Julie Lassa: Obama and Obey

Democrat Julie Lassa doesn't want to be seen as close to Obama and David Obey.

From RealClearPolitics:

Democratic House candidate Julie Lassa actively distanced herself from President Obama and other party leaders on Monday in an interview with RealClearPolitics, and she cited the individual mandate provision in the new health care law as one of the chief concerns to address in the next Congress.

"I think in terms of President Obama, it's a mixed bag," Lassa said. "I think that they have done some good things, but we haven't been able to get out of this economic recession as quickly as we need to and as people would like."

A state senator, Lassa is running against Republican former District Attorney Sean Duffy in one of the most competitive and closely watched House races in the nation.

Wisconsin's 7th District has been in Democratic hands for generations, but Lassa was eager to stress her independence from the national party, even though she has been one of the top beneficiaries of funding from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

In the interview, Lassa took pains to disassociate herself from House Appropriations Chairman David Obey, who currently holds the 7th District seat and is retiring after more than four decades in office.

"I've been running my own campaign," Lassa said. "I'm my own individual candidate, and I really appreciate all the work that Congressman Obey has done for the district and for the state because he's served this district for 42 years, and I think that's important to recognize. But with his retirement is the turning of the page and the beginning of a new chapter."

Lassa emphasized that she has worked frequently with Republicans as a Wisconsin state senator and pointed out that she twice voted to override Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle‘s vetoes of bills that would have permitted gun owners to carry concealed firearms.

"To me it doesn't matter if it's a Republican or a Democratic idea," Lassa said. "It's just important that I believe that it's good public policy."

Lassa was particularly forthright about her reservations about health care reform - the signature achievement of Obama's presidency and the Democratic Congress.

"One of the things that I'm really concerned about is the mandate that individuals and families purchase health insurance, and I think that if we are going to mandate that individuals and families have to purchase insurance, we have to make sure that that insurance then is affordable," Lassa said. "Otherwise I don't believe that it's fair."

Obviously, this is a sign that Wisconsinites are rejecting Obama and the liberal policies of David Obey.

Lassa realizes they're poison for her campaign against the refreshing conservative, Sean Duffy.

But there's a problem with Lassa's declaration of independence from Obama and Obey. Her actions and her words are at odds.

Sean Duffy calls Lassa out for her hypocrisy.

What's funny is Senator Lassa was one of a handful of politicians that greeted President Obama when he arrived in Madison last week. Is that independence?

Did you know that as a state Senator in Madison, Senator Lassa voted with her fellow liberals 99.6% of the time this session? Hardly what I’d consider an independent voice. Senator Lassa has run a negative campaign from the outset in an effort to obscure her record, but the fact she’s now admitting this strategy to reporters is unbelievable.

Democrats are desperate.

Their pants are on fire.

DCCC Ad Attacks Sean Duffy

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has released its first attack ad.

Sean Duffy is its target.



FactCheck.org, where are you? Busy carrying water for Obama and other Dems?

Sean Duffy's campaign responds to the Democrats' lies:

The ad flat out lies to Wisconsin seniors by saying Sean Duffy wants to privatize Social Security. But the record is clear. Sean opposes privatizing Social Security and in Congress, will fight to keep Social Security safe and sound for current recipients and future generations.

As Sean told the Wausau Daily Herald's Editorial Board last week, "One component I don't think is part of the equation is privatizing Social Security. Privatizing is not an option."

The fact that national Democrats would make Sean the first candidate in the country to get this kind of attack speaks volumes. They've seen the polls, and they know they could lose this seat for the first time in 40 years. The DCCC isn't disclosing how much it's spending on these ads but they say the ads will completely saturate the Wausau area.

To fight back, we need you to do two things. First, arm yourself with the facts. Don't let the national Democrats win another election by scaring seniors like they try to do every election.

Next, contribute whatever you can so we can fight back on the air and online. The fact that we're first means there's more to come. They're running scared. They've seen what you've built. Let's knock them back on their heels and show them they've picked the wrong fight.

There's a word for the national Democrat strategy in the 7th district: Desperation. Don't let them get away with it. Stand with Sean and fight back now.

I suppose in a way it's an honor to be the DCCC's first victim. The Dems obviously consider Duffy to be a real threat. Maybe the attack is payback for pushing David Obey out of his seat.

Whatever, the Dems are lying.

I don't think Wisconsinites will be buying the Dems' lies this time around.
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Sean Duffy's statement on the attack ad:

"Today, Julie Lassa and her pals at the Democratic National Congressional Campaign Committee will begin airing what is projected to be at least $100,000, and two weeks worth of negative, false attacks against me in the Wausau TV viewing area. Given our strong polling, Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District is the first race in the country that national Democrats are targeting.

"In the attack ad, Lassa and her Democrat friends in Washington accuse me of supporting the privatization of Social Security. This ad is a lie. This ad confirms that Julie Lassa is the same old career politician who will do and say anything to get elected, and that the only job she is worried about protecting is her own. Democrats pretending Social Security is just fine, scaring seniors, and making partisan attacks pose the biggest threat to securing Social Security for future generations, as well as to getting our country headed in the direction it needs to go.

