Massachusetts Left engages in Bullying and Threats

Blue Mass. Group:: Labor to challenge Lynch if he votes no on HCR

These are the tactics of the far-left Democratic Party in MA. If you dare to disagree with the Left, then evidently you are not a Real Democrat.

Message to the Left: Put me down as an Independent. I, along with most of America, reject your Socialist agenda.

Congressman, we will not be able to explain to the working women and men of our
union why you voted against their interests. We have stood together time and
time again and you have made an enormous difference in the lives of our members.
It takes courage to make history. We know that you have always had the
courage to do the right thing - national health reform is the right thing for
Massachusetts families.
Please stand with us once again and do the right
thing.
Whole letter reprinted below the fold.
It comes down to this: If
you vote against health care reform, there is simply no reason for you to be a
Democrat. And there is no reason a Democrat should vote for you. It's a litmus
test issue if ever there was one. And Lynch's test is coming out more "red" than
"blue".

The Boston Globe is Angry with Tim Cahill

Cahill taps firms tied to state pension investor - The Boston Globe

The Boston Globe does not like it when Democrats, especially, chanllenge the Liberal Orthodoxy. The beginning of this story ADMITS that nothing illegal has happened. So why is this a story? Simple -- If you're a Democrat and you're not a left-winger, then the Globe.

Message for the Globe -- Go cry in your wine.

Nothing obvious connects Cahill to these donors, whose companies are based in
such states as Texas, Missouri, Florida, and Colorado. But an extensive Globe
review of Cahill’s aggressive fund-raising practices uncovered the common link:
Michael A. Ruane, a Boston investment manager who employs those firms to handle
the vast real estate holdings he has bought for his investors — and who counts
the Massachusetts pension board as one of his clients.
Since Cahill became
the board’s chairman in 2003, Ruane’s investment management firm has been
allocated $500 million in pension funds to invest — and has earned $34 million
in management fees.
In fact, the largest one-day infusion of Ruane-connected
campaign donations, $40,250 from business associates and their relatives in 12
states, was deposited on Aug. 13, 2003, a day before the Pension Reserves
Investment Management board voted unanimously to give Ruane’s company $100
million to invest.
Cahill and Michael Travaglini, the state pension board’s
executive director, insist that there was no connection between the fund-raising
and investment decisions and said that Ruane’s firm, TA Associates Realty, has
been one of the pension fund’s best managers, even before Cahill’s time. Ruane’s
company already handled $300 million from the state pension fund when Cahill
took office.

Liberals lose Sanchez, Nye, and Space -- Bill is going down!!!

Real Clear Politics – TIME.com - Opinion, News, Analysis, Videos and Polls.

It has been a roller coaster 24 hours for the President's health care
reform effort. The Democrats have convinced a number of former "no" votes
to commit to voting "yes." At the same time, a few former "yes" votes have
flipped over to "no." Whip counts vary, but the various counts have the
yeas and nays at around 208. 216 votes are needed for passage.
This is
complicated by the uncertainty surrounding the size of the so-called "Stupak
bloc," which is not included in this count. These are Democrats who
normally would vote for health care reform, but want stronger anti-abortion
language inserted into the bill. These Democrats are described as Costello
(IL-12), Donnelly (IN-02), Driehaus (OH-01), Lipinski (IL-03), Stupak (MI-01),
Berry (AR-01), Dahlkemper (PA-03), Mollohan (WV-01), Kaptur (OH-09) and Rahall
(WV-03). Reports have Stupak saying that his intial bloc of 12 had been sliced in half, but it is unclear whether he was referring to
his intial group (which lost members like Oberstar and Kildee), or to the group
that he had recently put together (which added members like Berry and
Donnelly).

Coakley Reveals her condescension towards Massachusetts' Middle Class....

Right, Martha, because anyone who is a Brown supporter must also be a Yankee supporter, right???


She is so incredibly out of touch...........


