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links for 2011-01-03
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The 112th Congress doesn't begin until Wednesday, but Senate Democrats are already vowing to block any attempts by the new GOP-led House to repeal the healthcare reform law.
The Senate's top Democrats, led by Majority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.), wrote incoming House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) on Monday warning the new GOP House against advancing legislation that would undo the sweeping healthcare overhaul.
"The incoming House Republican majority that you lead has made the repeal of the federal health care law one of its chief goals. We urge you to consider the unintended consequences that the law’s repeal would have on a number of popular consumer protections that help middle class Americans," the Democrats said.
Democrats said repeal would threaten the consumer protections included in the healthcare package, including the provision that eliminates the so-called "doughnut hole" in seniors' Medicare drug coverage.
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Yeah Yeah – make them vote on how they will fund it
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The time it takes to follow and go through multiple web sites and blogs takes tangible time, and since most sources publish or give coverage to more than one topic, one gets to browse and scan through lots of useless content just for the sake of finding what is relevant to his specific interest. Even in the case of power-users utilizing RSS feed readers, aggregators and filters, the amount of junk we have to sift through daily is nothing but impressive, so much so, that those who have enough time and skills to pick the gems from that ocean of tweets, social media posts and blog posts, enjoy a fast increasing reputation and visibility online.
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Read it all
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Every hour thousands of new videos are uploaded online. Blog posts are written and published. Millions of tweets and other short messages are shared.
To say there is a flood of content being created online now seems like a serious understatement.
Until now, the interesting thing is that there are relatively few technologies or tools that have been adopted in a widespread way to manage this deluge. We pretty much just have algorithmic search, with Google (and other search engines) as the most obvious example.
Social bookmarking and social news have been around for some time (ie – sites like Digg or delicious), and new models of aggregation like Alltop are springing up to help us navigate all this content as well. The real question is whether solutions like these will be enough.
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Read it all
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CNN has learned that Republicans plan to try to repeal the health care law almost immediately after taking control of the House, setting the stage for an early confrontation with President Obama.
House GOP sources tell CNN that they will unveil repeal legislation Monday night, even before they claim the majority Wednesday. Then, on Friday, Republicans will hold a critical procedural vote – the first step towards passing the repeal. A final House vote will likely take place next Wednesday.Republicans have said for some time the House would take up repealing health care, a top GOP campaign issue, during the first month of the new Congress, but up to now have not revealed exactly when. Regardless, the repeal has little chance of passing the Senate.
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The overall repeal will fail in the Senate but Dems in the House/Senate will be forced to vote for it placing them at risk when ObamaCare sours with its increased costs.
Next, the GOP will be able to defund it
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Former Rep. Heather Wilson is considering running for Senate in New Mexico, giving the GOP a potential top-flight challenger to Democratic Sen. Jeff Bingaman.
“I am considering running for the Senate, as well as other opportunities,” Wilson told Roll Call on Monday. “A number of factors go into that. Ultimately it’s a decision about what is the best use of my talents and gifts.”
Bingaman has yet to announce whether he will seek a sixth term. First elected in 1982 after a term as state attorney general, Bingaman will be 69 by Election Day in 2012.
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Another Dem Senate seat under contention in 2012. Bingaman deserves a good challenge from Heather Wilson.
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Former United Nations Ambassador John Bolton today endorsed Ken Paxton for Texas House speaker. Bolton, who doesn't have a say in the matter, said Paxton's bid to oust incumbent Joe Straus has national implications because of redistricting and border security.
With Texas gaining four more U.S. House seats, Bolton said, the Texas Legislature needs GOP leaders who will "rectify literally decades of skewed redistricting decisions." Bolton (right, AFP/Getty Images photo) also said that Texas needs to signal grave concern about drug-related violence across the border in Mexico.
Bolton caps an impressive list of non-House members who've endorsed Paxton, R-McKinney. Others included former U.S. House Majority Leader Dick Armey and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.
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Video: Jerry Brown’s No-Nonsense Inauguration Speech
California Governor Jerry Brown’s Inauguration Address, January 3, 2011Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger ended his seven years as California Governor today and Democrat Jerry Brown was sworn into office.