"This is my first campaign. I'm not a career politician and I don't claim to know all the answers. I'm a father of six kids who saw a serious problem with the government mortgaging our children's future with outrageous spending and decided to enter this race to make a difference. I'm worried that my children, and the children in Wisconsin, will not grow up in the same great America that I grew up in.

"Our residents deserve to hear facts in campaigns, not constant mudslinging and distortions. I call on Julie Lassa to stop this fear mongering and start focusing on what really matters: getting government spending under control, putting Wisconsin back to work and passing a fiscally sound budget so that we leave our children with a promising future."

Sean Duffy: Young Gun

Duffy Statement on Being Named NRCC "Young Gun"

Today, the National Republican Congressional Campaign promoted Sean Duffy, candidate for Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District and Ashland County District Attorney to the top level of the "Young Guns" program. In response, Duffy issued the following statement:

"This raises our profile one more notch. This is an important race, not just for our state, but for the country. It's also a winnable race. Just today, the Cook Political Report moved it to a toss up. We have a chance to turn things around and take our nation in a new direction. I'm proud of the campaign that we have run and it's great that people around the nation are as excited about it as those here in Wisconsin.

"We need leaders who can shake things up. Not just go along to get along with the Washington crowd. My roots have been and always will be in Wisconsin. By bringing a little bit of the Wisconsin commonsense values to Washington with a lot of courage, I will get things done for families right here in our area. By getting back to the principles of smaller government and greater individual freedoms, we can help create the good jobs we need and bring back a greater quality of life.

"The Young Guns program is about promoting candidates who are willing to make the tough choices with fresh ideas and an outside perspective. I'm excited to be a part of their top tier. My campaign will continue to be focused on the issues mattering most to families in central and northwestern Wisconsin."

Read more here.

The National Republican Congressional Committee will announce 13 new candidates who have achieved top honors within its “Young Guns” program today, more than doubling the list of GOP recruits who qualify for the highest level of fundraising and infrastructure support from the national party.

Among the new Young Guns that NRCC Chairman Pete Sessions (Texas) will announce is Ashland County District Attorney Sean Duffy, whose campaign in Wisconsin got a major boost Wednesday when 21-term Democratic Rep. David R. Obey announced his retirement. Even before Obey’s announcement, Duffy — a former cast member on MTV’s “The Real World” reality series — had been earning increased national attention from party leaders, who are working to create the largest possible playing field and take advantage of what is expected to be a very good national environment for the GOP this fall.

“The success of these candidates is testament to Americans’ frustration with an out-of-touch Democrat majority,” Sessions said in a statement that will be released today. “Our Young Guns’ ability to build formidable campaigns sends a loud and clear message to Democrats that they will be held accountable for their unpopular partisan agenda in November.”

Sean Duffy: Statement, Obey's Retirement

Sean Duffy has released a statement on David Obey's decision not to run in the 2010 election:

"While Congressman Obey and I have major differences on the issues, he has dedicated his life to be a servant for his state and his country and for that he should be commended. He has served honorably as a Congressman for more than four decades and he deserves a great deal of respect for his work. I wish Mr. Obey and his family well in their future endeavors."

Classy.

David Obey Won't Run

On the very day that Sean Duffy has launched a new online grassroots campaign site, we get word that David Obey will not run for reelection.

That is HUGE!

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey (D-Wisconsin) told associates that he will not seek re-election and that he could announce plans as early as today, according to the website Politico.com.

Obey has roughly $1 million in the bank to defend the congressional seat he has held for more than 40 years. That amounts to five times the campaign cash held by his strongest GOP challenger.

Obey came to Congress in 1969, succeeding Mel Laird, who was appointed defense secretary.

...As chairman of the Appropriations Committee, Obey helps makes spending decisions for every federal program.

...Republican Sean Duffy has argued he believed he could knock the 21-term incumbent from his high-profile post.

That stimulus has come back to bite Obey.

He is toast.

Politico reports:

A press conference has been called at 1 p.m. and Obey staff indicated that he would announce his plans then.

Obey isn't even going to try to defend his seat.

This is a great victory for Duffy, defeating Obey months before the election.

Another Democrat bites the dust.
_________________

This message came from Duffy's campaign manager, Matt Seaholm, just minutes within Politico's running of the Obey story:

Duffy for Congress is launching its "Roll with Sean" grassroots organizing platform and we want you to join us.

Without you, we cannot win this race. David Obey has held this seat since 1969 and has racked up a war chest of more than $1.4 million, with more special interest money on its way. The only way to beat him is create the best grassroots organization that central and northern Wisconsin has ever seen.

Roll with Sean, allows you to find events in your area, interact with other volunteers, and organize campaign efforts directly with the campaign. You can find regular updates on Roll with Sean and post information you think would be helpful for other supporters of Sean.

We have the people. We have the passion. Roll with Sean will give us the tools we need to focus our energy and make our campaign effective in retiring the #1 spender in Washington!