Coakley dismisses Schilling: 'Another Yankee fan' - Ben Smith - POLITICO.com

In the intensifying Democratic precriminations game over who to blame if
Coakley loses, here's one for the blame Coakley camp: On another talk radio
show, "Nightside With Dan Rea," Coakley jabs Rudy Giuliani as a Yankee fan, then
goes on to describe Brown supporter Curt Schilling, the great former Red Sox
pitcher, as a Yankee fan as well.
The host sounds incredulous -- "Curt
Schilling? The Red Sox great pitcher of the bloody sock?" -- and Coakley
initially sounds unfamiliar with him.

Yeah, I'd say that Coakley is completely unfamiliar with
Schilling............

Coakley's Gutter Campaign Continues....

Coakley: Scott Brown doesn't pay for health care for workers - Local News Updates - The Boston Globe

Coakley's last, sad attempt to wan an election that she should have won by 20 points...... Fortunately, her gutter campaign of slash, burn, and attack hasn't worked.....

Democratic US Senate candidate Martha Coakley today highlighted her
differences with her opponent, Republican Scott Brown, on health insurance
reform by saying that Brown does not pay for health insurance for his campaign
workers, while she does.
“We already knew that Scott Brown didn’t want to
make health insurance more affordable for Massachusetts families and
businesses. Now we learn that he won’t even make health insurance
available for his own staff. If he won’t stand up for the people he
employs, how could we ever trust him to stand up for us?" Coakley said in a
statement.

At his first campaign event today, in Quincy, Brown was greeted by an
excited crowd of about 500 people. Detail police officers clapped him on his
back, and the crowd included elderly women and people who described themselves
as Democrats.
Before he spoke, on a stage in front of the public library
decorated with a giant American flag and bunting, he was greeted by seven
seconds of applause, cheers, and chants of "Go, Scott, go!"

He was joined by former Republican governor William F. Weld and a former
Quincy mayor, Frank McCauley, who said, "I've never seen anything like this
before."
Brown told the crowd, "This race is about differences. It's always
been about differences, and it's not about personalities," citing the two
candidates' positions on taxes, spending, and terrorism.

He also criticized Coakley for running negative ads, saying, "It's funny
how quickly the politics of hope, the politics of hope, have turned into the
politics of destruction."

Put me Squarely in Texas's Column

The Essence and Future of Texas vs. California Newgeography.com

First, Texans on average believe in laissez-faire markets with an emphasis on individual responsibility. Since the '80s, California’s policy-makers have favored central planning solutions and a reliance on a government social safety net. This unrelenting commitment to big government has led to a huge tax burden and triggered a mass exodus of jobs. The Trends Editors examined the resulting migration in “Voting with Our Feet,” in the April 2008 issue of Trends.

Second, Californians have largely treated environmentalism as a “religious sacrament” rather than as one component among many in maximizing people's quality of life. As we explained in “The Road Ahead for Housing,” in the June 2009 issue of Trends, environmentally-based land-use restriction centered in California played a huge role in inflating the recent housing bubble. Similarly, an unwillingness to manage ecology proactively for man’s benefit has been behind the recent epidemic of wildfires.

Third, California has placed “ethnic diversity” above “assimilation,” while Texas has done the opposite. “Identity politics” has created psychological ghettos that have prevented many of California’s diverse ethnic groups and subcultures from integrating fully into the mainstream. Texas, on the other hand, has proactively encouraged all the state’s residents to join the mainstream.

Fourth, beyond taxes, diversity, and the environment, Texas has focused on streamlining the regulatory and litigation burden on its residents. Meanwhile, California’s government has attempted to use regulation and litigation to transfer wealth from its creators to various special-interest constituencies.

GOP could do worse than this guy, and probably will

I guess I'm wondering at this point, with alternatives like Thune, Jindal, Huckabee, Pawlenty; Why do so many in the GOP seem so intent on following Romney and Palin?????