Jerry Brown (l.) is sworn as governor of California as his wife, Anne Gust Brown, holds a Bible and California Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye administers the oath of office in Sacramento on Monday
Watch all of Governor Brown’s inaugural address above.Although nearly giddy with obvious delight, Jerry Brown was all business in his 16-minute inaugural speech today. Experts say he wants to set the tone – especially in his crucial first 100 days – that he intends to be a no-nonsense, practical governor who won’t squander political capital the way predecessor Arnold Schwarzenegger did, missing early opportunities to take action before goodwill wanes.
“The year ahead will demand courage and sacrifice,” Governor Brown said after taking the oath from California Supreme Court Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye. Brown noted the strain the recession has put on California and referred to polls that show most voters believe the state is on the wrong track. He urged lawmakers of both political parties to get out of what he called their “comfort zones” and to “rise above ideology” for the good of the state.
His main themes were drawn from his campaign stump speeches: no new taxes without a vote of the people, restoring as much local control of government as possible, and speaking the truth about the budget – no smoke or mirrors. He spoke of the sacrifices of his own ancestors, crossing the continent in a covered wagon, invoked the name of his own father, former Governor Pat Brown several times, and introduced his 99-year-old aunt as evidence that he’s not going anywhere.
I think you will need it.
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Newly Elected Arizona Rep. Dentist Paul Gosar Chooses Retired Alaska Dentist as Chief of Staff
Dentist and newly elected Arizona Congressman Paul Gosar
So, why is this news? Answer: Sarah PalinFormer Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s endorsement helped Rep.-elect Paul Gosar (R) win a seat in Congress, and now he’s rewarding the man who introduced the pair with a plum staff position.
Gosar, who unseated Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D) in Arizona’s 1st district, has named retired dentist Rob Robinson as his chief of staff. Robinson left his son in charge of his Wasilla, Alaska-based dental practice to move to Arizona in 2009 and become Gosar’s campaign manager, treasurer and chief adviser.
Gosar told Roll Call that Robinson introduced him to Palin. Robinson got to know Palin from being politically active in their 7,000-population town, where Palin served as mayor. “I know he was very involved in the politics in Alaska and very involved in the politics of Wasilla,” Gosar said.
Gosar and Robinson are colleagues in the American Dental Association. Both have served as officers of the group’s Council on Government Affairs. Gosar first announced his intent to run for Congress at the association’s 2009 national conference in Washington, D.C.
Robinson, who will work from Gosar’s Arizona district office, isn’t the only person with Palin ties on the fledgling payroll.
Gosar hired Palin family attorney Thomas Van Flein to be his legislative director and deputy chief of staff. Van Flein graduated from the University of Arizona College of Law in 1989, according to his profile on his law firm’s website. Van Flein’s Alaska law firm, Clapp, Peterson, Van Flein, Tiemessen & Thorsness, helped Palin and her family navigate the Troopergate scandal when she was governor. Van Flein also represented Palin-endorsed tea party Senate candidate Joe Miller. Palin paid Van Flein a hefty retainer over the course of 2010, with the most recent payment of $10,000 coming on Oct. 28, according to her Federal Election Commission filings.
Robinson and Van Flein could not be reached for comment, but Gosar told Roll Call that even though the men have no Congressional experience, he hired them because of trust.
“Trust. A series of promises kept,” Gosar said Thursday. “They are battle-tested with me and things we have to take on with regards to dentistry.”
“We were always looking at somebody that we trust,” Gosar added. “Be able to watch your back and think the same way you are and Rob does a lot of those things with me.”
Van Flein also represents the Alaska Dental Society, which boasted in a newsletter to members about Robinson, the group’s former president, and his role in the Gosar campaign.
So, big deal.
The two dentists met while working on the ADA’s Council on Government Affairs. And, the older Dr. Robinson who retired from dentistry some time ago is from Wasilla, Alaksa, where Sarah Palin lives and was Mayor.
Maybe Dr. Robinson or his son who now runs the Wasilla practice is Sarah Palin’s dentist.
Oh the horrors!
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Poll Watch: Number of Republicans Increases to Highest Level Since December 2004
Good news for the national Republican Party.The number of American adults calling themselves Republicans in December increased by one percentage point from November to 37.0%.
Also in December, the number calling themselves Democrats fell by a point to 33.7%.
Those figures reflect the largest number of Republicans in the nation since December 2004 and the lowest number of Democrats ever recorded in tracking since November 2002.
Following Election 2004, the Republican partisan decline began in February 2005. In 2006, the Democratic edge began to decline as soon as they actually took control of Congress in January. Following President Obama’s victory in November 2008, the Democrat’s advantage in partisan identification peaked in December before declining.