I encourage you to go to http://rollwithsean.com/ and connect with our team. Be sure to check out the groups and join any and all that you want to be part of. You can join your county's group to stay up to date on the latest local info. Then invite your friends, family, and neighbors to join through the "invite" tab at the top.

With your help, "Roll with Sean" will be the vehicle that takes us to victory in November.

Let's roll!
_________________

Scott Walker posts on Twitter:

In budget meetings all AM @ courthouse. Stepped out & heard news of Obey's retirement. Shocking.

It is shocking, but it's a really good kind of shock.
_________________

Republican National Committee: Statement on David Obey's retirement

“As one of the go-to Members who orchestrated the failed stimulus, it’s no surprise that David Obey realized that he was taking a major hit in the polls. This plays into the greater story that we will see in November, that Americans are overwhelmingly rejecting the tax and spend agenda of President Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid.” – Ryan Tronovitch, RNC Spokesman

_________________

David Obey's press conference, announcing his decision to quit, is really rather pathetic.

He looks tired and beaten. Of course, he still manages to have enough energy to bash his political opponents.
_________________

Duffy's statement on Obey's retirement.

Sean Duffy: 'This Race Matters to You'

Sean Duffy and David Obey - New York Times

UPDATE, May 5, 2010: DAVID OBEY WON'T RUN.

It's a beautiful day!

ROLL WITH SEAN!
_________________

The race in Wisconsin's 7th Congressional district is featured in the New York Times today.

Democrats’ Long-Held Seats Face G.O.P. Threat

Representative David R. Obey has won 21 straight races, easily prevailing through wars and economic crises that have spanned presidencies from Nixon’s to Obama’s. Yet the discontent with Washington surging through politics is now threatening not only his seat but also Democratic control of Congress.

Mr. Obey is one of nearly a dozen well-established House Democrats who are bracing for something they rarely face: serious competition. Their predicament is the latest sign of distress for their party and underlines why Republicans are confident of making big gains in November and perhaps even winning back the House.

...“It’s not a lifetime appointment,” said Sean Duffy, a Republican district attorney here in the Northwoods of Wisconsin, where he has established himself as one of the most aggressive challengers to Mr. Obey since he went to Washington in 1969. “There are changes in this country going on, and people aren’t happy.”

Mr. Obey, who leads the powerful Appropriations Committee, is one of three House Democratic chairmen who have drawn serious opposition. Representatives John M. Spratt Jr. of South Carolina, who oversees the Budget Committee, and Ike Skelton of Missouri, who runs the Armed Services Committee, have been warned by party leaders to step up the intensity of their campaigns to help preserve the Democratic majority.

...Democratic Congressional officials — well aware that a president’s party typically loses seats in midterm elections — have long been preparing for a tough year. But that Mr. Obey here in Wisconsin and other veteran lawmakers like Representative Earl Pomeroy of North Dakota suddenly find themselves in a fight reflects an increasingly sour mood toward the Democratic Party and incumbents.

...In the Seventh District of Wisconsin, which covers 17,787 square miles from the middle of the state to Lake Superior, signs of Mr. Obey’s service in Congress are found in new bridges, highway expansions and countless other projects. Yet there are fewer signs of Mr. Obey himself. At the Democratic Party office in Wausau, his hometown, campaign placards hang in the window for Senator Russ Feingold, but none for Mr. Obey.

When asked to discuss his re-election bid, Mr. Obey declined, saying that it was too early to begin talking politics and that he was focused on his legislative duties. “I have never met anyone who thought political campaigns were too short,” he said.

Mr. Obey, 71, was elected two years before Mr. Duffy, 38, was born. Mr. Duffy is widely seen as leading in the Republican primary — his opponent is the candidate who lost to Mr. Obey two years ago by 22 percentage points — and his race has drawn support from party leaders in Washington, Tea Party activists and Sarah Palin.

He has been elected four times as the district attorney of Ashland County, but the attention surrounding him began in 1997 when he was on MTV’s “The Real World: Boston.” He also is well-known here as a champion lumberjack sports competitor.

He said he decided to challenge Mr. Obey because of his leading role in the economic stimulus bill, health care legislation and the growth of government. “I know that I can have a serious impact on the direction of the country if I could take out Obey,” he said.

It's time for Washington insider, big taxer, big spender, ethically challenged Obey to be replaced. He's been there so long he's like a statue.

We need new faces, like Sean Duffy.

'Lumberjack vs. the Cardinal'

On Thursday night's John Batchelor Show, while Sean Duffy became a father for the sixth time, John Batchelor talked with guest Greg Giroux about Republican Duffy's effort to unseat David Obey, Democrat.

Here's an accompanying post by John Batchelor: "Lumberjack vs. the Cardinal."

Batchelor has some interesting things to say about Duffy and the race.