'Regular guy' Thune is hot commodity in GOP circles - CNN.com

With just 40 Republicans in the Senate now, Thune insists that there is
still a diversity of GOP views -- but one that he argues must be
expanded.
"We want to see more people joining our party," Thune
said.
"We've got to be able to accept the fact that a senator from the
Northeast, for example, from the New England states, isn't going to be the same
as a senator from the South."
In a leadership made up mostly of veteran
senators from the South, 47-year-old Thune brings youth and what he calls the
prairie sensibilities he learned growing up in small town South Dakota.

Schakowsy Will Vote Against Bill with Stupak

Schakowsy Will Vote Against Bill with Stupak

Posted using ShareThis

Dems in Blue Seats Who Voted Against Choice

Dems in Blue Seats Who Voted Against Choice

Posted using ShareThis

Good Luck in the Senate, Health Care Reformers -- You'll need it!!

Democrats have no margin for error -- they control exactly 60 seats in the 100-member Senate. Some moderate Democrats have rebelled at Reid's plan to include a new government-run insurance program, known as the "public option," in the bill.
Senator Joe Lieberman, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, renewed his promise on Sunday to help Republicans block a final vote if the bill contains the government-run insurance option backed by Senate liberals.
"If the public option plan is in there, as a matter of conscience, I will not allow this bill to come to a final vote," Lieberman said on "Fox News Sunday.


Healthcare measure faces tough path in Senate U.S. Reuters

Republican-leaning pollster is, as we have known for a long time, completely fraudulent

FiveThirtyEight: Politics Done Right

A very cool guide to the House Blue Dogs

Wild Cards: A CQ Guide to the Blue Dog Coalition

Wishful Thinking, KOS

Right, KOS, because you would never start a civil war with moderate / conservative Dems, right? What a Joke!!!

With Scozzafava’s de facto ouster from the GOP, moderate Republicans are
now included in the movement conservatives’ enemies list, which already includes
African-Americans, gays, immigrants, Latinos, single women, urbanites,
non-Christians, Northeasterners, Hollywood, San Francisco, Chicago and
Massachusetts.
Forget a “big tent”; a pup tent would likely be too spacious
for what’s left of the so-called Republican “coalition.”
Ultimately, whether
Hoffman wins or loses is irrelevant — Democrats don’t need the extra seat, and
it’ll likely be eliminated in post-census redistricting anyway. The tarring and
feathering of Scozzafava is far more significant — emboldened conservative
activists have their first trophy victory in their jihad against the Republican
establishment, and are hungry to beat non-ideologue Republicans across the
country. Senate candidates Mark Kirk in Illinois and Rob Simmons in Connecticut
may be electable statewide because of their moderate history, but that’s
irrelevant to activists who’d rather purge than win elections. So Kirk is
running from his record, while Simmons is pathetically carrying a teabag around
to curry favor with conservatives. It remains to be seen if such empty gestures
will mollify angry teabaggers.




The GOP’s civil war - TheHill.com

Mr. Deeds for Governor - washingtonpost.com

Mr. Deeds for Governor - washingtonpost.com
From the article....

There are plenty of reasons why Mr. Deeds is the better choice for governor
in the Nov. 3 election. He has stood with Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, the incumbent,
and his predecessor, now-Sen. Mark R. Warner, in support of the sane fiscal and
budgetary choices that have made the state one of the best-governed and most
business-friendly in the nation. Mr. McDonnell has generally spurned those
policies, most notably by opposing Mr. Warner's landmark tax package in 2004,
which attracted bipartisan support as it boosted public safety and education and
protected the state's finances. Mr. Deeds has compiled a moderate record on
divisive social issues that reflects Virginia's status as a centrist swing
state. Mr. McDonnell has staked out the intolerant terrain on his party's right
wing, fighting a culture war that seized his imagination as a law student in the
Reagan era.

let-the-red-states-secede.html: Personal Finance News from Yahoo! Finance

let-the-red-states-secede.html: Personal Finance News from Yahoo! Finance

Intersting article, however I bet there is a lot of right-leaning spin here. I am looking forward to fact-checking this article.