Rasmussen Reports tracks this information based on telephone interviews with approximately 15,000 adults per month and has been doing so since November 2002. The margin of error for the full sample is less than one percentage point, with a 95% level of confidence.
The biggest partisan gap advantage ever measured for Democrats was 10.1 percentage points in May 2008. In December 2008, the final full month of the Bush administration, the Democrats held an 8.8-percentage-point advantage.
Between November 2004 and 2006, the Democratic advantage in partisan identification grew by 4.5 percentage points. That foreshadowed the Democrats’ big gains in the 2006 midterm elections. The gap grew by another 1.5 percentage points between November 2006 and November 2008 leading up to Obama’s election.
The number of Democrats peaked at 41.7% in May 2008, and it was nearly as high–at 41.6%–in December 2008. That number fell below the 40% mark in March 2009 and first fell below 35% in September 2010. The number of Democrats has been below 35% in three of the past four months.
For Republicans, the peak was way back in September 2004 at 37.3%. Since then, until the past two months, the number of Republicans has generally stayed between 31% and 34% of the nation’s adults.
Keep in mind that figures reported in this article are for all adults, not likely voters. Republicans are a bit more likely to participate in elections than Democrats.
Why?
President George W. Bush is gone, along with the unpopular Iraq War and President Obama has mishandled the economy/unemployment.
Plain and simple.
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Top Conservatives on Twitter – #TCOT is Back
Top Conservatives on TwitterI am happy to report that after a hiatus, the Top Conservatives on Twitter website has returned. It is here. The Twitter hashtag is #TCOTIn just a few years, Twitter has changed the conservative movement and thanks to Michael Patrick Leahy (Facebook) whose idea was #TCOT, social networking conservatives are making a difference in American politics.
Please check out the list and go here to join
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Video: RNC Pre-Debate Interview with Ann Wagner
Ann Wagner is the former U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg (2005-09). She was most recently the Chairman of Roy Blunt’s U.S. Senate campaign in Missouri. She serves as the Honorary Co-Chair of the American Freedom and Enterprise Foundation, and is a former two-term Co-Chair of the RNC, chairman of the Missouri Republican Party, and local committeewoman in Lafayette Township, Missouri.The Republican National Committee Chairmanship race heats up today with a debate to be held at 1 PM (EST). You can watch it here or here.
I will try to post up pre-debate interviews for all of the candidates.
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Video: RNC Pre-Debate Interview with RNC Chairman Michael Steele
Michael Steele is the current Chairman of the Republican National Committee, having been elected in January, 2009. Previously, Michael Steele was the chairman of the Maryland Republican Party, and in 2002 he was elected as Maryland’s Lieutenant Governor.The Republican National Committee Chairmanship race heats up today with a debate to be held at 1 PM (EST). You can watch it here or here.
I will try to post up pre-debate interviews for all of the candidates.
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Day by Day January 3, 2011 – America Takes the Plunge
Sam and Jan, I don’t think Damon liked the idea of joining a union to unplug the bar toilets. Can you blame him?With the recent flap in New York City with union members supposedly refusing to work, Damon would not wanted to be tarred and feathered – especially where he is working.
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Video: RNC Pre-Debate Interview with Reince Priebus
Reince Priebus is the current Chairman of the Republican Party of Wisconsin. He is a partner at Michael Best & Friedrich, LLP, and the former General Counsel at the RNC. He has worked in the Wisconsin legislature as the Committee Clerk for the State Assembly Education Committee, a clerk for the Wisconsin Court of Appeals, the Supreme Court of Wisconsin, the United States District Court, Southern District of Florida, and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.The Republican National Committee Chairmanship race heats up today with a debate to be held at 1 PM (EST). You can watch it here or here.
I will try to post up pre-debate interviews for all of the candidates.
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Video: RNC Pre-Debate Interview with Maria Cino
Maria Cino most recently served as Deputy Chairwoman of the Republican National Committee. In this capacity, she was the RNC’s top political strategist and chief operating officer, overseeing operations of the Committee during the 2004 election cycle. During the 2000 cycle, Cino served as the Committee’s Deputy Chairman for Political and Congressional Relations, while also serving as the National Political Director for the Bush for President campaign in Austin, Texas.The Republican National Committee Chairmanship race heats up today with a debate to be held at 1 PM (EST). You can watch it here or here.
I will try to post up pre-debate interviews for all of the candidates.