He writes:

In a mid-term year, with a Tea Party component and many twists to go until Election Day, Duffy is a win-win. Giroux tells me he is raising money, and the campaign website is storybook, so are the children and the lumberjacking. Duffy is so attractive and skillful that his strenuous and earnest effort alone demonstrates the promise of renewal in the GOP. We are going through a period of creative destruction not only in Detroit but also with the major parties. Obey represents the 20th Century's confidence in Federalism above localism. Duffy represents a fresh face on a home-based Republicanism....

Sean Duffy, David Obey -- John Batchelor Show

On John Batchelor's radio program Thursday, he discussed the congressional race in Wisconsin's 7th district, illustrating what a unique election year this is shaping up to be.

David Obey -- a powerful, Washington entrenched politician -- is facing a formidable opponent, Sean Duffy.

Batchelor had Greg Giroux, Roll Call, on the show to talk about the midterms, focusing on Duffy.

Giroux said he had an opportunity to speak with Duffy, calling him "telegenic" and "well-spoken." He said that Duffy has "a sense of humor," "an interesting personal background," and "an atypical resume."

"Voters are looking for something different," said Giroux.

Batchelor and Giroux noted that Duffy has been very successful at fundraising.

Although Giroux questions whether Duffy can unseat Obey, Batchelor declared, "Sean Duffy is the future."

Obey, a career politician, is by no means an outsider. He's served in the House since 1969. In fact, Obey has been in the House longer than Duffy has been alive.

Giving Duffy some nice national exposure, Batchelor promoted Sean Duffy's website.

To conclude the segment, Batchelor said, "It's a very strange election, challenging the pope for Easter."

Translation: Duffy is taking on Obey.

John Batchelor has such an interesting way of saying things.

Overall, Duffy was discussed in a very positive light in terms of his personal qualities and his campaign.

It's time for a change. It's time for Obey to go.
_____________________

Literally, as John Batchelor and Greg Giroux were talking about Sean Duffy, his wife was giving birth to their daughter! This is their sixth child.

At 8:28 pm we were blessed with a beautiful, healthy baby girl. Mom and baby are doing great.

Congratulations to Rachel and Sean!

Call Wisconsin Lawmakers, Defend the Constitution

Reince Priebus, Chairman of the Republican Party of Wisconsin, is encouraging people in opposition to the health care bill to call Wisconsin Democrats who are on the fence.

Priebus writes:

According to the MacIver Institute, Rep. Ron Kind from Western Wisconsin is still undecided as to how he will vote.

Rep. Steve Kagen from Northeast Wisconsin won’t give a clear answer as to where he stands on the bill, either.

Wisconsin Democrats who are on the fence absolutely must hear from each of us!

Contact information:

Congressman Kagen
Green Bay - (920) 437-1954
Appleton - (920) 380-0061
Washington, DC Office - (202) 225-5665



Congressman Obey
Superior - (715) 398-4426
Wausau - (715) 842-5606
Washington, DC - (202) 225-3365



Congressman Kind
LaCrosse – (888) 442-8040
Eau Claire – (715) 831-9214
Washington, DC – (202) 225-5506



Senator Russ Feingold
Washington, DC - (202) 224-5323

I know Obama is usually the one doing the bowing, but in this case, it's Democrat members of Congress he is bribing and bullying to bow to him.

Will these Wisconsin Democrats bow to Obama and Nancy Pelosi rather than listen to their constituents? Will they act as representatives of the people of Wisconsin or will they march in lockstep with the Washington thugs?

Where is their allegiance? Do they serve the voters in Wisconsin?


The more calls they receive from us, the more difficult it might be for them to ignore the will of the people. They might have second thoughts about casting a yes vote that at its core is meant to blatantly subvert the Constitution.

Michael W. McConnell writes in the Wall Street Journal:

One thing is sure: To proceed in this way creates an unnecessary risk that the legislation will be invalidated for violation of Article I, Section 7. Will wavering House members want to use this procedure when there is a nontrivial probability that the courts will render their political sacrifice wasted effort? To hazard that risk, the House leadership must have a powerful motive to avoid a straightforward vote.

If the Wisconsin representatives vote with Obama and Pelosi, they seal their fates.

I think it's safe to deem them losers in the 2010 election.

Project Code Red

PROJECT CODE RED

Click to call or write the Democrats below and tell them to vote NO!

