GA), a protege of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who helped organize the March on Washington, went to the House floor today to tell Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-SC) that a Tea Party protester called him a "n-----."

But the video tells a different story. "Ugly," yes. But absolutely no racial ephitats can be heard and further no evidence on the video of anyone being spat upon.

HotAirPundit (not HotAir.com), has a second video of Cong. John Lewis leaving the Capitol. Once again, absolutely no racial slurs are heard. HA Pundit asks:

Is it possible that John Lewis didn't hear any racial slurs, but 'Deemed' it to be so when he talked to Reporters?

Major hat tip to Barry Goldwater-ian blog BasilsBlog for uncovering the video.

Three Capitol Hill officers confirm count

From Eric Dondero:

The big media this morning, is almost entirely ignoring the size of the Tea Party protest crowds at the Capitol yesterday. But one outlet lets it slip, though buried down in their story.

Reporter Salena Zito with the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review has this report, 17 paragraphs down, (notably not the headline of the story), in an article "Tea Party heard as D.C. focus of Protest":

Capitol Hill Police do not officially comment on crowd sizes. Yet three officers at separate vantage points estimated the rally's attendance more than 20,000, based on the number of people that typically can fill the lawn.

Michele Bachmann while speaking to the rally estimated "25,000." Later, Fox News reported "thousands." MSNBC reported "between 1,500 to 2,000 Tea Party protesters."

Reports: Over 25,000 attend

Jon Voight introduced by libertarian-conservative Congresswoman Michele Bachmann.

"It is very clear that he will turn this country into a Socialist America. And his bullying and his arrogance won't stop."

Clearly UnConstitutional

Cong. Tom McClintock of California, remarks House Floor, Auburn Journal, March 16:

My constituents have read the Constitution, including the provision that requires both houses to vote on a bill before it can become a law.

M. Speaker, if the Democrat majority attempts to impose this law without a direct vote, two things will be obvious to every American.

First, that the Democrats are ashamed to cast the very “up-or-down” vote on the health care takeover that the President promised as recently as yesterday.

And far more disturbing, that the Congress has now placed itself above the Constitution.

Republican leadership wimping out; should call for complete Privatization

Syndicated Radio Talk show host Larry Elder, Column, Orange County Register, "Republicans in cahoots with collectivists":

The entire Obamacare debate starts off in the wrong place -- with Republicans agreeing that "reform" is necessary, health care "costs too much" and that government must "make health care more affordable." But it is because of government -- laws, regulations and policies -- that users pay more for services and drugs than they otherwise would...

they should encourage a full-throated deregulation/privatization of the health care industry.

Because government pays for nearly half of medical costs, we have a nation of government-provided-health-care dependents.

Are Republicans sounding the alarm about government's present intrusion in health care and its counterproductive effect on quality, affordability and accessibility?

A collectivist, whether an active or passive one, is still a collectivist. Having an "R" after the name provides no defense.

Impeach Obama and these "power mad clowns"

Pamela Geller, Atlas Shrugs:

Why are House Democrats so suicidally focused on pushing through an unpopular bill? Because they believe that the Republicans will never be able to repeal it and that they will have established a permanent new government entitlement that will only grow in future decades, pushing this country permanently farther toward the left.

But there is something different about this bill. Previous welfare-state expansions enjoyed public support and passed with bipartisan majorities—which served to demoralize any opposition. Never has a bill like this gone through on a strict one-party vote when the American people oppose it by nearly two to one...

If there is any justice, impeachment proceedings await Pelosi, Reid and Barry Obama if they putsch the health bill through. The American people don't want it. Period.

We are a government of the people, by the people, for the people. Who the hell do these power-mad clowns think they are?

Health Care nowheres to be found in US Constitution

Wes Benedict, Exec. Director, Libertarian Party (release):

The words "health care" and "medicine" are not found anywhere in the Constitution. Accordingly, the Libertarian Party asserts that Congress has no authority to regulate or appropriate money for health care.

"We oppose this horrible federal government expansion into health care... It is a virtual certainty that the cost estimates of this legislation are drastically understated... said Libertarian Party National Chairman Bill Redpath. "This is a top-down, Washington-mandated control of health insurance and health care in this nation. It is the antithesis of consumer-driven health care, which is what will ultimately be necessary to control health care costs and to provide the best health care for the greatest number of people."

Just like Sarah Palin said, rationing and even death panels for real

Michael Tanner, Cato Institute, NR Weekend

The bill will cost more than advertised. It won’t be long before Congress is shocked — shocked! — to discover that health-care reform is going to cost a lot more than expected. It’s not just the budgetary gimmicks that Democrats have been employing to hide the bill’s true cost. It’s also that government programs — and government health-care programs in particular — almost always end up exceeding their cost estimates.

And the government will increasingly intervene in medical decision making, micromanaging medical decisions and deciding what treatments are most effective or, frighteningly, most cost-effective...

insurance premiums will double in the next few years. In fact, for the millions of Americans who get their insurance through the individual market, rather than from an employer, this bill will raise premiums by 10–13 percent more than if we do nothing. Young and healthy people can expect their premiums to go up even more.