RealClearPolitics - High Price of ObamaCare

RealClearPolitics - High Price of ObamaCare

Will a young, healthy, childless individual or couple buy health insurance costing 7.5 percent of their income, as required by Obama's health legislation? Not until they get sick. Then they can always buy the insurance, and the Obama bill requires the insurance companies to give it to them. And if the premiums come to more than 7.5 percent of their income because they are now sick, no problem. Obama will subsidize it.
Instead, young, healthy, childless people will likely opt to pay the $1,000 fine (aka slap on the wrist) mandated in the bill. After all, even if they make as little as $50,000 a year, the fine is a lot cheaper than 7.5 percent of their income (or $3,500 a year)!

Could? Could?!?!?!?!?!

Public plan debate could pit Democrat vs. Democrat - Yahoo! Finance

The Senate Finance Committee is expected to consider whether the government should offer its own insurance plan for the middle class in competition with private carriers. A public option is the top goal for liberals, but it has no Republican support and moderate Democrats say the Senate will never go along.
So Tuesday's debate is expected to pit Democratic liberals against moderates.
Although the public plan isn't expected to get a majority of the panel, supporters say at least they'll know where everybody stands.
Finance Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., is already in the hot seat -- accused of being lukewarm, if not downright hostile, to the government option.
Two liberal groups are launching a hard-hitting television and Internet ad featuring a young father from Montana. Bing Perrine, 26, in need of a heart operation, uninsured and deeply in debt, looks straight into the camera and asks Baucus, "Whose side are you on?"

Attention Mr. President: Here is How to be a fiscally Responsible Democrat

Deeds pledges to walk tight fiscal line - Washington Times

Fiscal conservatism for Virginia has been a sound course that must be maintained at time when the state is grappling with pockets of double-digit unemployment and the federal debt is ballooning, said Democrat R. Creigh Deeds.
The Democratic gubernatorial candidate told The Washington Times in an interview that Virginia's attitude toward business and the requirement to keep the budget balanced have put the state in a comparatively good position. At the same time, he said, he sees improving education and transportation infrastructure and not job creation as the state's primary role in helping fuel prosperity.
"I think it's paid off for us to be fiscally conservative and frugal, a relatively low-service state. It is part of the reason why we continue to be named the best state for business in the country," Mr. Deeds said Saturday while driving between campaign stops in Bedford and Roanoke.

Endorsement: Ohio Governor

Massachusetts Blue Dog is pleased to endorse John Kasich (R-OH) for governor of Ohio



John Kasich for Governor of Ohio Biography

While Ohio’s problems are daunting, I believe they are fixable – but only by creating a business environment that rewards investment and increases wages. With forward-thinking, solutions- oriented leadership, we can transform Ohio into a model of job creation and economic vitality that other states will want to follow. To succeed we must:

lower taxes – Create a tax climate that allows Ohio to compete with other states to attract new businesses, foster job creation, and keep our precious, existing jobs here

make government more efficient and effective – Skinny-down state bureaucracy to ensure taxpayers are getting their money’s worth, and reform state government into a 21st century partner with Ohio's job creators – not one that punishes business with outdated or unnecessary regulation;

transform our education system – Help our kids achieve, compete and succeed to meet the workforce demands of tomorrow’s economy

end the influence of special interests – Build common-sense solutions to our problems and kick out those who, for too long, have kept us from fixing all that is wrong in our state

US may extend real estate tax credit

Time For a Compromise?

Here is my proposal:

Extend the $7,500 credit through 2010 for couples making up to $250,000.

Deal?

Senator John Isakson, a Georgia Republican, said yesterday he is “talking
to everybody and anybody’’ in an effort to drum up support for a bill that would
extend the program through the end of 2010, almost double the credit to $15,000,
and remove restrictions that prohibit individuals who already own homes or earn
$75,000 ($150,000 for couples) from receiving the tax break. The bill, first
introduced in June, failed in a 47-to-50 Senate vote last month.