Adler (NJ-03)
Altmire (PA-04)
Arcuri (NY-24)
Baird (WA-03)
Barrow (GA-12)
Berry (AR-01)
Bishop (NY-01)
Boccieri (OH-16)
Boswell (IA-03)
Boren (OK-02)
Boucher (VA-09)
Boyd (FL-02)
Bright (AL-02)
Cardoza (CA-18)
Carney (PA-10)
Chandler (KY-06)
Childers (MS-01)
Connolly (VA-11)
Costa (CA-20)
Dahlkemper (PA-03)
A. Davis (AL-07)
Davis (TN-04)
Donnelly (IN-02)
Driehaus (OH-01)
Edwards (TX-17)
Ellsworth (IN-08)
Giffords (AZ-08)
Gordon (TN-06)
Guiterrez (IL-04)
Heinrich (NM-01)
Herseth Sandlin (SD-AL)
Hill (IN-09)
Holden (PA-17)
Kanjorski (PA-11)
Kirkpatrick (AZ-01)
Kissell (NC-08)
Kosmas (FL-24)
Kratovil (MD-01)
Kucinich (OH-10)
Lipinski (IL-03)
Markey (CO-04)
Marshall (GA-08)
Matheson (UT-02)
McIntyre (NC-07)
McMahon (NY-13)
Melancon (LA-03)
Minnick (ID-01)
Mitchell (AZ-05)
Mollohan (WV-01)
Murphy (NY-20)
Nye (VA-02)
Obey (WI-07)
Owens (NY-23)
Perriello (VA-05)
Peterson (MN-07)
Pomeroy (ND-AL)
Rahall (WV-03)
Ross (AR-04)
Schauer (MI-07)
Schrader (OR-05)
Shuler (NC-11)
Skelton (MO-04)
Space (OH-18)
Spratt (SC-05)
Stupak (MI-01)
Sutton (OH-13)
Taylor (MS-04)
Tanner (TN-08)
Teague (NM-02)
Titus (NV-03)
Wilson (OH-06)

Call the Capitol Switchboard: 1-877-762-8762

Sean Duffy: Sarah Palin Endorsement

Sean Duffy, Republican candidate challenging David Obey, received a big-time endorsement today.

On Facebook, Sarah Palin discusses the one-year anniversary of that abomination, that miserable failure -- the stimulus.

While Obama and Biden and other Dems are out today touting its success, lying through their teeth, remember Evan Bayh's words: "If I could create one job in the private sector by helping to grow a business, that would be one more than Congress has created in the last six months."

In addition to exposing the truth about the failed stimulus, written by David Obey, Palin points to Sean Duffy as an agent of hope and change.

One year later, we see plainly that the stimulus was not a well-thought out plan. It hasn’t revived our economy; instead the debt-ridden package will prove to be a drag on our economy. It hasn’t put us on the path to a better future; instead it’s unfairly mortgaged our children’s future and stolen opportunities from them. It hasn’t strengthened us; instead it endangers our freedom and security by making us even more beholden to foreign lenders. The legacy of the stimulus isn’t jobs or economic growth – it’s more dangerous debt.

But there is hope! And this hope lies in draining the swamp in D.C. and sending Commonsense Conservatives to Washington who understand the need for fiscal restraint. Those who are willing to rein in spending, respect Constitutional limits, and repeal the stimulus should get our support, and those who have been part of the problem should be replaced.

In this election year, we’ll see many daring Davids take on entrenched Goliaths. Just one of these many brave souls is a northern Wisconsin patriot named Sean Duffy. He’s running in Wisconsin’s 7th congressional district against a liberal Goliath who’s been in Congress over 40 years now and has the dubious distinction of being the author of the stimulus bill. To commemorate the anniversary of the signing of the stimulus, Sean Duffy is holding a fundraising “money bomb” for his campaign so he can replace the career politician who drafted this government-bloating behemoth.

If you’re frustrated about the waste in the stimulus bill, please support a solid fiscal conservative who will work to repeal it. Please visit Sean Duffy’s website and help him help us correct the mistakes of this past year.

On this first anniversary of the stimulus, let’s send a message to the big-spenders in Washington by helping Sean Duffy unseat the author of the stimulus. Let’s put government back on our side and get to work revitalizing America!

I like the imagery of "draining the swamp."

But there is hope! And this hope lies in draining the swamp in D.C. and sending Commonsense Conservatives to Washington who understand the need for fiscal restraint.

Drain the swamp and end Obey's reign.

Want hope and change?

Help send Sean Duffy to Washington.

Sean Duffy: What They're Saying

February 17 marks the one-year anniversary of the failed monstrosity that David Obey penned -- the disastrous "stimulus."

It's not a proud day for Obey, Obama, and their comrades.

Visit Sean Duffy's new website: ObeyStimulus.com.

Sean Duffy

Sean Duffy's campaign to unseat David Obey is getting national attention.

TIME cites Duffy as one of "10 More Scott Browns."

Scott Brown's surprise victory in the Massachusetts Senate Race has given Republicans new confidence in challenging Democrats in the 2010 midterm elections. Here's a look at ten GOP congressional contenders who could follow in Brown's wake....

In a normal year, Wisconsin Democrat David Obey, the powerful head of the House appropriations committee, would not have to worry. But normal years do not bring challengers like Sean Duffy, a successful district attorney who also happens to be a former star of MTV's The Real World (Boston), a champion lumberjack competitor, and an ESPN commentator.

...With plenty of media attention, strong fundraising, and a very fresh face — he wasn't even born when Obey first took office in 1970 — Duffy will likely win the Republican primary, barring a surprise showing by the self-proclaimed tea party candidate Dan Mielke. Of course, that would mean facing the third-longest-serving member of the House in the general election, a man whose smallest margin of victory in eighteen elections was seven points.

