NC Gov. McCrory, in GOP weekly address, urges DC to look to states

Learn from governors, North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory urged Washington lawmakers Saturday.

McCrory delivered the Republicans' weekly address. “Like you, when I look to Washington, I see entrenched gridlock and an immediate need for executive leadership. Fortunately, Washington bears no resemblance to states where strong Republican governors are using their leadership skills to improve the daily lives of their citizens," he said.

McCrory gave a number of examples. In North Carolina, he said, "We’re concentrating on reforms in three fundamental areas: the economy, education and efficiency."

He described how "We launched the ‘Partnership for Prosperity,’ an initiative which will provide a central point of contact for business. The private sector’s ground-floor involvement is critical to this new venture. Their expertise will allow us to cut red tape and respond quickly and effectively to the needs of job creators so more North Carolinians can get back on the payroll.

“But," he said, "getting businesses to open and expand is only half the job. That’s where education comes in. Employers right now need job-ready workers who have the technical and critical thinking skills that are mandatory in today’s workplace. Too often, employers tell me they can’t find qualified applicants. To close what I call, the skills gap, my budget prioritizes engineering, vocational and technical training—areas where there is immediate demand for qualified workers."

To see the address: http://www.youtube.com/gopweeklyaddress

Much of public "remains confused" about health care law, survey finds

Much of the American public "remains confused about the status" of the new law overhauling the nation's health care system, according to a new kaiser Family foundation survey. Kaiser found that 42 percent were "unaware" that the 2010 law, which will require nearly everyone get health care coverage next year or face penalties, "is still the law of the land." Twelve percent thought it had been repealed--even though dozens of efforts by congressional Republicans have failed. The survey also found that about half the people say "they do not have enough information about the health reform law to understand how it will impact their own family." And, Kaiser said, "the share of the public who says they lack enough information to understand how the (law) will affect their family is higher among two groups the law is likely to benefit most – the uninsured and low-income households." To read more: http://www.kff.org/kaiserpolls/8439.cfm

 

Congress and the Affordable Care Act

From Tony Pugh:

A media report that members of Congress were seeking special favors from the White House caused a brief stir on Wednesday evening – until it was refuted by another media outlet on Thursday.

A story in Politico said leaders from both parties were in discussions with the White House about how to skirt a provision of the Affordable Care Act that requires lawmakers and their staffers to use the online insurance marketplaces, or “exchanges,” that become operational in October.

“If this sounds unbelievable, it’s because it is. There’s no effort to “exempt” Congress from Obamacare,” wrote Ezra Klein of the Washington Post in a follow-up story on Thursday.

According to Klein, the only thing being negotiated with the Obama administration is how lawmakers and aides will continue to get their job-based health insurance subsidy if the exchanges aren’t set up to accommodate the payments.

“The exchanges don’t have any procedures for handling premium contributions for large employers,” Klein wrote.

Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill are concerned that their aides may take other jobs if they lose their full healthcare benefits because of the exchanges. They’re waiting for a decision by the federal Office of Personnel Management on how to handle the problem.

In a statement, Adam Jentleson, communications director for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-AZ., made clear that lawmakers weren’t seeking special favors.

“Senator Reid is committed to ensuring that all members of Congress and Congressional staff experience the benefits of the Affordable Care Act in exactly the same way as every other American,”  Jentleson wrote. “There are not now, have never been, nor will there ever be any discussions about exempting members of Congress or congressional staff from Affordable Care Act provisions.”

Obama supports Reid's proposal to eliminate budget cuts, but without new revenue

President Barack Obama has insisted for months that the so-called squester -- a series of across-the-board spending cuts -- must be replaced with a "balanced approach" of spending cuts and new revenue.

But on Wednesday, White House spokesman Jay Carney said Obama supports Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's plan to stop the cuts with savings from the wind down of the wars Iraq and Afghanistan, though it includes no new taxes.

Republicans pounced. "Nice to see them drop their demand for tax hikes!" Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.'s office sent in a statement.

Carney denied that there was any shift in Obama's stance, calling Reid's proposal "temporary." 

"Leader Reid's proposal allows for the sequester to be turned off for a temporary period and in a way that does not hurt seniors, does not hurt the middle class, and does not hurt students," he said. "And we support this effort to allow both sides to find a longer term solution that replaces the sequester permanently in a balanced way so we can stop these harmful cuts that are hurting our economy and middle class families across the country."

It's a five way scramble for 2016 GOP presidential nomination

The battle for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination is too close (let alone too early) to call.

"There is no frontrunner now," said a Quinnipiac University national survey released Wednesday.

The leader is Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, with 19 percent. Trailing are Rep. Paul Ryan, the 2012 vice presidential nominee, at 17 percent, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, 15 percent, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, 14 percent and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, 10 percent.

But there is this potentially good news for Christie and Bush: By a 59-23 percent margin, Republicans say they prefer a governor with experience. Republicans also get higher marks than Democrats on handling the deficit,though Democrats fare better on health care, same-sex marriage and immigration.

To read more: http://www.quinnipiac.edu/institutes-centers/polling-institute/national/release-detail?ReleaseID=1876

 

Ryan outlines House budget plan; vote due next week

The House of Representatives plans to debate and vote on a Republican-authored 10 year budget plan next week, and Saturday, Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan made the case for the proposal in the weekly Republican address.