No trust left for Obama

Dennis Miller, O'Reilly Report, Fox News:

I heard the guy blow too much smoke over the year. He said he wasn't going to take the public funding. Then he became the candidate. Then he immediately went back on that or he would take the public funding. I just don't trust the guy anymore...

you know, if we vote for this bill, you are trusting President Obama and you are trusting the Democratic Party because all the Republicans are against it.

Tea Party tidal wave coming...

Rand Paul, Republican candidate for US Senate - Kentucky, SmallGovTimes.com

Show us the government program that came in under cost. They're always two to three times wrong in underestimated the budget...

[If this passes] I think there’s going to be a tea party tidal wave like you’ve never seen...

Obama didn't get the message of Scott Brown; but he will in November

Marco Rubio, candidate for US Senate - Florida (Marco2010.com)

How many Massachusetts-like pushbacks is it going to take for President Obama to understand the American people want to reform health care without changing and abandoning all the things that have made our system great? How many town halls, tea parties and elections will it take for the American people to finally convey to Washington that we need to scrap this flawed proposal and process, and start anew on step-by-step reforms?

I join the American people in opposing this proposal on policy grounds as well as the procedural approach being considered to ram it through. If President Obama and Congressional Democrats go down the road of reconciliation, they will leave no doubt in the American people’s minds that Washington is broken and 2008’s promise of ‘Change’ was little more than a campaign slogan that should not have been believed in the first place.

A note of Optimism

Dr. Jack Wheeler, To the Point News

It took Pearl Harbor for us to recognize the evil of Tojo's Imperial Japan. It took Hitler's declaring war on us after Pearl Harbor to open our eyes to him. Then we did what it took to rid the world of Nazism and Japan...

The struggle for freedom and against the forces of fascism will always continue. We have the morality of freedom, America's founding principles, and 300 million guns in private hands on our side. That's a very good basis for realistic optimism.

An optimism tempered in the reality that the evil we face is in fact evil, that it means us and our country harm, that it is ruthless, that it is relentless, that it will never abandon its attempt to control our lives.

Only by facing this reality can we begin to not only hold Democrat Fascists at bay from further destruction of our freedom, but start to recapture the territory of freedom they have stolen from us.

no matter what happens to ObamaCare, we can use its passage or failure to expand our freedom, and make Pelosi-Reid-Obama evil if not go to sleep... victory over them will come with one final Waterloo... a tsunami wipeout of Dems next November, Zero (Obama) losing to Sarah Palin in 2012, et al.

Hit them overseas, before they attack us

Gene Simmons was interviewed by Fox's Megan Kelly on Thursday. The interview centered on Simmons' new business projects. But he answered some public policy questions, as well.

From Fox News:

I voted for Presidents Clinton, Bush and Obama. We can disagree for instance on certain social issues, and completely disagree with our pathetic foreign policy. It's wimpy. We don't have the backbone to step up and recognize danger a thousand miles before it hits us. Unfortunately, we react better when its Pearl Harbor. We have to get a punch in the nose. I don't believe that.

Simmons on Domestic Policy: No to ObamaCare, Yes to Personal Liberty

Simmons went on to comment on Obama's health care proposal:

I think the worst thing we can do right now is health care... When the government gets involved it's disaster.

Gene Simmons has been called "Ayn Rand in the extreme." He has described himself as an Ayn Randian of sorts, in numerous interviews over the years, and has cited her as an inspiration for his works.

In response to reader mail, Simmons once wrote on his website:

Ayn Rand: One of my heros

Simmons authored a book in 2003, "SEX, MONEY, KISS"; an ode to capitalism and rugged individualism. Wrote Simmons:

"Stand there proudly, unapologetically, unabashedly, and say, I love cash. It will get me everything I want in life."

Books and other products GeneSimmons.com

Domestic Policy views largely a Mystery

The London Telegraph is reporting that General David Petraeus has a speaking engagement set for March 24, in of all places, the First in the Nation Primary State of New Hampshire.

From the Telegraph, March 19:

The shrewd and articulate military commander, credited with turning around the Iraq war, will deliver a speech at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire next week, a traditional staging post in the state where the first presidential primaries are held every four years. Each of the last eight presidents has spoken at the college on their way to victory.

Aged 57, Gen Petraeus was catapulted to fame when then President George W Bush sent him to Baghdad in early 2007 to carry out the "surge" strategy that helped rescue Iraq from all-out civil war.

He drew up the counter-insurgency strategy that helped transform that conflict and is now being deployed with some encouraging early signs in Afghanistan.

A Northeastern Scott Brown Republican?

The General has given very few hints as to his political leanings over the years; saying only that we ought to "look at" revising the gays in the Military issue, and most recently taking a balanced approach on the Israeli - Palestinian conflict in the Middle East.

The Telegraph goes on to suggest that Petraeus may lean more towards the Susan Collins, Olympia Snowe wing of the GOP.

He has also described himself as a "Rockefeller Republican" – a pro-business, socially liberal New Englander...

But there are other indications that he might be more closely identified as a Scott Brown Republican. Also a northeasterner, Brown is fiercely Pro-Military and a 30-year officer in the US Army.

HotAir.com regular contributor Dafydd ab Hugh theorizes:

Petraeus has an intensely American view of life, duty, and the world... He comes from a conservative section of New York State, Orange County.