The Democrats and the liberal pundits didn't think Republican Scott Brown could win in Massachusetts. They underestimated him.

Obey underestimates Duffy at his own peril.

I believe Sean Duffy can defeat David "War Surtax" Obey.

I really hope Obama comes to Wisconsin to campaign for Obey. We know how much Obama's visit to Massachusetts helped Martha Coakley Scott Brown.

David Obey: War Surtax

Wisconsin's own Dave Obey has proposed a new tax. Low-income earners would not escape this one.

From FOX News:

Two top Democrats say they want to impose a new tax on the wealthy to finance any increase in U.S. troops for the Afghanistan war.

Rep. David Obey, D-Wis., chairman of the purse string-controlling House Appropriations Committee, is calling the idea a "war surtax." He said that just as the federal government is expected to pay for its proposed intervention in the health care sector with new taxes, any escalated involvement in Afghanistan should come with a payment plan.

"If we have to pay for the health care bill, we should pay for the war as well ... by having a war surtax," Obey told ABC News in an interview that aired Monday. "The problem in this country with this issue is that the only people that has to sacrifice are military families and they've had to go to the well again and again and again and again, and everybody else is blithely unaffected by the war."

...President Obama plans to hold his ninth meeting Monday evening with his national security team to discuss options for overhauling the strategy in Afghanistan. The president has been considering requests for tens of thousands more U.S. troops from his top commander, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, for nearly three months. He is not expected to announce his new strategy before Thanksgiving.

But any request would likely come with a hefty price tag. One option presented by McChrystal would bring 40,000 more troops into Afghanistan -- a proposal estimated to cost about $40 billion, according to the Office of Management and Budget.

Obey said if an increase like that is approved without any payment mechanism, then other domestic initiatives would be wiped out.

"On the merits I think it's a mistake to deepen our involvement. But if we are going to do that, then at least we ought to pay for it. Because if we don't, if we don't pay for it, then the cost of the Afghan war will wipe out every other initiative that we have to rebuild our economy," he said. "Ain't going to be no money for nothing if we pour it all into Afghanistan."

Obey's proposal would be a "graduated tax" on income. It reportedly would start at 1 percent for low-income earners and rise to 5 percent for high-income earners. He's calling it a surtax because it would essentially be a tax on income that is already subject to federal income tax.

"Ain't going to be no money for nothing if we pour it all into Afghanistan."

Good grief.

That's not how we talk in Wisconsin.

Stimulus Errors and Dave Obey

The White House insists that the $787 billion stimulus has been a tremendous success. It also insist that its website, recovery.gov, is a "great success."

The White House looks ridiculous.

Massive problems with the data have been reported for weeks, but the Obama administration is dismissing them.

From The Hill:

White House officials on Tuesday dismissed criticism that its recovery act reporting efforts were riddled with inaccuracies, stressing its mistakes were "relatively few, and don't change the fundamental conclusions one can draw from the data."

A day after reporters discovered that the White House's stimulus hub, Recovery.gov, incorrectly calculated jobs created by federal funds in congressional districts that do not actually exist, White House adviser Ed DeSeve acknowledged the errors as "frustrating."

...Monday's news that the White House had to purge more than 60,000 jobs from stimulus reports because the numbers were suspect angered some lawmakers. But this morning's revelation that Recovery.gov reflected jobs and dollar amounts in congressional districts that did not exist made some, including House Appropriations Chairman David Obey (D-Wisc.), nearly apoplectic.

Consequently, DeSeve on Monday explained that errors are often more obvious as a result of transparency, not despite of it. He also attributed the recent string of lapses regarding congressional districts to simple human error, and he cautioned those errors in no way meant the White House was not making progress stimulating the economy.

"Critics – some well intentioned, some who just wanted to discredit the Recovery Act -- have had over two weeks to try to make hay with the data," he said. "But no criticism has come close to discrediting the larger and most important point: that the Recovery Act has helped save or create more than 1 million jobs across America and across various sectors of the economy."

This is nuts! It's insane.

Dave Obey, DEMOCRAT, is not buying his party's line.

From WAOW:

Congressman Dave Obey wants pervasive errors in official stimulus data fixed. The Wausau Democrat says that the inaccuracies on recovery.gov are “stupid mistakes” that undermine the government’s credibility.

...In an Appropriations Committee statement Obey says, “The inaccuracies on recovery.gov that have come to light are outrageous and the Administration owes itself, the Congress, and every American a commitment to work night and day to correct the ludicrous mistakes.”

Wisconsin has several phantom districts listed on the recovery website including the 55th, 14th, 9th, 00, 10th and 39th. The funds received vary from $1,240,000 to $91,091.

Obey also called on the Transparency Board, which oversees the recovery act web site and data, to fix it. “Whether the numbers are good news or bad news, I want the honest numbers and I want them now,” Obey said.

It's impossible to fix the website.

If the numbers are tainted to begin with, nothing can be done to get "honest numbers."