The plan is expected to get virtually no Democratic support, particularly since it dramatically cuts projected domestic spending and endorses changes in Medicare.

Ryan offered this account of his plan:"

Next week, the House of Representatives will vote on a plan to improve the lives of American families by balancing the budget in ten years.

“How do we do it?  Well, it’s pretty simple: we stop spending money we don’t have.  Historically, we’ve paid a little less than one-fifth of our income in taxes to the federal government each year.  But the government has spent more—a lot more.  And the results are plain to see: despite the President’s promise, the stimulus didn’t work.  Today, 46 million people are living in poverty, the highest in a generation.  One in seven workers either can’t find a job or works only part time."

He urged the White House to work with him.

"So today," Ryan said, "We invite President Obama to do what President Clinton did—to work with Republicans in Congress to balance the budget.  He can join in the effort, or he can choose the status quo.  But he must choose."

To see Ryan's remarks: http://www.youtube.com/HouseConference

 

12 GOP senators will try to defund Obamacare

A dozen Republican senators plan an effort, perhaps as early as Wednesday, to dilute the 2010 health care law by defunding it.

They hope to amend the stopgap spending plan now before the Senate; chances are they wont get far.

But they'll try. "ObamaCare is and never was the shining star that President Obama and Democrats
sold it to the American public as when they forced it through Congress,” argued Sen. James Inhore, R-Okla. 

House Republicans plan to begin writing a budget plan Wednesday that would repeal the law. That too is expected to eventually go nowhere.

To read more: http://inhofe.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressRoom.PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=63bce834-ec5d-d468-c304-443752c930bf

Top congressional budget Democrats make their case

Top Democrats on Congress' budget committees made their case for an alternative to the automatic spending cuts due to take effect Friday, arguing sequestration as planned "will threaten our economic recovery."

In an op ed in the Huffington Post, Senate Budget Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray, D-Wash., and Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., top Democrat on the House Budget Committee, explained how planned cuts "will slash critical investments in national priorities like education, law enforcement, and defense."

They complained that "Some of our colleagues think sequestration is inevitable. Others actually think it's a good idea. We disagree. We've been working to replace sequestration in a balanced and bipartisan way for the past year, and the only reason we haven't gotten a deal is because Republicans have insisted on protecting tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. We believe there is still a path to agreement -- but it is going to require true compromise from both sides."

They repeated familiar arguments--"Democrats believe that deficit reduction, and sequestration in particular, should be handled in a way that is balanced, fair for the middle class, and good for the economy. We certainly believe that we need to cut spending responsibly -- and are willing to make tough compromises to do so. But we also think that while families continue to struggle in this tough economy, the wealthiest Americans and biggest corporations ought to be a part of the solution. To us, that's just common sense," they said.

To read more:

McConnell on Obama: "This whole routine is getting old"

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell Monday offered a scathing assessment of what expects Tuesday during President Barack Obama's State of the Union speech.

He called Democratic efforts to replace the automatic spending cuts due March 1 with a plan consisting of cuts and revenue "a colossal waste of time."

Earlier this year, the Kentucky Republican said, "Democrats promised things would be different. They promised to get their work done ahead of time, instead of five minutes before the deadline. Legislation would get committee consideration. We were going to go through regular order.

 “Instead, we again find ourselves in sad and familiar territory. It goes something like this. Republicans identify a challenge and propose a solution well in advance. Democrats sit on their hands until the last minute. Then they offer some gimmicky bill designed to fail.  And then comes the final act: President Obama rides in to blame everyone else."

The State of the Union address, McConnell said, "would provide a perfect forum for that. So we’ll see if history repeats itself once again. But frankly, this whole routine is getting old. Maybe I’m wrong.

 “Maybe the President and his Democrat friends are willing to break the cycle this time. Because, if so, my party has said from the beginning that we would much prefer to replace the Obama sequester with smarter spending cuts and reforms. Even though Republicans already passed legislation to solve the problem a long time ago, if the President wants a different solution he can call his own, that’s fine. We’re happy to give him the credit. But however we get it done, the time has come to finally take on Washington’s spending problem in a bipartisan way. And that means the President will actually have to move beyond the gimmicks and the taxes and propose real spending cuts.

“Because, I assure you, my constituents in Kentucky will not accept a tax hike in place of spending cuts already agreed to by both parties – I suspect none of our constituents would. And they won’t tolerate Democrats’ continued avoidance of their responsibility to deal with huge threats to our economy and our future."

Here's the rest of McConnell's remarks:

Clinton to Democrats: "We should not rely on demography alone" for success

Former President Bill Clinton offered advice to House of Representatives Democrats Friday, reminding them to reach out beyond obvious constituencies.

"We should not rely on demography alone" in order to be successful, he told the audience at Virginia's Lansdowne Resort. Democrats are wrapping up three days of strategy sessions.

He urged touting the 2010 health care, even as Republicans demand its repeal and replacement. "We Democrats own the health reform issue now," Clinton said.

Understand, he urged, that while it's being implemented, it won't always be perfect. But, Clinton said, "Stay with this. Make it work. Prove that we were right to do it."

On guns, he said, don't assume gun owners are automatically anti-gun control. Talk to them.

'Treat these people as our friends, our neighbors, people we share a country with," he said.