The stimulus is a disaster. It's a complete failure, government incompetence at its worst.
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Video: Who’s Accountable When Stimulus Data is Erroneous?
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ABC News Exclusive: Obama Admin Slashed 60,000 Jobs From Recent Stimulus Report

Office of Management & Budget Document: 12 Stimulus Recipients Reported 'Unrealistic Job Data'

"Unrealistic"?

That's a very gentle way of putting it.

Some more appropriate terms come to mind to describe the job data, such as fabricated, false, deceptive, dishonest, BS.

Obama Administration Admits H1N1 Mistakes

From the Washington Times:

Two top officials at the Department of Health and Human Services acknowledged to a congressional panel Wednesday that the government had overpromised and made poor judgments on vaccination production against the current H1N1 flu pandemic.

The government's initial plan was to have 160 million doses available in October; the actual production at month's end was barely 15 percent of that -- 24.8 million doses.

"In hindsight, it's clear we should have been more skeptical," Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said of the government's consistently overstated estimates on the amount of vaccine that would be ready for public distribution.

Dr. Frieden spoke before a meeting of the House Appropriations subcommittee on labor, health and human services, education and related agencies, in response to concerns by Rep. David R. Obey, Wisconsin Democrat and the panel's chairman, about why production of supplies had been so slow and what needed to change for the future.

Dr. Frieden attributed the shortfall to the unpredictable rate of growth of the flu virus in egg cultures that are used to make the vaccine. In effect, the government failed to properly count its chickens -- or eggs -- before they hatched.

Bottom line: The Obama administration was tested on handling a nationwide health emergency.

It failed.

Where's the accountability?

This test came at a crucial time in Obama's plan to rip health care out of the private sector and initiate a big government takeover.

Government-run health care?

You've got to be kidding.

A simple vaccination program has been royally screwed up by government incompetence.

"Oops! We miscalculated. Sorry."

That doesn't fly.

The things government-run health care proponents have said wouldn't happen under ObamaCare have:

RATIONING

LONG LINES

DELAYS IN RECEIVING CARE

ACCESS TO LIFE-SAVING CARE

Only a fraction of Americans have been vaccinated.

Swine Flu has the upper hand, not the Obama administration.

HHS officials "overpromised."

It's inexcusable.

Are Obama and the Democrats also "overpromising" on the benefits of their health care system takeover?

Of course.

Obama: The New Bush

Obama promised change.

He campaigned as the anti-Bush.

Many Americans bought Obama's snake oil. They were duped. Democrats are "irked."

And when David Obey gets irked, it's not pretty.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama has irked close allies in Congress by declaring he has the right to ignore legislation on constitutional grounds after having criticized George W. Bush for doing the same.

Four senior House Democrats on Tuesday said they were "surprised" and "chagrined" by Obama's declaration in June that he doesn't have to comply with provisions in a war spending bill that puts conditions on aid provided to the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

In a signing statement accompanying the $106 billion bill, Obama said he wouldn't allow the legislation to interfere with his authority as president to conduct foreign policy and negotiate with other governments. Earlier in his 6-month-old administration, Obama issued a signing statement regarding provisions in a $410 billion omnibus spending bill.

"During the previous administration, all of us were critical of (Bush's) assertion that he could pick and choose which aspects of congressional statutes he was required to enforce," the Democrats wrote in their letter to Obama. "We were therefore chagrined to see you appear to express a similar attitude."

The letter was signed by Reps. David Obey of Wisconsin, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, and Barney Frank of Massachusetts, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, as well as Reps. Nita Lowey and Gregory Meeks, both of New York, who chair subcommittees on those panels.

Obey and Frank in particular are needed by Obama to push through Congress key pieces of his agenda, including health care and financial oversight reform.

The White House said Tuesday the administration plans to implement the provisions of the bill and suggested that Obama's signing statement was aimed more at defending the president's executive powers than skirting the law.

...Bush issued a record number of signing statements while in office as he sparred with Democrats on such big issues as the war in Iraq.

Democrats, including Obama, sharply criticized Bush as overstepping his bounds as president. In March, Obama ordered a review of Bush's guidelines for implementing legislation.

Once again, Obama is revealed to be the hypocrite-in-chief.

Supposedly, Bush skirted the law but Obama is defending the president's executive powers.

What a joke!

Dems like Obey are ticked off, and as the polls show, more and more Americans are beginning to realize that Obama has the wrong stuff.

David Obey and Maxine Waters

David Obey and Maxine Waters lost control during a floor fight over an earmark.

Obey and Waters out of control?

I'm shocked!

From The Hill:

Two Democrats got into a verbal altercation — and according to one a physical one — on the floor of the House on Thursday night over an appropriations earmark one was seeking.

After the House floor had largely cleared following a series of votes, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) and Appropriations Chairman David Obey (D-Wis.) split apart from a heated conversation and began yelling at one another.

“You’re out of line,” Waters shot while walking down toward the well.

“You’re out of line,” Obey shot back before turning and walking away.

But then Obey stopped, turned back toward Waters, and shouted: “I’m not going to approve that earmark!”

Obey turned away, but Waters went to go huddle with members of the Congressional Black Caucus. She could be over heard telling them: “He touched me first.”

Waters was escorted by her colleagues into the cloakroom.

Obey then conversed for a few minutes with House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.). Hoyer's office said the two did not discuss the incident but instead talked only about the appropriations process. Obey had been speaking with Hoyer and leadership staff for most of the vote series prior to his encounter with Waters.

Obey then exited the chamber.

But Waters soon returned briefly, again telling her colleagues: “He touched me.”

Waters then disappeared into the cloakroom.

Waters and Obey have had an ongoing dispute about an earmark for a public school employment training center in Los Angeles that was named after Waters when she was a state representative.

Obey rejected that earmark as violating policies against so-called “monuments to me.” Waters revised her request to go to the school district’s whole adult employment training program, so the district could decide whether the money would go to the school named after Waters.

Thursday was the committee markup of the spending bill that would include the earmark, and Obey let it be known that the earmark would be denied. She approached him and complained.

A Waters aide said that Obey had pushed her.

Here's more on the smackdown, from Politico:

Witnesses, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it appeared that Waters pushed or shoved Obey.

The pair were seen shouting at each other and had to be separated by members -- who were gathered on the floor casting final votes before heading off to a party at the White House.

Waters, according a Democratic staffer familiar with the situation, approached Obey to ask him to fund one of her longstanding earmarks, the Maxine Waters Employment Preparation Center.

Obey -- who irked Waters a few weeks back by banning "Monuments to me" funding projects named after the politicians that earmark them -- told her no, emphatically enough to be heard across the chamber.

"I'm not going to approve that earmark!" Obey shouted.

The two veteran Democrats -- each pugnacious and 71 years old -- began shouting, with the L.A. area-Congresswoman following Obey around the chamber, reportedly suggesting he channel the vocational money through a local school district.

At some point, they collided, witnesses say, with one Obey ally claiming the lean Waters "tried to shove" the stout Obey.

I wish I could say that it's difficult to imagine Obey and Waters behaving like children, but I can't.

What an embarrassment!

David Obey and Flu-fighting Stimulus Money

From the Washington Times:

Congress over the past four years has trimmed spending aimed at fighting a flu pandemic, most recently in this year's stimulus bill, when a key House Democrat tried but failed to get his colleagues to include hundreds of millions of dollars.

House Appropriations Committee Chairman David R. Obey, Wisconsin Democrat, said he included $420 million in flu-fighting money in the House version of the stimulus bill, but senators objected and he was forced to pull the allocation when the final bill passed in February.

"Whether or not this influenza strain turns out to have pandemic potential, sooner or later some strain will," Mr. Obey said. "We are not prepared today. Lets hope we dont need to be. Because we need to become prepared as soon as possible, I intend to again request additional funds in the upcoming supplemental."

The outbreak of swine flu has fostered a search for where to place blame. Although Mr. Obey didn't name names, liberal blogs have been particularly harsh toward Sen. Susan Collins, Maine Republican, who during the stimulus debate touted her opposition to flu-fighting money. She was one of three Republicans who voted for the stimulus bill, and did so after the flu funds and some other provisions were removed.

The senator's spokesman said Miss Collins does want increased funding for flu preparedness, though she wanted it to be part of the annual spending process, not the one-time jobs-creation package.

"And, in fact, the omnibus appropriations bill that was signed into law in March, less than a month after the stimulus bill, contains $156 million for pandemic influenza research, which is $1.4 million more than the fiscal year 2008 level," said Collins spokesman Kevin Kelley.

It's self-serving on Obey's part to put out the word that he had the foresight to include $420 million in flu-fighting money in the House version of the stimulus bill.

Dems, like Obey, are looking to blame Republicans and score political points on a potential public health crisis. That's rather sleazy, but expected.

I won't carry water for Collins, but her claim that she supported flu preparedness funds, just not as part of the stimulus bill, makes sense. She shouldn't be a scapegoat for the country's lack of readiness to deal with a pandemic.

Four years ago, when doctors sounded similar warnings about the avian flu, President Bush pushed for more than $7 billion in fiscal 2006 to produce vaccines and pay for states to prepare readiness plans. The Republican-controlled Congress appropriated only half that money the first year, prompting a sober warning from the administration.

"We are in a race. We are in a race against a fast-moving, virulent virus with the potential to cause an influenza pandemic," said Michael O. Leavitt, the health and human services secretary at the time.

President Bush deserves credit for his efforts to prepare the country. He did the right thing.

...As the bird-flu threat receded, so did Congress' willingness to spend, under both Republican and Democratic control.

Funding was reduced despite health specialists' calls for a continued stream of money to help the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Health and Human Services Department and other agencies prepare for an outbreak.

Of all the wasteful spending by government, all the pork and pet projects, it's incredibly irresponsible for Congress to have inadequately funded preparations for a pandemic.

Let it be understood: Blame cannot be placed on President Bush.
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Read more about Bush's Flu Pandemic Plan.